Mark Talbott
Encyclopedia
Mark Talbott is a squash
coach and former professional squash player from the United States
. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash
(a North America
n variant of squash played with a faster-moving ball and on slightly smaller courts than the international "softball" squash game).
Talbott was ranked as the World No. 1 hardball squash player for 13 years from 1983–1995. He won 70% of the tournaments he entered during that period. He was named the Player of the Year on the North American hardball squash circuit eight times, and an Olympic Athlete of the Year on three occasions. He captained the first US team to compete in the Pan American Games
in 1995, earned the Sharif Khan
Award for Sportsmanship in 1991, and won the United States Squash Racquets Association
(USSRA) President's Cup in 1989. He was inducted into the USSRA Hall of Fame in 2000.
Many observers consider Talbott to be the greatest American squash player of all time. Some also consider him to be the all-time greatest player of the hardball squash game – a title to which his strongest rival is Sharif Khan, a Pakistan
i-born player who emigrated to Canada
in the late-1960s, and who retired shortly before Talbott emerged on the scene.
The most significant factor that counts against Talbott's claim to being the greatest hardball squash player of all-time is his record against Sharif's distant cousin Jahangir Khan
. In the mid-1980s, Talbott had begun to establish himself as the most dominant player in the hardball squash game, while Jahangir was the clear leading player on the international softball squash circuit. During 1983-86, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball circuit. Talbott and Jahangir faced each other on 11 occasions in hardball tournaments during this period (all in tournament finals), and Jahangir won 10 of their encounters. Talbott did however manage to beat Jahangir once, in the final of the Boston Open in 1984, a feat which no player on the international softball circuit managed in the 1981-86 period when Jahangir compiled a five-year winning streak. In response to the challenge from Jahangir, Talbott acquired a personal coach, Ken Binns
, who helped him develop a much sharper array of shots. As the rivalry developed, their matches became very competitive and drew considerable attention. After 1986, Jahangir stopped playing on the hardball circuit to focus more on the softball game. Whether Talbott would have been able to turn the tide had the rivalry continued will therefore never be known. But the experience of playing against Jahangir undoubtedly helped spur Talbott's game to new heights in the later part of the 1980s, when he dominated the hardball circuit.
Since retiring as a player, Talbott has worked as a squash coach. The Talbott Squash Academy, a well-respected summer camp for juniors and adults, was established in 1991, and is currently held at St George's School
in Newport, Rhode Island
. In 1998, he was appointed the head coach of the Yale University
women's team, joining his brother, David Talbott, who had been the men's coach at Yale for fifteen years. After being ranked sixth upon Mark's arrival, the Yale women unseated the reigning champions, Trinity College
, in 2004. Later that year, Talbott resigned from his position at Yale and moved to California
to become the Director of Squash at Stanford University
, where he is working to help expand squash on the West Coast
.
Talbott is the brother-in-law of the celebrity chef Ming Tsai
, who played squash at Yale, and was one of the top players in the US in the late-1980s and early-1990s.
Talbott currently resides in Palo Alto, California
, with his wife and two children.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
coach and former professional squash player from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash
Hardball squash
Hardball squash is a format of the indoor racquet sport squash which was first developed in North America in the late 19h century and early 20th century. It is sometimes referred to as being the "American version" of the sport...
(a North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n variant of squash played with a faster-moving ball and on slightly smaller courts than the international "softball" squash game).
Talbott was ranked as the World No. 1 hardball squash player for 13 years from 1983–1995. He won 70% of the tournaments he entered during that period. He was named the Player of the Year on the North American hardball squash circuit eight times, and an Olympic Athlete of the Year on three occasions. He captained the first US team to compete in the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
in 1995, earned the Sharif Khan
Sharif Khan
Sharif Khan is a retired professional squash player. He is widely considered to be one of the all-time great players of hardball squash . He was the dominant player on the hardball squash circuit throughout the 1970s...
Award for Sportsmanship in 1991, and won the United States Squash Racquets Association
U.S. Squash
U.S. Squash is the national governing body for the sport of squash in the United States. U.S. Squash was previously known as the United States Squash Racquets Association . The organization is headquartered in New York City and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. U.S. Squash owns and...
(USSRA) President's Cup in 1989. He was inducted into the USSRA Hall of Fame in 2000.
Many observers consider Talbott to be the greatest American squash player of all time. Some also consider him to be the all-time greatest player of the hardball squash game – a title to which his strongest rival is Sharif Khan, a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i-born player who emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the late-1960s, and who retired shortly before Talbott emerged on the scene.
The most significant factor that counts against Talbott's claim to being the greatest hardball squash player of all-time is his record against Sharif's distant cousin Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times...
. In the mid-1980s, Talbott had begun to establish himself as the most dominant player in the hardball squash game, while Jahangir was the clear leading player on the international softball squash circuit. During 1983-86, Jahangir decided to test his ability on the North American hardball circuit. Talbott and Jahangir faced each other on 11 occasions in hardball tournaments during this period (all in tournament finals), and Jahangir won 10 of their encounters. Talbott did however manage to beat Jahangir once, in the final of the Boston Open in 1984, a feat which no player on the international softball circuit managed in the 1981-86 period when Jahangir compiled a five-year winning streak. In response to the challenge from Jahangir, Talbott acquired a personal coach, Ken Binns
Ken Binns
----Kenneth K. "Ken" Binns is a former hardball squash player as well as tennis player from Toronto, Canada.Binns was runner-up to Sharif Khan at the North American Open in 1971...
, who helped him develop a much sharper array of shots. As the rivalry developed, their matches became very competitive and drew considerable attention. After 1986, Jahangir stopped playing on the hardball circuit to focus more on the softball game. Whether Talbott would have been able to turn the tide had the rivalry continued will therefore never be known. But the experience of playing against Jahangir undoubtedly helped spur Talbott's game to new heights in the later part of the 1980s, when he dominated the hardball circuit.
Since retiring as a player, Talbott has worked as a squash coach. The Talbott Squash Academy, a well-respected summer camp for juniors and adults, was established in 1991, and is currently held at St George's School
St. George's School, Newport
St. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. In 1998, he was appointed the head coach of the Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
women's team, joining his brother, David Talbott, who had been the men's coach at Yale for fifteen years. After being ranked sixth upon Mark's arrival, the Yale women unseated the reigning champions, Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
, in 2004. Later that year, Talbott resigned from his position at Yale and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to become the Director of Squash at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he is working to help expand squash on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
Talbott is the brother-in-law of the celebrity chef Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai is a Chinese-American fusion cuisine chef, restaurateur, and Emmy Award-winning television personality.Tsai currently hosts Ming's Quest, a cooking show featured on the Fine Living Network, and Simply Ming on American Public Television...
, who played squash at Yale, and was one of the top players in the US in the late-1980s and early-1990s.
Talbott currently resides in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, with his wife and two children.