‍Eddie Gonzalez, Georgia, 2025

Eddie Gonzalez served as Atlanta Open Tournament Director and Chief Business Officer, 2013-2022 and was instrumental in establishing the ATP tournament as a major event in the Atlanta summer sports scene. He was hired as the first USTA Southern Director of Marketing & Sales and was awarded the USTA Southern Jacobs Bowl in 2021.

‍

Eddie’s influence on Southern tennis is as expansive as his upbeat personality and ability to sell tennis on local, national and international levels.

‍

After growing up & starting his junior career in Rome, Ga., Gonzalez attended The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn., notorious for its strong traditional tennis program that included Southern Tennis Hall of Fame members Roscoe Tanner, Zan Guerry and Head Coach Ned Caswell. Gonzalez attended North Carolina State University on a tennis scholarship. There he captained the Wolfpack men’s varsity team and was named two-time MVP of the program. He earned bachelor's degrees in Speech Communication & Political Science.

‍

Gonzalez began promoting Southern tennis starting in 1990 when he was named USTA Southern Director of Sales & Marketing. The first person to serve in that role in the US, Gonzalez started numerous successful sponsor partnerships and expanded marketing initiatives for seven years. The next step in his career path was serving as Athlon Sports Vice President of Sales/National Accounts for 14 years.

‍

During his years at Athlon, he continued to be involved in promoting tennis in the South by serving on the Marketing Committee, Nominating Committee, Junior Competition Committee, the Hispanic Outreach Task Force as well as the USTA Southern Board of Directors.

‍

In 2021, he was awarded the Jacobs Bowl, considered the top volunteer award by USTA Southern. He received the USTA Georgia President’s Award and Family of the Year. Additionally, Eddie served as a USTA Georgia Presidential Appointee. He has donated his time as a local charity fundraiser for the Atlanta Youth Tennis & Education Foundation, YMCA and Giving Kitchen. Eddie was included in the 2019 USTA Southern Mickey McNulty Family of the Year award which was given to the family of his wife, Jennifer Lynn Hambrick Gonzalez.

‍

A long-time resident of Metro Atlanta, Eddie is currently a member of the USTA Nominating Committee and served as a USTA Presidential Appointee for more than four years.

‍

Gonzalez has had a top-flight adult tournament career and represented Georgia in The Callen Cup and Southern in the Donoff Cup, winning the title each year he has played. Gonzalez has also won the prestigious Atlanta Senior Invitational more than 10 times. He also was part of the German Bundesliga National Championship team in 2023, playing for Ratingen Tennis Club out of Dusseldorf, Germany.

‍

But there are few competitive moments he enjoyed more than winning multiple USTA Gold & Silver balls with his daughter, Gabriela, in the USTA Father/Daughter Championships. Gabriela played tennis at Georgia Tech, while her brother, Tres (who won a Gold Ball in the USTA 16 & Under Winter Nationals), has gone on to a career in professional baseball, after starring at GA Tech, currently playing for the AA Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate.

‍

As a final career step, Gonzalez was named Atlanta Open Tournament Director and Chief Business Officer in 2013 and headed the ATP World Tour 250 event for 10 years. Gonzalez helped cement the tournament’s location and success in the Georgia capital. The tournament flourished in Atlantic Station, a unique location for a pro tournament. The multi-purpose hub of restaurants, shops, hotel, movie theater and other attractions was a one-of-a-kind place to host an ATP event, which was unmatched on the international circuit.

‍

For eight years, Gonzalez secured BB&T and Truist as the tournament’s name sponsors. Other partnerships propelled the tournament and made the July event a cornerstone of the city’s summer professional sports scene. 

‍

With Gonzalez's guidance and astute marketing abilities, the Atlanta Open broke new ground in the world of pro tennis. In 2017, for the first time ever, women played a feature exhibition match billed as the “Sunday Showdown” as seven-time singles Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams competed against Canada's No. 1-ranked player Genie Bouchard. Since then, other top WTA players such as Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens, Kim Clijsters and Madison Keys have all been participants.

‍

Gonzalez is credited with bringing the "World-Class Field, World-Class Fun" theme to the Atlanta Open and the "#ATLTENNIS PARTY" motto encouraged fans to see live professional tennis in a fun and festive atmosphere in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Beyond the live tennis, 40,000 fans experienced the fun and excitement of Kid's Day, College Night and Military Appreciation Day.

‍

Other firsts at the Atlanta Open included: a STEM program session; Diversity in Tennis Networking; digital display boards around the Stadium Court; concerts including the Commodores, LoCash & Home Free; ALTA Mixed AA-3 Finals and digital ticketing.

‍

Highlights:

• Named Atlanta Open Tournament Director and Chief Business Officer, 2013-2022

• Partnered with BB&T and Truist as the Atlanta Open’s name sponsors

• Established innovative programs like the tournament’s “Sunday Showdown” and other ground-breaking events

• Hired as the first USTA Southern Director of Marketing & Sales

• Awarded the USTA Southern Jacobs Bowl in 2021

• Won numerous USTA Gold and Silver Balls with daughter Gabriela

• North Carolina State varsity MVP and captain

‍

Paul Pittman, South Carolina, 2025

‍

Paul Pittman has served as a USTA volunteer on the local, state, section levels. His passion is growing tennis in his hometown, where he settled after serving in the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. He received USTA Southern awards including the 2019 Jacobs Bowl, the 2016 Charlie B. Morris Volunteer Service Award and 2015 President’s Award.

‍

Paul took up tennis in 1990 when he retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. He began his volunteer career two years later, when he moved to Florence, S.C. Since then, he has served in key roles at every level of the USTA, earning a reputation for taking on tough projects and getting things done. A gifted speaker and writer, he is one of those rare people who can at the same time keep his eyes on the big picture and focus on the details. As a result, he has repeatedly been tapped to lead difficult and important projects.

‍

A consummate grassroots volunteer, Pittman spearheaded the revitalization of the Florence Tennis Association in the 1990s. He has served as its President and held most of its other offices and remains an At-large Board Member. To advance local tennis, he has written grant applications that produced over $350,000 and contributed to facility development efforts that have made Florence a regional tennis hub. In 2021, he co-founded the Ron James Youth Tennis Program, a CTA-affiliated NJTL chapter that has served over 1,200 under-served youth in less than four years.

‍

Other examples of his local service include work on the Tournament Committee of the McLeod for Health Florence Open, a women’s Pro Circuit event as lead fundraiser and media coordinator. Also, he worked with other members of the tennis community to ensure construction of the 30-court Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center public tennis facility and to push for regular maintenance of public courts.

‍

As a community tennis association (CTA) leader, Pittman insists on following this core philosophy: Effective CTAs earn trust and support by demonstrating good citizenship. They take part in community activities, provide free and low-cost programming for underserved populations, offer low-cost beginner programs, support area tennis pros and college and high school teams, and work closely with educators and civic and business leaders. Along with strong leadership and committed volunteers, this philosophy explains the Florence Tennis Association’s many local partnerships and prolonged success.

‍

The FTA was named USTA Community Tennis Association of the Year in 2007, Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year in 2021 and South Carolina Community Tennis Association of the Year four times. It has been recognized for community service by the South Carolina Parks and Recreation Association, the Florence Athletic Hall of Fame, the City of Florence, USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina.

‍

Another key to local success is letting people know you are there. Pittman puts out CTA and NJTL media releases at a steady clip and his nominations have produced Southern and state awards for numerous Florence area businesses, media personalities and individuals. In 2024, for example, the Florence Department of Athletics and Sports Tourism was named 2023 USTA Southern Outstanding Parks and Recreation Department of the Year.

‍

Pittman’s dedication to local tennis extends to recreational play. He has competed on USTA League teams for 20 years, captaining teams to 27 local league titles, three South Carolina championships and a Southern championship.

‍

Pittman was elected the USTA South Carolina President in 2010 and 2011, and he chaired and served on numerous committees and task forces before and since. In 2012 and 2013, he was Chairman of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation.

‍

He has won three of the major USTA Southern awards: the 2019 Jacobs Bowl, the 2016 Charlie B. Morris Volunteer Service Award and the 2015 President’s Award.

‍

Among his many volunteer responsibilities at USTA Southern he served on the Southern Board of Directors and a variety of committees and task forces, drafted key policy documents and trained new board members, committee chairs and volunteers. He currently serves on the NJTL Committee and chairs the Blueprint for Success and the Advocacy Task Forces. He is a member of the Southern Tennis Foundation Board of Trustees and previously chaired the Foundation’s ad hoc Mission Review Committee and Major Gifts (Endowed Scholarships) Committee.

‍

At the national level, Pittman has served on six committees and is currently a member of the USTA Training Advisory Group. He has, on occasion, chaired or served on as many as fourteen national, sectional and state committees at the same time. One proof of his judgement and personal integrity is that he has been elected to nominating committees at the national and sectional levels and chaired his state nominating committee twice.

‍

Highlights:

• USTA Southern awards include the 2019 Jacobs Bowl, the 2016 Charlie B. Morris Volunteer Service Award and 2015 President’s Award.

• Served as USTA South Carolina President in 2010-2011. Served on eight South Carolina committees, chairing four of them.

• Served on the USTA Southern Board, and on numerous committees. Chaired the Community Development and Blueprint for Success Committees and the Advocacy Task Force.

• USTA South Carolina awards include the President’s Award in 2009, the Lucy Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015, and the Southern State Volunteer Award in 2016. Elected to South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020.

• Chaired the South Carolina Tennis Foundation Board of Trustees. Served on five SCTF committees, chairing three of them.

• Spearheaded the revitalization of the Florence Tennis Association in the 1990s. The FTA has since been named national, sectional and state CTA of the Year.

• Co-founded the Ron James Youth Tennis Program, an NJTL chapter that has introduced over 1,200 children to tennis since 2021.

‍

Bryan Shelton, Alabama, 2025

‍

Huntsville, Ala. native Bryan Shelton won two ATP Tour singles titles on the grass courts of Newport and reached No. 55 in the world. He became the first head coach in DI college tennis history to win a women's national title (Georgia Tech in 2007) and a men's national championship (Florida in 2021). He was named the 2007 ITA National Coach of the Year, the ACC Coach of the Year four times and SEC Coach of the Year four times.

‍

Bryan’s success in collegiate tennis – from an All-American to two-time NCAA champion coach – had a notable stop in between.

‍

During his professional career, Shelton won two titles on the ATP Tour, shot up to No. 55 in the world and won more than $1.2 million.

‍

The native of Huntsville, Ala., won twice on the grass courts of Newport. In 1991 he defeated American Todd Martin in the semifinal and downed Javier Franca in a three-set final. He was the first Black player to win a singles title since Arthur Ashe won Los Angeles in September 1978. Next year Shelton soared again in Newport, defeating Franca in the semifinal and Austrian Alex Antonitsch in the final.

‍

Competing in the Georgia capital, Shelton advanced to the Atlanta tournament final in 1993 when it was played on green clay.

‍

Shelton also claimed two doubles titles. He joined with Francisco Montana when they downed the Atlantan brother duo of Luke and Murphy Jensen at the 1994 Mexico City tournament. Three years later, he teamed with Pat Rafter to defeat the heralded Woodies – Tood Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – in 1997 Adelaide.

‍

American Lori McNeil was his partner when they advanced to the French Open mixed doubles final, losing to Woodbridge and Arantza Sanchez-Vicario.

‍

The story of Shelton’s rise as a player can be traced to his success and connection to Georgia Tech. From 1985-88 Shelton was an All-American and four-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, helping guide the Jackets to a school-record 26 dual-match wins as a senior in 1988. Shelton was ACC Player of the Year and singles champion in 1985.

‍

He earned a B.A. in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech in March 1990.

‍

Highlights:

• Reached No. 55 in the world in singles on ATP Tour.

• Won two singles crowns at Newport, becoming the first Black player to win a singles title since Arthur Ashe in 1978.

• Won two ATP Tour doubles titles, teaming with Pat Rafter and Francisco Montana.

• Named ACC Player of the Year and singles champion in 1985, and selected an All-American at Georgia Tech.

• Became the first head coach in DI college tennis history to win a women's national title (Georgia Tech in 2007) and a men's national championship (Florida in 2021).

• Named the 2007 ITA National Coach of the Year, the ACC Coach of the Year four times and SEC Coach of the Year four times.

• Coached his son, Ben, into the top 15 on ATP Tour.

‍