Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports

Dee Springer, who started playing tennis in high school, rarely misses an opportunity to play. She said she loves tennis so much that she can not imagine doing anything else. [Click to enlarge]

Call her senior or call her golden, just don't call her old. Though she is "71 years young," Dee Springer attends more tennis events than most college students. Springer, known for the contribution she and her husband Phil gave to Texas A&M to build the Phil and Dee Springer Family Stadium Club at the Mitchell Tennis Center, said she loves tennis so much that she can't imagine doing anything else.

"This last time we went skiing in Colorado, I thought, 'I'm not going to do this because if I break a leg or something, I might not be able to play tennis,'?" Springer said.

Springer has been involved with tennis at A&M since she and her husband moved to College Station in 1973. But she's been in love with tennis for much longer than that.

Born in Riga, Latvia, Springer moved to the U.S. when she was 13 years old. She began playing tennis in high school with her friends. They played with wooden rackets and the same tennis balls all summer.

"We had no lessons, so my tennis is very unorthodox, which is good, because it sometimes confuses my opponents," she said.

When Springer met Phil, he and his family played tennis, so they kept her involved. She said that though he tried to get her to switch to golf, she stuck with the game she loved.

"I hate that game, it's very frustrating," she said. "Once we got married, we didn't have the time or the money to play golf, so we played tennis."

The Springers came to College Station for hamburgers. Phil became a franchisee for McDonald's and opened the first one in College Station. Springer said that attending Aggie tennis matches was the natural thing for them to do - the matches were free, the courts were close to their first restaurant and they could slip out between the lunch and dinner rushes to watch them. The Springers have stayed involved with A&M tennis since and attend matches, tournaments and team gatherings.

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