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1984
- Emery Neale - Tennis
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1984
Emery Neale took tennis by storm as a singles and doubles player and earned the nickname “Mr. Oregon Tennis” over the course of five decades of involvement.
Neale gew up in Northeast Portland and won the state singles title in 1937-39 while at Grant High. He also team with Ned Junger to win the doubles title in ’39, and remains the only singles champion who also teamed to win the doubles title in the same year.
Neale, who won the Oregon Singles open title in 1941, then moved to Stanford University and played there from 1941-43.
Following World War II, Neale returned to Oregon and won the state singles title six more times between 1946 and 1955. In 1947, he played for the Canadian National title – the Rogers Cup.
Neale teamed with Sam Lee, another inductee in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, and played in the doubles tournament at Wimbledon in 1947-48. They won six doubles titles in Oregon. Neale won another four with other partners.
In 1969, Neale rose to the No. 1 ranking in the U.S. in 45-and over men’s singles.
Off the court, Neale helped bring the Pacific Coast Indoor Tournament to Portland and organized youth clinics throughout Portland.Neale was honored by the USTA with the Senior Service Award in 1971 for his commitment to the game, and inducted into the USTA Pacific Northwest Region Hall of Fame in 2000. He was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
1987
- Sam Lee - Tennis
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1987
Sam Lee played his way from Oregon to the top of the college tennis ranks and left a legacy as an adult player and administrator across the Northwest.
Lee was a nationally-ranked played as a youth and won the NCAA Doubles title with partner Joe Coughlin in 1933 while at Stanford University. He won the Oregon doubles title with partner Elwood Cooke in 1936 and the state singles title in ’37. He won the state doubles title seven times with varying partners.
Following World War II, Lee and partner Emery Neale, another inductee in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, played in the Wimbledon doubles tournament twice. The represented the U.S. in 1947-48.
In 1950, a poll conducted by the Oregon Journal named him as the top male player in the Pacific Northwest.
Off the court, Lee was president of the Pacific Northwest Tennis Association from 1946-58 and a past president of both the Irvington Tennis Club and Multnomah Athletic Club.
He co-founded the Northwest chapter of the Portland Rotary Club.
Lee was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the USTA Pacific Northwest Region Hall of Fame in 2000. He is also a member of the Stanford University Hall of Fame.
1995
- Jack Neer - Tennis
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1995
In collegiate tennis, Jack Neer left no doubt about his measure of success. He was undefeated at the University of Portland, ringing up a record of 53 wins and no defeats in singles play and 52 wins and no defeats in doubles. That record propelled him to the quarterfinals of the 1954 NCAA Tennis Championships and assisted the Pilot team to its most successful season ever.
After college, Jack went on to win Oregon Men’s open singles championship eight times and four doubles championships. He has captured the Portland City Open 11 times and won the Oregon Senior Championship 15 times. Also to his credit, Jack has four State of Washington championships and a Canadian National Senior Championship. Currently, Jack remains a vital part of the game he so successfully plays as Head Tennis Professional at the Raleigh Hills Racquet Club.
2009
- Jonathan Stark - Tennis
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2009
Oregon’s greatest tennis success came from the Rogue Valley in the late 80’s and became one of the most dominant doubles players of his era.
Jonathan Stark emerged as a force when he won the state singles championship as a sophomore at South Medford High School in 1986. He would repeat that achievement as a senior, bound for Stanford.
The Rogue Valley may not have been known as a tennis hotbed, but Stanford certainly was and Stark thrived down on the farm. He would earn All-America recognition in both singles and doubles and advanced to the 1991 NCAA doubles final teamed with Jared Palmer.
Palmer would be the fi rst of several doubles partners who would share professional titles with the everblooming Stark.
After turning pro, it would take just three years for Stark to climb to #1 in the doubles rankings. Now teamed with Byron Black, Stark took the French
Open crown. A year later, a very special pairingwith women’s legend Martina Navratilova led to a Wimbledon mixed doubles crown.In singles and doubles combined, Stark won 439 matches and 19 titles in his 10 year career and represented his country in the Davis Cup 6 times.
Jonathan has also used his tennis skills to raise awareness and thousands of dollars for charity.