TEMPE, Ariz. – In this month's Tennis Magazine, the publication put together a list of 50 heroes in 50 states for the sport of tennis, and Arizona State Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson and his wife, Buffie, were named heroes for the state of Arizona.
In May 2016, the Andersons donated $1 million of their own money to help reinstate the men's tennis program, which had been dropped as a varsity sport in 2008. With the reinstatement, men's tennis became ASU's 26th varsity sport and the fourth overall added to the fold since Anderson's hiring in 2014.
In the article, Anderson states, "Tennis goes across gender, race and ethnicity. It's a true international sport, and Buffie and I were delighted to contribute personally to the process. We just thought it was the right thing to do at the right time."
The announcement of the men's tennis program came just two months after the Intercollegiate Tennis Association revealed they were moving their headquarters from Skillman, N.J. to Tempe, thus accelerating conversation of further developing tennis in the Valley.
The partnership with the ITA will not only continue to grow tennis in the Phoenix metropolitan area, but could also potentially lead to a collaboration on a new facility and development center. Ray and Buffie's vision is for Tempe to become a hub for tennis in the southwest.
Get your copy of the magazine at Tennis.com, and look for the article online in December.