A celebration of life for Tommy Mozur, the University of Tennessee's first two-time All-American in tennis, will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel.
Mr. Mozur, 60, died unexpectedly Saturday at St. Mary's Hospital North.
He was director of tennis at Beaver Brook Country Club after serving in a similar capacity at Knoxville Racquet Club. The Sweetwater native served as tennis pro at Lakewood Country Club in St. Petersburg, Fla., and at Palma Cela Country Club in Tampa before taking the Racquet Club job in 1977.
Before coming to UT, he was an outstanding athlete in tennis, basketball and football at Tennessee Military Institute.
He was recruited to UT by former Vol coach and player Tommy Bartlett, played one season (1967) for Earl Baumgardner and two for Louis Royal (1968, '70).
Mr. Mozur captained the Vols to the SEC championship in 1970. He won No. 1 singles at the 1968 SEC tournament - the Vols' first since Bill Davis' 1951 title.
Mr. Mozur competed on three SEC No. 1 doubles title teams: 1966 with Jack Jackson, 1967 with Lenny Schloss and 1968 with Earle Freeman.
Schloss, UT's first All-American in tennis, teamed with Mr. Mozur in what is believed to be the longest doubles match in history. They lost to Dick Dell and Dick Leach 3-6, 49-47, 22-20.
He lost a first-round match at Wimbledon in 1969 as he sat out that season at Tennessee. He was an All-American in 1968 and 1970. He was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
The family will receive friends 5-7 p.m. Wednesday. Longtime tennis player and close friend, Rev. Turner Howard, will officiate at the celebration of life.
Mr. Mozur is survived by his wife, Brenda, son Thomas A. Mozur of Greensboro, N.C., and daughter Kimberlie Heagerty of Knoxville.
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Comments » 8
cgroer writes:
Tommy was a great influence on many junior tennis players in Knoxville and he will truly be missed. His enthusiasm and love of tennis was contagious. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Mozur family.
Chris Groer
tapeworm writes:
My first experience with Tommy was playing him in the Knoxville Open Tennis Tournament in 1961. I was 16 and he was 12. We played in the 16 & Under category. I had never heard of him and was pretty good myself, so my biggest concern was playing a kid who was barely bigger than his racquet. I noticed he had brought quite a cheering section with him for our match. At that age, I was close to 6' tall, and Tommy was about 5.' My inclination was to hold back, so people wouldn't think I was beating up on him. Well, he proceeded to beat the living s#*t out of me and sending me on my way. I played him several more times after that with virtually the same results. He was a fierce competitor and a humble man. My thoughts are with his family.
As a side note, I had pretty much the same results with Turner Howard, the pastor who officiated at his funeral. Turner was the standard by which all tennis players in Tennessee were measured during this time.
ken#539322 writes:
Tommy will be missed tremendously. He taught my son at a young age and had a great influence on his game as well as his conduct as a young man on the tennis court.
john524#224897 writes:
Thank you for letting us know of the untimely death of Tommy Mozur. I knew Tommy and the Mozur family in Sweetwater and pray God's comfort for them as well as Tommy's family. May the Lord give Turner Howard His grace as he ministers to the entire Mozur family during this time of grief.
cslade writes:
Tapeworm,
I had virtually the same experience with Roscoe Tanner. He was a short, almost tubby little guy playing a few years above his age group when I met him in the first round of the Chattanooga 14-under championships at Manker Patten Tennis Center. His mother made him behave (which, apparently, he quit doing later in life). Later in my own life, I could take pride in having lost to a Wimbledon finalist.
I watched Mozur and Lenny Schloss play a number of excellent singles and doubles matches.
Both were superior athletes.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
This is a real shock! I knew Tommy rather well when we were undergrads. We played on the same intramural basketball team one year. He was a good guy and always fun to be around. He will be missed!
ncvol writes:
Indeed, this is a sad time for this family and his friends.
I am so sorry for the loss. God Bless!
john#208876 writes:
I hope all those who knew Tommy will feel free to pass along their condolences to the Mozur family, my thoughts and prayers go out to them. Tommy had a tremendous impact on Tennis at UT and throughout the Knoxville community. He was certainly a great role model to me while he starred for the Vols in the late 60's.
http://www.legacy.com/KnoxNews/gb/Gue...
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