|
THE BRAVER FAMILY CLASS OF 2011
Betsy Braver was born and raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Her love affair with tennis began in 1950 when she tried out and won a spot on the high school tennis team. Marriage, family, and a move to Oklahoma City put tennis on hold for nine years. The late 60s and early 70s saw Betsy and partner, Kay Hackney, traveling the Oklahoma tennis circuit. Two sons, Joe and Rob, started tennis lessons when each were six and they also fell in love with the game. Thus, tennis became the Braver Family's "sport for a lifetime." In 1974, Betsy was responsible for bringing John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall in for an exhibition match, generating funds to be used to build courts at Heritage Hall School. In 1975, another exhibition match between Newcombe and Bjorn Borg was arranged at the Myriad, which allowed for the completion of the Heritage Hall courts. In the 1970s, Betsy's idea for a "Tennis Improvement Program" (TIP) for junior players was put into action. She convinced the Oklahoma City Tennis Club to donate indoor courts from October to March at 6-8 a.m. each Saturday morning for the junior program with pros providing free lessons.
|
Joe Braver was born and raised in
Oklahoma and took his first tennis lessons from Tim Headington when he was
six. He played high school tennis at Heritage Hall compiling a 69-1
record and playing the number 1 position for three years. Joe was
ranked # 1 in Oklahoma in Boys 10, 12, and 14 Singles and Doubles;
runner-up three times in the Missouri Valley Section 12, 16, and 18
Singles; and champion five times in the Missouri Valley Section 12, 14,
16, and 18 Doubles. Joe was voted # 1 for the Oklahoma Boys
All-Decade Team for the 1980s. He attended the University of
Oklahoma on a tennis scholarship setting several school records:
career singles (100-21); most singles and doubles consecutive wins (19);
best one-year singles winning percentage (30-4); and 2-time Big 8 Singles
Champion. Since moving to Georgia, he has won 14 Atlanta City
titles.
Rob Braver was born
in Ardmore and raised in
Oklahoma City. He attended Heritage Hall Schools and became their
first State Champion in any sport by winning the State Junior High Title
in 1974 and the High School State # 2 Singles Title in 1975. He was
State Runner-up playing # 1 Singles in 1976 and 1977. He was
nationally ranked # 46 in Boy's 16s and Missouri Valley Doubles Champion
in Boys 18s. He earned top # 5 rankings in Oklahoma and top # 10
rankings in the Missouri Valley in Boys 14, 16, and 18 Singles. He
was named third on the Oklahoma Boys All-Decade Team for the 1970s. He
attended the University of Hawaii, Mesa Community College where he was a
Junior College All American, and the University of
Oklahoma, all on tennis scholarships. He founded and conducted tennis
camps at Heritage Hall and The Courts from 1977-81. He chaired
various campaigns to build the Betsy Braver Tennis Center (1998); to build
the outdoor tennis center at the University of Oklahoma (2001); to build
the indoor tennis facility at the University of Oklahoma (2007); and
sponsored the Oklahoma High School Tennis Program (2010-11).