Billie Jean King to address graduating class: Tennis star, equal rights activist to receive honorary degree

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Billie Jean King, one of the most celebrated tennis players in history and a long-time champion for social change, will deliver the main address at the 130th Commencement to be held Sunday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m. in Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Approximately 4,000 undergraduates are candidates for bachelor's degrees.

During the ceremony, King will be awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

During her playing career, King was ranked the top tennis player in the world five times, and was listed among the top 10 players in the world for a total of 17 years. She won a record 20 Wimbledon titles (six of them in singles) and 12 Grand Slam singles titles. A four-time winner of the U.S. Open, King also won both the French Open and Australian Open, and holds a total of 71 career singles titles. In 1971, she was the first woman athlete to win more than $100,000 in any sport. Widely recognized for spearheading the women's movement in tennis, in 1973 she defeated Bobby Riggs in the celebrated "Battle of the Sexes."

In 1990, Life magazine named King as one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century." In 1994, she ranked No.5 on Sports Illustrated's list of "Top 40 Athletes."

A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame, King is currently a director and official spokesperson for WORLD TEAMTENNIS.
     

   
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