{{short description|American tennis player and coach (1924–2016)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox person |name = Ben Press |image = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = {{birth date|1924|5|21}} |birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|2016|9|9|1924|5|21}} |death_place = Coronado, California, U.S. |known_for = Tennis |education = |alma_mater = {{nowrap|University of California, Los Angeles}} |employer = Kona Kai Club<br />Hotel del Coronado<br />Hilton Beach and Tennis Club |occupation = {{hlist|Tennis player|writer}} |title = }} '''Ben Press''' (May 21, 1924 – September 9, 2016) was an American tennis player, coach, and writer, known for his involvement in World TeamTennis, his connection with the Hotel del Coronado, and as teacher of tennis standouts such as Maureen Connolly and Karen Hantze Susman.

==Early life== Press was raised in the University Heights and North Park neighborhoods of San Diego, California.<ref name = "Balboa">{{cite book|url=http://www.balboatennis.com/newsletter/february2008.pdf|article=A Legend at Balboa – Ben Press|title=Center Court|date=February 2008|type=Newsletter|publisher=Balboa Tennis Club|page=5|accessdate=April 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629074959/http://www.balboatennis.com/newsletter/february2008.pdf|archive-date=June 29, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Interested from an early age in tennis, his early tennis teachers included longtime San Diego tennis coach Wilbur Folsom.<ref name = "Balboa" /> Press's neighbors in North Park included Ted Williams, with whom Press would play baseball and tennis growing up;<ref name = Balboa /><ref name = "Magee">Magee, Jerry. [https://archive.today/20130630080036/http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040504/news_lz1s4tennis.html "Press honored for contributions to game,"] San Diego Union-Tribune. May 4, 2004.</ref> and Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly, who would count Press as a lifelong friend, competitor, and coach.<ref name = "Balboa" /><ref>See also Brinker Simmons, Cindy, [https://www.amazon.com/Little-Mos-Legacy-Mothers-Daughters/dp/1930819013/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1369458133&sr=8-10&keywords=%22ben+press%22 Little Mo's Legacy: A Mother's Lessons, a Daughter's Story] Tapestry Press. 2001.</ref> Press was considered a top junior player,<ref name = "SDDTA">[http://www.sandiegotennis.com/HOF/ben_press%20bio.htm Press profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907200221/http://www.sandiegotennis.com/HOF/ben_press%20bio.htm |date=2008-09-07 }}. San Diego District Tennis Association.</ref> and won the Bob Carrothers Sportsmanship Award.<ref name = "NYTimes">Martin, John, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/sports/tennis/22fame.html?_r=0 "Remembering Bobby Carrothers, a Tennis Prodigy Killed in 1940"]. New York Times. March 21, 2009.</ref> He played varsity tennis at UCLA.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award">[https://archive.today/20130630131147/http://uspta.com/default.aspx?act=Newsletter.aspx&category=USPTA+Latest+News&newsletterid=795&menugroup=New-USPTA&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 "Ben Press honored with USPTA Presidential Award"]. USPTA website. September 27, 2011.</ref>

==Playing career== Press's playing career included wins at the La Jolla Championship Summer Tournament in 1949 and 1951.<ref name = "SDDTA" /><ref>[http://www.ljtc.org/AboutUs.html La Jolla Tennis Club] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703161534/http://www.ljtc.org/AboutUs.html |date=July 3, 2013 }}.</ref><ref>[http://www.insidetennis.com/2009/06/san-diego-june-2009/ Inside Tennis]. June 2009.</ref> Press played against such contemporaries as Jack Kramer, Bill Tilden, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Gonzales, Whitney Reed, and Tony Trabert.<ref name = "Balboa" /><ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" /> In addition, Press won three USTA Senior National mixed doubles titles with Jeanne Doyle Garrett in 1970, 1973, and 1974,<ref>[http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/Organization/Yearbook/23035_2008_USTA_Yearbook__Adult__Senior_National_Championships__MIXED/ USTA 2008 Yearbook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306043022/http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/Organization/Yearbook/23035_2008_USTA_Yearbook__Adult__Senior_National_Championships__MIXED/ |date=2013-03-06 }}.</ref> and represented the United States against Canada four times for the Gordon Trophy.<ref name = "SDDTA" />

==Teaching career== Press was one of the founders of the San Diego Friars in World Team Tennis.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" /> He was a nonplaying assistant coach and part owner of the 1974 WTT champion Denver Racquets.<ref name = "Balboa" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Janoff|first1=Murray|title=Tennis: New Pro Circuit|newspaper=Sporting News|date=July 7, 1973}}</ref>

Over the course of more than six decades, Press was head pro at several prominent San Diego-area tennis facilities, including 17 years at the Kona Kai Club<ref name = "Balboa" /> and 28 years at the Hotel del Coronado, where he was pro from 1977 until the demolition of the hotel's tennis courts in 2005.<ref name = "NYTimes" /><ref>Magee, Jerry, [http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/01/the-dels-rich-tennis-history-chronicled/ "The Del's Rich Tennis History Chronicled"]. San Diego Union-Tribune. February 1, 2010.</ref> Press subsequently became head pro at the Hilton Beach and Tennis Club.<ref name = "Balboa" /> He was recognized as a Master Professional by the USPTA.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" />

Press taught Wimbledon champions Maureen Connolly and Karen Hantze Susman, and Australian Open winner Brian Teacher.<ref name = "SDDTA" /> Press also taught other standout San Diego-area players, such as Marita Redondo, Walter Redondo, Kristien Kemmer, Angélica Gavaldón, Steve Avoyer, Randy Thomas, and Alexandra Stevenson.<ref name = "Magee" /><ref name = "SDDTA" />

==Service, achievements and honors== Along with his longtime teaching career, Press wrote at length about tennis. In the 1970s, Press wrote a regular column on tennis for the San Diego Evening Tribune.<ref name = "Balboa" /> Press was a co-founder of the Greater San Diego City Tennis Council, an organization that provides resources and funds for the improvement and refurbishment of public tennis court facilities in San Diego.<ref name = "Balboa" /><ref>[http://www.tenniswire.org/archives/2005/nov/pr_311.html "USPTA Awards Honor Leaders in Tennis Profession"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329054307/http://www.tenniswire.org/archives/2005/nov/pr_311.html |date=March 29, 2012 }}. 11/06/05.</ref>

Ben served two terms as president of both the San Diego District Tennis Association and the San Diego division of the USPTA.<ref name = "SDDTA" /><ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" />

In 2006, Press was one of ten initial inductees into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame.<ref>Magee, Jerry. [http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060822/news_lz1s22tenny.html "A Courtly History"]. San Diego Union-Tribune. August 22, 2006.</ref> Press was awarded the National Community Service Award from both the USTA and the USPTA.<ref name = "SDDTA" /><ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" />

Press was a 2010 inductee into the USTA Southern California Senior Hall of Fame.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" /><ref>[http://www.scta.usta.com/AdultsSeniors/senior_hall_of_fame/ SCTA website].</ref>

In 2011, Press was given the United States Professional Tennis Association's Presidential Award.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" /> Press won the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award of the USPTA San Diego Division.<ref>[http://usptadivisions.uspta.com/html/SD12-WinterNewsletter.pdf USPTA San Diego Division Newsletter]{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Winter 2012.</ref>

Press was the inventor of the Scepter Racquet, which was the first commercial graphite tennis racquet.<ref name = "USPTA Presidential Award" />

Press died of prostate cancer on September 9, 2016, at the age of 92.<ref>[http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/sep/10/ben-press-tennis-hotel-del-coronado/ Tennis legend Ben Press dies]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-30 |title=Granddaughter of a tennis legend |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2016/08/30/granddaughter-of-a-tennis-legend/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=John |date=2014-11-13 |title=Tennis is all in the family for LJCD sophomore |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/sports/tennis-is-all-in-the-family-for-ljcd-sophomore/509-78334f50-854d-4b13-8743-c18bb23ced0f |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=cbs8.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Selected bibliography== *100 Years of Tennis at the Hotel del Coronado. The Greater San Diego Tennis Council/Kales Press. 2010. ASIN: 0979845637. *[https://archive.today/20130628092851/http://www.addvantageuspta.com/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=ADDvantage&menuitemid=502&MenuGroup=Ads&NewsLetterID=1225&&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 The serve] ADDvantage. December 2011.

{{1974 Denver Racquets}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Press, Ben}} Category:1924 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Tennis coaches from California Category:UCLA Bruins men's tennis players Category:Writers from San Diego Category:Tennis players from San Diego