San Diego Friars (1975–1978)
Sport | Team tennis |
---|---|
Founded | 1975 |
Folded | November 8, 1978 |
League | World TeamTennis |
Division | Western |
Team history | San Diego Friars 1975–1978 |
Colors | Peruvian Brown, Black |
Owner | Frank Mariani |
President | G. Allan Kingston |
Head coach | Rod Laver |
General manager | G. Allan Kingston |
Championships | None |
Division titles | 1978 |
Playoff berths | 1977, 1978 |
The San Diego Friars were an expansion franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT) founded in 1975. The Friars qualified for the WTT playoffs twice in their four seasons and won the 1978 Western Division Championship. The team folded following the 1978 season.
Team history
Founding and inaugural season
The Friars were founded by
Arrival of Laver
The Friars' top choices in the 1975 draft were
First playoff berth
Cliff Drysdale and Rod Laver returned to the team in 1977. They signed
The Friars opened the best-of-three Western Division Semifinals against the two-time defending Western Division Champion
The Friars met the Phoenix Racquets in the first match of the Western Division Championship Series at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on August 20. Guerrant was the hero for the Friars taking part in two set wins playing doubles. She teamed with Reid to beat Chris Evert and Kristien Shaw in women's doubles, 6–2, and with Laver to beat Shaw and former Friar Ross Case in mixed doubles, 7–5.[16] The Friars had a chance to win the series in San Diego on August 22, and the Racquets staved off elimination with a 27–20 victory despite Guerrant and Reid earning another 6–2 set win over Evert and Shaw.[17] The series returned to Phoenix on August 23, and the Racquets cruised to a 30–22 win to eliminate the Friars.[18]
A division championship
The Friars selected
The Friars opened the best-of-three WTT Quarterfinals at home with a dominant victory over the Seattle Cascades, 30–22, on August 15. After Laver and Case dropped the opening set in men's doubles, 6–4, to Tom Gorman and Sherwood Stewart, the Friars won the next four sets. Laver had a 6–2 set win over Gorman in men's singles. Guerrant and Case took the mixed doubles set, 6–3, over Stewart and Brigitte Cuypers. Guerrant and Kerry Reid took the women's doubles set from Betty Stöve and Cuypers, 7–5. Reid squeaked past Stove in women's singles in a tiebreaker, 7–6.[22] In the second match in Seattle on August 17, the Cascades dominated the match in winning 28–20 to stave off elimination.[23] The Friars returned to San Diego for the third match on August 18, and fell to the Cascades, 31–20. Guerrant and Kerry Reid took the opening set of women's doubles, 7–6, against Stöve and Cuypers. But the Cascades won the next four sets to take the match and the series.[21]
On November 8, 1978, Friars owner Frank Mariani announced that the team was folding. Mariani said that rebuilding the team, "will involve more expense than I am willing to undertake."[24]
Season-by-season records
The following table shows regular season records, playoff results and titles won by the San Diego Friars.
Year | W | L | PCT | Playoff result | Titles won |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | 14 | 32 | .304 | Missed playoffs | |
1976 | 13 | 31 | .295 | Missed playoffs | |
1977 | 21 | 23 | .477 | Won Western Division Semifinals Lost in Western Division Championship Series |
|
1978 | 30 | 14 | .682 | Lost in WTT Quarterfinals | Western Division Champions |
Totals | 78 | 100 | .438 | WTT Finals: 0 wins, 0 losses, – All Playoff Series: 1 win, 2 losses, .333 |
WTT Champions - 0 Western Division Champions - 1 (1978) |
Home courts
The following table shows home courts used by the San Diego Friars.
Venue | Location | Duration | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | |||
San Diego Sports Arena |
San Diego, California | 1975 | 1978 | Primary home venue |
Anaheim Convention Center | Anaheim, California | 1975 | 1977 | Alternate home venue |
Individual honors
The following table shows individual honors bestowed upon players and coaches of the San Diego Friars.
Year | Player/Coach | Award |
---|---|---|
1976 | Rod Laver | Male Rookie of the Year |
Hall of Fame players
The following players who are enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame played for the San Diego Friars:
Final roster
The San Diego Friars final roster for the 1978 season was
- Rod Laver, Player-Coach
- Larry Willens, Assistant Coach
- Ross Case
- Mona Guerrant
- Grover Raz Reid
- Kerry Reid
- Janet Young
See also
References
- Annapolis Capital. p. 32.
- ^ Crossley, Andy (February 6, 2013). "1975-1978 San Diego Friars". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ Leonard, Vince (July 28, 1975). "World Team Tennis Puts House in Order". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Jares, Joe (May 12, 1975). "Patching a Tattered Image: A Crazy-Quilt Court Will Add Even More Color, and "Spectaculars" May Cut Costs as World Team Tennis Revs Up and Moves into Its Second Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- San Antonio Express. May 3, 1975. p. 32.
- ^ a b "New Tris Coach May be Ralston". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 12, 1975. p. 46. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ "Triangles Breeze". Herald-Star. Steubenville, Ohio. August 4, 1975. p. 15.
- ^ a b c d "World Team Tennis Life Events". World TeamTennis. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. February 17, 1976. p. C-2. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ Arizona Republic. May 2, 1976. p. 125.
- ^ "Larry Willens (1938- )". San Diego District Tennis Association, United States Tennis Association. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Dimitry, Steve (1998). "World Team Tennis (1974–1978)". Steve Dimitry's Extinct Sports Leagues. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Friars Sign Two Women to Complete Team Tennis Roster". Aiken Standard. April 8, 1977. p. 6.
- ^ a b "San Diego Eliminates Gaters". Santa Cruz Sentinel. August 18, 1977. p. 22.
- ^ "Friars Slip Past Gaters". Kingsport News. August 18, 1977. p. 19.
- St. Petersburg Independent. August 22, 1977. p. 9-C. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Racquets 27, Friars 20". The Berkshire Eagle. August 23, 1977. p. 22.
- ^ "Racquets in Finals". Deseret News. August 24, 1977. p. 1F. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- The Milwaukee Journal. October 12, 1977. p. 15. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ "Lave is Player=Coach of Friars". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 9, 1978. p. 4-F. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ a b "Cascades Win Playoff". Daily Record. Ellensburg, Washington. August 19, 1978. p. 7. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Friars 30, Cascades 22". Kokomo Tribune. August 16, 1978. p. 28.
- ^ "Cascades Tie Playoff Set". Spokane Daily Chronicle. August 18, 1978. p. 30. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ "Friars Latest Casualty". Reading Eagle. November 9, 1978. p. 57. Retrieved August 30, 2014.