Harry Likas
Encyclopedia
Henry "Harry" Edward Likas Jr. (born 1924, San Francisco, California
) is a Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Hall of Fame inductee most notable for winning the 1948 National Collegiate Athletic Association
Tennis Singles Championship.
After graduating from Lowell High School
in San Francisco, Harry went on to play tennis for the University of San Francisco
. During his collegiate years, he beat five Wimbledon champions: Jaroslav Drobný
, Bob Falkenburg
, Budge Patty
, Dick Savitt
, and in the 1948 the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
, Vic Seixas
. He also beat US Open Champion Pancho Gonzales
.
Later, Harry would serve on the board of the United States Tennis Association
(USTA Nor Cal), then known as the Northern California Tennis Association](NCTA). In his role as a board member, he transitioned the old "Pacific Coast Tournament", a tournament he had won as a junior, into a money tournament - the Fireman's Fund Open International. The tournament was played at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo CA and, due to Harry's perseverance, was televised nationally on PBS.
Throughout his adult life, Harry continued to play both in tournaments and socially.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
) is a Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs...
Hall of Fame inductee most notable for winning the 1948 National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Tennis Singles Championship.
Early life
Born in San Francisco, CA, Harry started playing tennis when he was five years old. However, he didn't get serious about the sport until he joined the California Tennis Club in San Francisco at age 15. There, he started playing Northern California and National Junior tournaments. By age 15, Likas was the number 1 boy in the nation and won the Boy’s California Championship. At 18, Likas was selected to be on the National Junior Davis Cup team.After graduating from Lowell High School
Lowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
in San Francisco, Harry went on to play tennis for the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
. During his collegiate years, he beat five Wimbledon champions: Jaroslav Drobný
Jaroslav Drobný
Jaroslav Drobný was an amateur tennis champion as well as being an ice hockey player for the Czechoslovakian national team...
, Bob Falkenburg
Bob Falkenburg
Robert Falkenburg is a former American amateur tennis player and entrepreneur. He is best known for winning the 1948 men's singles Wimbledon Championship and for introducing soft ice cream and American fast food to Brazil in 1952...
, Budge Patty
Budge Patty
John "Budge" Edward Patty was an American male tennis player. He was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States.1950 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles...
, Dick Savitt
Dick Savitt
Richard "Dick" Savitt is a 6’ 3" and 185-pound right-handed American male former tennis player.Savitt was ranked 2nd in the world in 1951. That year, at the age of 24, he won both the Wimbledon Singles Championship and the Australian Singles title...
, and in the 1948 the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...
, Vic Seixas
Vic Seixas
Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. is an American former tennis player.Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi...
. He also beat US Open Champion Pancho Gonzales
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...
.
Later life
Likas reached the quarter-finals of the 1948 U.S. National Championships, as the No. 11 seed. He reached the third round in 1946 and 1947, and the second round of the 1950.Later, Harry would serve on the board of the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
(USTA Nor Cal), then known as the Northern California Tennis Association](NCTA). In his role as a board member, he transitioned the old "Pacific Coast Tournament", a tournament he had won as a junior, into a money tournament - the Fireman's Fund Open International. The tournament was played at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo CA and, due to Harry's perseverance, was televised nationally on PBS.
Throughout his adult life, Harry continued to play both in tournaments and socially.