Carter’s Corner: Remembering Gators Great Armistead Neely

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He was a 9-year-old boy when his name began to appear regularly in Tampa Bay newspapers early in 1957 for his exploits on the tennis courts.

Armistead Neely grew up in Tampa and emerged as a prodigy on the courts operated by the city’s recreation department. Before long, Neely was traveling the state to compete in junior events and earning a reputation as one of the top young players in the country.

The Gators took notice, and when Neely finished his UF career in the spring of 1969, he was a two-time All-American, three-time All-Southeastern Conference selection, a 1967 SEC singles champion, and 1968 and ’69 doubles champion with partner Steve Breeland.

“When I think back over the years to what Armistead meant to the University of Florida and Gators tennis, I think of three words: leadership, determination, and sportsmanship,” Breeland said when Neely was inducted into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008.

 

Neely’s life remained rooted in the game long after he finished playing for the Gators and started his professional career in the summer of 1969. His first professional match was at Wimbledon with doubles partner Tom Gorman — their opponents: Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell.

“Yes, we lost,” Neely told the Tampa Tribune upon his return home. “But Tom and I gave a pretty good account of ourselves. It was quite an experience.”

Neely’s professional career did not match his success with the Gators — he won 11 titles and played in five Grand Slams — but he transitioned into becoming a key innovator in the game’s growth and served as director of the ATP in 1976. He also spent time as head coach at the University of Alabama.

Neely, inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame the year he finished playing for the Gators, perhaps made his most significant contribution to the game in the early 1970s when he co-founded the World Association of Tennis Champions. The organization created satellite professional tennis circuits to help players earn ATP rankings in standardized events.

Neely remained active on the court throughout his life and made his home in Atlanta for 40 years. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Neely won 29 USTA senior national titles and won his age division’s USTA clay-court singles championship seven times.

Neely’s passion for the sport and interest in helping others led to a distinguished career as a teaching professional.

“If you wanted someone to represent tennis, you couldn’t find…