{{Short description|American badminton player (1926–2008)}} {{Infobox badminton player | name = Joseph C. Alston | image = | caption = | birth_name = Joseph Cameron Alston | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|12|20}} | birth_place = San Diego, California | death_date = {{death date and age|2008|04|16|1926|12|20}} | height = | weight = | event = | highest_ranking = | date_of_highest_ranking = | current_ranking = | date_of_current_ranking = | country = United States | coach = | handedness = Right }}
'''Joseph Cameron Alston''' (December 20, 1926 – April 16, 2008) was an American badminton player who won major titles between 1951 and 1967.<ref>[http://www.ocbadmintonclub.com/usnationals2006/2006usn_pw.shtml Orange County Badminton Club]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== Career == Despite a career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation which sometimes interfered with his avocation, Alston is the only male player to win each of the sport's three basic events, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, at both the U.S. National Badminton Championships (closed to foreign competition) and the U.S. Open Badminton Championships (open to foreign competition). He and long-time partner Wynn Rogers were ranked number one nationally in men's doubles for fourteen consecutive years (1951–1964). In 1957, Alston won the Men's Doubles at the prestigious All-England Championships with Malaya's Johnny Heah and remains the only American to share this title.<ref>[http://badmintonengland.co.uk Badminton England]</ref> Noted for his speed and crisp shotmaking, Alston was a member of seven consecutive U.S. Thomas Cup (Men's International) teams between 1952 and 1970 and played in four inter-zone Thomas Cup campaigns.<ref name="USA Badminton wof">{{Cite web |url=http://www.usabadminton.org/wof/alston.html |title=USA Badminton Walk of Fame Plaza: JOSEPH C. ALSTON |access-date=2007-11-22 |archive-date=2007-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221165616/http://www.usabadminton.org/wof/alston.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on March 7, 1955.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015772/index.htm |title=Joe Alston, Badminton Champion - 05.03.99 - SI Vault |access-date=2012-01-11 |archive-date=2013-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220043925/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015772/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> His wife, the former Lois Smedley, was an outstanding badminton competitor in her own right and played on the world champion U.S. Uber Cup (Women's International) team of 1957.<ref>[http://www.usabadminton.org/wof/Uber_Cup.html USA Badminton Walk of Fame Plaza: THE LADIES' INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY]{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Both are members of the U.S. Badminton Hall of Fame, now called the Walk of Fame.<ref name="USA Badminton wof"/> One of their sons, Tony Alston, was a leading U.S. player in the 1980s.
== Achievements == === International tournaments (8 titles, 11 runners-up) === ''Men's singles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1954 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Eddy Choong | align="left" | 5–15, 15–2, 13–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1955 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Eddy Choong | align="left" | 15–5, 15–8 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1956 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} Finn Kobberø | align="left" | 11–15, 8–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |}
''Men's doubles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Partner ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1955 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Eddy Choong<br />{{flagicon|CAN|1921}} T. Darryl Thompson | align="left" | 15–6, 12–15, 15–8 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1957 | align="left" | All England Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Heah Hock Aun | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} David Choong<br />{{flagicon|MAS}} Eddy Choong |15–10, 16–17, 15–5 | style="text-align:left; background: white" |{{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Lim Say Hup<br />{{flagicon|MAS}} Teh Kew San | align="left" | 5–15, 3–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1960 | align="left" | Mexico International | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Manuel Armendariz | align="left" | {{flagicon|MAS}} Lim Say Hup<br />{{flagicon|MAS}} Teh Kew San | align="left" | 7–15, 4–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1961 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Hartgrove<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Alan Mahaffey | align="left" | 15–8, 15–9 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1962 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|INA}} Ferry Sonneville<br />{{flagicon|INA}} Tan Joe Hok | align="left" | 15–12, 7–15, 15–6 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1963 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} Erland Kops<br />{{flagicon|SCO}} Robert McCoig | align="left" | 16–18, 2–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1964 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Hartgrove<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jim Poole | align="left" | 15–2, 12–15, 15–10 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1967 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} Erland Kops | align="left" | {{flagicon|IND}} Suresh Goel<br />{{flagicon|SCO}} Jim Sydie | align="left" | 15–4, 15–4 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |}
''Mixed doubles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Partner ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1954 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Loma Smith | align="left" | 15–10, 15–10 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1955 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Dorothy Hann | align="left" | 15–8, 11–15, 9–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Roche<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Judy Devlin | align="left" | 9–15, 15–10, 15–17 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1961 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Judy Hashman | align="left" | 13–18, 2–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1962 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Helen Tibbetts | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Wynn Rogers<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Judy Hashman | align="left" | 4–15, 7–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1963 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|THA}} Sangob Rattanusorn<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} Margaret Barrand | align="left" | 16–18, 15–4, 12–15 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1964 | align="left" | U.S. Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} Lois Alston | align="left" | {{flagicon|THA}} Channarong Ratanaseangsuang<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} Margaret Barrand | align="left" | ''walkover'' | style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |}
== Summary == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Tournament ! Event and year |- | US Open | Men's Singles (1955), Men's Doubles (1955, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967), Mixed Doubles (1954) |- | US Championships | Men's Singles (1951), Men's Doubles (1951, 1952, 1953) Mixed Doubles (1953) |- | All-Englands | Men's Doubles (1957) |- | World Invitational | Men's Singles (1956) |}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Doubles Men}} {{Footer World Invitation Tournament Champions Badminton Singles Men}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Joseph Cameron}} Category:American male badminton players Category:1926 births Category:2008 deaths Category:San Diego High School alumni Category:20th-century American sportsmen