In 1977 head Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns tennis coach Jerry Simmons had an idea, he wanted to bring top competition to the school and showcase the University's growing tennis program.
To do that he developed a tournament that would attract the best competition in the country and the Louisiana Tennis Classic was born.
"I wanted it to be like a pro event," said Simmons._ "It was the first time someone had approached a collegiate event like that and to do it in the fall was something new as well."
That concept quickly grew into one of the top fall tournaments around, creating an atmosphere of tennis that hadn't been seen at Louisiana before and allowed the great community to come out and see some of the country's best.