Gussie Moran

Gertrude Augusta "Gussie" Moran was an American tennis player who was active in the late 1940s and 1950s, born in Santa Monica, California on September 8, 1923, and died in Los Angeles on January 16, 2013. Her highest national ranking in the United States was fourth. In March 1949 she won the US Indoor Championships singles title in New York, and she took the doubles and mixed doubles events there as well. She is best remembered for Wimbledon in 1949, where a short tennis dress with lace-trimmed knickers designed for her by Ted Tinling drew enormous press attention, earned her the nickname Gorgeous Gussie and provoked a debate in Parliament. After reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1950 she turned professional and toured with Pauline Betz, later appearing as herself in the 1952 film Pat and Mike. One of her last tournaments was the 1971 U.S. Open.