Bryan Grant

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bryan Morel "Bitsy" Grant, Jr (December 25, 1909 Atlanta, Georgia - June 5, 1986) was an American professional tennis champion. At 5 feet 4 inches (162 cm) and 120 lbs (54 kg), Grant was the smallest American man to win a championship on the international tennis circuit. A right-handed retriever, he was able to beat heavy-hitting greats such as Don Budge and Ellsworth Vines even when playing on grass. His nickname was "Itsy Bitsy the Giant Killer". At a young age, Grant was already a star in football, basketball and tennis at local Atlanta schools. In 1929, he won the Georgia state (GIAA) tennis title. Grant had gained national stature in tennis long before his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1933. During World War II, he served in the Pacific Islands around New Guinea. His letters to his future wife attest that he fought out of a foxhole for several months, and saw heavy and repeated firefights. Grant was also a member of the Piedmont Driving Club and had the privilege of escorting Olivia de Havilland to the Atlanta opening of Gone with the Wind. He also acted briefly, having a minor role in the campy 1959 film Teenagers from Outer Space. Grant died of cancer at the age of 75.