Dick Miles
Dick Miles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nationality | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 12 June 1925 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 12 October 2010 | (aged 85)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Richard Theodore Miles (June 12, 1925 – October 12, 2010) was an American table tennis player who won 10 national championships between 1945 and 1962, more than any other player. After his playing career ended, Miles wrote an instructional guide and continued in his sport by playing match games and doing trick shot performances. In its obituary The New York Times called him "perhaps the greatest table tennis player the United States has ever produced".[1]
Early life
Miles was born on June 12, 1925, in Manhattan and was raised Jewish by his mother on the Upper West Side after his father left the family when Miles was two years old.[2]
Table tennis career
He started playing table tennis as a child after receiving a miniature table tennis set as a birthday gift around the time he was 10 and started playing on full-sized tables at PS 166.
In addition to his strong defensive abilities, Miles was known for the powerful forehand shot he generated with
After his competitive playing career was over, Miles wrote about the sport for Sports Illustrated in addition to his 1968 book The Game of Table Tennis. He traveled widely, playing matches and performing trick shots for the USO. He also started an import company that brought table tennis equipment from Asia for distribution in the U.S.[1]
Miles accompanied the U.S. national team at the world championships held in
Personal life and death
Miles died in Manhattan at the age of 85 due to natural causes on October 12, 2010. He was survived by his wife, Mary Detsch. They had met each other in Central Park in 1970 and been companions for decades before they were married in 1993.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Weber, Bruce. "Dick Miles, Record-Setting U.S. Table Tennis Player, Dies at 85", The New York Times, October 23, 2010. Accessed October 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Boggan, Tim. DICK MILES--PART I Archived 2012-08-15 at the Wayback Machine, USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, 1999. Accessed October 27, 2010.
- ^ Boggan, Tim. DICK MILES--PART II, USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, 2000. Accessed October 27, 2010.