Lulu Ballard

Lulu Ballard
Ballard, from a 1927 publication
Born(1908-07-03)July 3, 1908
South Carolina, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 1981(1981-03-15) (aged 72)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Other namesLula Ballard, Lula Belcher
OccupationsTennis player, sports coach

Lula Lee Ballard Belcher (July 3, 1908 – March 15, 1981), known as Lulu Ballard, was an American tennis player and physical educator. She competed from 1922 into the 1940s, and won four American Tennis Association titles in women's singles. She was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life and education

Ballard was born in South Carolina and raised in Philadelphia, the daughter of John A. Ballard and Elizabeth Logan Ballard. Her sister Alberta Ballard was also a competitive tennis player.[1] She attended high school in Germantown[2][3] and graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1936.[4]

Career

Ballard was a top-ranked tennis player in the 1920s and 1930s.[5][6][7] "Miss Ballard's victory is without a doubt the biggest achievement of a Quaker City tennis player in recent years," remarked The Philadelphia Tribune in 1924, when she defeated Isadore Channels in straight sets.[2] She won four national women's singles titles from the American Tennis Association, in 1925, 1927,[8] 1928, and 1936.[9][10][11]

Ora Washington and Ballard often faced each other in final rounds;[12][13] she defeated Washington at the 1936 championships in Ohio, a grueling summer match "with the thermometer standing at 102".[14] Ballard and Washington teamed up for women's doubles play,[15][16] and won nine American Tennis Association doubles championships.[17][18] She also competed in mixed doubles, with partner Gerald Norman Jr.[19] She continued competing in tennis events, as late as 1946.[20]

Ballard coached tennis at the Germantown YWCA. She also played basketball, badminton, field hockey, and golf, and was a strong swimmer.[4] Around 1940, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio,[21] where she taught physical education in public schools,[22] and was athletic director of the Phillis Wheatley Association.[23][24] She was one of the founders of the Cleveland Women's Physical Education Association.[25][26] In 1975, she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Tuskegee Institute.[24][27]

Personal life and legacy

Ballard was left-handed.[28] She married Paul Belcher in 1959; they divorced in 1976. She died in 1981, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 72. She was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Two Upsets in Tuesday's Play at Bordentown". The Philadelphia Tribune. 1925-08-29. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Philadelphia Girl Defeats Woman's National Champ; Lulu Ballard Wins from Miss Channels in Straight Sets". The Philadelphia Tribune. 1924-08-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Wolfman-Arent, Avi (February 1, 2021). "The local Black history hidden in Philadelphia's school names". WHYY. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  4. ^ a b "Lulu Ballard Lost Five Pounds Defeating Ora; Women's Champion Neither Drinks, Smokes, Diets, Nor Eats Sweets". The Afro-American. 1936-08-29. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Lula Ballard Placed First By Tennis Body". The Philadelphia Tribune. 1929-04-25. p. 10. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "American Tennis Association Rankings". Tennis: 26. April 1930.
  7. ^ "Lloyd Scott, Prairie View Net Ace, Placed No. 1 in National Tennis Rating". The Call. 1937-04-09. p. 30. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Lula Ballard Regains Title; Thompson Tops Saitch". The Philadelphia Tribune. 1927-08-25. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Breaking Barriers". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  10. ^ Norman, Gerald (May 1926). "American Tennis Association". Opportunity: 166.
  11. ^ Edwin Bancroft Henderson (1949-01-01). The Negro in sports. Internet Archive. Associated Publishers. p. 236.
  12. ^ "Lula Ballard Match Results, Splits, and Analysis". Tennis Abstract. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  13. ^ Young, P. Bernard Jr (1928-08-18). "Saitch Bows Before Hudlin". The Afro-American. p. 13. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Scott and Ballard Win Tennis Titles". The Afro-American. 1936-08-29. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "American Tennis Association's Championships". American Lawn Tennis: 403. September 1, 1926.
  16. ^ Norman, Gerald F. (November 1925). "Colored Tennis Championships". The Crisis: 18.
  17. ^ Macur, Juliet (2022-02-04). "Overlooked No More: Ora Washington, Star of Tennis and Basketball (Published 2022)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2026-01-24. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  18. ^ Smith, Doug (February 22, 2022). "Ora Washington: A gifted champion long ignored". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  19. ^ "Saitch Conquers Cousins; Reaches Final in Negro Tennis After a Four-Set Battle". The New York Times. August 20, 1938. p. 13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  20. ^ Jackson, Cleveland (1946-08-31). "Peters Sisters Annex Two Titles, Freeman Bros. Capture 3 Victories". Call and Post. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Jessamy, Ken (1940-08-17). "Cunningham, Ballard and Montgomery Have Chance to Score Says Sports Writer". Call and Post. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Crayton, Blanche (1953-10-03). "Clevelanders Nix Showing Knees". Call and Post. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ 1940 United States census, via Ancestry.
  24. ^ a b "Hall of Fame". The Cleveland Press. 1975-11-15. p. 8. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Brightman, Esther (1967-04-20). "For Fitness, One Who Is". The Plain Dealer. p. 51. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Lula Ballard on Dance Committee". Call and Post. 1949-11-05. p. 7. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  27. ^ Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame; Lula Ballard Belcher, class of 1936.
  28. ^ "Stars Preparing for National Championships". New Journal and Guide. 1929-07-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Women's History Month: The Women of Black Tennis Hall of Fame". Black Tennis Hall of Fame. March 2, 2021. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
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