SOUTHERN TENNIS HOF INDUCTEE SERVED AS USTA SOUTHERN, USTA ALABAMA PRESIDENT
The Southern Tennis Foundation (STF), the charitable affiliate of USTA Southern, is proud to announce the establishment of the Jeff Gray Scholarship Fund.
Gray has been inducted into four halls of fame and served as USTA Southern President & CEO and USTA Alabama President. A highly regarded tennis professional in Mobile, Ala., he was twice named the US Professional Tennis Association’s Southern Pro of the Year. He played on the first University of West Florida varsity team and was the assistant tennis coach for Middle Tennessee State.
The scholarship, worth $1,000 per year for four years, will go to worthy students from Alabama or across the South who have been involved in tennis during their high school careers. The primary selection criteria will be academic achievement and promise, civic involvement and character. Selections will be made by the STF’s College Scholarships Committee.
Jeff Gray
- USTA Alabama President 1978
- USTA Alabama Hall of Fame Member
- Past Chair of USTA Alabama Junior and Adult Ranking Committees
- Served as the Alabama Captain of the Callen Cup for many years
- Ranked # 1 in Alabama Men’s Singles 35s 1982-84, Men’s 45 Singles 1991 & 1995. Men’s 50’s 1997 & 1998
- USTA Southern Men’s Doubles 2001, Ranked #1 Men’s 45’s (John Callen), Men’s 50’s (Steve Duffel)
- Member of the USPTA and PTR until retirement (Professional Tennis Teaching Associations)
- Winner of the 45 and over USPTA National Doubles Championships (Hugh Thomson)
- Current Chair of the USTA Alabama Hall of Fame Committee
- Recipient of the USTA Alabama Hubert Kessler Inspiration Cup 2022
- Honorary member of the Sunrise Rotary Club Mobile
- USTA Southern President 2005-06, USTA Delegate 2007-08
- Past Southern Chair of Junior Ranking Committee
- Past Chair of USTA Southern Nominating Committee
- Served as Vice-Chairman of the USTA National Adult Senior Ranking Committee
- Recipient of the 2006 Jacobs Bowl from USTA Southern
- Recipient of the USTA Senior Service Award 2021
- Recipient of the USTA Southern Charlie B. Morris, Jr. Service Award 2022
- Inducted into the USTA Southern Hall of Fame 2017
- Captain of the original tennis team at the University of West Florida
- Inducted into the University of West Florida Hall of Fame 1970
- Assistant Tennis Coach at Middle Tennessee State University
- Represented USTA Southern as a member of the Intersectional Tennis Team
- Two-time winner of the USPTA Southern Tennis Professional of the Year Award.
- Awarded the “Pride of the South Award” by the USPTA Southern Division
- Director of Tennis at Pensacola Tennis Club 1973
- Director of Mirror Lake Tennis Club (Mobile) 1974-1981
- Director of Tennis at the Country Club of Mobile 1981-2015
Jeff Gray: distinguished coach and USTA volunteer
Even Jeff Gray doesn’t think it’s possible that he has been involved in the sport of tennis for more than 50 years.
Born in Houston, Texas, but being the son of a Shell Oil Company employee and part of a family that moved frequently in the 1940s and 1950s, Gray didn’t play organized sports outside of youth baseball. When he was set to leave for college at the age of 18, a neighbor gave him a used tennis racquet as a gift, and his life changed forever.
“(I ended) up playing daily in college,” stated Gray. “I played three years of college tennis and played on the first tennis team for the University of West Florida.”
That set the wheels in motion to be a tennis “lifer” and for soft-spoken Gray to give back in so many ways to the sport he loved. It also included a move to USTA Southern as he entered graduate school and was named the Assistant Tennis Coach at Middle Tennessee State University. Following his graduation in Murfreesboro, Gray took the position of head pro at the newly established Pensacola Racket Club. The next year he moved to Mobile and began a stint as a pro at Mirror Lake Racquet Club.
Gray would put down roots in Mobile, as he has been employed for 35 years and counting as Director of Tennis at the Country Club of Mobile.
While the tennis community is known for volunteering and lending a helping hand, Gray has been a leader in giving back. For USTA Alabama, he has been past Chair of both the Junior and Adult Ranking committees. He served as State President in 1978 and was Captain of the Senior Cup Team and currently is Chair of the USTA Alabama Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
At the section level, he has been Chair of the USTA Southern Junior Ranking Committee and served two stints as a member and one as chair of the Nominating Committee. Gray served admirably as President & CEO of USTA Southern in 2005-2006 as well as a Delegate as Large on the Board of Directors, a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Grievance Council.
USTA even called upon Gray to serve as Vice Chairman of the Adult/Senior Competition Committee from 2005-06, a Delegate from USTA Southern in 2007-08 and a member of the Sectional President’s Committee in 2005-06.
For many, Gray is best known for his relief work when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. Serving as USTA Southern President & CEO, Gray brought the affected states together with the Southern Tennis Foundation and the USTA tennis family to raise over $1,100,000. The donated funds not only rebuilt facilities, but also assisted displaced tennis professionals and restarted adult and junior USTA programs at new or alternate sites.
As a player, Gray has been ranked No. 1 in Alabama in various age groups. He won the USTA Southern Senior Open and Closed in both singles and doubles in addition to the 45s USPTA National Doubles Championships in 1991.
“Probably the highlight of my playing career was playing on the winning Alabama Senior Cup and Intersectional teams,” explained Gray. “But it was very special to win the Country Club of Mobile Labor Day Professional Doubles in 1989.” This is an annual event and one of the most prestigious events in the South.
A distinguished member of the USPTA and Professional Tennis Registry, Gray is no stranger to Hall of Fame inductions. He is in the Mobile Tennis Hall of Fame, the University of West Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and the USTA Alabama Hall of Fame. He is a two-time winner of both the USPTA Southern Pro of the Year and USTA Alabama Pro of the Year Awards. He was also presented with the Jacobs Bowl, for his dedication to the game in 2006, by USTA Southern as well as the “Pride of the South” award from the USPTA Southern Division.
Like many other coaches and proponents of lifetime and youth sports, Gray realizes there are challenges that lie ahead with the current generation and generations to come, but he is seeing a payoff reflected in the growing usage of courts at the Country Club of Mobile. Since he started keeping figures 25 years ago, he’s seen a plateau of about 2,000 players a month (for all courts) increase to more than 3,300 players per month. Gray has set a goal of being eco-friendly and making the best use of natural resources.
Quotes from members of the Southern tennis community
George Bernard Shaw once said, “A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” Anyone who has met Jeff Gray knows that this quote describes him perfectly. He has been an outstanding tennis player at the highest levels of the USTA, as well as the Tennis Director at the Country Club of Mobile for over 36 years. Jeff has served as President of both USTA Alabama and USTA Southern, and he is a member of the Alabama, Southern, University of West Florida and Mobile, Ala., tennis halls of fame. His genteel nature, humility, kindness and true desire to help others are just a few of the reasons why he is loved and respected by everyone he meets.
Randy Stephens: Former President of USTA Southern & Southern Tennis Hall of Fame Member
I’m so pleased to support this effort to honor Jeff Gray, the kindest, most honorable dependable and genuine person I know. Jeff is always a pleasure to be around, and what a great volunteer, leader and teacher he has been … a wonderful example of the outstanding tennis professionals in Alabama and the USTA Southern. I’m proud to call him my friend.
Rex Maynard: Former President of USTA Southern and Southern Tennis Hall of Fame Member
In my six years of service on the Board of the Country Club of Mobile, I had the privilege of working with Jeff. We worked very closely my last two years as Vice President and President. Jeff is without a doubt one of the finest individuals I have ever met. His greatest attribute is that he is always present for his family, friends, the USTA and other causes which he supports. Jeff is reliable, honest and has worked very hard in his life to advance the sport of tennis, I am grateful for the friendship he and I have developed since 2004 when we first met, for him teaching me how to play tennis, and most especially for having a lifelong friend. Simply stated, he is the absolute best.
John Galanos: Past President of The Country Club of Mobile
Not only has Jeff Gray been a great teacher to generations of players, he has also spread his love of the game by teaching countless teaching professionals how to teach. He is the teacher of teachers.
Brian Jordan: Director of Tennis Grand Hotel and the Lakewood Club
My relationship with Jeff began as his assistant tennis professional, at the Country Club of Mobile. Jeff quickly became my mentor and best friend and is the Godfather of my third son Jeffrey Weinacker. His professionalism, organization skills and concern for his members is the reason he is beloved and successful. Jeff has a special gift to make you feel at ease even in the most difficult situations. He is the person you want to see every day, as he makes you feel good about yourself.
Jimmy Weinacker: USTA Alabama Hall of Fame Member, Director of Tennis,
Pine Tree Country Club, Birmingham, Men’s Tennis Coach Birmingham Southern University