Stanford's Jordan sisters Stanford's Jordan sisters (September 17, 2004)set for tennis honor

Former All-Americans will be inducted into Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women's Hall of Fame on Saturday

by Keith Peters

Former Stanford All-Americans Barbara and Kathy Jordan, who teamed to capture the AIAW doubles title in 1978, will be inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Women's Hall of Fame on Saturday in Williamsburg, Va.

The sisters will be honored alongside Barbara Scofield Davidson (Miami, Fla.) and Dr. Belmar Gunderson (UNC-Greensboro).

Barbara Jordan, a three-time All-American at Stanford (1976, '77 and '78), was a dominant force even before she arrived on The Farm. She did not a singles match in her age group on the USTA/Middle State Sections between the ages of 13 and 18.

As a professional, she reached No. 37 on the WTA Rankings and in 1979 became the only American women during the 1970s to win the Australian Open singles title. She has served on the WTA Board of Directors and was honored with the WTA's Player Service Award.

Kathy Jordan, currently a Palo Alto resident, had tremendous success on the collegiate and professional levels. Jordan was the 1979 AIAW singles champion and two-time AIAW doubles champion (1978, 1979).

After leaving school, she reached a No. 5 ranking in the world after claiming victories over Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, and Tracy Austin. Jordan won seven Grand Slam doubles titles, including three at Wimbeldon.

Jordan's contributions to the sport continued off the court, as she has served as secretary and vice-president of the WTA Board of Directors; helped initiate the circuit's first drug-testing policy; with the help of her father, Robert, started the first retirement plan for women's professional tennis players; and co-founded what would become the Advanta Championships in Philadelphia. She received WTA's Player Service Award in 1991.

Every two years, the ITA Women's Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional players, coaches and contributors in women's intercollegiate tennis. The ITA Hall of Fame Committee selects inductees from the following categories: (1) outstanding collegiate players; (2) players who attended college and later had a significant impact on women's tennis; (3) outstanding collegiate coaches; and (4) individuals or corporations that played a major role in the development of women's intercollegiate tennis.

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