OU's Headington Family Tennis Center Wins USTA Outstanding Facility Award
In Norman, the trophy case just got a little fuller — and this one honors bricks, lights and blueprints as much as backhands and serves.
The University of Oklahoma’s Headington Family Tennis Center and Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion have been named a 2026 USTA Outstanding Facility Award winner, the United States Tennis Association announced, with the honor presented during a ceremony at the U.S. Open in New York.
Only 12 educational institutions across the country earned the distinction. Just six of those sit on a college campus. Oklahoma is in that select group.
For OU, it’s validation of a project that has quietly grown into one of the showpieces of collegiate tennis.
“We are incredibly proud to call the Headington Family Tennis Center our home,” Oklahoma head women’s coach Audra Cohen said. She called it an “exceptional experience” for student-athletes and anyone who walks through the doors, and pointed to tennis club director Dawna Johnston’s “heart, dedication and many years of service” as a driving force behind its rise.
On the men’s side, head coach Nick Crowell sees the transformation every day.
“It’s incredible to walk into our facility every day and see the very best in college tennis,” Crowell said. He credited upgrades and renovations — fueled by donors and the athletics department — with turning the complex into what he described as “the finest collegiate tennis facility in the nation.”
The USTA didn’t hand out the award lightly. Facilities were measured against a long checklist: how smartly the complex fits its site, the quality of the court surface and lighting, how easy it is to maintain, and how well it serves players, spectators and officials. Judges also weighed aesthetics, signage and landscaping, as well as amenities such as casual seating, food service and social spaces. A key piece: a facility’s role in grassroots tennis.
From there, nominees were sorted into four categories: public courts (small centers with 2–11 courts and large centers with 12 or more), private facilities that still offer USTA and public programming, educational institutions, and an “Innovation” bracket that rewards creative approaches to delivering the sport. All 2026 winners receive a wall plaque and an all‑weather sign to mount at their venue — a permanent badge of honor at the front gate.
Oklahoma’s case was built on more than just polish.
Home to both the men’s and women’s programs, the Headington Family Tennis Center and Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion combine scale with detail. The outdoor layout features 12 courts, broken into four three‑court quadrants that make it easier for fans to move, watch and feel close to the action. Championship‑level lighting, a high‑quality playing surface, a sound system, electronic scoreboards and benches on every court give the place a professional edge.
Fold in the indoor pavilion, and the complex expands to 18 courts. Behind the scenes, there are locker rooms for home and visiting teams, storage for trainers and equipment staff, and indoor spaces designed to keep fans comfortable when weather drives the sport under a roof.
The USTA also values venues that host big moments. On that front, Headington has a deep résumé. The center has staged NCAA First and Second Round action 15 times: 2003, 2004, 2010–14, 2016–18, and 2022–26. That kind of continuity signals more than convenience — it signals trust.
The name on the gate matters, too. The facility honors Timothy C. Headington, a 1972 University of Oklahoma graduate and former tennis letterwinner whose legacy now stretches from the baseline to the building itself.
An award from the sport’s national governing body only underlines what players and coaches in Norman already knew: this isn’t just a place to practice. It’s a stage built to match the ambitions of the programs that call it home.
