University of California Athletics

Jacobs: Tennis Star, Trailblazer, Golden Bear

Helen Hull Jacobs won the Wimbledon singles championship in 1936. From 1932 to ’35, she won eight U.S. National Championships (the predecessor to the U.S. Open) – four in singles (1932-35), three in doubles (1932, 1934-35) and one in mixed doubles (1934). In the 1933 U.S. singles final, Jacobs prevailed over rival (and fellow Cal alumna and Cal hall of famer) Helen Wills, who withdrew with a back injury while trailing 8-6, 3-6, 3-0. Also at the 1933 U.S. Championships, Jacobs became the first woman player to wear shorts at a Grand Slam. The following year, Jacobs captured the Italian singles and doubles championships in 1934. She posted an 18-11 record as a member of the Wightman Cup team (1927-39), was named Associate Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1933 and was the recipient of the Tennis Immortal Award from the Tennis Writers Association in 1968. Jacobs was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1962 and into the USTA NorCal Hall of Fame in 1974. The versatile Jacobs was also a writer who authored 20 books, worked as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy and designed sportswear for women.