James Richard Poole

James Richard Poole (b.1932) was an American badminton player who won national and international championships between 1958 and 1979.

Career

Though he took up the sport in earnest at a far later age than do most elite players, Poole went on to have a remarkably long career in high level badminton.Noted for his shot-making accuracy and consistency, and for his tactical astuteness, Poole was the first of only a few non-Asians to win the Malayan (Malaysian) Open singles title (1961) [http://www.internationalbadminton.org/superseries/malaysiasuperseries/Past-ChampionsMEN%27S%20SINGLES.htm] . He was a member of seven consecutive US Thomas Cup (men's international) teams from 1958 through 1976 and won over 70 percent of his matches in these contests. In 1970 he was elected into the U.S. Badminton Hall of Fame, now called the Walk of Fame [ [http://www.usabadminton.org/wof/Poole.html Poole ] ] .An all-around athlete who played basketball and baseball for San Diego State University, Poole was a member of the winning US Pan-American Games Basketball Team in 1955 [ [http://www.usabasketball.com/history/mpag_affil_roster.html] ] . From 1975 to 1995 he officiated National Football League Games, working in two Super Bowls as a back judge [ [http://www.theredzone.org/superbowl/games/sbxxvii.asp Super Bowl XXVII ] ] [ [http://www.theredzone.org/superbowl/games/sbxxi.asp Super Bowl XXI ] ] .

Major Achievements

References