Gray, Jim

 

Jim Gray – (2002)

 

With style and power Jim Gray graced the tennis courts of Lorain like no one else has. In the early 1980’s he established himself as one of the finest tennis players to charge the nets for Admiral King High School. In fact, Admirals coach Frank Hicks claims that, ” Jim was the best player in the past half century to grace the courts, possibly the best ever,” a statement that is difficult to refute.

Influenced by his parents, Wells, a 1979 Lorain Sports Hall of Fame Inductee and his mother, Kathleen, who was an avid tennis fan, Jim got involved with tennis at the early age of ten and his opponents quickly realized he had a special talent. By the age of twelve, Jim won his first of many championships capturing the Lorain City and County singles championship.

While at Admiral King, he set a school record for most wins in team history with 138 and only 10 losses in his four years on the varsity squad. During that span he was a three-time #1 Singles Buckeye Conference Champion, three-year State Qualifier and a three-time Plain Dealer all-star. He was the #2 singles champion as a freshman. As a senior he was ranked in the “Top 8” in Ohio and received the outstanding Lorain County High school tennis player award by the Lorain Tennis Club. In 1984 he broke the top 85 in National (US) rankings and played in the All-American Tournament.

After being recruited by numerous colleges such as West Point and the Naval Academy, he accepted a full scholarship from Purdue University of the “Big-Ten.” He competed in #2 singles his first two years and rose to #1 singles and doubles in his junior and senior seasons. He received numerous Big-Ten honors including being named to the “All Big-Ten Tennis Team” in 1988. He also made it to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Amateur Hardcourt Championship finals in 1985 and was ranked 6th by the Association. He was ranked #1 by the Western Tennis Association Men’s Division in 1987 and ranked #1 in Men’s Singles Western Tennis Association in 1988.

Today, Jim continues to play and share his passion for the game as a certified Head Tennis Professional at Chattahoochee Country Club in Gainesville, Georgia. His prominence in the tennis world has carried him across the world to such places as Japan, India and Malaysia. He has worked with a number of distinguished tennis academies as a coach and professional player in places as far away as Germany to St. Louis, Missouri. He has practiced with and coached such notable professional tennis players as Jennifer Capriati and David Wheaton

Jim received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Physical Education from Purdue. He now resides in Georgia with his wife, Sheri and sons Blake (4), Jarrett (2) and James (1).