Alice Luthy Tym (born November 22, 1942), née Alice Luthy, is a former American college and amateur tennis player who was ranked No. 13 in the world in the mid-1960s. She later became a college tennis coach, tennis writer and university instructor.

Early life and education

Tym was born in Peoria, Illinois.Ron Bush,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: Alice Tym goes into ITA hall tonight
", ''Chattanooga Times Free Press'', September 19, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2011. She attended Peoria High School and graduated as the

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is trad ...

of her class in 1960.

College career

Tym attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she organized the

Florida Gators women's tennis The Florida Gators women'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 (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their ...

team, served as its captain and played No. 1 singles for the Lady Gators from 1960 to 1964. Tym graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in English, with

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

honors.Alice Tym One of Four Inducted in ITA Women's Hall of Fame
, GoMocs.com, September 19, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2011. As a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the dea ...

fellow, Tym later earned a master's degree in geography from the University of Florida in 1966.

Playing career

After earning her first degree, Tym moved on to the international tennis circuit. In the 1964

Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the olde ...

tournament, she reached the singles final before falling to

Jean Danilovich Jean Danilovich (born July 29, 1946) is an American amateur tennis player. In 1964, she was ranked in Class A nationally (meaning she was included among those ranked No. 21 to No. 24) and was No. 6 in the "18 & Under" rankings in the U.S. She wo ...

. Later that year, she paired with Hedy Rutzezeck to win the doubles title in the

Canada Masters The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...

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 most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

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 Chattanooga and was 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 The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Inter ...

(AIAW) Small College National Championships in 1977 and 1978.Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Women's Hall of Fame
Alice Luthy Tym
Retrieved January 18, 2016. Tym became the head coach of the

Yale Bulldogs The Yale Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in m ...

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 The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schoo ...

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 The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and authority, overseeing men’s and women’s varsity tennis at all levels – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NC ...

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 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 The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an ind ...

named her as its winner for th Tennis Educational Merit Award. Tym married William A. "Bill" Tym, a 1963 All-American for the

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 (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team hosts its ...

team, and a fellow University of Florida alumnus.Robert Markus,
In the Wake of the News
, ''Chicago Tribune'', p. C1, December 15, 1967. Retrieved June 7, 2011.

References

Bibliography

Smith, Phillip S., ''From Club Court to Center Court'', Western Southern Financial Masters Women's Open, Cincinnati, Ohio (2008 ed.). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Tym, Alice 1942 births Living people American female tennis players Florida Gators women's tennis players Sportspeople from Peoria, Illinois Tennis people from Illinois Yale Bulldogs coaches Ford Foundation fellowships College tennis coaches in the United States American tennis coaches