Lori Burdell

At Norwin, Lori Burdell made a name for herself as a student-athlete. Her outstanding performance on the tennis court allowed her to become the first Norwin student to receive a four-year athletic scholarship to a Division I university, West Virginia University, where she quickly proved herself by holding the top singles and doubles positions on the team her freshman year. She would go on to be recognized as a college athlete of the month on multiple occasions as well as serving as the tennis team co-captain during her junior and senior years. She graduated from West Virginia University with a B.A. in Speech Communications.

At the University of Central Florida, she was the Division I men’s and women’s head tennis coach from 1988 to 1991. After leaving collegiate tennis, Burdell has worked in the tennis industry, serving the community for over 40 years. She has volunteered for Special Olympics Florida State Games, taught tennis at Walt Disney World Resorts, worked as a tennis pro at some of Florida’s top country clubs, including the Palma Ceia Country Club where she was the head tennis professional, and implemented the USTA Red/Orange/Green/Yellow Ball program (ROGY) for ages four and up. She has also published articles and racquet reviews for Tennis and other magazines. Burdell has worked alongside former ATP Sr. Tour pros, John McEnroe, Michael Chang, and Jim Courier, to name just a few top tennis players.

Burdell is a member of multiple professional organizations, is a USPTA Elite Professional Member, and served as a Wilson Gold advisory staff member. Recently, Lori has worked at the all-girls camp during the Billie Jean King Cup at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, promoting female athletes and meeting her idol, Billie Jean King.

Since 2020, Burdell has worked as the Training and Quality Assurance Manager for the USTA Florida Section where, among her other tasks, she is the co-project manager for USTA Florida’s Community Teaching pilot program. Lori’s main objective there is to help teach tennis professionals how to be a community coach and ensure they have the resources for success. Her curriculum ranges from entry-level compression balls for youth and adult beginners, wheelchair and adaptive tennis, and Love Serving Autism. She firmly believes that tennis is a sport for everyone, regardless of whether you’re able-bodied or in a wheelchair. Lori’s goal is to put a racquet in the hand of anyone with a heartbeat.

At Norwin, Burdell discovered a lifelong love of tennis. She has never once forgotten her alma mater and the influence it had on her life.