University of Tennessee Athletics
Woodruff inducted into ITA Hall of Fame
May 21, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Former Tennessee All-America and current associate head coach Chris Woodruff is being inducted Wednesday night into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame. The ceremony is being held at the Doubletree Hotel in Tulsa, Okla.
???Obviously, this is a tremendous honor and I am very grateful to the ITA,??? Woodruff said. ???I love the sport of tennis and it has been a part of my entire life. To be associated with some of the greats in the game at the ITA Tennis Hall of Fame is very humbling to say the least.???
Woodruff came to UT in the fall of 1991 after graduating from Knoxville???s Bearden High School. The former Bulldog made an immediate impact as he was named Volvo Tennis Rookie of the Year and was an All-SEC and All-America selection after compiling a 36-9 singles record. In the NCAA singles tournament, the freshman upset tournament No. 1 seed David DiLucia of Notre Dame in the third round on his way to a quarterfinal appearance. Woodruff finished his debut campaign ranked 12th in singles.
In his sophomore season, Woodruff was dominant as he amassed a 45-7 (.865) singles record. The Big Orange netter captured UT???s first NCAA singles championship in May 1993 by cruising past Georgia???s Wade McGuire, 6-3, 6-1. Woodruff was again named All-America and All-SEC at the conclusion of the season and was given the USTA???s Sportsmanship Award.
Woodruff turned pro in August 1993 and enjoyed a very successful career. He ranked as high as ninth in the world and beat numerous tennis greats such as Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Woodruff won the 1997 Montreal Super 9 Canadian Open and the 1999 Miller Lite Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and was a member of the 2000 U.S. Davis Cup team. He retired in 2002 from professional tennis.
Woodruff has been an assistant coach for his alma mater since 2005. In 2006, he was promoted to associate head coach.?? Under his and head coach Sam Winterbotham???s tutelage, UT returned to the top 10 in the collegiate rankings for the first time since 2002.
The ITA Hall of Fame class of 2008 consists of seven players, one coach and one contributor. The players slated for this year's induction are: Steve Denton of Texas, David DiLucia of Notre Dame, Donald Johnson of North Carolina, Patrick McEnroe of Stanford, Jim Pugh of UCLA, Robbie Weiss of Pepperdine and Woodruff. Coach Jerry Noyce of Minnesota will also be inducted and Tom Jacobs is being inducted for his longtime contributions while at the NCAA.
Woodruff is the fifth Vol to earn recognition by the ITA Hall of Fame. Thomas Bartlett (1993), Michael DePalmer Sr. (1995), Mel Purcell (1999), and Paul Annacone (2002) have also been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Players are eligible for election to the ITA Hall of Fame 15 years after their last collegiate match and coaches are eligible following retirement. The main criteria for election are college accomplishments as well as honors earned after college. Former Georgia head coach Dan Magill serves as curator for the ITA Hall of Fame, which is housed at the University of Georgia.?? The ITA Men's Hall of Fame, which includes over 1,800 rare photos, inducted its first class in 1983 and has inducted more than 170 players, coaches and contributors since then. Members include the late Arthur Ashe (UCLA), Jimmy Connors (UCLA) and John McEnroe (Stanford).
