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Abbe Seldin wanted to play on the Teaneck High School varsity high school tennis team. The sophomore had played the sport her whole life and was nationally ranked at No. 22 for 15-and 16-year-old girls by the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association.

But Teaneck (N.J.) only had a boys team. Back in 1972, just months before the passage of Title IX — the federal law that prohibited sex-based discrimination in any school or education program —  Seldin was prohibited from playing on the boys team. 

So Seldin and her mother, Shirley, turned to the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization agreed to take on her case, assigning a Rutgers law professor and volunteer named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to assist free of charge. 

Two years later, the case was dropped after it never officially went to trial, but Seldin finally had the opportunity to play tennis for her school when the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association loosened its rule on co–ed sports. Seldin was later a member and a three-time letter-winner as part of Syracuse’s women’s team program between 1976-78. She became the first woman in SU history to receive an athletic scholarship for tennis — and was one of the first six female athletes at SU to receive a scholarship, too. For Seldin, though, that tenacity started in high school. 

“She was incredibly courageous for what she did,” said Jeff Gottesfeld, a player on Teaneck’s tennis team in the 70s and a childhood friend of Seldin’s. “It was gutsy to do this in the late 60s, early 70s. She was ahead of her time.”

As a child, Seldin was inspired by her father, Arthur, who played in New York City tennis tournaments before and after World War II. Because of Arthur’s connections, she received professional coaching while traveling throughout the greater New York City area to compete. Seldin was always glued to the television, watching professional tennis tournaments. For Seldin, tennis was a natural fit. 

But she’d never competed in a team environment, and she yearned for the sense of camaraderie that came with playing high school sports. Title IX was passed in June 1972, months after she attempted to join Teaneck’s team, but it wasn’t fully enforced nationwide — the state’s athletic association firmly maintained its stance on the rule even post-Title IX, prohibiting boys and girls from playing in athletic competitions together.

When Seldin was told she couldn’t play for Teaneck, she and her mother reached out to the ACLU because it was the only viable option, she said. At the time, 39-year-old Ginsburg specialized in cases involving gender and racial discrimination. The two never met face-to-face, but they had several in-depth phone conversations throughout the process. 

Seldin remembers how Ginsburg was very personable and understanding. During their conversations, Ginsburg continuously warned Seldin that the legal process could be long and drawn-out, but she emphasized that she would be there to support Seldin.

“She was a very wonderful, kind person,” Seldin said. “She knew how to ask questions to a kid.” 

Ultimately, New Jersey’s athletic association eased up on the rule barring girls from trying out for boys’ teams in particular sports — one of which was tennis. When Seldin finally had the chance to try out, she didn’t disappoint.

In 1974, she was finally a member of the Teaneck High School tennis team. 

“Were it to happen today, knowing what Teaneck was and is, there would have been so much more support,” Gottesfeld said. 

Looking back, however, Seldin and her parents didn’t see this accomplishment as a grand victory in the battle against gender discrimination in sports — she had just wanted to play tennis, and her parents had wholeheartedly supported that dream. 

Although Seldin later made the team, she never played a match for Teaneck. A new coach didn’t fully support Seldin being on the team and took every chance he had to exclude her. 

A Daily Orange article about Abbe Seldin during her time as a player at Syracuse University. Daily Orange Archive

She felt uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to give up. The new coach — who was also the head football coach — held regular practices centered around upper-body exercise, ones that Seldin emphasized weren’t very beneficial for tennis players. On one rainy day, Seldin recalled climbing up a flight of stairs in a school building using only her arms while a teammate held her ankles from behind. 

When Seldin made it to the top of the stairs, the teammate holding her ankles thought it would be funny to just let go of her before she regained her balance. Seldin fell down the entire staircase, severely bruising her chest.

“I literally walked home. I didn’t want anyone didn’t see me cry because I was so badly hurt,” Seldin said.

Seldin went directly home to her mother, who told her, “Abbe, you did great. You don’t have to subject yourself to that.” So Seldin quit the team and went back to her previous routine of practicing in New York City everyday.

The saga of fighting to join the boys team, finally doing so, and then reaching a breaking point and being forced to quit before ever playing a match took a toll on Seldin’s personal life, too. She described herself as a “nice, quiet girl” that kept to herself and focused on tennis. Still, her name flooded headlines, first at the local level, then at the national level, and everyone at school developed opinions about her — for better or for worse, she said. 

“It actually ruined my high school experience,” Seldin explained. “It just didn’t do (any) good socially for me.”

But Seldin had her sights set on furthering her tennis career in college. When looking at potential schools, it was SU’s picturesque campus — and its newly formed women’s tennis team — that made the decision easy. 

As soon as Seldin arrived at Syracuse, she recognized a stark contrast between her high school and college environments. That “nice, quiet girl” in high school no longer had rules or people standing in her way.

“That’s why my life really blossomed that freshman year,” Seldin said.

Abbe Seldin serves during a high school match at Teaneck High School in New Jersey. Courtesy of Abbe Seldin

Seldin met teammate Cathy Lehman Gursha on the first day of practice as a freshman in 1974. Gursha admired Seldin’s work ethic both on and off the court, recalling how Seldin was “the clear star of the team.” After meeting, the two grew close and often played together at Drumlins Country Club on the weekends.

“Abbe … brought a certain gravitas to the team,” Gursha said. “I admired her work ethic and her natural ability to play the game.”

During her freshman year, Seldin approached Melvin Eggers, SU’s chancellor at the time, to discuss the establishment of women’s athletic scholarships with the recent passage of Title IX. Seldin also explained her tight financial situation and how her parents couldn’t afford her schooling after the first year. Soon after, she became the first woman in SU history to earn an athletic scholarship for tennis.

“She was an amazing competitor, a natural, and light years ahead of all of us,” Gursha said of Seldin’s scholarship.

Years before at Teaneck, Seldin never expected her situation to gain the amount of attention it did in her community, let alone on the national stage. She never expected to make headlines in New Jersey or at Syracuse when she earned a scholarship. She just wanted to play tennis, and she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure she could.

“This girl was incredibly courageous to do what she did then,” Gottesfeld said. “I admire her so much for it.”

Published on February 24, 2021 at 11:07 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu