Phil Neer

Philip F. Neer (born December 24 1901Birthdate obtained from Social Security Death Index.] in Portland, Oregon - died Dec 1989) was a youth, college, and professional tennis player.

Early career

Neer, a native of Portland,cite news|last=Eggers|first=Kerry|date=May 6, 2003|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=17969|title=Parrott serves notice he's real|publisher=Portland Tribune|accessdate=2007-04-26] was one of the first male tennis players from the west coast to achieve national tennis success. He and partner Don Gilman won the Oregon state doubles championship in 1918,cite web|url=http://www.irvingtonclub.com/tho/Tourn_Oregon_State_Men_Doubles.html|title=Oregon State Tournament Men's Doubles Champions|publisher=Oregon Tennis Historical Committee|accessdate=2007-04-26] and in 1919, was the national junior doubles runner-up and the Pacific Northwest singles champion.cite web|url=http://www.pnw.usta.com/hall_of_fame/custom.sps?iType=3495&icustompageid=14532|title=USTA Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame Inductee Bios|publisher=United States Tennis Association|accessdate=2007-04-26] A year later, he won the British Columbia men’s singles championship and the Oregon state singles championship.cite web|url=http://www.irvingtonclub.com/tho/Tourn_Oregon_State_Men_Singles.html|title=Oregon State Tournament Men's Singles Champions|publisher=Oregon Tennis Historical Committee|accessdate=2007-04-26]

College and professional career

Neer attended Stanford University and in 1921, became the first player from a western U.S. university to win the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship.cite web|url=http://www.irvingtonclub.com/tho/college.html|title=Oregon Tennis History: College Tennis|publisher=Oregon Tennis Historical Committee|accessdate=2007-04-26] cite web|url=http://www.ncaasports.com/tennis/mens/history|title=Men's Tennis: Past Champions|publisher=NCAA|accessdate=2007-04-26] 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 partnercite web|url=http://www.ojaitourney.org/trophymixeddoubles.htm|title=Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament Mixed Doubles Champions|publisher=Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament|accessdate=2007-04-26] Helen Wills Moody in an exhibition match in San Francisco. Moody, who was the reigning ladies' Wimbledon champion, defeated Neer 6–3, 6–4.cite journal|last=Fein|first=Paul|date=April 2006|url=http://www.insidetennis.com/0405_bestfemale.html|title=Who is the greatest female player ever?|journal=Inside Tennis|accessdate=2007-04-26] cite news|url=http://cgi1.usatoday.com/sports/century/012899.htm|date=January 31, 1999|title=This Day in Sports: January 28|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=2007-04-26] This match predated the Bobby Riggs-Billie Jean King "Battle of the Sexes" by 40 years.

Honors

Neer was inducted into the United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame in 2003, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.

Personal

Neer's brothers, Jacie and Henry, were also prominent in Portland tennis, as well as his nephew (Jacie's son) Jack Neer.cite web|url=http://www.irvingtonclub.com/tho/players_pneer.html|title=Phil Neer profile|publisher=Oregon Tennis Historical Committee|accessdate=2007-04-26]

References