Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame
In the fall of 1953, Southwestern’s top baseball recruit from Nashville’s Montgomery Bell Academy borrowed a tennis racquet to hit a few balls off the Mallory Gym wall. Tennis coach Derrick Barton happened by, observed the player’s stroke and invited him to come out for the team. Soon the recruit who never made it to the baseball diamond was making headlines on the tennis court: Cool Buford Makes It Hot For Foes; Buford Rolls On!
Indeed, Tommy Buford does roll on as his alma mater’s most successful men’s tennis player, head men’s tennis coach at the University of Memphis, Racquet Club instructor and Tournament Director of the Kroger St. Jude Classic.
Tommy’s early victories included winning the Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship in 1956 and 1957. He also captured the Mississippi Open singles and doubles titles, the Memphis Open championship as well as the Memphis Public Parks singles title several times.
Tommy’s tenure as University of Memphis head tennis coach began in 1966. In that time his Tigers have scored 412 wins versus 235 losses and have won five conference championships.
His association with the Racquet Club began in 1974 as a tennis instructor. Since then he has put not only the Club, but all of Memphis, on the international tennis map as Tournament Director of Kroger St. Jude Classic, one of the top Association of Tennis Professionals tour events in the world. In 1985 Tommy was voted by tour professional players as one of the world’s top six tennis officials.
But if you ask Tommy, perhaps his greatest accomplishment in tennis was as a father when he and his son, Tiger, captured the 1981 National Father and Son Claycourt Doubles Championship. In the mid-80’s Tiger brought the Buford legacy back to Rhodes when he served for several years as the Lynx tennis coach.
In recognition of an outstanding athlete who found his sport, his career and a major part of his life as a Lynx tennis player, Rhodes is honored to induct THOMAS BRIGHT BUFORD, JR. into the Athletic Hall of Fame this 17th day of October, 1997.
