Cal State LA celebrates Billie Jean King and unveils statue of Hall of Famer

By TennisNu | @Tennis_Now | Saturday October 5, 2024
Photo credits: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA

Billie Jean King is a social rights fighter and Hall of Fame champion.

Now King is a monumental figure on campus.

More: WADA appeals Sinner's doping case and demands ban for world number 1

Cal State LA honored beloved alumna Billie Jean King with the unveiling of a statue on the lawn outside the physical education building at the Billie Jean King Sports Complex last week.

As one of the greatest tennis players of all time, King's influence extended beyond athletics. She courageously used her voice to advocate for gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and other social justice issues. King, her wife Ilana Klossand their good friend and fellow former prof Rosie Casals are among the most ardent supporters of Golden Eagles athletics.

“I am so honored,” King said. “This statue on our campus will connect us forever. It reminds me that our heritage is not important. Your legacy is what other people say about you, but our contributions to our communities will define us forever.”

The bronze statue of famous sculptor Brian Hanlon honors King's numerous contributions to Cal State LA and serves as an inspiration to the campus community. It was made possible by generous donations from Kloss, George and Kathy Hicker and John Chapple.

The event drew a crowd of approximately 500 people, including California State University Chancellor Mildred Garca, CSU Board of Trustees Chairman Jack B. Clarke Jr., CSU Trustee Wenda Fong, and Assemblywoman and Cal State LA alumna Wendy Carrillo.

King ended her address to the audience with personal news that drew the loudest cheers of the event.

“When I left this campus in 1964 to become the No. 1 tennis player in the world, I was unable to complete my degree,” she said. “I am pleased to announce that I will be re-enrolling at Cal State LA to complete my studies. It's never too late!”

King attended Cal State LA from 1961 to '64, but left to focus on her tennis career. She won her first women's doubles titles at Wimbledon while still a student at university. King's career highlights include twelve Grand Slam singles championships (including five Wimbledon and four US titles), sixteen women's doubles and eleven mixed doubles. King was ranked No. 1 in six of 10 year-end polls from 1966 through 1975.

“The value of a good education has always been important to me, and I have learned a lot during my time on this campus,” King said. “At that time my focus was really to become the greatest player in the world, the number 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 improve my sport, to make a difference in the lives of others. Tennis was my platform.”

She then 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 recognized athletes of the 1960s and 1970s to campaign tirelessly for equality for women in sports, testifying before Congress on behalf of Title IX in 1972 before its passage.

In 1973, King scored a victory for women's equality when she outsmarted Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition, which was watched live by 50 million TV viewers. When retelling the story to Cal State LA student-athletes prior to the statue's unveiling, King said her defeat of Riggs went beyond sports, and that fans — both women and men — have continually told her that it hurt them inspired them to achieve their goals.

“Billie Jean King epitomizes our traditions of success and activism,” said Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes.

“We should all be so lucky,” said CSU Chancellor Garca, “that we are considered a hero, a shero and a champion, even if in a small way to just one other human being.” Imagine how extraordinarily rare it is to be this hero/shero and a champion for millions of people across multiple domains. That's Billie Jean King.

During the university's 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, Cal State LA and CSU awarded King an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her athletic achievements and the distinction those achievements brought 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 last week she became the first individual female athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

For 20 years, King has hosted the Billie Jean King & Friends event at Cal State LA, which has raised more than $4.5 million for athletic scholarships.

“She embodies so many of the core values ​​of Cal State LA and the CSU,” Garcia said, “and she wonderfully demonstrates the courage to courageously stand up for those values ​​even in the face of criticism and adversity. Additionally, she has opened the doors of opportunity for many by raising millions of dollars in scholarships here at this great institution, Cal State LA, her alma mater.”