Record-setting tennis star was one of Georgia’s finest

Armistead Neely, the state’s most accomplished senior tennis player since Bitsy Grant and a member of the Georgia and Southern tennis halls of fame, died Thursday at age 76.

As an Atlanta resident for more than 50 years, Neely won 29 USTA senior national titles, at least one in each of seven age divisions from the 35-and-over (first in 1982) through the 65-and-over (last in 2014). Neely won his age division’s USTA clay-court championship seven times.

Only Grant, with 34 senior

titles, has a better record among Georgians.

Neely also was a member of five USTA senior teams that won world championships. He won a record 27 singles or doubles titles at the 33-year-old Atlanta Senior Invitational, the state’s premier senior tennis event.

Neely worked as a teaching professional and was the tournament director for the 1985 WTC Atlanta event, held at Georgia Tech and won by John McEnroe.

Neely was a University of Florida All-American in the 1960s and reached the top 150 on the ATP Tour in the 1970s, when he also co-founded the first pro tennis satellite circuit with former Georgia Tech player Larry Turville. Neely made the U.S. Open doubles quarterfinals in 1975, when beaten by Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase.

Neely moved to Atlanta in 1982 after four seasons as the University of Alabama’s men’s tennis coach.

“If you wanted someone to represent tennis, you couldn’t find anyone better,” said Richard Howell, a contemporary friend and head of the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame, which inducted Neely in 2005. “He was such a quality person. He was the consummate competitor who wanted to win but not at all costs. He was generous with line calls and treated you the way you wanted to be treated as an opponent.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced. A posting on Neely’s Facebook page from his wife announced the news of his death Friday.

Armistead Neely won 29 senior national titles as an Atlanta resident.