Texas Bowl Talk: Former Illini Tennis Standout Graydon Oliver
December 10, 2010 | Football
Dec. 10, 2010
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The outcome of this year's Texas Bowl will mean big-time office bragging rights for former Illinois men's tennis standout Graydon Oliver, who is currently a client advisor at Houston-based Avalon Advisors, LLC.
"A lot of my co-workers are Baylor grads, so I'd love to see a win by the Illini," Oliver said. "I was in Champaign for the first time in a while this past October for the tennis reunion and was able to catch the game against Ohio State. It's fantastic that they'll be playing here in Houston. You don't hear much about Midwest football in Texas, so I'm really excited to see Illinois play a team like Baylor and hopefully they'll do well."
Oliver, who has been a resident of Houston for more than five years, made quick mention of the area hotspots fans should be sure to visit while in town, most notably Mexican restaurant Lupe Tortilla.
"They have the best fajitas in town," Oliver said. "For the students venturing down, I would suggest hitting up Washington Avenue. It's known for its bars and restaurants and is close to Memorial Park, which is very pretty this time of year.
"Families traveling to Houston should check out Kemah Boardwalk, which is great for kids or visit Aquarium World downtown. The Galleria Mall is also really, really nice for those looking to do some shopping."
As a member of the Illinois men's tennis team from 1999-01, Oliver made quite an impact in just two seasons, as he and teammate Cary Franklin captured the program's first-ever NCAA national doubles title in 2000. Additionally, Oliver was a two-time All-American, All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, the 2001 recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor and won the ITA Midwest Regional doubles title with Amer Delic in 1999.
Upon graduating from Illinois in 2001 with a degree in business administration, Oliver went on to pursue a professional tennis career, which included playing on the ATP Tour and in all four Grand Slams every year from 2002-05. He reached as high as No. 29 in the world in doubles in 2005 and No. 865 in singles in 2003.
