The Baltimore Banners were a charter franchise of

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

(WTT) founded in 1974. The Banners lasted only one season but made a big splash by signing

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 ...

to a contract for $100,000 which obligated Connors to play in 22 of their 44 matches. Despite the presence of Connors, the Banners had 16 wins and 28 losses, and finished in third place in the Atlantic Section missing the playoffs. The Banners were contracted by WTT on February 1, 1975.

Team history

The Banners were founded as WTT's charter franchise for

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

in 1973, by

Gary Davidson Gary L. Davidson (born August 13, 1934) is an American lawyer and businessman who is based in Orange County, California. Davidson co-founded and served as the first president of the World Hockey Association and co-founded, with former Buena Park ...

. Before the team ever had a name in Phoenix, Davidson sold it to Howard Fine, Gerald Klauber, Joseph Rivkin and Robert E. Bradley, Jr. The new owners relocated the team to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

with a plan to have it play its home matches at the

Baltimore Civic Center CFG Bank Arena (originally the Baltimore Civic Center and formerly Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore Arena and 1st Mariner Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This venue is located about one block away from the Baltimore Convention ...

starting with the league's inaugural season in 1974 season and name it the Baltimore Banners. The first 10 draft choices in the WTT inaugural draft made by what was at that time still the Phoenix franchise were The first match in Banners history was a 35–20 home victory against the

Hawaii Leis Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

on May 8, 1975. The Banners started the season strong and had a record of 5–3 after eight matches. However, after a quarter of the season had passed, the Banners lost 23 of their final 33 matches to finish with 16 wins and 28 losses, third place in the Atlantic Section. Banners superstar

had the highest game-winning percentage in men's singles for the 1974 WTT season. Connors was not allowed to participate in the

1974 French Open The 1974 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 3 June until 16 June. It was the 78th staging of the French Open, and the second Grand ...

due to his association with WTT. His exclusion from the French Open denied him the opportunity to become the first male player since

Rod Laver Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...

to win all four Major singles titles in a calendar year. The Banners struggled mightily to draw fans at home. Only 761 people showed up for their second home match of the season. The attendance for their final home match of the season was just 1,065. At the WTT owners meeting on February 1, 1975, each team was required to post a $500,000

letter of credit A letter of credit (LC), also known as a documentary credit or bankers commercial credit, or letter of undertaking (LoU), is a payment mechanism used in international trade to provide an economic guarantee from a creditworthy bank to an exp ...

. The Banners failed to do so and were contracted by WTT. A dispersal draft was conducted to distribute the players among the remaining teams in the league.

Roster

Don Candy Don Candy (31 March 1929 – 14 June 2020) was an Australian tennis player who was mainly successful in doubles. At the Grand Slam tournaments he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Championships singles event in 1952 and 1959. In the ...

, Player-Coach *

Bob Carmichael Bob "Nails" Carmichael (4 July 1940 – 18 November 2003) was an Australian tennis player and coach. As a player, Carmichael won one singles title and 12 doubles titles, and achieved a top-ten ranking in 1970. Partnering Allan Stone, he reach ...

* Joyce Hume *

Kathy Kuykendall Kathy Kuykendall (born November 23, 1956) is a former American tennis player. She was ranked sixth in the United States in 1974, seventh in 1975, and tenth in 1976. She reached the quarterfinals in the singles event of the French Open in 1976 ...

* Audrey Morse * Jay Mukerjea *

Betty Stöve Betty Flippina Stöve (born 24 June 1945) is a Dutch former professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final, the ladies' doubles final and the mixed doubles final during the same year at Wimbledon in 19 ...

Jimmy Connors was the only Banners player to have been enshrined in the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

References

External links

Official World TeamTennis Website
{{Tennis box Defunct World TeamTennis teams Tennis in Maryland Sports teams in Baltimore Sports clubs established in 1973 1973 establishments in Maryland Sports clubs disestablished in 1975 1975 disestablishments in Maryland

Team history

Roster

See also

References

External links