Pittsburgh Triangles
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh Triangles were a World TeamTennis
team based in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
.
The team originally joined the league in 1974 and competed until 1976 when the franchise folded. The original Triangles franchise was owned by Chuck Reichblum, Bill Sutton, and Fox Chapel businessman, sports promoter, and financier Frank Fuhrer, who eventually acquired a controlling interest in the Triangles.
The Triangles were replaced by the Pennsylvania Keystones and then by a Soviet Union team. The Soviet National Team joined the league and were originally given the franchise name "Pennsylvania Keystones". The original plan was to have the Keystones play in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
, Head Coach Vitas Gerulaitis
Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel
Harold Solomon
Laura DuPont
and Rayni Fox to the Cleveland Nets for Sue Stap. Vic Edwards, Head Coach Mark Cox Rayni Fox Vitas Gerulaitis
Evonne Goolagong-Cawley Peggy Michel
Kim Warwick
and Bernie Mitton. Midway through the 1976 season the recently acquired Sue Stap was traded for Nancy Gunter.
Mark Cox
1975—36-8 First in Eastern Division—Bye in First Round—defeated Boston 2 games to 0 Eastern Division Final—defeated Golden Gaters (San Francisco) 2 games to 1 for WTT Championship
1976—24-20 Second in Eastern Division—lost to New York 2 games to 1 Eastern Division Final
1977—Become Pennsylvania Keystones during off-season, intending to play home games in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; fold before season begins primarily due to financial reasons.
World TeamTennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
team based in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
The team originally joined the league in 1974 and competed until 1976 when the franchise folded. The original Triangles franchise was owned by Chuck Reichblum, Bill Sutton, and Fox Chapel businessman, sports promoter, and financier Frank Fuhrer, who eventually acquired a controlling interest in the Triangles.
History
During their first season the Triangles, clad in bright yellow and green uniforms, played in the WTT Eastern Division with teams from Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, and Toronto. WTT also had an eight team Western Division for a total of sixteen teams representing most of the major metropolitan areas in the United States. There was even a team from Hawaii called the Leis.The Triangles were replaced by the Pennsylvania Keystones and then by a Soviet Union team. The Soviet National Team joined the league and were originally given the franchise name "Pennsylvania Keystones". The original plan was to have the Keystones play in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Coaching
The legendary Australian tennis star Ken Rosewall coached the original Pittsburgh Triangles team in 1974. Rosewall's top players were Evonne Goolagong, who had already captured her first Wimbledon singles title in 1971, and young phenom Vitas Gerulaitis. Vitas, nicknamed the Lithuanian Lion, had recently won the West Penn Open in Mt. Lebanon and would go on to win the 1975 Wimbledon men's doubles crown (with Sandy Mayer) and the 1977 Australian Open men's singles title.Squad 1974
Ken RosewallKen Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
, Head Coach Vitas Gerulaitis
Vitas Gerulaitis
Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis was a Lithuanian–American professional tennis player. He is known for winning the men's singles title at one of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. Gerulaitis won the tournament held in December, while Roscoe Tanner won the earlier January tournament...
Evonne Goolagong
Evonne Goolagong
Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley, AO, MBE is a former World No. 1 Australian female tennis player. She was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s, when she won 14 Grand Slam titles: seven in singles , six in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles.-Early life:Goolagong is the...
Peggy Michel
Peggy Michel
Peggy Michel was an American professional tennis player. She was a doubles specialist who won three Grand Slam titles, all with Evonne Goolagong.She was born in Santa Monica, California.-Doubles 4 :-References:*...
Harold Solomon
Harold Solomon
Harold Solomon was an American professional tennis player during the 1970s and 1980s. He achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world in 1980.- Tennis career :...
Laura DuPont
Laura DuPont
Laura DuPont was a champion singles tennis player. Along with winning many tournaments, Laura DuPont is also the first woman to win a national title in any sport for the University of North Carolina, as well as being the first female All-American at the school.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Laura...
- Mona Schallau Jeff BorowiakJeff BorowiakJeff Borowiak is a former tennis player from the United States, who won five singles and three doubles titles during his professional career. He played number one singles on one of the greatest collegiate tennis team of all time for the UCLA Bruins. Haroon Rahim played number two singles, Jimmy...
- Kathy Blake Patrick DuPre
- Jane Stratton Tom Edlefsen Gerald BattrickGerald BattrickGerald Battrick was a Welsh tennis player who reached as high as third in the British rankings.Battrick won the junior titles of Great Britain, Belgium and France and represented Britain in the Davis Cup. In 1965 he won the French Open boys division.-External links:...
- Linda Lewis
- Jill Cooper Brian TeacherBrian TeacherBrian David Teacher is a 6' 3" right handed American former professional male tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking World No. 7 in 1981....
- Isabel Fernandez Anand AmritrajAnand AmritrajAnand Amritraj is a former Indian tennis player and businessman.Anand Amritraj and his brothers, Vijay Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis. In 1976, the team of Anand and Vijay was semi-finalists in the Wimbledon men's doubles...
Paolo BertolucciPaolo BertolucciPaolo Bertolucci is an Italian former tennis player, currently working as sport commentator for Italian Sky TV.Born at Forte dei Marmi, Bertolucci won the Davis Cup with Italy in 1976. His greatest success on tour was the victory at the 1977 Hamburg Masters, where he beat Manuel Orantes in the... - Mary O'Keef
- Bob Chappell
Squad 1975
Two days after winning the WTT championship Fuhrer traded Kim WarwickKim Warwick
Kim Warwick is a former Australian professional male tennis player mostly known for his doubles titles with Mark Edmondson, and for reaching the final of the singles Australian Open in 1980...
and Rayni Fox to the Cleveland Nets for Sue Stap. Vic Edwards, Head Coach Mark Cox Rayni Fox Vitas Gerulaitis
Vitas Gerulaitis
Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis was a Lithuanian–American professional tennis player. He is known for winning the men's singles title at one of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. Gerulaitis won the tournament held in December, while Roscoe Tanner won the earlier January tournament...
Evonne Goolagong-Cawley Peggy Michel
Peggy Michel
Peggy Michel was an American professional tennis player. She was a doubles specialist who won three Grand Slam titles, all with Evonne Goolagong.She was born in Santa Monica, California.-Doubles 4 :-References:*...
Kim Warwick
Squad 1976
With Goolagong-Cawley signed for the 1976 season, Mark Cox was elevated to the Triangles' player-coach. The Triangles also recruited collage star JoAnne RussellJoAnne Russell
JoAnne Russell is a former American professional tennis player. With partner Helen Gourlay Cawley, Russell won the Wimbledon Ladies' Doubles title in 1977. They beat the team of Chris Evert and Rosie Casals in the first round and the top-ranked team of Martina Navratilova and Betty Stöve in the...
and Bernie Mitton. Midway through the 1976 season the recently acquired Sue Stap was traded for Nancy Gunter.
Mark Cox
- Dan McGibben, Head Coach (2nd half) Vitas GerulaitisVitas GerulaitisVytautas Kevin Gerulaitis was a Lithuanian–American professional tennis player. He is known for winning the men's singles title at one of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. Gerulaitis won the tournament held in December, while Roscoe Tanner won the earlier January tournament...
Evonne Goolagong-Cawley Nancy Gunter (mid-season) Bernie Mitton - 1976 Davis Cup1976 Davis CupThe 1976 Davis Cup was the 65th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 56 teams would enter the competition, 32 in the Europe Zone, 12 in the Americas Zone, and 12 in the Eastern Zone....
JoAnne Russell - Sue Stap
Results
1974—30-14 Second in Central Section of Eastern Division—defeated Detroit 63-27 First Round—lost to Philadelphia 52-45 Eastern Division Final1975—36-8 First in Eastern Division—Bye in First Round—defeated Boston 2 games to 0 Eastern Division Final—defeated Golden Gaters (San Francisco) 2 games to 1 for WTT Championship
1976—24-20 Second in Eastern Division—lost to New York 2 games to 1 Eastern Division Final
1977—Become Pennsylvania Keystones during off-season, intending to play home games in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; fold before season begins primarily due to financial reasons.
External links
- World TeamTennis, Official Website
- World TeamTennisWorld TeamTennisWorld TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
- Wiki Page - Team History
- Love Triangles: Pittsburgh Adored its World Team Tennis Franchise by Rick Shrum (Post Gazette) - The Post has placed all archives behind a "fee-service".
- Profile - Danny McGibbeny - Site dead, Need another reference
- Extinct Sports Leagues by Steve Dimitry
- World Team Tennis (1974-1978) by Robert Zwarun
- Greg Hoffman, The Art of World Team Tennis, San Francisco Book Company, 1977 ISBN 0-913374-65-2