Reginald Weir
| Full name | Reginald Storum Weir |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  USA |
| Born | 30 September 1911 Washington, D.C., United States |
| Died | 22 August 1987 (Age 83) Fair Lawn, United States |
| Turned pro | 1931 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1973 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 53–71[1] |
| Career titles | 6[1] |
| Career record | {{#property:P555}} |
Reginald Storum Weir also known as Reggie Weir (September 30, 1911 – August 22, 1987) was an American tennis player and physician.[2][3] He was active from 1931 to 1973 and won 6 career titles, 5 of which came at the ATA National Championships (1931–33, 1937, 1942).[1]
Tennis career
[edit | edit source]Weir was captain of the City College of New York men's tennis team. After graduating from CCNY in 1931, he was American Tennis Association (ATA) national champion in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1937, and 1942.[2]
With the support of the NAACP, Weir and a partner originally attempted to play at a United States Lawn Tennis Association's (USLTA)-sponsored indoor tournament in 1929, but they were turned away when organizers realized he was African-American.[4] Later, in 1948, he successfully gained entrance to the USLTA's National Indoor Tournament in New York, becoming the first African-American man to play at a USLTA event.[5][6] He won his first-round game on March 11, 1948,[7] but did not advance further. His entrance to the tournament was the result of several years of lobbying by the ATA, and paved the way for Althea Gibson to be accepted and advance to the quarterfinals the following year.[8]
Outside of tennis
[edit | edit source]Weir was born on September 30, 1911, in Washington, D.C., to parents, Felix Weir, American violinist and educator, and Ethel Storum Weir. A resident of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, he died there on August 22, 1987.[4] Weir was a graduate of the medical school of New York University and practiced family medicine from 1935 to 1985.[4]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Reginald Weir at the Association of Tennis ProfessionalsLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Part 1: Fair Lawn's forgotten tennis champ at Radburn: The Town for the Motor Age
- Part 2: Tennis' unheralded black pioneer at Radburn: The Town for the Motor Age
- 1911 births
- 1987 deaths
- African-American tennis players
- American male tennis players
- African-American history of New Jersey
- American primary care physicians
- City College of New York alumni
- Sportspeople from Fair Lawn, New Jersey
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- 20th-century American sportsmen