Thomas Rodney Crowley Jr. (September 22, 1958 – May 22, 1991) was an American professional tennis player.

Rodney Crowley
Full nameThomas Rodney Crowley Jr.
Country (sports) United States
Born(1958-09-22)September 22, 1958
DiedMay 22, 1991(1991-05-22) (aged 32)
PlaysAmbidextrous
Singles
Career record0–1
Highest rankingNo. 369 (January 3, 1983)
Doubles
Career record12–23
Highest rankingNo. 89 (January 2, 1984)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1982)
French Open2R (1983)
Wimbledon1R (1982)
US Open3R (1983)

Crowley was raised in New Jersey, the son of businessman Thomas Rodney Crowley Sr.[1] His mother, Huguette, was a French national and met Thomas Sr when he was stationed in Algeria during the war.[2]

From 1976 to 1980, Crowley was a collegiate tennis player for the University of Virginia and served a period as team captain. Unusually, he would play his ground stokes right-handed but served with his left hand.[3]

Active on the professional tour during the 1980s, Crowley was most successful as a doubles player, appearing in the main draws of all four grand slam tournaments. He and regular doubles partner Rand Evett made the third round of the 1983 US Open. At the start of the 1984 season he was ranked 89 in the world for doubles.

Crowley died from brain cancer in 1991, at the age of 32. The University of Virginia's T. Rodney Crowley, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in his honor and is awarded annually to a fourth year student.[4]

ATP Challenger finals

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Doubles: 1 (0–1)

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Result    Date    Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss Apr 1983 Ashkelon, Israel Hard   Rand Evett   Stefan Svensson
  Huub van Boeckel
4–6, 6–4, 3–6

References

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  1. ^ "Thomas Rodney Crowley Obituary (2007) The Star-Ledger". The Star-Ledger. Legacy.com. May 13, 2007.
  2. ^ "T. R, Crowley Marries I; Former Captain in Army Weds Miss Huguette di Rocca". The New York Times. August 24, 1947.
  3. ^ Toobin, Jeffrey R. (March 4, 1980). "Netmen Clip Virginia, 5–4, in Opener; Pompan and Two Freshmen Triumph". The Harvard Crimson.
  4. ^ "A History of the Scholarship". crowleyscholarship.com.
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