Butch Seewagen

Last updated
Butch Seewagen
Full nameGeorge Lansing Seewagen
Country (sports)Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Born (1946-06-13) June 13, 1946 (age 77)
New York City, United States
Turned pro1970
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record39–68
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 87 (October 15, 1973)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open 1R (1970)
Wimbledon 2R (1972)
US Open 3R (1967, 1971)
Doubles
Career record22–44
Career titles0
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open 2R (1973)
Wimbledon 2R (1970, 1972)
US Open 2R (1968, 1971, 1976)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon 4R (1972)
US Open SF (1966)

George Lansing "Butch" Seewagen (born June 13, 1946) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.

Contents

Biography

He was born in New York City on June 13, 1946, to George and Clella Seewagen. [1] His father was the tennis coach at St. John’s University and a former player, who played against Don Budge at the 1936 U.S. National Championships. [1]

An Orange Bowl winner in 1959, Seewagen was only 17 when he made his first appearance at the US National Championships. [1] He was a member of the United States Junior Davis Cup team from 1963 to 1965. [1]

With Kathy Blake, he made the semi-finals of the mixed doubles at the 1966 US National Championships. [1]

At Rice University he twice received NCAA All-American honours, in 1967 and 1968. [1] He won the 1969 United States Amateur Championships in a closely fought final against Zan Guerry, which he won 6–4 in the fifth set. [1]

Seewagen, who turned professional in 1970, played against top seed Rod Laver in the first round at the 1970 Wimbledon Championships. [2]

He defeated both Jimmy Connors and Jan Kodeš during the 1972 Grand Prix tennis season. His win over Connors came en route to a quarter-final appearance in the Tanglewood International Tennis Classic and he beat Kodeš in South Orange, where he also reached the quarter-finals. [3] [4] As a doubles player he was runner-up at two Grand Prix tournaments, the Swedish Open in 1971 and Roanoke International Tennis Tournament in 1973. [5]

In 1975 he suffered a groin injury which left him unable to walk for nine months. [1]

During his professional career he was also the head coach at Columbia University, of teams that included Vitas Gerulaitis and Eric Fromm. [1]

He was inducted into the USTA Eastern Hall of Fame in 2005. [1]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 2 (0–2)

ResultW/LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Jul 1971 Båstad, SwedenClay Flag of Chile.svg Jaime Pinto-Bravo Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg Ilie Năstase
Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg Ion Țiriac 		6–7, 1–6
Loss0–2Jan 1973 Roanoke, United StatesHard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ian Fletcher Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Juan Gisbert, Sr. 		0–6, 6–7

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Gill McShea, Nancy. "USTA Eastern Hall of Fame : 2005 Inductees". United States Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Hat-Trick Attempt by Laver". The Canberra Times . ACT: National Library of Australia. 23 June 1970. p. 22. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Seewagen Still In Tanglewood Race". The Evening Independent . July 28, 1972. p. 5C. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "New Yorker Ousts Kodes In 3 Sets". Reading Eagle . August 23, 1972. p. 61. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Connors keeps Roanoke title". Independent . Long Beach. January 22, 1973. p. 32. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
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