USTA Southern announced recently that Madison resident and Lake Oconee Tennis Association member Jerry Caldwell has been named to the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame. The 2010 induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 in Atlanta.

Jerry Caldwell, 74, has been the quintessential adult doubles tennis player, coming into the game in his late teens. An All-City high school baseball and basketball player in Nashville, he talked his baseball coach into letting him play tennis along with baseball in his senior year and won the city’s high school doubles championship in his first tournament.

It’s been the world of adult tennis in which Caldwell has made his mark. Starting in 1970 in Atlanta, Caldwell began his dedication to high-level tennis. In 1986, he won the 1986 USTA National Men’s 45s Clay Court Doubles Championship and has been a national doubles finalist 11 times. He has won at least 25 Georgia championships and about 30 USTA Southern Section championships.

He has been ranked No. 1 in his age group once in the nation, about 10 times in the nine-state Southern Section and about 15 times in Georgia. In doubles he has been ranked in the top 5 nationally several years in his age group. In 1981 he was ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 – with three different partners — in USTA Southern.

Caldwell has served the sport as a distinguished volunteer. He served as Vice-President of USTA Georgia and as a board member for three years along with serving on the USTA Southern’s Olympic Facilities, the Information Technology and Marketing Committees.

Caldwell was inducted into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997. He was a President of the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) in 1974 and was a founder of the Senior Tennis Players of Georgia and the Atlanta Cup. He also served as tournament director of the 1974 World Championship of Tennis tournament in Atlanta.

Caldwell’s self-crafted tennis strokes often make him an example of how not to play the game. Numerous tennis coaches have said he has the ugliest strokes going, notably citing a backhand that no pro would ever teach and a painfully slow serve. This unorthodox style has fueled many interesting stories over the years and around the country, mostly humorous. He has been called a “hero” to the majority of players who do not have perfect form.

Caldwell has been an active member of LOTA (Lake Oconee Tennis Association) since its inception and has won many local tournaments. Caldwell has been married to his wife, Margaret, for 51 years. They have three children and four grandsons.