The San Diego Friars were an expansion 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 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

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

and

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

Frank Mariani as the first expansion franchise of WTT just before the start of the 1975 season, and played most of their home matches at the

San Diego Sports Arena Pechanga Arena (historically known as the San Diego Sports Arena) is an indoor arena built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California. The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey, indoor soccer and ...

. Some home matches were played at the

Anaheim Convention Center The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original comp ...

. The Friars played a 46-match WTT regular-season schedule in 1975. The league used neutral-site matches to cut down on travel and create events where fans could see multiple teams either with one admission or over the course of a few days. These special events were called WTT Spectaculars. Because of these and because of scheduling challenges created when the

Houston E-Z Riders The Houston E-Z Riders were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT) founded by husband and wife E.Z. and Betty Jones. The E-Z Riders played only one season before suspending operations just before the start of the 1975 season, and later fol ...

suspended operations just days before the season started, the 10 teams in the league did not play an equal number of matches. Seven of them played 44 matches, while the Friars,

Boston Lobsters The Boston Lobsters were a World TeamTennis team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Lobsters played home matches at the Walter Brown Arena, Boston University, in Boston, MA. The most recent Boston Lobsters were a reincarnation of two pr ...

and

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 ...

each played 46 matches. The Friars were led by player-coach

Dennis Ralston Richard Dennis Ralston (July 27, 1942 – December 6, 2020) was an American professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s. As a young player, he was coached by tennis pro Pancho Gonzales. He attended the University o ...

and also featured

Anand Amritraj Anand Amritraj (Tamil: ஆனந்த் அம்ரித்ராஜ்; born 20 March 1951) is a former Indian tennis player and businessman. He along with brother Vijay Amritraj led India into the 1974 Davis Cup finals against South Afri ...

( ta, ஆனந்த் அம்ரித்ராஜ்), John Andrews,

Brigitte Cuypers Brigitte Cuypers (born 3 December 1955) is a retired tennis player from South Africa. Cuypers reached the final of the South African Open (tennis), South African Championships singles event on five consecutive occasions from 1975 to 1979 and w ...

Lesley Hunt Lesley Hunt (born 29 May 1950) is a former tennis player from Perth, Western Australia. Particularly noted as a junior player, in 1964 at the age of 14 she won a rare double in the Western Australian Women's open, taking both the Open and Juni ...

and Janet Young. The Friars finished their inaugural season with 14 wins and 32 losses tied with the Leis for last place in the Western Division and the worst record in WTT.

Arrival of Laver

The Friars' top choices in the 1975 draft were

Linky Boshoff Delina Ann Boshoff-Mortlock, commonly known as Linky Boshoff (born 12 November 1956), is a former professional tennis player who won the 1976 US Open women's doubles title with her partner Ilana Kloss. In 1973 she won the South African Open ...

Nancy Gunter Nancy Richey (born August 23, 1942) is an American former tennis player. Richey won two major singles titles (the 1967 Australian Championships and 1968 French Open) and four major women's doubles titles (the 1965 US Championships, 1966 Austr ...

Janice Metcalf Janice Metcalf (born July 10, 1952) is a retired American professional tennis player. She played on the men's tennis team at the University of Redlands. She reached the top 15 in the United States and the top 40 in the world. In 1975 she won the ...

Charles Pasarell Charles Manuel Pasarell Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is a Puerto Rican former tennis player, tennis administrator and founder of the current Indian Wells tournament. He has also commented for the Tennis Channel and with Arthur Ashe and Sheridan ...

Kazuko Sawamatsu Kazuko Sawamatsu ( ja, 沢松和子, born 5 January 1951) is a retired tennis player from Japan. She competed in a number of major LTA tournaments in the 1970s on the world circuit. At the 1975 Australian Open, she reached the quarterfinals as w ...

( ja, 沢松和子). They left player-coach Dennis Ralston unprotected, and he was selected by the

Pittsburgh Triangles The Pittsburgh Triangles were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The Triangles won the 1975 WTT Championship. The team folded after the 1976 season. Team history The Triangles were founded in 1973 as a charter member of WTT by Centur ...

in the second round. On February 16, 1976, after securing permission to negotiate from the

Phoenix Racquets The Phoenix Racquets were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The team was founded as the Denver Racquets and won the 1974 WTT championship in the league's inaugural season, before moving to Phoenix in 1975. Following the 1978 season ...

, the Friars signed the legendary

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 a contract for an undisclosed amount and an undisclosed length but which reportedly made him the highest-paid player in WTT history. The Friars also signed

Cliff Drysdale Eric Clifford Drysdale (born 26 May 1941) is a South African former tennis player. After a career as a highly ranked professional player in the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a well-known tennis announcer. Drysdale won the singles title at t ...

and named him their player-coach. Other players taking the court for the 1976 Friars were

Ross Case Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

Terry Holladay Terry Holladay (born November 28, 1955) is an American former professional tennis player who played between 1974 and 1987, whose tennis career is particularly remembered for her pregnancy and its impact on protected rankings. Biography Holladay w ...

and

Betty Ann Grubb Stuart Betty Ann Grubb Stuart (born February 26, 1950) is a retired American professional tennis player. She had her most significant success in doubles, including reaching the final of the 1977 US Open (tennis), 1977 US Open with Renée Richards as he ...

. The team hired Larry Willens as an assistant coach. The Friars struggled again in 1976, finishing with 13 wins and 31 losses, fourth place in the Western Division. Despite the team's poor performance, Laver was named WTT Male Rookie of the Year.

First playoff berth

Cliff Drysdale and Rod Laver returned to the team in 1977. They signed

Mona Guerrant Anne Guerrant (born November 28, 1948), also known as Mona Anne Guerrant, is an American retired professional tennis player. Guerrant was the winner of four singles titles in Portland, South Florida, and in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand. ...

, Julie Anthony and

Kerry Reid Kerry Melville Reid (née Melville; born 7 August 1947) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tou ...

. Ross Case went to the Phoenix Racquets and became their player-coach. The Friars finished the 1977 season with 21 wins and 23 losses, third place in the Western Division and qualified for the WTT playoffs. The Friars opened the best-of-three Western Division Semifinals against the two-time defending Western Division Champion

San Francisco Golden Gaters The San Francisco Golden Gaters were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The Golden Gaters won two Western Division Championships and lost in the WTT Finals both times. The team was founded in 1973 and made the playoffs in each of the ...

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Oakland Arena is an indoor arena located in Oakland, California, United States. From its opening in 1966 until 1996, it was known as the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. After a major renovation completed in 1997, the arena was renamed ...

on August 16, with a 24–22 victory. The Golden Gaters appeared to be on their way to victory leading 17–12 after three sets. Reid won the fourth set of women's singles, 6–1, against former Friar Terry Holladay to ties the match at 18. The following night, the Friars played their first home playoff match in franchise history and defeated the Golden Gaters, 24–21, to advance to the Western Division Championship Series. The Golden Gaters took a 20–18 lead to the final set of men's doubles. Drysdale and Laver defeated

Tom Okker Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

and

Frew McMillan Frew Donald McMillan (born 20 May 1942) is a former professional male tennis player from South Africa who won five grand slam doubles titles including three Wimbledons with Bob Hewitt. All together, he won 63 doubles titles, surpassed only by ...

, 6–1, in the final set to win the match and the series. The Friars met the Phoenix Racquets in the first match of the Western Division Championship Series at the

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor ...

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 Christine Marie Evert (born December 21, 1954), known as Chris Evert Lloyd from 1979 to 1987, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. Evert won 18 major singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record ...

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. 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. The series returned to Phoenix on August 23, and the Racquets cruised to a 30–22 win to eliminate the Friars.

A division championship

The Friars selected

Tim Gullikson Timothy Ernest Gullikson (September 8, 1951 – May 3, 1996) was a tennis player and coach who was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and grew up in Onalaska, Wisconsin in the United States. Gullikson was Pete Sampras' coach from 1992 to 1995. Tenn ...

in the second round of the 1977 draft, but were unable to sign him. on March 8, 1978, the Friars traded Cliff Drysdale to the Anaheim Oranges for a first-round draft choice and cash. Following the trade, the Friars named Rod Laver as their new player-coach. Mona Guerrant and Kerry Reid returned to the team. The Friars signed

Grover Raz Reid Grover Eugene "Raz" Reid (born August 27, 1951) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He was born Grover Reid Junior, but is known as Raz Reid, a nickname he has had since he was a young. Biography Early years Reid was a ...

and re-signed their former players, Ross Case and Janet Young. The Friars had the first winning season in franchise history in 1978, posting 30 wins and 14 losses and winning the Western Division Championship which for the first time in WTT history was determined based on regular-season and not playoff results. The Friars opened the best-of-three WTT Quarterfinals at home with a dominant victory over the

Seattle Cascades The Seattle Cascades were a charter franchise of World TeamTennis, World Team Tennis (WTT). The team first played as the Hawaii Leis in the league's inaugural 1974 World Team Tennis season, 1974 season, before becoming the Sea-Port Cascades for t ...

, 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 Sherwood Stewart (born June 6, 1946) is a former professional tennis player who was active in the 1970s and 1980s. Stewart was ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings on December 31, 1978, and No. 4 in doubles on J ...

, 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 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 ...

and Cuypers, 7–5. Reid squeaked past Stove in women's singles in a tiebreaker, 7–6. In the second match in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

on August 17, the Cascades dominated the match in winning 28–20 to stave off elimination. 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. 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."

Season-by-season records

The following table shows regular season records, playoff results and titles won by the San Diego Friars.

Home courts

The following table shows home courts used by the San Diego Friars.

Individual honors

The following table shows individual honors bestowed upon players and coaches of the San Diego Friars.

Hall of Fame players

The following players who are 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 ...

played for the San Diego Friars: *

Final roster

The San Diego Friars final roster for the 1978 season was *

, Player-Coach * Larry Willens, Assistant Coach *

* Janet Young

References

External links

Official World TeamTennis Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Diego Friars (1975-1978) Defunct World TeamTennis teams 1975 establishments in California Tennis in California Tennis teams in San Diego 1978 disestablishments in California Sports clubs established in 1975 Sports clubs disestablished in 1978