Wake Forest to Dedicate Courts to Coach Jim Leighton
3/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 20, 2013
By Alex Botoman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest will dedicate its six varsity tennis courts to legendary men's tennis coach Jim Leighton in a ceremony that will take place during the Demon Deacon men's tennis team's match against Virginia Tech on April 7 as part of Men's Tennis Alumni and Parent's Weekend.
The varsity courts will be known as the Leighton Courts at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. The dedication continues the tradition of honoring Leighton, who coached the Demon Deacons from 1962-84 and is the winningest coach in program history with a 277-172 record. Leighton was posthumously inducted into the Wake Forest University Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Also a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, Leighton was one of Wake Forest's most influential coaches and a pillar of the local tennis community. Beyond Wake Forest, Leighton shared his passion for coaching in his book Inside Tennis: Techniques for Winning, which was published in 1977.
Leighton was the namesake of Leighton Stadium on the Reynolda Campus, which was the previous home of the Wake Forest tennis teams. The Deacons moved into the new Wake Forest Tennis Complex and the soon-to-be-named Leighton Courts adjacent to BB&T Field for the 2011-12 season.
The ceremony will be part of Men's Tennis Alumni and Parent's Weekend, which begins on Friday, April 5 with Wake Forest's match against perennial powerhouse Virginia at 3 p.m. Alumni and parents will then be invited to attend the Demon Deacons' practice on Saturday, April 6 at noon and participate in a "hit around" with the current team immediately afterwards. Food and drinks will be served at the tennis complex during the event.
The weekend will be capped off on Sunday with Wake Forest's match against Virginia Tech at noon with the courts to be dedicated in Leighton's honor during a ceremony in between singles and doubles. A reception with light food and drinks will follow the ceremony.
Tennis alumni and parents who are interested in attending the weekend's events can RSVP here or contact Alan Ashworth in the Deacon Club at 336-758-5008 or ashworah@wfu.edu for more information.