Tennis: Saluting a legend

Richard Dunn

What the late Myron McNamara represented was more than simply

attacking the net, teaching a serve-and-volley game and emphasizing

proper court etiquette to his hundreds of devoted pupils.

McNamara never sought the limelight, but a light always followed him.

A World War II hero as a bomber pilot, notable member of a

barnstorming tennis tour to promote the game in the 1950s and the UCI

men’s tennis coach from 1966 to 1979, McNamara has a legacy that holds

serve against anyone.

And, these days, UCI is still benefiting from McNamara’s influence

with an endowment in his name instituted by a collection of former

players, friends and colleagues.

Those who were on the ground floor of the endowment will be recognized

today in pregame ceremonies before UCI’s nonconference match against

UCLA.

“What better way is there to start (an endowment), then after the man

who basically started the program here?” said UCI Coach Steve Clark, a

Newport Beach resident.

“(McNamara) gave the program the reputation it has. He stood for

loving people, loving tennis and having integrity.”

The day of McNamara’s memorial service in April 1998, Clark and a few

others, including some UCI alumni who played under the late coach, talked

about starting an endowed scholarship fund in his name.

Shortly thereafter, tennis legend and longtime McNamara friend Jack

Kramer “stepped up in a huge way,” Clark said, and the ball started to

roll. Kramer donated his golf club in Chino Hills, the Los Serranos Golf

and Country Club, and the Myron McNamara Endowed Scholarship Fund Golf

Tournament was launched.

“Now,” said former UCI All-American Glenn Cripe, a member of the

original endowment group, “there’s $40,000 to $50,000 in it.”

About a dozen members of the group, including Cripe, a former CIF

Southern Section doubles champion from Newport Harbor High and part of

the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of Fame, will be recognized today before the

Anteaters’ match against UCLA, which is scheduled to start at noon.

A free barbecue lunch will be served to all fans in attendance -- or

as long as the food lasts -- beginning at 11:30 a.m., along with a

hit-for-prizes contest.

McNamara, who compiled a 314-74 record at UCI, won six NCAA Division

II titles and coached 27 All-Americans, came back and served as an

assistant under Clark in the 1994-95 campaign.

Clark, whose Anteaters are 5-0, is in his eighth season as UCI head

coach, after replacing Greg Patton. Clark was the head men’s tennis coach

at Chapman, then came to UCI as an assistant for three years from 1989

through ’91. He was the head coach for one year at Texas Tech, then

returned to UCI to take over the helm.

McNamara, who grew up with Kramer and played on the U.S. Junior Davis

Cup team with him, established the tennis clubs at Riviera Country Club

and what is now the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. He was also a longtime

head pro at the John Wayne Tennis Club (now Palisades).

“I must say, Myron was one of the finest gentlemen I ever met in my

life, and I knew him close to 40 years,” former Paramount Tennis owner

Bill Hodges once said.

Hank Lloyd of the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, who directs the Orange

County Area Training Center (ATC) at his club, was honored Monday night

at the annual Southern California Tennis Association awards

dinner/banquet as the SCTA Coach of the Year for player development.

The public Costa Mesa facility is hosting a workshop for high school

coaches, as well as a players’ clinic, Feb. 26. Details: (714) 557-0211.

Lloyd is also hosting the ATC Cup Feb. 19-20 for kids aged 11 through

13 and featuring juniors from eight different sections.

Local players representing Orange County in the ATC Cup include Kaes

Van’t Hof, Charlie Farmer, Steve Johnson and Matt Chou in the boys, and

Kellie Ammerman in the girls.

“It’s a fun event with a lot of activities and a variety of play for

the whole weekend,” Lloyd said of the event sponsored by Wilson and the

United States Tennis Association.

Members of the Newport Beach Tennis Club senior men’s teams (50s and

60s) have returned home from Australia, where they competed in 120-degree

temperatures at the Australian National Championships.

The Newport Beach 50s, led by Leo Fracalosy, Peter Finch, Ron Hextell,

Chris Bowen and Gary Adams, reached the quarterfinals, losing to

Queensland in “grueling matches,” according to Newport Beach captain Gene

Nalbandian.

It was so hot on the courts during the third round of round-robin play

at Adelaide that Fracalosy and Hextell had to be taken out of the matches

because of heat exhaustion and Newport Beach forfeited the games.

The Newport Beach 60s lost a tiebreaker to eventual champion Western

Australia. Bob Sheppard pulled muscles in his back and missed 2 1/2 days

before being able to return.

An Australian team will be bringing 20 players to the Phoenix

Challenge in Palm Springs April 16-22.

Newport Beach won both titles last year and, under Phoenix Challenge

rules, can only return three players. One team will consist of Finch,

Fracalosy, Adams and Nalbandian -- all of whom won pivotal matches in

Australia, along with Bruce Malloy, Bill Wegner and Paul Knox.

Bowen, Hextell, Mike Conover and Peter Smith are also expected to be

involved for Newport Beach at the Phoenix Challenge.