Dr. Anne Pittman

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Arizona State University

Devoted to tennis since she was ‘net high,’ Dr. Anne Pittman championed intercollegiate women’s competition as a player, coach, educator, and national leader. In recognition of Pittman’s work, the International Tennis Hall of Fame honored her with its Special Educational Merit Award.

Pittman’s pathbreaking work began in her undergraduate days at the University of Texas at Austin when she and her coach successfully sued to play intercollegiate mixed doubles. After receiving a B.S. degree in 1940 and an M.A. in 1945, Pittman went on to a distinguished teaching and coaching career. She earned an Ed.D. from Stanford University in 1972.

In 1954 when Pittman began her 30-year tenure as coach at Arizona State University, intercollegiate competition for her team was virtually nonexistent. Undaunted, she tirelessly created, promoted and directed tournament play and led ASU to national championships in 1971, 1972 and 1974. In 1973, she coached the U.S. Women’s Tennis Team at the World University Games in Moscow.

An inspiration for colleagues as well as students, Pittman founded the Women’s Collegiate Tennis Coaches Association in 1973. Among her many awards she was named NCAA Division I Women’s Coach of the Year in 1984 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association. At her retirement from ASU in 1986 as professor emeritus, Pittman had compiled a 446-114 lifetime coaching record.

Dr. Pittman died from a stroke at her home on November 25, 2008. She had just spent 10 days in Hilton Head playing golf, and had also just celebrated her 90th birthday with friends at Arizona State.