EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is saddened to learn that LuAnn Alexander, a 2011 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who played for the women's tennis team from 1951-55, passed away on Thursday at the age of 84.
 
A memorial service will be held on Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. at Matthews Episcopal Church at 2620 Crestview Dr. in Edinburg. A celebration of life will be held at the Echo Hotel in Edinburg at 2:30 p.m.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the LuAnn Alexander Scholarship at UTRGV. Gifts can be made online at https://give.utrgv.edu/greatest-need by choosing "Other" and referencing the "LuAnn Alexander Scholarship."
 
Alexander was born in Mission and grew up in Edinburg. She was named Most Athletic Female as a senior at Edinburg High School.
 
Alexander stayed in Edinburg to attend what was then known as Pan American College. As a freshman, Alexander and her doubles partner, LaDonna Yancey, were the only two female student-athletes at the college. By her sophomore season, Alexander helped to develop the women's tennis program into a full team, leading the team to the Big State Conference Championship.
 
After graduation, Alexander began a 42-year career as a tennis coach and physical education, health, and driver's education teacher at the junior high and high school levels in Edinburg.
 
She became the varsity tennis coach for Edinburg High School in 1987 and immediately led her team to seven consecutive UIL Regional meets. Most importantly to Alexander, many of those players earned athletic scholarships and graduated to become professionals and community leaders in fields including medicine, law, and government.
 
Alexander was an organizer of United States Tennis Association tournaments such as ZATs and Major Zone events. As a USTA referee and umpire, she helped hundreds of tennis players attain state rankings, making them better prospects for scholarships at the collegiate level.
 
Alexander retired in 2000, although she continued as an organizer in the South Texas Tennis Coaches Association and the Texas Tennis Coaches Association.
 
Alexander remained an avid tennis player throughout her life. In retirement, she broke her hip diving for a forehand volley. She did, however, win the point, the last she ever played.
 
Alexander earned a number of awards in addition to her Athletics Hall of Fame induction. She was the 1974 Edinburg Daily ReviewWoman of the Year, a 1995 inductee into the Texas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and a 2015 inductee into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Her legacy lives on today in the LuAnn Alexander Tennis Academy, which provides tennis instruction for young players across the Rio Grande Valley.
 
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph L. Alexander, and her sister, Sheila Ray Allen. She is survived by her sister, Betty Allen Cox, and her children, Sharon Alexander, Ralph L. Alexander Jr., and Cynthia Alexander Dubose.