Bobby Riggs

Class of: 1995

Sport: Tennis

Robert Larimore “Bobby” Riggs was a World No. 1 tennis player. Small in stature, Bobby lacked the overall power of his larger competitors such as Don Budge and Jack Kramer, but made up for it with brains, ball control, and speed. A master court strategist and tactician, he worked his opponent out of position and scored points with the game’s best drop shot and lob as well as punishing ground strokes that let him come to the net for put-away shots. Riggs was also known as a hustler, often betting on himself against supposedly better opponents and then typically winning. As an amateur, Riggs was part of the American Davis Cup winning team in 1938. The following year, he made it to the finals of the French Championship and won the Wimbledon triple crown, capturing the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. He went on to win the U.S. Championships, earning the World No. 1 amateur ranking for 1939. Riggs teamed up with Alice Marble, his Wimbledon co-champion, to win the 1940 U.S. Championships mixed doubles title. In 1941, he won his second U.S. Championships singles title, following which he turned professional. His new career, however, was quickly interrupted by military service during World War II. After the war, Riggs won the Professional American Singles Championship in 1946, 1947, and 1949. A master promoter of himself and the game, Riggs saw an opportunity to make money and elevate the popularity of the sport he loved. Although 55 years old, he deliberately played the male chauvinist card and came out of retirement to challenge one of the world’s greatest female players to a match, claiming that the female game was inferior and that a top female player could not beat him even at the age of 55. Riggs challenged Margaret Court, 30 years old and the top female player in the world. In their 1973 Mother’s Day match, Riggs kept an unprepared Court off balance. His easy 6–2, 6–1 victory landed Riggs on the cover of both Sports Illustrated and Time magazine. Riggs had originally challenged Billie Jean King to a match, but she had declined. Following the embarrassing loss by Court, King accepted his challenge, and on September 20, 1973, the two met in the Houston Astrodome to play what may well be the most famous tennis match of all time. King beat Riggs in the match forever known as The Battle of the Sexes 6–4, 6–3, 6–3.