University of St. Francis (III.)

Wherever there lies a record in the annals of men's tennis at College of St. Francis, Jerry Witty's name sits right next to it. Of the 12 single-season and career Top Ten leader boards, Witty's name can be found anywhere between the Nos. 1-9 slots in each of the dozen departments. The most notable come in the longevity charts, where he has a firm hold on second-place in career overall and singles wins (at the #3 spot) with 146 and 74, respectively. He is not far off the top mark, either, in terms of career doubles wins with his No. 3 rating of 72 victories. Witty's 47 combined wins in his freshman campaign of 1978 in singles (22 victories) and doubles play (25) lands in the identical spot. That same year, he teamed up with 1994 Hall of Fame pick Steve Blim to gain a share of the top mark for doubles wins with 25. Bob Tomasino, the first tennis Hall-of-Famer back in 1991, also equalled that victory total that season, as did three other Saints later on. However, unlike any of the other five, Witty performed the feat twice winning 25 matches again the following year (1979), this time with Wayne Adkins. Seasons like that pair enabled Witty to win 72 of a possible 92 career doubles matches at the #2 spot on his way to three district and two conference titles. A key part of 25th-place NAIA national finishers in 1978 and 1979, he becomes the fourth Hall of Fame recipient from that late 70's-early 80's era. An account manager for Commonwealth Edison in Oak Brook, Witty resides in Joliet with his wife, Jeana. He graduated in 1981 with a degree in Business Administration.