First gut-strung paddle racket championships held in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
Robert Kendler takes over reins of racquetball
Bill Schultz wins first Men’s Open National title
The Great Debate
When Was The First True National Championship?
=> Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 1968
Bill Schultz defeated Bill Schmidtke 21-18 in a tiebreaker.
Larry Lederman was the event director. Larry, Bill and Bill’s son (Bill Jr.),
contend that this was truly the first National tournament.
Approximately 20 states were represented at the event and 80 players
competed.
=> St. Louis, Missouri – 1969
Bud Muehleisen defeated Charlie Brumfield 21-20 in a tiebreaker.
The supporters of the 1969 event believe that since the IRA was not
officially formed until 1969, and also since many of the top players were not
invited or even notified about the Milwaukee event, the St. Louis event
should be recognized as the first true National Championship.
The name “racquetball” was actually accepted at an organizational meeting
held during the St. Louis event. Bob McInerney, a tennis pro at the time,
actually presented the name, then after a long debate about the spelling
(“q” or “k”), the “q” prevailed and the sport has been Racquetball ever
since.