Greenville, SC
Inducted December 2004
DEBBIE SOUTHERN IS IN HER 21ST YEAR AS HEAD COACH OF FURMAN UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S TENNIS. SHE HAS LED THE PALADIN SQUAD TO 15 WINNING SEASONS, INCLUDING SEVEN IN A ROW, AND 20 STRAIGHT IN THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE.
SOUTHERN’S TENNIS CAREER STARTED AT AGE 7. HER FIRST OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT WAS THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE CLOSED IN CHAPEL HILL IN THE 10 AND UNDER. SHE UPSET THE #2 SEED IN THE FIRST ROUND AND CONTINUED ONTO THE FINALS BEFORE LOSING 10-8, 6-0. SHE AND HER PARTNER WON THE DOUBLES.
SOUTHERN CONTINUED PLAYING STATE, SECTION AND NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS, WINNING TITLES IN SINGLES AND DOUBLES. IN 1976, SHE WON THE NC STATE HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP REPRESENTING RJ REYNOLDS HIGH.
SOUTHERN ACCEPTED A TENNIS SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE WITHOUT MEETING THE COACH OR SEEING THE CAMPUS, ENTERING AS A FRESHMAN IN UT’S FIRST SCHOLARSHIP CLASS IN 1977. WOMEN’S ATHLETICS WERE UNDER THE AIAW UMBRELLA, AND SHE WON IN DOUBLES IN THE LAST TN CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1978. AFTER THAT SEASON, WOMEN’S ATHLETICS MOVED UNDER THE NCAA (TITLE IX). SHE PLAYED IN THE FIRST SEC WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP AT VANDERBILT IN 1979. SHE GRADUATED FROM UT IN 1981 WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE WITH HONORS.
IN 1985 AT AGE 25, SHE BECAME THE FURMAN HEAD COACH AND 288 CAREER WINS INTO THAT POSITION, SHE RANKS FIRST IN FURMAN WOMEN’S TENNIS HISTORY. SOUTHERN’S TEAMS HAVE WON 12 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE (SoCon) TOURNAMENTS AND 12 CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON TITLES. THE LADY PALADINS ARE UNBEATEN IN REGULAR SEASON SoCon ACTION DATING BACK TO 1998-99.
SOUTHERN HAS BEEN SoCon COACH OF THE YEAR EIGHT TIMES AND RECEIVED FURMAN’S J. LYLES ALLEY COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 1998 AND 2002. HER PLAYERS HAVE EARNED 76 ALL-CONFERENCE CITATIONS, 11 SoCon MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARDS AND 83 SoCon ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL AWARDS. FORMER PLAYERS, PARENTS AND BOOSTERS RAISED MONEY TO HAVE FURMAN WOMEN’S COURT ONE NAMED IN HER HONOR WHEN THE MINOR MICKEL TENNIS CENTER WAS DEDICATED IN 1996. SHE CREATED THE LADY PALADIN TENNIS CLUB IN 1987 AND HAS SPEARHEADED AN ENDOWMENT FOR A WOMEN’S TENNIS SCHOLARSHIP FOR FURMAN (1997-PRESENT).
SOUTHERN SERVED FIVE YEARS AS ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR OF TENNIS AT THE US OLYMPIC FESTIVAL AND HAS BEEN ON THE NCAA WOMEN’S TENNIS COMMITTEE AND CHAIR OF THE SOUTHEAST REGIONAL COMMITTEE. SHE WAS ON THE INTERCOLLEGIATE TENNIS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1998-2003. A TWO-TIME SCTA COACH OF THE YEAR, SOUTHERN ALSO SERVED AS HEAD COACH OF USTA SOUTHERN GIRLS’ 18s INTERSECTIONAL TEAM. SHE HAS ALSO MANAGED TO ACQUIRE A MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE WITH HONORS FROM AUSTIN PEAY UNIVERSITY IN 1983 AND A MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WITH HONORS FROM CLEMSON UNIVERSITY IN 1994.
