Doris Popple

Document Source: USTA/PNW Hall of Fame Committee, 10/5/2002

Doris was born in 1923 and began playing tennis when she was ten.  She participated in junior tennis in the Missouri Valley and played in junior tennis in the Missouri Valley and played in national junior tournaments. Doris was ranked No. 7 in the U.S. Women's Doubles in 1953 and 54. She was the Canadian National Women's singles champion in 1950 and ranked No. 2 in the Pacific Northwest in women's singles in 1948 and 59.

Doris was a high school teacher and tennis coach, first in Spokane and Kennewick, Washington; then she spent a remarkable thirty-one years at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. Sports Illustrated tagged her national tennis coach of the year in 1980.

Doris' lasting legend has been in senior women's tennis, championing new events for senior women competition. Doris served as the first President of the Oregon Senior Women Tennis Association (OSWTA), ann association created to organize tennis events for women of every skill level, age 40 and older. Doris and friends designed, organized and hosted the first PNW Senior Women's Invitational. She volunteered to serve as Chair for the newly formed Senior Women's Development Committee of the PNWTA and was Chair of the first PNWTA Senior Women's Grand Prix Tournament. In 1987, participants of the PNWTA Senior Women's Grand Prix voted to dedicate this event to the memory of Doris.