Richard Edgar Skeen (March 15, 1906 – June 24, 1990) was an American professional

tennis player Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...

and teacher. He was runner-up to

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...

in the Men's Singles in the 1941 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, reaching as high as World No. 2 pro that year according to Ray Bowers (and No. 4 in his amateur-pro combined rankings).Bowers, Ray (2006)
"Forgotten Victories: A History of Pro Tennis 1926-1945, Chapter XI: AMERICA, 1940-1941"
''Tennis Server: Between the Lines'', October 1, 2006. Skeen reached the semifinals of other tournaments on four occasions that year.

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...

recommended Dick as an outstanding Tennis Teacher in California in his 1950 book, 'How to Play Better Tennis'.

Biography

Dick Skeen was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

in 1906 and died in

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the M ...

in 1990 at age 84. Tennis player, Dale Jensen, became a student and close friend at the Balboa Bay Club, and encouraged Dick to write a tennis book, entitled ''Tennis Champions are Made, not Born'', published in 1976. Dale used this knowledge to teach Mike Carrico. Dale and Dick remained close friends until Dick died in 1990. Skeen taught three World Champions ( Jack Kramer,

Louise Brough Althea Louise Brough Clapp (née Brough; March 11, 1923 – February 3, 2014) was an American tennis player. In her career between 1939 and 1959, she won six Grand Slam singles titles as well as numerous doubles and mixed-doubles titles. At the ...

, and

Pauline Betz Pauline may refer to: Religion *An adjective referring to St Paul the Apostle or a follower of his doctrines *An adjective referring to St Paul of Thebes, also called St Paul the First Hermit *An adjective referring to the Paulines, various relig ...

) and forty National Champions, including Billy Talbert, George Richards,

Gussie Moran Gertrude Augusta "Gussie" Moran (September 8, 1923 – January 16, 2013) was an American tennis player who was active in the late 1940s and 1950s. Her highest US national tennis ranking was 4th. She was born in Santa Monica, California and died i ...

, Kathleen Harter, Carole Caldwell, Julius Heldman and Jimmy Wade. Skeen was ranked No. 1 in the National Senior 65-and-over in 1972, after a 28-year layoff.1973 USTA Year Book In 1918, Skeen arrived in Southern California with his family and learned to play tennis on three courts in Hollywood. In 1931, he turned professional and began his tennis teaching career in Pasadena. Skeen became a legendary tennis teacher, according to

and Jack Kramer. He was known for his classic stroke production and his emphasis on the backhand chop, not the slice. After Pasadena, Skeen taught on private courts in Beverly Hills, then at the Rivera Country Club, the

Balboa Bay Club Balboa may refer to: Boats * Balboa 16, an American sailboat design * Balboa 20, an American sailboat design * Balboa 21, an American sailboat design * Balboa 22, an American sailboat design * Balboa 23, an American sailboat design * Balboa 2 ...

, was hired by George Holstein, developer, and Larry Johnson, part owner, to design and be General Manager at the Newport Beach Tennis Club, founded the Blossom Hill Tennis Club in

Los Gatos Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of th ...

, and ended his teaching career at the Rogue Valley Country Club in Medford, Oregon. While playing on the Professional Tennis Tour from 1935 until 1946, Skeen played and defeated these top world-class players:

Don Budge John Donald Budge (June 13, 1915 – January 26, 2000) was an American tennis player. He is most famous as the first tennis player — male or female, and still the only American male — to win the Grand Slam, and to win all four Grand Slam e ...

, Ellsworth Vines,

Bobby Riggs Robert Larimore Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995) was an American tennis champion who was the World No. 1 amateur in 1939 and World No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947. He played his first professional tennis match on December ...

, Karel Kozeluh,

Vinnie Richards Vincent Richards (March 20, 1903 – September 28, 1959) was an American tennis player. He was active in the early decades of the 20th century, particularly known as being a superlative volleyer. He was ranked World No. 2 as an amateur in 1924 b ...

, Frank Kovacs, Welby Van Horn, Bruce Barnes,

Wayne Sabin Wayne Sabin (April 1, 1915 – September 14, 1989) was an American male tennis player. He reached the final of the men's doubles competition at the U.S. National Championships (now US Open). He partnered with Gardnar Mulloy and lost the final i ...

, and

Lester Stoefen Lester Rollo Stoefen (March 30, 1911 – February 8, 1970) was an American tennis player of the 1930s. Career Stoefen, partnering with compatriot George Lott, won three Grand Slam doubles titles: 1934 Wimbledon Championships, 1933 and 1934 U.S. ...

. He believed that Frank Kovacs had the best backhand he played against. Skeen also was a tennis teacher to many Hollywood movie stars, including

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

, Bing Crosby,

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

, Kirk Douglas,

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, Doris Day,

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...

Johnny Weissmuller Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'N ...

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–1 ...

, Dolores del Río,

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (November 30, 1918 – May 2, 2014) was an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series '' 77 Sunset Strip'' and ''The F.B.I.'' He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the s ...

and

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited app ...

Sources

*Jack Kramer, The Game, My 40 Years in Tennis (1979) *Bill Tilden, How to Play Better Tennis (1950) *Dick Skeen, Tennis Players are Made, not Born (1976) *Los Angeles Tennis Club *Rivera Country Club *Balboa Bay Club *Newport Beach Tennis Club *Blossom Hill Tennis Club *Rogue Valley Country Club

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skeen, Dick 1990 deaths 1906 births American male tennis players American tennis coaches Sportspeople from Dallas Sportspeople from Pasadena, California Tennis people from California Tennis people from Texas Tennis players from Los Angeles Tennis players from Dallas Professional tennis players before the Open Era