Eva Bard created, from scratch, the VCU women’s tennis team and turned it into a nationally ranked program during her tenure as the team’s coach from 1988 through 2001. When she was hired, not only was there no women’s tennis team – there were no courts. The team practiced and played at Byrd Park! The first team went 3-8, but by the time she retired in 2001, her teams had compiled an overall record of 167-107. They had 10 seasons with winning records, and four of her final six teams qualified for the NCAA tournament. Her 1998 team went 20-4 and was ranked #22 in the nation. She coached two players who received All-American honors.

Eva was born in 1934 in Strasbourg, France to Jewish parents. Nazi persecution brought her to New York in 1940, where she played competitive tennis as a junior. She moved to Virginia in 1960.

Prior to her collegiate coaching career, Eva was a teaching professional, first at Jefferson Lakeside Club and then at Raintree Racquet Club where she worked for Hugh Waters. While at Raintree, she developed a reputation as a gentle, yet stern task master while coaxing the host of aspiring tennis stars, to work their hardest to reach their potential. David Caldwell recently remarked, jokingly, that he was “still a little afraid of Eva.” Hugh Waters recalled her gentle side when he described her coaching style as “using positive reinforcement with her students, she bragged them forward to improve.” One of her VCU players described Eva as “a very intense coach on the court, but she was also caring and loving. She was honest, very straightforward, and there was never any beating around the bush.”

We are honored to welcome Eva Bard into the Hall of Fame. She was a strong and positive force in the Richmond tennis community and in the lives of all who were touched by her.