USTA Northern Hall of Fame

The 2026 Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet will take place on Saturday, October 31, 2026 at Washington Square in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Hall of Fame inductees are determined by the USTA Northern Awards & Recognition Committee which consists of Emily Plunkett, Erik Kringlie, Heather Landrus, Marcia Bach, Mary Thompson, Mya Dennis, Pam Boorsma, Roshan Rajkumar, Zach Johnson, and Zeny McCoy.

2026 Awards and Hall of Fame Guide

2026 Section Award Nomination Form

2026 Section Hall of Fame Nomination Form

All nominations are due by July 16, 2026

Criteria

USTA Northern is actively looking for nominees from all tennis backgrounds for induction into its Hall of Fame.  Candidates can be players, administrators, teachers, coaches, media, volunteers, supporters, contributors, professional players, umpires, active members of USTA or CTAs, wheelchair or disabled athletes, former USTA employees, club owners, Park & Recreation employees, among others. Candidates do not have to be living. We are looking for individuals from all over the Section which includes Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Northwestern Wisconsin.

What qualifies someone to receive consideration for the Hall of Fame?  These qualifications are only guidelines used by the committee. It is up to the discretion of the committee if an exception to the following qualifications is deemed appropriate.

1. Candidate is at least 45 years old. 

2. Candidate has lived in USTA Northern at least 5 years during their accomplishments.

3. Candidate’s past records, rankings, titles and his/her length of participation at the appropriate level of play in USTA Northern.

4. Candidate’s contribution to tennis in USTA Northern by his/her actions, deeds, promotion or dedication to the game.

5. Candidate’s affect on tennis at the National/International level through USTA participation and/or Professional or Collegiate activities.

6. Candidate’s affect on TENNIS in their locality (small or large) 

Candidates may have accomplishments in only one of these categories or in many of them. They do not have to be a current USTA member.

For more information about USTA Northern's Awards program and to nominate someone for another award, visit our Awards page here.

USTA Northern Hall of Fame History

The USTA Northern Hall of Fame started as the Minnesota Hall of Fame back in 1979. Bob Larson, who was editor of Midwest Tennis Magazine and a resident of Edina, Minn., founded the Hall of Fame and inducted seven people in the original class including JJ Armstrong, Jeanne Arth, Ward C. Burton, Bill Kuross, Norm MacDonald, Muriel Magnusson Cooper and Frank Voigt.
 

In the late '80s, the Northwestern Tennis Association, Inc., approached Larson about the possibility of the Minnesota Hall of Fame expanding and becoming the Northwestern Tennis Association Hall of Fame, which would induct people not only from Minnesota, which had been the practice since 1979, but also players in North and South Dakota and Western Wisconsin. The Northwestern Tennis Association, Inc., then became the USTA Northern Section on March of 1988 and USTA Northern in 2005. The Hall of Fame changed its name both times as well.

The USTA Northern Hall of Fame currently has 110 members and is housed at the Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center in St. Paul, Minn., thanks to a generous gift from 2003 Hall of Fame inductee Fred Wells.

Members of the USTA Northern Hall of Fame