From Tennis Now | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, October 5, 2024
Photo: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA
Billie Jean King is a social rights activist and Hall of Fame champion.
Now, King is a monumental figure on campus.
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Cal State LA honored beloved alumni Billie Jean King with the discovery of a statue in the grassy area outside the physical education building at Billie Jean King Sports Complex last week.
One of the greatest tennis players of all time, King’s influence extended beyond athletics as she boldly used her voice to advocate for gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights and other social justice issues. The king, her wife Ilana Klossand their good friend and former professional Rosie Casals are among the most ardent supporters of Golden Eagles athletics.
“I’m very honored,” King said. “This statue on our campus will connect us forever. It reminds me that our heritage is not what is important. Your legacy is what other people say about you, but our contributions to our communities are what will define us forever.”
Bronze statue of the famous sculptor Brian Hanlon honors King’s many contributions to Cal State LA and serves as an inspiration to the campus community. This was made possible through generous donations from Kloss, George and Kathy Hicker and John Chapple.
The event drew a crowd of about 500, which included California State University Chancellor Mildred García, CSU Board of Trustees Chair Jack B. Clarke Jr., CSU Trustee Wenda Fong and Assemblywoman and alumna Cal State LA, Wendy Carrillo.
King ended her address to the crowd with a personal tidbit that drew some of the loudest cheers of the event.
“When I left this campus in 1964 to become the No. 1 in the world, I couldn’t finish my degree,” she said. “I am happy to announce that I will be re-enrolling at Cal State LA to complete my degree. It’s never too late!”
King attended Cal State LA from 1961 to ’64, but dropped out to focus on her tennis career. She won her first Wimbledon women’s doubles titles while still a university student. King’s career highlights include 12 Grand Slam singles championships (including five Wimbledon titles and four US titles), 16 women’s doubles and 11 mixed doubles. King was ranked No. 1 in six of the 10 year-end polls from 1966 to 1975.
“The value of a good education has always been important to me, and I have learned a lot while on this campus,” King said. “At the time, my focus was really on being the greatest player in the world, the No. 1 in the world, and to change our sport – from amateur to professional. We used to get $14 a day. This had to end. So, I left Cal State LA and went on a journey to make my sport better, to make a difference in the lives of others. Tennis was my platform.”
Then she turned to the student-athletes and said, “That’s another thing — you have a platform that very few people have. So use it to make this world a better place.”
King used her status as one of the most popular athletes of the 1960s and 1970s to campaign tirelessly for women’s equality in sports, and in 1972 testified before Congress on behalf of Title IX before its passage.
In 1973, King scored a victory for women’s equality when she defeated Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” show, which was watched live by 50 million television viewers. In retelling the story to the Cal State LA student-athletes before the statue’s unveiling, King said her loss to Riggs went beyond sports and that fans — both female and male — have repeatedly told her it inspired them to reach out. their goals.
“Billie Jean King is the epitome of our traditions of success and activism,” said Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes.
“We should all be so lucky,” said CSU Chancellor García, “to be considered a hero, a hero and a champion, even in a small way for just one other human being. Imagine how incredibly rare is to be this hero/hero and a champion for millions in multiple domains. This is Billie Jean King.”
During the university’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, Cal State LA and CSU awarded King an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of her athletic achievements and the distinction these achievements brought to her alma mater.
King is also the recipient of the United States’ two highest civilian awards. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and just last week she became the first individual female athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
King has hosted the Billie Jean King & Friends event at Cal State LA for 20 years, which has raised more than $4.5 million for athletic scholarships.
“She embodies so many of the core values of Cal State LA and CSU,” Garcia said, “and she wonderfully demonstrates the courage to stand boldly for those values – even in the face of criticism and adversity. Additionally, she has opened the door of opportunity to many, helping to raise millions of dollars in scholarships here at this great institution, Cal State LA, her alma mater.”
