Meet Billie Jean King in So Cal!

Tennisopolis has been invited to join Billie Jean King, Mary Carillo, Pam Shriver, and many other tennis greats at the 2013 Billie Jean King & Friends Event!  And your invited too! 

This year’s event will include a special presentation of the Joe Shapiro Award to Billie Jean King’s tennis coaches at Cal State L.A., Dr. Joan Johnson and Cameron “Scotty” Deeds. Johnson, as coach of the women’s team, and Deeds, as coach of the men’s team, ran practices together during Billie Jean’s time at Cal State L.A. The two coaches understood the value to both teams and greatly influenced Billie Jean’s thinking about her career and various social issues.
 
Johnson, Deeds and Billie Jean were all charter members of the inaugural Cal State L.A. Hall of Fame class in 1985.
 
Johnson was a pioneer in the development of women’s sports in Southern California and coached Cal State L.A.’s first women’s tennis team in 1959. She was also the co-coach of the men’s team in 1955-56.
 
She helped organize the Southern California Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis League in 1959 and, 18 years later, coached the United States women’s team at the World University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her players at Cal State L.A. included Billie Jean and 1963 women’s collegiate doubles champions Connie Jaster and Carol Loop.
 
Deeds was one of the most successful coaches in Cal State L.A. history. His men’s tennis teams won five straight California Collegiate Athletic Association championships and three straight NCAA College Division national titles, including the first in 1963. Four of his players won NCAA singles titles and one of his doubles teams won a national championship. In a 13-year period, his teams won 202 out of 220 CCAA matches.
 
He also served as Cal State L.A.’s Athletics Director from 1965-68 and was the executive director of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in its founding years. He was later selected to the National Association of College Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame.

Please contact the main athletic office to register (323) 343-3080

 
He also served as Cal State L.A.’s Athletics Director from 1965-68 and was the executive director of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in its founding years. He was later selected to the National Association of College Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame.