Quick Facts |
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| Built: | 1997 |
| Dedicated: | Sept. 27, 1997 |
| First Match: | Sept. 24, 1997 |
| L, 0-9 vs. Wright State (W) | |
| Courts: | 6 |
| Lights: | Yes |
| Surface: | Acrylic Hard |
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Parking • Directions |
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About This Facility
The David B. & Georgiana S. Albright Tennis Complex, opened in 1997 and is named for the former chair of the Wittenberg Board of Directors and his wife for her $1 million contribution to the project.
Updated most recently in 2021, the six-court facility features an acrylic hard surface, similar to the surface utilized by the United States Tennis Association at its Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, host of the U.S. Open. All six courts have lighting.
The complex was originally designed by a team from the Columbus-based architectural firm of Jack D. Walters and Associates, including 1992 Wittenberg graduate Holly Everhart McCombs, who made the initial drawings of the facility. Shook Construction of Dayton, Ohio, undertook the general contracting.
In 2021, Wittenberg worked with Heiberger Paving, Inc., to complete the project. The same company worked with The Ohio State University to prepare the playing surface for the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus.
Located directly west of the HPER Center and north of Hollenbeck Hall, the courts are within a short walk from any campus destination and are nestled at the intersection of the N. Lowry Ave. and Bill Edwards Dr.
To read more about the completion and dedication of the Albright Tennis Complex, visit the original press release here. To read about the renovations completed in 2021, click here.
Accessibility: Albright Tennis Complex is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, and the Athletics staff is happy to make accommodations for interested patrons.
David B. '40 & Georgiana S. Albright '40
The facility was made possible thanks to Mrs. Georgiana Albright of Akron and Long Boat Key, Florida. Mrs. Albright's gift was in memory of her late husband, David, who served as chair of the Wittenberg Board of Directors for six years. He died May 4, 1994, in Florida at age 75.
Mrs. Albright, a magna cum laude graduate and the 1939 Alma Mater, died in 2014. She and her husband met at Wittenberg and were faithful servants of the school their entire lives.
Mr. Albright was born in Youngstown and moved to Akron at an early age. He graduated from Buchtel High School in 1936 and in 1978 was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame. At Wittenberg, he was an All-Ohio Athletic Conference basketball player and the team's most valuable player. He went on to earn a degree from the Harvard Business School in 1941.
Mr. Albright joined Akron Savings and Loan Company where he eventually became president and chief executive officer. When it merged with TransOhio Savings Association, Albright became vice chair of the board. In 1990 Albright was awarded the Wittenberg Medal of Honor.
History
The Albright Tennis Complex was built during the spring of 1997 and opened during Homecoming Weekend the following fall. A dedication ceremony on that Saturday, Sept. 27, officially cut the ribbon on the facility. The removal of the former courts and construction of the new ones put the tennis teams' 1997 schedule mostly on the road, although several "home" matches were played at the Springfield Country Club and the Springfield Racquet Club.
Prior to the construction of the $1 million facility, the Tiger tennis teams practiced and competed at courts located next to Firestine Hall (formerly known as North Hall). In moving to the new complex, the Tigers doubled their courtspace and moved closer to the locker room and training facilities in the HPER Center.
The courts at North Hall were built over several years in the early 1900s. The Torch, Wittenberg's student newspaper, reported in 1915 that the addition of two new courts had been halted due to a lack of funds, but in 1916 work was completed. In 1917, two faculty courts were added and it was noted that "court number three (is) reserved for girls."
John Strawn '07