MARY NORWOOD ROMPF

CLASS OF 2004
 

Mary Norwood Rompf is one of the most distinguished and accomplished tennis players to ever come out of Oklahoma.  Born in 1966 in Oklahoma City, Norwood was ranked #1 in both singles and doubles in both Oklahoma and the Missouri Valley section throughout her junior career in all junior age divisions every year.  She has won more MVTA junior championships than any other junior player to date in every junior age division. Undefeated in 4 years of High School play for Bishop McGinnis HS (never losing even a set), she was a four time State HS Champion; a 14-time USTA National Junior Champion (ranking #1 in doubles several times and as high as #4 in singles); a 4 time all-American at USC (winning the National Collegiate title in 1985, played at the Oklahoma Tennis Center), and former top 100 touring professional with wins at Wimbledon, the French Open, and US Open. In 1994, Mary was chosen as the Maureen Connolly Brinker Player of the Year, awarded annually to “that player who exemplifies the ‘courage, determination, and grace of a true champion’.”  She was a Junior Wightman Cup team member for four years and played for the United States in the Maureen Connolly Brinker Cup both nationally and internationally.

Norwood was a collegiate scholar athlete and NCAA Team champion in 1985 with a career winning record of over 80% in singles and 86% in doubles and winning several regional and national collegiate event titles.  She graduated in four years with a degree in communications and a 3.5 GPA before joining the WTA Women’s Professional circuit.

In 2001, and 15 years off the professional circuit, Mary ended her playing retirement and won the USTA Open Grass Court Championships in women's singles and doubles and finished third in mixed held in Newport, RI on the grass courts. At the 2002 USTA National Grass Court Open Championships, she was runner-up in singles and won the doubles and mixed doubles championships, successfully defending her #1 Women's Open Doubles ranking in the US. In 2003 and 2004, Mary repeated her success in the Women's and Mixed Doubles divisions of the USTA National Grass Court Open Championships. In 2005, she was a finalist in Women’s Doubles and again the champion in Mixed; her 34th and 35th National Titles (gold balls). From 2006 through 2009 she continued her reign as the mixed and women's doubles champion at the USTA Open Grass Court National Championships. 

From 2008 through 2010, Mary and her daughter MaryAnn (only aged 9-11) won 3^rd place (Bronze Ball) at the USTA Mother Daughter National Grass Court Championships and Mary was chosen for the second time as the USPTA NE Regional Pro of the Year.  The Rompf’s have finished 2^nd (Silver Ball) at the 2011 and 2012 USTA Open Grass Court National Championships, and were the 2013 USTA Mother Daughter National Grass Court Champions (Gold Ball).  In 2014 and 2016 they were the National Mother Daughter Grass Court finalists.  In 2015 they won their second USTA National Mother Daughter Gras Court Championship and the USTA National Clay Court Championship ranking number one in the US in 2015.  They have been consistently ranked in the top five in the nation over the past decade.  Mary has also won several national sportsmanship awards in tennis.

Mary is the former Head Professional for Gold’s Tennis In Kansas City; The Greens Tennis Club in OKC; the IMG/Nick Bollettieri Adult Program in Bradenton, FL.; and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI (from 1991 to 2013).  She currently is the Head Professional for Branch Tennis in Dallas Texas.

As a tennis teacher and coach, Mary brings her invaluable on court "been there" experience to every student. She is a 30+ year USPTA, level one professional and PTR elite professional. In 1995, she was chosen from among her 12,000 fellow USPTA teaching professionals as the USPTA National Female Pro of the Year, a title which she also won on a Sectional level in the MVTA in three consecutive years and in the New England Section in 2004 and 2007.  Mary is also the coach of several sectional and nationally ranked junior players, and numerous USTA senior and league national champions.

Mary was inducted into the USTA/Missouri Valley Section Hall of Fame with her husband Bill (her coach from age 8; the only dual induction of a coach/student in the MVTA history) in 2002; into the USTA/Oklahoma District Hall of Fame (again with Bill) in 2004; and into the Bishop McGuiness HS Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 2005.

Although Mary’s playing and teaching accomplishments make her one of the most distinguished teaching pros in the world, her true forte is her ability to make learning tennis fun and enjoyable for her students.  “Coach Mary’s” students are her loyal and devoted fans and friends.  Get out on the court with Mary and tennis will come alive for you and she will take you to the next level in a fun and fit adventure.