Dennis Ralston (1995) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Dennis Ralston

Induction:
1995
Class:
1964

The 1963 and 1964 NCAA singles and doubles champion, Dennis Ralston became the first collegian--male or female--to win back-to-back NCAA singles and doubles titles. A 3-year letterman (1962-63-64) and a star of 3 USC NCAA championship teams, he is a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century team. Among his numerous victories, he won the 1966 French Open doubles, the 1960 Wimbledon doubles, and the 1961-63-64 U.S. Open doubles. He was a singles finalist at Wimbledon in 1966. He was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in 1964-65-66 and in the world's Top 5 twice. He is perhaps best known for his performances with the U.S. Davis Cup team, first as a player and then a coach. He was involved in coaching at the collegiate (including at SMU), international and professional levels. He died on Dec. 6, 2020, at age 78.