APTA Hall of Fame History- Past, Present and Future

November 6, 2018
By Christi Hays

 Confucius say- “Study the past if you would define the future”. That certainly is true when you dive into our Platform Tennis Hall of Fame.

Induction into our Platform Tennis Hall of Fame is the highest award that can be earned in platform tennis. As spelled out on our website “it is presented to individuals who have achieved distinction in the play of platform tennis and/or who have otherwise contributed to the growth, development and administration of the game”. Recipients have also demonstrated the qualities of integrity, sportsmanship, and consideration for others and have earned the respect and admiration that they deserve.

But the “Hall of Fame” was not always the Hall of Fame. In 1965 the “Honor Award” was inaugurated. That award continued until 1980 when there was a hiatus in activity.

The hiatus lasted until the early 1990s. After a gap of thirteen years three new individuals were honored.

In 1996 the APTA replaced the “Honor Award” and established the present day “Hall of Fame”. All forty former Honor Award recipients were inducted into the Hall of Fame!

At present there are eighty eight individuals in our APTA Hall of Fame- thirty women and fifty eight men! If you want some inspiration the biographies and accomplishments of all eighty eight players are available on the Hall of Fame Virtual Museum. I encourage you to check it out! It is totally binge-worthy!

The 2018-19 Season is well under way with two Grand Prix events already in the books. I think it is safe to say that we are currently being treated to a level of play like we have never seen before- and most certainly there are future Hall of Famers in this current crop of players. Paddle on!