George Russell MacCall (May 7, 1918 – December 24, 2008) was an American Tennis Player, Tennis promoter and a former US Davis Cup captain. He is the founder of the MacCall Youth Tennis Foundation and a three-time Wimbledon finalist.

Early life and education

MacCall was born and raised in Kearny, New Jersey. He started playing tennis at the age of 10. In 1935, he attended Scarborough Prep School in New York. He transferred to

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

in 1937, after graduating from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, in 1936. MacCall took additional courses at Upsala College, UCLA, and UNLV.

Career

George MacCall was the captain of the U.S. Davis Cup from 1965-67. Later, he promoted tennis by organizing celebrity tennis events featuring Bill Cosby and

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

and organized tennis matches between Pancho Gonzales and

Rod Laver Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...

in New York and Los Angeles. He also organized the National Tennis League with reputed tennis players Laver, Gonzalez,

Ken Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall (born 2 November 1934) is an Australian former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player. He won a record 23 Majors in singles, including eight Grand Slam singles titles and, before the Open Era, a record ...

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, Fred Stolle, Rosie Casals, and

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

to name a few. He sold the league to Lamar Hunt in 1970. MacCall served as a tennis consultant and later as a sports director at the Sands. In 1992, he was hired by UNLV to construct the Frack and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex. He was also the co-chair of the search committee designated to find UNLV’s first tennis coach. MacCall served as the first commissioner of

World TeamTennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

, featuring the likes of

Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Unite ...

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, and

Dennis Ralston Richard Dennis Ralston (July 27, 1942 – December 6, 2020) was an American professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s. As a young player, he was coached by tennis pro Pancho Gonzales. He attended the University o ...

Recognition

George MacCall won the 1959 USTA National Public Parks Open Men’s Doubles Championship, the 1960-62 USTA Hard Court Men’s 35 and Over Doubles Championship and the 1964 USTA Men’s Hard Court 45 and Over Doubles Championship. He was a three-time Wimbledon finalist in the 45 and Over Doubles competition. He was the 2006 inductee- Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Philanthropy

MacCall founded the MacCall Youth Tennis Foundation in 1988. The foundation provides tennis opportunities for children of all income level, arranging professional instructors and equipment for them.6 MacCall has provided free tennis lessons to above 20,000 children in Las Vegas, through the foundation.

Personal life

MacCall was married to Mary Withington and has two daughters, Robin and Polly. His wife died in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacCall, George 1918 births 2008 deaths Bucknell University alumni University of Virginia alumni American male tennis players Tennis executives World TeamTennis