SKILLMAN, N.J. – Doctor George Fareed (University of California-Berkeley ’66) will be honored as the winner of the 2004 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement Award, presented by Montblanc, next month at a special reception hosted by Tennis Week.
The ITA Achievement Award was created in 1994 to pay tribute to past participants in the world of collegiate tennis who have achieved excellence in their chosen careers. The distinguished person honored annually as the ITA Achievement Award winner is honored for both their professional successes and their contributions to society.
Fareed, who was captain of his California team as a player, lives in Los Angeles where he is an accomplished physician on the cutting edge of genetic engineering and technology. He has been on staff at the Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley, Calif., for the past 10 years. He was named Chief of Medicine there in 1996 and is currently serving as Chairman of the Infection Control Committee and Vice Chief of Staff. He is also on staff at the El Centro Regional Medical Center, is Director of Clinical Research for the AIDS Research Alliance in West Hollywood and runs a family practice.
In the tennis world, Fareed is best known for his tenure as U.S. Davis Cup team doctor from 1991-98 (and continued on staff from 2000-03). He succeeded his father, Dr. Omar Fareed, who served as team doctor from 1975-90. In the memorable 1995 Davis Cup final against Russia in Moscow, he helped Pete Sampras bounce back from a grueling five-set singles victory against Andrei Chesnokov that saw Sampras collapse to the ground with cramps immediately after the match (Sampras and Todd Martin teamed up to claim the doubles match the following day).
“The lessons learned on the court over a period of four years are a vital companion to the academic lessons of higher education,” said David A Benjamin, ITA Executive Director. “The winner of the ITA Achievement Award is an individual who benefited from the experience of intercollegiate competition, went on to greater accomplishments, and made significant contributions to his community.”
Dr. Fareed will be honored at at a reception hosted by Tennis Week, where he will be presented with a special gift by tennis legend Stan Smith. The award is being presented by Montblanc and hosted by Tennis Week. He and his wife will also be special guests, courtesy of the USTA, in the USTA President’s Box on Sept. 3 at the U.S. Open. In addition, the men’s tennis program at California will receive a $2,000 donation from the ITA.
The ITA Achievement Award candidates are nominated by their past tennis coaches or by the current coaches of their alma mater’s tennis programs. From these nominees, finalists are selected by the ITA, which serves as the coaches’ association governing body of collegiate tennis. The winner is then determined by the ITA Achievement Awards Selection Panel: David A Benjamin, ITA Executive Director; Dr. Henry S. Bienen, President of Northwestern University; Senator John Breaux (D-LA), 1995 ITA Achievement Award recipient; Chris Evert, former tennis champion and President of Chris Evert Enterprises; Gene L. Scott, Founder, Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Tennis Week; Alan G. Schwartz, President of the U.S. Tennis Association; Stan Smith, former tennis champion; and Mark Stenning, Executive Director of International Tennis Hall of Fame.
