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General First nameWalter Timothy (Tim)
LastnameHeckler
GenderMale
CountrySouth Africa
Date of birth1942-01-30
Place of birthKimberly, South Africa
Date of death2013-02-04
Place of deathHouston, Texas, United States of America


About

Tim Heckler (1942-2013) was a top junior tennis player in South Africa before coming to the U.S. to play for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. His team remained unbeaten for his 4 years with wins over top NCAA teams.

Heckler was ranked No. 1 in Men’s Open Doubles in Texas four years (1969, 1971, 1973 and 1974) with fellow inductee, Paul Christian. He played Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was ranked as high as No. 54 in the U.S. Heckler was chief executive officer of the USPTA for 30 years (1982-2012). When Heckler began the position of USPTA CEO, the organization had approximately 2,400 members and an annual budget of $700,000. He grew the association to the world’s oldest and largest organization of its kind, serving more than 15,000 members in 66 countries, and operating on an annual budget of $6.5 million.

With Heckler’s guidance, USPTA became one of the first tennis organizations to embrace technology, first through the computerization of the business itself as early as 1982, and then later through its use of the Internet.

The USPTA honored Heckler in 2000 by naming him a grand inductee in the Association’s Hall of Fame. He also received the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis Educational Merit Award in 2002. In 2008 he received the highest honor awarded by the United States Professional Tennis Association, the George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award.

Media


Archive statistics Career1958 - 1973
Tournament wins3
Matches94
Match wins39


Tournament wins 1971 - Houston Open (Open)
1971 - Beaumont Labor Day (Open)
1969 - Sabine District Tournament (Amateur)


Tournaments Texas Sectional Championships - 1973 Houston Open - 1973 A. Harry Roberts Memorial - 1973 Texas Sectional Championships - 1972 Brookhaven - 1972 Beaumont Labor Day - 1971 Texas Open - 1971 Houston Open - 1971 River Oaks - Qualifying - 1971 Houston Fall Festival - 1970 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1970 River Oaks - Qualifying - 1970 Pelican State - 1970 Texas Sectional Championships - 1969 Sabine District Tournament - 1969 Buccaneer Days - 1969 Houston Open - 1969 River Oaks Tournament - 1968 Permian Basin Invitation - 1968 River Oaks Tournament - 1967 Buccaneer Days - 1967 Houston T.A.A.F - 1967 Texas Sectional Championships - 1966 Houston T.A.A.F - 1966 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1966 San Luis Potosi Open - 1963 Southern Championships - 1962 Tennessee Valley Invitation - 1962 River Oaks Tournament - 1962 Buccaneer Days - 1962 Blue and Gray Invitation - 1962 Tulsa Invitation - 1962 Dixieland - 1962 River Oaks Tournament - 1961 West of England Championships - 1961 Lowther - 1961 US Open - 1960 Newport Casino - 1960 Tennessee Valley Invitation - 1960 Cincinnati - 1960 US Clay Courts - 1960 Western States Championships - 1960 River Oaks Tournament - 1960 Tulsa Invitation - 1960 Southwest Open - 1960 Tuscaloosa Grass Court Invitation - 1960 Wimbledon - 1959 British Hard Court Championships - 1959 South African Championships - 1959 West of England Championships - 1959 Surrey Championships - 1959 Oostende - 1959 London Hard Courts - 1959 Wolverhampton - 1959 Knokke Le-Zoute - 1959 Guildford Hardcourts - 1959 Griqualand - 1959 South African Championships - 1958