 MacKay in Michigan, 1957 | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-08-31)August 31, 1935 Cincinnati,Ohio, United States |
| Died | June 15, 2012(2012-06-15) (aged 76) San Francisco, United States |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Turned pro | 1961(#1 US amateur 1960) |
| Retired | 1970 (#9 US ranking) |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 29 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1959,Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1959) |
| French Open | QF (1960) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1959) |
| US Open | QF (1959) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | SF (1961,1962) |
| Wembley Pro | QF (1961,1962,1967) |
| French Pro | QF (1961,1963,1967) |
| Doubles | |
| Career titles | 11 |
Barry MacKay (August 31, 1935 – June 15, 2012) was an Americantennis player,tournament director andbroadcaster. He was ranked #1 in the U.S. in 1960.[2]
While competing in college for theUniversity of Michigan, he won the Singles title of the 1957NCAA Men's Tennis Championship to clinch the team title for Michigan over Tulane 10 to 9, by defeatingSammy Giammalva in a 5 set Final. His teammates were: Mark Jaffe, Dick Potter, Jon Erickson, John Harris, Dale Jensen, George Korol and Dick Cohen. He was also a finalist in the 1957 NCAA Doubles competition with Dick Potter. He won 5 Big Ten Conference titles, 1956-57 (2) in singles and 1955-57 (3) in doubles.[3]
He reached the Quarterfinals ofWimbledon in 1958 and 1960 and the Semifinals in 1959, and was a Doubles finalist at theU.S. Open in 1958, withSam Giammalva.[4]
In 1959, when he reached the Singles Semifinals at the Australian Championships he lost toAlex Olmedo in five sets, and in the Semifinals atThe Championships, Wimbledon he lost toRod Laver in five sets. He then reached the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Championships, losing toTut Bartzen.[5]
In 1960, he was seeded No. 1 at the French Championships, and reached the Quarterfinals losing toOrlando Sirola. Prior to Paris he had won the Italian Championships in early May, beating Defending Champion,Luis Ayala, in five sets. MacKay twice won thePacific Coast Championships, first in 1959, and again in 1960.[6][7]
MacKay made eight appearances at theCincinnati Open, amassing a 9-8 record in singles and reaching the round of 16 three times (1953, 1955 and 1957).
In 1960, he won ten more tournament titles, reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. National Championships, and earned the No. 1 ranking in the United States.[8]
MacKay was born inCincinnati, Ohio, and but moved toDayton, Ohio in 1950 (at age 15), where he attendedOakwood High School.[9] That same year, he won the National Boys Indoor Doubles Championship. He was the Ohio State High School Tennis Champion in 1952 and 1953.[10] He was ranked #16 in the National Juniors.
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MacKay enjoyed a 17-year career as an amateur and a professional tennis player, winning 29 singles titles and 11 doubles. He started his tennis career in the 1950, as National Boys Indoor champion and then in 1952, as the Ohio State High School Champion.
From there, he enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1953 along with Mark Jaffe and Dick Potter to form a strong team under tennis coach Bill Murphy. Entering college Barry was ranked #16 in the Juniors, Mark Jaffe #10, and Dick Potter #20. Barry practiced often with Professor and ranked playerAndy Paton Jr., who made him a much better player. He won fiveBig Ten Conference Championships while at theUniversity of Michigan — 2 Singles Championships in 1956 and 1957, and 3 Doubles Championships with partner, Dick Potter, in 1955, 1956, and 1957.[11]
In June 1957, MacKay won the Singles title at theNCAA Men's Tennis Championship, defeatingSammy Giammalva of Texas in five sets at Salt Lake City. This win enabled theMichigan Wolverines to capture their first and onlyNCAA Team Championship over Tulane University, 10-9. He was the first Big Ten player to win the NCAA Singles Title, was runner-up for the Doubles Title with partner, Dick Potter, and was the first Michigan Tennis player to be named as anAll-American.
MacKay played on fiveUnited States Davis Cup teams from 1956 to 1960, and in three final rounds. The 1958Davis Cup team ofAlex Olmedo,Ham Richardson, and Barry beat Australia for the Championship. In 1959, he beatRod Laver 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 in the Davis Cup Finals at Forest Hills. He is the only American player to beat Laver in Davis Cup competition.
After winning the NCAA Singles Title in June 1957, MacKay played amateur tennis for three additional summers. In 1958, he reached the Quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the Finals of the U.S. Doubles Championships. In 1959, he lost toAlex Olmedo in five sets at the Australian Semifinals and atWimbledon, he lost in the Semifinals toRod Laver in 87 games over five sets. He also reached the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Championships losing toBob Mark.
In 1960, he was ranked as the No. 1 amateur in the U.S. after reaching the Quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships, and winning 11 tournaments: Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, River Oaks, River ForestU.S. Clay Court Championships, Rome (Italian Championship), New York IndoorsNationals, Los AngelesPacific Southwest, San FranciscoPacific Coast Tuscaloosa, and Victoria, Australia. MacKay defeated defending champion,Luis Ayala, in the final of theItalian Championship in five sets(considered the 5th Major) and was seeded No. 1 at the1960 French Championships, where he lost in the Quarterfinals to Sirola.
In 1961, MacKay turned professional. He played three years with the Jack Kramer Professional Tennis Tour. He recalled the Kramer Tour, "Matches were played in one city after another on a nightly basis across the country and around the world. It was a barnstorming type of tour."
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass |  Sam Giammalva | Alex OlmedoHam Richardson | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
In 1964, MacKay moved to California and worked forJack Kramer on the Professional Tennis Tour. He remained with Kramer through 1966, when he moved to Sausalito, CA. In 1970, MacKay bought the controlling interest in the ATPPacific Coast Championships inBerkeley, California, when he was ranked #9 in the U.S. He convinced banker Byron Leydecker to sponsor the tournament and it became the Redwood Bank Pacific Coast Open. In 1973, he started a company namedBMK Sports, which operated his Major Tennis Event that became known as the SAP Open when he sold in 1995. Barry played his last tournament in Palm Beach, Florida in 1973. He was the first known asMr. Wild Card for addingJimmy Connors,John McEnroe, andBjorn Borg, and others to his tournament draw even though they did not qualify. He was influential in Bay Area tennis circles and contributed his time and money.
Barry's closest friends were his agent,Donald Dell, tennis historian,Bud Collins, Stanford Tennis Coach,Dick Gould, College Hall of Famer,Mike Franks, and player/broadcaster,Brad Gilbert.
Starting in the 1970s, MacKay became a tennis broadcaster.[12] In 2001, he helped launchTennis Channel as a broadcaster. Over his 30-year broadcasting career, MacKay teamed withArthur Ashe,Bud Collins,Donald Dell,Billie Jean King,Martina Navratilova,Jimmy Connors,Chris Evert,John McEnroe,Pam Shriver,Tracy Austin,Justin Gimelstob, andLeif Shiras. He was the on-air voice for American broadcasts of theU.S. Open,Wimbledon,French Open,Australian Open, and manyATP andWTA tournaments. He also provided color commentary, play-by-play, and lead analysis forThe Tennis Channel,DirecTV, andVersus. He spent 30 years withHBO broadcasting Wimbledon, and the US Open onUSA Network. He provided color commentary onFox Sports Network, and served as the play-by-play announcer for theNBC Sports coverage of tennis at the2008 Summer Olympics in China.[13]
Mackay died inSan Francisco, California on June 15, 2012, aged 76, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Michele, and daughter, Kelly.[14]
