Emily Schaefer isn’t one to boast about her athletic skills on a tennis court.
Or a volleyball court.
But folks at Guilford College in Greensboro will tell you Emily King Schaefer was one of the more talented athletes to don a Quakers uniform in both sports during her playing days from 1988 to 1992, and the little school plans to honor Schaefer at its 57th annual Athletics Hall of Fame. Her induction is scheduled for 11 a.m. on October 31 at the Dana Auditorium on campus.
“It is indeed a special honor,” Schaefer, 56, said Tuesday, “and I am very excited to be a part of an amazing group of people.”
She will take her place with a number of past Guilford inductees, including the late Bob Kauffman (1975), M.L. Carr (1985) and World B. Free (1990), all of whom went on to National Basketball Association careers; and her classmate Tony Womack (1992), who helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series in seven games over the New York Yankees.
An Impressive Career
Schaefer wasn’t just another tennis or volleyball athlete at the scenic liberal arts college founded in 1837.
She was a leader.
Schaefer’s tennis career numbers are impressive.
Her career singles record over four years was 138-39. In doubles competition, she was 68-15 for a .819 winning percentage. She was a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District 26 Champion in doubles in 1990 and 1991 and was the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1992.
The volleyball numbers speak for themselves.
A setter, Schaefer led the Quakers to a 72-26 record over her three seasons when Guilford competed in the NAIA before joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III and becoming a part of the ODAC. The 1988 squad was the NAIA District 26 runner-up and the 1989 team finished in a third-place tie.
She recorded 912 assists in her three seasons of volleyball competition.
“I am blessed that my parents were willing to send me to a small private school so that I could continue playing both volleyball and tennis,” said Schaefer, who was a gifted tennis and volleyball athlete at George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia. “Guilford was transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division III, so the year I started, they stopped giving athletic scholarships. I received a small presidential award to help with tuition, but my parents were responsible for the rest. I had an incredible experience there competing in both sports and still play lots of tennis today.”
Engaged in the Community
These days you will find Schaefer enjoying the game with friends like Amy Perko, Brooke Johnson, Marian Boyette, Molly Alderman, and Angela Neal.
Husband Dickson Schaefer once tested his suspect tennis prowess against his wife, whom he met when working as an assistant athletic trainer during her sophomore, junior, and senior years at Guilford.
“I played once with her when we first got married, and said ‘I’d never do that again,’” the orthopedic surgeon said. “I’m really not much of a match on the court or elsewhere.”
Beyond the tennis courts, you will find Emily Schaefer involved in the community.
Currently, she is in her second term on the Cumberland Community Foundation, where Schaefer is chairing its search committee to find a successor for Mary Holmes, who is retiring in March after 30 years as president and chief executive officer of the community benevolence. Schaefer has chaired the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation and served on the Friends of the Cancer Center board of directors.
Emily Schaefer isn’t one looking for accolades.
She’s not pretentious.
But …
“Being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame is humbling, and it means a lot to me that I am being recognized for my accomplishments while playing on both teams,” Schaefer said. “Getting to go to the NCAA Division III national tennis championships my senior year is one of the greatest things I have ever done, and I treasure the memories today.”
Epilogue
Emily Schaefer has a date in October with the Guilford College Athletics Hall of Fame, and she will share the moment with her parents, Robert (Bob) and Julie King, her four grown children, her four grandchildren, and certainly Dickson Schaefer.
“For sure, I’ll be there,” Dickson Schaefer said. “Pretty proud of my girl.”
But a day on the tennis court with his wife, the good doctor likely will tell you, is out of the question.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
