The Southern Tennis Foundation (STF) announces the induction of three tennis luminaries into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame: Eddie Gonzalez, Paul Pittman and Bryan Shelton.
Paul Pittman’s 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 Pittman: Exceptional USTA, Southern, State and Local Volunteer
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, a NJTL chapter that has introduced over 1,200 children to tennis since 2021.
Paul Pittman 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 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.
