How Stan Smith showed the tennis world how it’s done

I love Hilton Head.

Where else can one be seated next to a most legendary athlete at the local country club at a mutual friend’s dinner party?

Stan Smith - the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world in 1971 and 1972 - has always stood out as one of the truly great sportsmen of the 20th century. I was fortunate to enjoy a conversation with this enduring star during Tom Kemeny’s seventy-fifth birthday bash at the Sea Pines Country Club recently.

For more reasons than just winning grand slam titles, Smith raised the bar of tennis excellence, bringing a real touch of class to each of his matches, whether he won or lost. His was a most refreshing personality in an age when many players were perfecting acting up - and out - during matches as an art form.

Stan remembers all of it.

“I have to say my most memorable match has to be the finals of Wimbledon, 1972, against Ilie Nastase,” he said. It was certainly memorable for the world of tennis, when it ended with Smith winning, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5, for the title.

As a teenager who played junior tennis, I worked as a go-fer for Pancho Gonzalez during the World Invitational Tennis Classic, and as an attendant in the ladies locker room during the Virginia Slims Classic - later to be known as the Family Circle Magazine Cup - in the late ‘70’s in Harbour Town.

Stan, as the touring professional for Sea Pines, was a constant and welcome presence locally, contributing enormously to the island’s development and world renown through the years.

His influence on the sports industry didn’t end with his retirement from the pro tour.

After being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, he was later named its president in 2011, overseeing the nominations each year at Wimbledon. He helped to launch a massive renovation and museum installation that includes a hologram of Roger Federer.

He has been on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls’ Club since 2002, is a Trustee of the Hilton Head Heritage Foundation, which has raised $32-millions for local charities, and contributes regularly to foundations around the world, including one called Little Star, founded by another tennis legend from the ‘70’s, Andrea Jaeger.

In 2002, Stan and another top USTA coach, Billy Stearns, opened the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy on Hilton Head, training and educating tomorrow’s Grand Slam champions.

This venture dovetails perfectly with the trajectory of his career that includes thirty-nine singles, and sixty-one doubles championships, (most famously partnered with Bob Lutz). Stan was director of coaching for the USTA Player Development Program, and coached the 2000 U.S. Olympic Men’s Tennis team in Sydney, Australia.

And since all of the above doesn’t keep him busy enough, his current travel company, Stan Smith Events - www.stansmithevents.com - organizes exclusive sports outings ranging from Grand Slam tournaments, to NCAA’s March Madness, PGA tournaments, and everything in between.

Of course, no article about the man is complete without mentioning – yes – the sneaker.

The Adidas Stan Smith tennis shoe has enjoyed a life of its own, and like Stan, refuses to retire. In fact, the shoe, which has been around since before I was playing tennis, has made a comeback in the world of fashion, and even shows up in hip-hop and rapper videos.

“I never saw that one coming,” said Stan with a rather bemused look. He met his wife Margie, with whom he has four grown children, when she was playing tennis for Princeton. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, she had been a ball girl for him several years earlier, when he was seventeen.

“I had to propose twice, before she said yes,” Stan admitted.

All this to say, nice guys can and often do, finish first.

So, if you’re ready to throw your racket and swear at a line-judge, remember that real sportsmen have stadiums and shoes named after them.

The legacy of class, generosity, talent, and discipline, manifest far longer than temper tantrums.

I should know.

I have a few broken rackets in my closet, and no Wimbledon titles.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "How Stan Smith showed the tennis world how it’s done."