Baltimore native shatters tennis barriers for African-American women

Baltimore native Ann Koger was just featured in an exhibit at Morgan State University’s James Lewis Museum. She’s broken racial barriers and made sports history with her love of tennis, helping pave the way for the likes of the Williams sisters and many more.

Koger is a rock star on the tennis scene, and she has had quite the storied career and reputation on the courts. In 2016, she retired after 35 years as the head coach of women’s tennis at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. She got her love of tennis from her mother.

“My mother wanted a family activity. We could go to Druid Hill Park for free (and) get on the tennis courts,” Koger said.

Her sister got ranked and the family started traveling for tournaments until it got too expensive and Koger was left behind. Her mother said if she learned to play she could travel, so she did.

In 1962, at the age of 12, she won her first big tournament, and while she knew she could be great, looming over her goals were the social ills of the 1960s.

“We weren’t allowed to go in all the clubs. We weren’t allowed to play on all the tennis courts, particularly the clay courts, definitely not grass courts,” Koger said.

Koger said the sport discriminated against black players by requiring tournaments by invitation only, or clubs held closed tournaments. Koger became a top-ranked player as a junior in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association.

Koger along with Bonnie Logan were the two female players on the men’s tennis team at Morgan State University. After Morgan, Koger and Logan became the country’s first African-American women to play professionally in the Virginia Slims Tennis Circuit, competing from 1973-77.

“It was a great opportunity, but a lonely opportunity because there weren’t more like me once I started moving in the national spotlight,” Koger said.

After various teaching and coaching positions in Baltimore, Koger was invited to Haverford College as its first African-American women’s tennis coach.

“Now 35 years later, I stand before you tired and itching to do something else,” Koger said.

Koger has won hundreds of awards and honors throughout her career.

These days one of her favorite things to do is play pickle ball but she remains active in helping advance the …