Victoria Heinicke, Class of 2012

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Victoria played her first tournament at age 6, and by the time she was a teenager, began playing on the men’s and women’s circuit.

In 1956, she won the first of her 17 USLTA titles. Victoria won national singles and doubles titles in the Girls' 13s, 15s and 18s divisions, and ranked No. 1 four times (G15s, 1958-9; G18s 1961-2).

When she was 14, Victoria became the youngest competitor to play the US Championships at Forest Hills. In 1960, at 15, she sat at No. 8 on the women’s tour. After losing in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1962, she came back strong at Forest Hills, defeating Billie Jean and then Wimbledon champion Karen Hantze Susman.

Indelicately dubbed "the Grunter" by fellow tour players, she is remembered by tennis journalist and author Bud Collins as the sport's first-ever grunter, a harbinger of modern tennis' epic noise makers.

She retired from competitive tennis at the age of 19 and moved to Colorado Springs that same year and became a fixture on the Colorado Springs tennis teaching and coaching scene.