Bobby Bayliss is set to be inducted into the Blue Gray Hall of Fame.

Bobby Bayliss To Be Inducted Into Blue Gray Hall Of Fame

Feb. 21, 2011

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame men’s tennis head coach Bobby Bayliss will be inducted into the Blue Gray Hall of Fame this Friday in Montgomery, Ala. The induction will coincide with the opening day of the 2011 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic.

Now in its 63rd season, the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic is the nation’s second-oldest collegiate tournament behind only the NCAA Championship.

Bayliss-coached teams have brought home three championships (1993, 2001 and 2007) from the event.

Bayliss, who is in his 24th season as head coach at Notre Dame and 41st overall, has led the Irish to 19 NCAA Championship appearances in the past 20 seasons while finishing among the top 20 on 10 occasions. In 1992, he led the Irish to the NCAA title match.

Bayliss is fourth among active coaches in career victories, tallying over 700 wins during his coaching career.

Although his tennis accomplishments are impressive, Blue Gray committee chairman Paul Winn says it is Bayliss’ character that sets him apart.

“There has been no one else as loyal to the Blue Gray Tournament as Coach Bayliss,” Winn said. “Notre Dame has been coming to the Tournament for the past 20 years and Bob is always so easy to work with. He and his team are so respectful, polite and appreciative of all we do for them. They have become such a hit in Montgomery that we have families fighting over who gets to host Notre Dame.”

Bayliss becomes the Blue Gray Hall of Fame’s 44th honoree and the second Notre Dame representative. He joins David DiLucia, the only five-time All-American in tennis history who helped the Irish to the 1992 NCAA Finals. DiLucia was once the No. 1 ranked singles and doubles player in the nation and still holds several Irish career records.

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