Alice Tym
Encyclopedia
Alice Luthy Tym née Alice Luthy, is a former American college and amateur tennis player who was ranked as high as No. 13 in the world in the mid-1960s. She later became a college tennis coach, tennis writer and university instructor.
. She attended Peoria High School
, and graduated as the salutatorian
of her class in 1960.
in Gainesville, Florida
, where she organized the Florida Gators women's tennis
team, served as its captain
, and played No. 1 singles for the Lady Gators from 1960 to 1964. Tym graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in English
, with Phi Beta Kappa honors. As a Ford Foundation
fellow, Tym later earned a master's degree
in geography
from the University of Florida in 1966.
tournament, she reached the singles final before falling to Jean Danilovich
. Later that year, she paired with Hedy Rutzezeck to win the doubles title in the Canada Masters
tournament. She and her husband, Bill Tym, also won five events at the 1964 Western Canada Open Grass Court championships; both won their respective women's and men's singles and doubles events, and then won the mixed doubles event as a team. Tym played on the international tennis circuit from 1964 to 1970, and played in all four Grand Slam
events. She won tennis tournaments in Australia, Canada, Egypt, England, India, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco and New Zealand. Tym's world ranking peaked at No. 13 in 1969.
and served as the head coach there from 1974 to 1978. In her four seasons as head coach, the Lady Mocs varsity women's program won two Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(AIAW) Small College National Championships in 1977 and 1978. Tym became the head coach of the Yale Bulldogs
women's tennis team at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
in 1978. In four seasons coaching the Lady Bulldogs, her teams compiled an overall win-loss record of 60–14 (.811), and won Ivy League
championships in 1980 and 1981.
She has been named Coach of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association, has been inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Women's Hall of Fame, the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame, the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
She also was a writer for World Tennis magazine and a member of the United States Tennis Writers Association. In 1983, the International Tennis Hall of Fame
named her as its Tennis Educational Merit Award winner.
Tym married William A. "Bill" Tym, a 1963 All-American for the Florida Gators men's tennis
team, and a fellow University of Florida alumnus.
Early life and education
Tym was born in Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. She attended Peoria High School
Peoria High School (Peoria, Illinois)
Peoria High School is a public high school in Peoria, Illinois. Peoria High School was established in 1856 and is the oldest continually operating high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. Peoria High is located at 1615 N. North Street and moved to this location in 1916...
, and graduated as the salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
of her class in 1960.
College career
Tym attended the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where she organized the Florida Gators women's tennis
Florida Gators women's tennis
The Florida Gators women's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Lady Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference . They play their home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's...
team, served as its captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
, and played No. 1 singles for the Lady Gators from 1960 to 1964. Tym graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, with Phi Beta Kappa honors. As a Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
fellow, Tym later earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
from the University of Florida in 1966.
Playing career
After earning her undergraduate degree, Tym moved on to the international tennis circuit. In the 1964 Cincinnati MastersCincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
tournament, she reached the singles final before falling to Jean Danilovich
Jean Danilovich
Jean Danilovich was an American amateur tennis player.In 1964, she was ranked in Class A nationally and was No. 6 in the "18 & Under" rankings in the U.S...
. Later that year, she paired with Hedy Rutzezeck to win the doubles title in the Canada Masters
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
tournament. She and her husband, Bill Tym, also won five events at the 1964 Western Canada Open Grass Court championships; both won their respective women's and men's singles and doubles events, and then won the mixed doubles event as a team. Tym played on the international tennis circuit from 1964 to 1970, and played in all four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
events. She won tennis tournaments in Australia, Canada, Egypt, England, India, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco and New Zealand. Tym's world ranking peaked at No. 13 in 1969.
Coaching career
After ending her playing career, Tym established the Lady Mocs women's tennis team at the University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a public university located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The University, often referred to as UTC or simply "Chattanooga" , is one of three universities and two other affiliated institutions in the University of Tennessee System; the others being in...
and served as the head coach there from 1974 to 1978. In her four seasons as head coach, the Lady Mocs varsity women's program won two Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
(AIAW) Small College National Championships in 1977 and 1978. Tym became the head coach of the Yale Bulldogs
Yale Bulldogs
The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Yale University. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, and twenty one in men's golf.-Men's baseball:...
women's tennis team at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1978. In four seasons coaching the Lady Bulldogs, her teams compiled an overall win-loss record of 60–14 (.811), and won Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
championships in 1980 and 1981.
Life after tennis
Tym returned to UT-Chattanooga in 1982 to become a faculty member in the geography department. As of 2011, she continues to teach various geography courses at UT-Chattanooga.She has been named Coach of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association, has been inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs...
Women's Hall of Fame, the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame, the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
She also was a writer for World Tennis magazine and a member of the United States Tennis Writers Association. In 1983, the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
named her as its Tennis Educational Merit Award winner.
Tym married William A. "Bill" Tym, a 1963 All-American for the Florida Gators men's tennis
Florida Gators men's tennis
The Florida Gators men's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference . The team hosts its home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville,...
team, and a fellow University of Florida alumnus.
See also
- Chattanooga Mocs
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators tennis players
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
- Yale BulldogsYale BulldogsThe Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Yale University. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, and twenty one in men's golf.-Men's baseball:...