Squash Magazine: Sharif Khan

Sharif Khan By Amy Boytz Photos courtesy of Karen Khan

His name falls in with the greats of the sport: Hashim Khan, Mo Khan, Jahangir Khan. Like his immediate and distant fellow Khans, Sharif Khan ruled the squash court during some of its highest peaks. He held the No. 1 position on the WPSA rankings (prior to the PSA tour/ranking list) for 13 years, from 1969-1982, among numerous other achievements. Since retiring in the mid-'80s, Khan may not be found on the court competing every day, but he's not far away. Sharif Khan today, as President of Pros and Khans Sports Marketing Company. Currently Khan heads up his own business, Pros and Khans Sports Marketing Company, based out of Toronto, Canada, where he has lived since 1968. Pros and Khans' most recent project is a squash festival to be held in Barbados this October (21-28) at the Club Rockley Resort, an event aimed at attracting players of all levels to “enjoy the camaraderie that squash provides and in an exotic location,” Khan says. This year's tournament, officially called the Sharif Khan International Squash Festival, is the first of what Khan hopes to become an annual event, some day including a PSA draw. Along with the island affair, Khan also hopes to bring professional events to Canada in the near future, starting with a tentatively scheduled tournament for February 2002 in Ottawa. Khan, along with his family, including cousins such as Mohibullah and Jahangir, and father, Hashim, has been an ambassador and promoter for squash for decades: “I think the remarkable thing is not just I, but my dad and uncles and cousins and nephews and so on have been teaching, promoting, competing in squash for 50 years. So I look back and say 'How did it happen?' This is just an amazing dynasty.” Naturally then, Sharif Khan finds a home traveling the world over to market his sport. Born in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1945, Khan was first introduced to the English language when he attended Millfield Academy in Somerset, England, at the age of 11. He was accepted for a squash scholarship from the school purely on the recommendation of his then-champion father—the Headmaster at Millfield had never even seen Sharif play squash. Khan went on to claim multiple titles as a junior, blowing his fellow competitors out of the water. In England, he clinched the men's county championships at age 13, which “kind of justified my existence somewhat,” Khan says modestly. After completing school, in 1966 he followed his parents to Detroit, Michigan, where he first turned professional. Up until that point, Khan's squash experience was with the softball. However, in North America the game was played with the hardball, with which Khan went on to become a master. He won a total of 12 North American Open titles—a record that still stands today for the most ever wins of this tournament. Close competitors of his day were players like Geoff Hunt, Gordon Anderson, Victor Neiderhoffer, and Mike Desaulniers, to name a few, and Khan was known for rarely dropping a game in any of his tournaments. With his well-known animated facial expressions and creative shots, Khan dominated the hardball scene for more than a decade in professional play. If he's feeling spunky, he'll camp himself within ten feet or so of the front wall and take everything on the fly, slashing away with abandon; this technique is so exclusively Sharif's, that it has come to be known as “King-Khanning” the ball. If he's feeling cagey, he'll hit fluttery lobs and drop-shots that seem almost feeble, but that are inexplicably hard to return. In either case, you will notice that Sharif's opponent is doing roughly three-quarters of the work. (From the WPSA's “Profiles of the Top Twenty,” circa 1981) Sharif Khan at the 1980 North American Open in Salt Lake City, Utah. He went on to win his 10th North American Open in 13 years, defeating Stu Goldstein in five. During his years playing squash, Khan witnessed the transition from the hardball to softball game in North America, a change that he now hesitates to accept readily: “I have mixed feelings about that obviously because I always thought that hardball was a fantastic spectator sport. You know, it had the speed and razzle-dazzle to be an entertaining sport. But I guess that's evolution… I love both games. I had more success at hardball obviously but I was raised on the softball.” (Khan reached No. 4 in the world with the softball.) After retiring from competitive squash in 1982, Khan founded and ran the Sharif Khan Racquet Club in Ontario for about 10 years, the place where Khan eventually met his wife, Karen. (“She thought it was a franchise. When I spoke to her and said 'I am Sharif Khan' she said 'Well, you can't be!'” Khan recalls of their meeting.) After closing the club, Khan launched Pros and Khans, now in its fourth year. In addition to commercial ventures, such as the Barbados festival, the company also is involved with community and charity work. Khan has assisted and led programs for the Big Brothers and Sisters of Peel (in Ontario, Canada) for about three years. The aim of this program is to attract underprivileged kids to the game who otherwise might not be able to afford it or be exposed to it. Khan holds 10-week courses that allow participants to play squash and talk with each other and with their “Big Brothers” about their struggles and goals. Khan, though mostly a coach and businessman now, recently stepped back onto the competitive court to play in the 2001 USSRA Doubles National Championships in Portland, OR, teamed with Khalid Mir in the 55+ draw. The twosome lost in the semifinals to eventual runners-up Joseph Coyle and John Osburn, but Khan appreciated the chance to come to Portland where his brother, Gulmast, lives. In fact, the two brothers hope to establish a portable court system that they can transport to different venues for future professional tournaments. Sharif Khan has been through countless phases within the world of squash. But whether player, ambassador, promoter, or coach, Khan throws his whole into the sport and entertains, charms, and inspires those around him.