Kitty Harrison

Katherine Gordon Harrison (14 November 1934 – March 27, 2026) was an American college tennis coach who was the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels women's tennis team from 1976 to 1998. At the time of her retirement, she was the most successful women's tennis coach within the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Early life and education Harrison grew up in Austin, Texas. Her father, Thomas P. Harrison, went to college at the University of North Carolina. She took up tennis at age seven or eight and received instruction from University of Texas classics professor and longtime men's tennis coach D. A. Penick. She played high school tennis for Austin High School and competed in local and state junior tournaments. After a year of attending Sweet Briar College in Virginia, she transferred to the University of Texas, She majored in history and philosophy, graduating with honors in 1956.

After college, Harrison worked as a secretary in cities across the country. This was initially a part-time job, and she continued to work at the tennis club in Durham, until she was hired full time for the 1979–80 season. Sportswriter Mary Garber described her as "quiet and soft-spoken, but with a passion for tennis". This record was eventually broken by fellow North Carolina coach Brian Kalbas in 2017. She was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Kitty Harrison Invitational is an annual preseason women's college tournament held at the University of North Carolina since 2004. Also named after Harrison is the North Carolina women's tennis team's most valuable player award.