Greenville, SC
Inducted December 12, 2009
JOE ROBERTS OF GREENVILLE HAS BEEN SHAPING FAITH AND FOREHANDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA FOR DECADES. ROBERTS WAS A STANDOUT JUNIOR PLAYER IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND HE CONTINUED HIS DOMINANCE WHEN HE WENT TO COLLEGE. HE COMPILED 18 WINS AND ONLY 2 LOSSES DURING HIS TWO YEARS AS THE #1 PLAYER AND TEAM CAPTAIN AT FURMAN UNIVERSITY. HE CONTINUES TO HOLD THE BEST OVERALL MEN’S RECORD IN FURMAN HISTORY.
AFTER GRADUATION, ROBERTS FOCUSED ON HIS WORK AS A MINISTER, SERVING AS INTERIM PASTOR FOR 36 CHURCHES, AND DID NOT PLAY COMPETITIVE TENNIS UNTIL HE BECAME ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AT FURMAN IN 1971. HE HAD LIMITED TIME FOR TENNIS BUT STILL MAINTAINED A TOP FIVE SOUTHERN RANKING THROUGHOUT THE 1970’S.
ROBERTS ALSO DEDICATED HIMSELF TO IMPROVING TENNIS IN THE SOUTHERN SECTION. HE SERVED AS SOUTHERN RANKING CHAIRMAN FOR THE 55’S AND 65’S AGE DIVISION FOR 19 YEARS, AND WITH HIS PROMPTING THE SOUTHERN SECTION BEGAN RANKING THE 75’S AGE DIVISION. UNSURPRISINGLY, ROBERTS HAS BEEN RANKED IN THE TOP THREE OF THE SOUTHERN MEN’S 75’S EVERY YEAR HE HAS BEEN ELIGIBLE.
SINCE 1980, ROBERTS HAS BEEN RANKED IN THE TOP 10 PLAYERS IN THE SOUTH IN EVERY AGE DIVISION HE HAS PLAYED. HE HAS BEEN NAMED THE USTA SOUTH CAROLINA ADULT PLAYER OF THE YEAR, AND HE HAS CAPTAINED THE STATE’S SENIOR CUP TEAM. HE HAS A 25-5 RECORD IN SENIOR CUP PLAY. JOE WON FOUR CONSECUTIVE SOUTHERN CLOSED CHAMPIONSHIPS AND THE SOUTHERN OPEN IN 1998. HE HAS WON THE 2005 SOUTHERN HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BOTH SINGLES AND DOUBLES AND THE 2005 SOUTHERN OPEN IN DOUBLES. HE WAS UNDEFEATED IN 2005 INTERSECTIONAL TEAM COMPETITION, WHICH FEATURES THE BEST PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. HIS OVERALL INTERSECTIONAL MATCH RECORD IS 10 WINS AND ONLY 2 LOSSES.
ALTHOUGH ROBERTS IS A FIERCE COMPETITOR, HE IS A SUPERB SPORTSMAN AND SHOWS THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR HIS OPPONENTS AND OFFICIALS. HE BELIEVES THAT THE QUALITY OF VOLUNTEERS IS WHAT BUILDS SUCCESS IN TENNIS AND IS WIDELY KNOWN FOR HIS CONSISTENT EXPRESSION OF APPRECIATION TO THE CLUBS, ADMINISTRATORS, REFEREES AND COURT WORKERS WHO HELP GROW THE GAME.
