Blue Gray Tennis Tournament

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Montgomery, AL
Blue Gray Tennis Tournament

February 23-24, 2024

The South's oldest collegiate tennis tournament. open to the public.

09/17/2025

The Blue Gray Tennis Classic wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our committee and the generosity of our volunteers. From planning all year long to serving throughout the weekend, your hard work keeps this tradition alive. Thank you for all you do to make the Blue Gray so special! 💙🩶🎾

09/15/2025

Congratulations to Iowa State University, the 2025 Blue Gray Women’s Champions! 🎾❤️💛

A big round of applause for Ole Miss, this year’s women’s runner-up.

09/15/2025

Congratulations to Clemson University, the 2025 Blue Gray Men’s Champions!

A huge shoutout as well to the University of North Alabama, this year’s men’s runner-up.

What a weekend of hard-fought matches and incredible tennis on the courts in Montgomery!

09/14/2025

Congratulations to Katrina Wilson, this year’s recipient of the Jim Wilson Giving Back Award!

Katrina has been a tireless champion for youth tennis in Montgomery. Through her leadership, passion, and vision, countless children have been introduced to the sport we all love. Her efforts to grow tennis at the grassroots level ensure that the next generation has the opportunity to learn, play, and thrive both on and off the court.

We are grateful for her dedication and celebrate her well-deserved honor!

09/14/2025

Day 2 is in the books! From exciting rallies to incredible energy on and off the court, yesterday showed why the Blue Gray is such a special tradition in Montgomery.

Today is Day 3 & Championship Sunday!
Play begins at 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.

Don’t miss your chance to see some of the best college tennis in the country right here in our city. Grab a seat courtside and be part of the Blue Gray tradition! 💙

09/13/2025

We are proud to welcome Paul Winn into the Blue Gray Hall of Fame!

Paul’s love for the game has been lifelong, with a special passion for college tennis and the student-athletes who bring the sport to life each year in Montgomery. As a past chair of the Blue Gray Committee, his leadership and commitment have been instrumental in shaping the tournament’s success and legacy.

Please join us in congratulating Paul on this honor, a true fan of the game, and forever part of the Blue Gray family.

09/13/2025

What an opening day! Yesterday set the stage with competitive play and a great crowd 🎾

Today: more Blue Gray tennis + Kids Fest beginning at 9 a.m.

09/12/2025

Today is the day! Blue Gray Tennis starts this morning and will be played thru Sunday. Check our website for match times and LIVE scoring! Special thank you to Jim Mathews Builder and Blue Gray Co Chair Kimberly Mathews for your involvement with Blue Gray for over 30 years.

09/11/2025

Thank you to Shaw Technology for supporting the Blue Gray Tennis Tournament! Play begins in the morning—visit our website for draws and LIVE scoring.

09/11/2025

Thank you to Alabama Power for supporting the Blue Gray Tennis Tournament! Play begins tomorrow at Lagoon Park—visit our website for draws and LIVE scoring. 10 and Under Kids Clinic on Saturday starts at 9am with carnival to follow. Face painting, Games and Prizes!

09/11/2025

Our draws are in! rolltide.com will host our draws and live scoring. A live link will be on our website. See you Friday!

https://rolltide.com/news/2025/9/10/mens-tennis-blue-gray-mens-results

Address

Lagoon Park Tennis Center
Montgomery, AL
36109

Telephone

3345386808

Website

http://www.bluegraytennis.com/

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Blue Gray’s Rich History

For seventy years, some of the finest tennis players in the world have come to Montgomery in early spring to do battle. How did Montgomery come to host one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country? The answer lies in Montgomery’s “Mr. Tennis”– Jack Bushman.

In 1949, Mr. Bushman, a Montgomery resident, was the President of the Southern Lawn Tennis Association. He wanted to tie-in a world class tennis tournament to the prestigious Blue Gray football classic. He envisioned starting an event similar to the world renowned Sugar Bowl junior tennis tournament that is played in conjunction with the Sugar Bowl football game. However, he decided the tournament should feature top college players rather than juniors.

Mr. Bushman was the captain of his tennis team at Louisiana State University. His memories of the excitement and color of college tennis was no doubt rooted in his decision to feature college players.

For the first 30 years, the Blue Gray tournament was an individual contest rather than the present day team competition. In the beginning, the tournament was held at The Montgomery Country Club. In 1969, the site was moved to Huntingdon College for a few years until it was moved to the present locations of Lagoon Park and O’Conner Tennis Centers.

During this time of individual competition, many of the finest college players in the country came to Montgomery to play the Blue Gray. Many of these players went on to become some of the top professional players in the world. A brief list of names would include: Stan Smith, Tony Trabert, Barry McKay, Chuck McKinley, Charlie Pasarell, Tim and Tom Gullickson, Kevin Curren, Steve Denton and Vince Van Patten.

The tournament continued to bring in top players such as exhibition matches by Pancho Gonzalez, Frankie Parker, Jack Kramer, and Bobby Riggs.

In 1983, Mr. Bushman went to the NCAA Championships and approached top college coaches about the possibility of changing the event to a team competition. The coaches liked the idea of playing in a team tournament to prepare them for the season ending NCAA team championships. Thus, the tournament was reborn as a team event and remains so today.

Since becoming a team sport, the top tennis programs in the country have played the Blue Gray. Storied tennis programs such as USC, Pepperdine, Notre Dame, Harvard, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, as well as our local favorites Alabama and Auburn have participated.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the Blue Gray is the southern hospitality it offers. Tennis fans across Montgomery open up their homes and keep the players throughout the tournament. Life long friendships have developed between players and host families.

Many of the players from the current era have gone on to great success in the professional ranks. Some of the more notable former Blue Gray players would include Paul Annacone, Mikael Pernfors, Richey Reneberg, Murphy and Luke Jensen, Mali Vai Washington and current stars – Mahesh Bhupathi and James Blake.

In all, there have been seven Grand Slam (Wimbledon, U.S. Open, French Open and Australian Open) single finalists and over thirty Grand Slam double champions that can trace their careers back to Montgomery and the Blue Gray.

It is a unanimous consensus among college coaches that the Blue Gray National Collegiate Tennis Classic is one of the top tennis events in the country. Mr. Bushman’s legacy and his spirit live on in this great sporting event.

Past Chairman Leaders include Bo Brown, Paul Winn, Clay Torbert, and first ever female chair, Arla Chandler.

Blue Gray Tennis Tournament

09/17/2025

09/15/2025

09/15/2025

09/14/2025

09/14/2025

09/13/2025

09/13/2025

09/12/2025

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

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Blue Gray’s Rich History