Hall of Fame: Shelley George

Her collegiate playing accolades include being named Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and an All-Conference selection at St. Ambrose. She was named team captain of her team at St. Ambrose. George transferred to the University of Iowa after her sophomore year, graduating in 1983. She was also previously inducted into the USTA Iowa Hall of Fame and the City High School Hall of Fame for her outstanding career.

After her illustrious playing career, George shifted her attention to growing the game and volunteering. She started working as the Director of Tennis for the City of Iowa City, starting an award winning National Junior Tennis League chapter named the NJTL of Iowa City, Iowa with Donna Farley. Their NJTL won National Chapter of the Year in 1989, just one year after its founding. She moved on to Co-Director of the University of Iowa Recreational Services Tennis program. A few years later, she settled at the North Dodge Athletic Club as the Director of Tennis. She earned P1 Professional Certification from the USPTR and maintained that throughout her coaching career.

During this time she served as the Head Girls Tennis Coach at City High School. She was named Iowa Coach of the Year on three occasions and coached multiple state championship teams and individuals. Her coaching and teaching success lead to her taking a job as the Associate Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Syracuse University from 2007-2019.

Her time at Syracuse can only be described as a rousing success. Along with Head Coach Luke Jensen, Shelley helped oversee some of the most productive seasons in program history. She helped guide the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances and had 13 All-Conference selections during her time coaching. The Orange reached as high as #10 in the ITA ranking during that time, as well. 

Her impact at Syracuse went well beyond the court, too. She was one of six Division 1 Coaches to receive the 2012 Eastern Sectional Campus and Community Outreach Award. She and Jensen also established a USTA tennis program for the Onondaga Nation Reserve in 2007 which is still ongoing today, giving the kids access to racquets, courts and tennis instruction. She also ran USTA assemblies in the Syracuse City School District with Jensen to promote tennis in the city.

Arguably her most impactful work came through her various volunteer roles, though. She served at just about every possible level of the USTA from 1997-2018. She started on the USTA Iowa Board of Directors, where she served two terms as president from 1998-2000 and 2000-2002. From there she went on to serve on the USTA Missouri Valley Executive Committee, culminating in a term as USTA Missouri Valley president from 2009-2010. She also served as the USTA Missouri Delegate in 2011-2014 after her term as president.

She also spent time volunteering on USTA National committees, most notably the Collegiate Committee and the Tennis On Campus Committee. She was appointed the chair of the Tennis On Campus Committee in 2006 and helped turn Tennis On Campus into one of the hottest USTA programs in the county. 

Prior to her induction into the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame, George earned numerous district and section awards, including the prestigious USTA Missouri Valley President’s Award in 2011. Her accolades are too numerous to count and her impact on the game of tennis has been felt by everyone she has encountered throughout her career. At long last, please help us welcome Shelley George to the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame.

To honor Shelley and the rest of our 2023 award winners, please click here to register for the 2023 USTA Missouri Valley Annual Conference.