Greenville, SC
Inducted December 2018
RICHARD HARDAWAY, A RESIDENT OF GREENVILLE, WAS ONE OF THE STATE’S MOST OURSTANDING JUNIOR, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE PLAYERS DURING THE 1960’S AND 1970’S. HE WAS INTRODUCED TO TENNIS BY HIS BROTHER CHARLES, ALSO A HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE. RICHARD’S GAME AND DISCIPLINE WERE SHAPED BY HIS INTRODUCTION TO TOURNAMENT TENNIS IN BELTON WHERE HE HAD GREAT SUCCESS AT THE PALEMTTO CHAMPIONSHIPS.
HE PLAYED SIX YEARS FOR GREENVILLE HIGH SCHOOL UNDER HALL OF FAME COACH WILTON MCKINNEY. HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE:
- WON THE 1969 SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- WON THE 1970 SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP.
- WON THE 1970 SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP.
- THE TEAM WON NUMEROUS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- THE TEAM WON THE SOUTHERN INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1967.
RICHARD HAD OUTSTANDING SUCCESS AS A JUNIOR AND ACHIEVED A HIGH RANKING AT THE STATE, SECTIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS:
- JOINED THE USLTA, THE PREDECESSOR TO THE USTA, IN 1060 MAKING HIM THE STATE’S LONGEST ACTIVE MEMBER.
- WON FILE SINGLES TITLES AND FIVE DOUBLES TITLES AT THE PALMETTO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BELTON FROM 1964 TO 1968.
- HIS 10 PALMETTO TITLES PLACES HIM THIRD ON THE ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT BOY’S LIST AND THE 15 TITLES HE AND BROTHER CHARLES WON PLACES THEM SEVENTH ON THE ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT FAMILY LIST.
- WON NUMEROUS TITLES AT THE STATE CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- WON BOTH THE SINGLES AND DOUBLES 12U TITLES AT THE 1964 SOUTHERN CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS.
- RANKED #1 IN THE STATE IN SINGLES AND DOUBLES SEVERAL TIMES.
- RANKED NATIONALLY IN ALL FOUR AGE DIVISIONS, INCLUDING #6 IN THE 1964 12U SINGLES DIVISION.
- A FINALIST AT THE 1966 14U NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS, LOSING TO JIMMY CONNORS AND BRIAN GOTTFRIED.
- RANKED #2 IN THE NATION IN THE 1969 18U DOUBLES WITH PARTNER DANNY BIRCHMORE.
- NAMED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA JUNIOR DAVIS CUP TEAM SIX TIMES BETWEEN 1965 AND 1970.
AFTER GRADUATING FROM GREENVILLE HIGH RICHARD EARNED A FULL TENNIS SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WHERE HE QUICKLY BECAME ONE OF THEIR TOP PLAYERS AND A FOUR-YEAR STARTER ON THE TEAM:
- THE TAR HEELS WON ACC TEAM TITLES ALL FOUR YEARS BETWEEN 1971 AND 1974 AND WERE RANKED IN THE TOP TEN IN THE NATION EACH YEAR.
- PLAYED #2 SINGLES AND WON THE ACC SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1973.
- WON THE ACC DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1973 AND 1974.
- UNDEFEATED IN REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE PLAY HIS SENIOR SEASON.
- TEAM CO-CAPTAIN IN 1974.
- NAMED TO THE ALL-ACC TEAM ALL FOUR YEARS AND TO THE ALL-ACC ACADEMIC TEAM IN 1973 AND 1974.
- WORKED AT THE PAUL SCARPA FURMAN TENNIS CAMP DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.
FOLLOWING COLLEGE RICHARD WON THE SOUTH CAROLINA 21-AND-OVER SINGLES TITLE DEFEATING DOC MALLOY IN THE FINALS. HE COACHED AND TAUGHT HIGHER RANKED PLAYERS UNDER STAN SMOTH ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND BEFORE RETURNING TO GREENVILLE IN 1975 TO BECOME THE FIRST TENNIS PROFESSIONAL AT THE GREENVILLE INDOOR RACQUET CLUB WHERE HALL OF FAME TENNIS PRO LARRY RIZZO WAS ONE OF HIS SUTDENTS. HE AND HIS BROTHER CHARLES WON THE 35-AND-OVER SOUTH CAROLINA DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS.
