Phil Neer
Encyclopedia
Philip F. Neer was NCAA champion and a top-ranking amateur tennis
player in the 1920s.
to achieve national tennis success. He and partner Don Gilman won the Oregon state doubles championship in 1918, and in 1919, was the national junior doubles runner-up and the Pacific Northwest singles champion. A year later, he won the British Columbia men’s singles championship and the Oregon state singles championship.
and in 1921, became the first player from a western U.S. university to win the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
. A year later, Neer and partner Jim Davies won the NCAA doubles championship, the first team from a non-Ivy League
school to do so.
As a professional player, Neer won back-to-back doubles championships at the Pacific Coast Championships (now the SAP Open
) in 1932 and 1933.
On January 28, 1933, Neer, who was ranked #8 in the United States at the time, played his friend and occasional mixed doubles partner Helen Wills Moody
in an exhibition match in San Francisco. Moody, who was the reigning ladies' Wimbledon
champion, defeated Neer 6–3, 6–4. This match predated the Bobby Riggs
-Billie Jean King
"Battle of the Sexes" by 40 years.
Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2003, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player in the 1920s.
Early career
Neer, a native of Portland, was one of the first male tennis players from the west coastWest 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...
to achieve national tennis success. He and partner Don Gilman won the Oregon state doubles championship in 1918, and in 1919, was the national junior doubles runner-up and the Pacific Northwest singles champion. A year later, he won the British Columbia men’s singles championship and the Oregon state singles championship.
College and senior career
Neer attended Stanford UniversityStanford 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...
and in 1921, became the first player from a western U.S. university to win 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...
. A year later, Neer and partner Jim Davies won the NCAA doubles championship, the first team from a non-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
school to do so.
As a professional player, Neer won back-to-back doubles championships at the Pacific Coast Championships (now the SAP Open
SAP Open
The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour...
) in 1932 and 1933.
On January 28, 1933, Neer, who was ranked #8 in the United States at the time, played his friend and occasional mixed doubles partner Helen Wills Moody
Helen Wills Moody
Helen Newington Wills Roark , also known as Helen Wills Moody, was an American tennis player. She has been described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete."-Biography:...
in an exhibition match in San Francisco. Moody, who was the reigning ladies' Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
champion, defeated Neer 6–3, 6–4. This match predated the Bobby Riggs
Bobby Riggs
Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947...
-Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
"Battle of the Sexes" by 40 years.
Honors
Neer was inducted into the United States Tennis AssociationUnited 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...
Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2003, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.