University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Allen Miller
June 04, 2020 | General, Men's Tennis
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
It was 35 years ago that Allen Miller wrapped up his Georgia tennis career in the best way possible, helping lead the Bulldogs to the program's first NCAA team title, in 1985. Two years before, Miller and partner Ola Malmqvist had given the Bulldogs their first NCAA doubles championship.
A member of Georgia's Circle of Honor and the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, Miller enjoyed a stellar career. A lifelong diehard Bulldogs fan, Miller is as passionate about Georgia football as he is the tennis program. Miller, who grew up in Tucker, Ga., has been the director of tennis at the Athens Country Club for more than 20 years and is a regular at Georgia sporting events.
During a recent Quick Chat, he talked about working during the coronavirus pandemic, growing up a Georgia fan, his early days in tennis and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What have the last few months been like as far as being able to work or not work?
Miller: We were fortunate to have the club open and we put in different safety measures for people to play tennis if they wanted to come out. We weren't able to teach for five or six weeks and then we were able to teach privately for a while with safety measures, like not allowing the students to touch the balls — only the pros were picking up the balls and we were keeping the balls that we used together, not allowing the balls that we used to cross-contaminate between the pros.
Just recently we have been able to teach some clinics (with multiple students), actually in the last few days. It's been trying for everybody but we were fortunate that we were still able to at least stay open.
Frierson: As a big sports fan, how much have you missed having the sports world going on this time of year?
Miller: I've missed it a lot, of course. It's not like I plan my weekend around watching a normal golf tournament or tennis tournament, but I would like to know what's going on and maybe catch an hour or two on TV.
I have enjoyed watching the 1965 British Open (replay) more than watching last year's tournament. I'd rather see something from 40 years ago. Going to spring sports at Georgia, I love going to the tennis matches and the same thing with baseball games.
Frierson: You're one of the more rabid Georgia football fans that I know, so when did that begin for you? Were you like that before you got to school here in the early '80s?
Miller: Oh, yeah. My uncle came home from the Korean War in 1953 or something like that and he never missed a home game or the Florida game from 1953 until he died in 1994, so he was my conduit. He was bringing me up to games; my father was into it but he didn't come to as many games, but my uncle and I came to every game.
I also went to every home Falcons game from when they opened in 1966, when I was 3, until the 11th grade. I was a huge football fan from the beginning but it was more so Georgia. The Atlanta Falcons, I pull for them but they were just so bad for so long that we sort of lost interest [laughs].
Frierson: Did you ever play football?
Miller: I played football in second, third and fourth grade, and then I moved on to baseball, tennis and basketball. Basketball was actually my favorite sport to play, really. I enjoyed baseball; football I enjoyed but I was a big, tall kid without obviously not a whole lot of weight so I was sort of stuck at defensive end and tight end — not a whole lot of action and I got my head banged in a little bit.
Frierson: When did tennis become the sport for you? When did you realize that you had a really bright future in the sport?
Miller: I started when I was 8 and my pro wouldn't let me play competitively until I was 10. He sort of knew that I would not focus on the things I needed to improve because I was so competitive. My first year in the 10-and-unders was when I was 10 and I finished second in the state, so that's pretty immediate success.
In baseball, I pitched and played shortstop and I played until I was about 12 or 13, and I played basketball until I was 14 or 15. Baseball or tennis had to go and I was primarily No. 2 in the state in tennis until I was about 16. Obviously, I felt like that was better than being second or third in your neighborhood league when there are 30 leagues in Atlanta. I loved playing baseball but I did start getting bored with it a little bit, just the lack of action.
Frierson: How much do you miss competing?
Miller: I miss it a lot. For the last three or four years, I've played one or two tournaments and that was always fun. My main way to compete, really, is I try to play golf once a week. That sort of fills that a bit, although it's not nearly the same — I want to win whether I'm playing for $2 or $30, the desire to win's no different.
I miss that competition, it's hard to replace that feeling when you're younger and you're playing for a school. It's just a lot different when you're playing individually and you're in your prime, which I'm way, way past [laughs].
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
It was 35 years ago that Allen Miller wrapped up his Georgia tennis career in the best way possible, helping lead the Bulldogs to the program's first NCAA team title, in 1985. Two years before, Miller and partner Ola Malmqvist had given the Bulldogs their first NCAA doubles championship.
A member of Georgia's Circle of Honor and the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, Miller enjoyed a stellar career. A lifelong diehard Bulldogs fan, Miller is as passionate about Georgia football as he is the tennis program. Miller, who grew up in Tucker, Ga., has been the director of tennis at the Athens Country Club for more than 20 years and is a regular at Georgia sporting events.
During a recent Quick Chat, he talked about working during the coronavirus pandemic, growing up a Georgia fan, his early days in tennis and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What have the last few months been like as far as being able to work or not work?
Miller: We were fortunate to have the club open and we put in different safety measures for people to play tennis if they wanted to come out. We weren't able to teach for five or six weeks and then we were able to teach privately for a while with safety measures, like not allowing the students to touch the balls — only the pros were picking up the balls and we were keeping the balls that we used together, not allowing the balls that we used to cross-contaminate between the pros.
Just recently we have been able to teach some clinics (with multiple students), actually in the last few days. It's been trying for everybody but we were fortunate that we were still able to at least stay open.
Frierson: As a big sports fan, how much have you missed having the sports world going on this time of year?
Miller: I've missed it a lot, of course. It's not like I plan my weekend around watching a normal golf tournament or tennis tournament, but I would like to know what's going on and maybe catch an hour or two on TV.
I have enjoyed watching the 1965 British Open (replay) more than watching last year's tournament. I'd rather see something from 40 years ago. Going to spring sports at Georgia, I love going to the tennis matches and the same thing with baseball games.
Frierson: You're one of the more rabid Georgia football fans that I know, so when did that begin for you? Were you like that before you got to school here in the early '80s?
Miller: Oh, yeah. My uncle came home from the Korean War in 1953 or something like that and he never missed a home game or the Florida game from 1953 until he died in 1994, so he was my conduit. He was bringing me up to games; my father was into it but he didn't come to as many games, but my uncle and I came to every game.
I also went to every home Falcons game from when they opened in 1966, when I was 3, until the 11th grade. I was a huge football fan from the beginning but it was more so Georgia. The Atlanta Falcons, I pull for them but they were just so bad for so long that we sort of lost interest [laughs].
Frierson: Did you ever play football?
Miller: I played football in second, third and fourth grade, and then I moved on to baseball, tennis and basketball. Basketball was actually my favorite sport to play, really. I enjoyed baseball; football I enjoyed but I was a big, tall kid without obviously not a whole lot of weight so I was sort of stuck at defensive end and tight end — not a whole lot of action and I got my head banged in a little bit.
Frierson: When did tennis become the sport for you? When did you realize that you had a really bright future in the sport?
Miller: I started when I was 8 and my pro wouldn't let me play competitively until I was 10. He sort of knew that I would not focus on the things I needed to improve because I was so competitive. My first year in the 10-and-unders was when I was 10 and I finished second in the state, so that's pretty immediate success.
In baseball, I pitched and played shortstop and I played until I was about 12 or 13, and I played basketball until I was 14 or 15. Baseball or tennis had to go and I was primarily No. 2 in the state in tennis until I was about 16. Obviously, I felt like that was better than being second or third in your neighborhood league when there are 30 leagues in Atlanta. I loved playing baseball but I did start getting bored with it a little bit, just the lack of action.
Frierson: How much do you miss competing?
Miller: I miss it a lot. For the last three or four years, I've played one or two tournaments and that was always fun. My main way to compete, really, is I try to play golf once a week. That sort of fills that a bit, although it's not nearly the same — I want to win whether I'm playing for $2 or $30, the desire to win's no different.
I miss that competition, it's hard to replace that feeling when you're younger and you're playing for a school. It's just a lot different when you're playing individually and you're in your prime, which I'm way, way past [laughs].
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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