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History of the USSRA
A Timeline
Compiled by James Zug; photos from Squash Magazine archives
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1904
USSRA founded at Racquet Club of Philadelphia with seven member clubs
1905
Tin set at 24 inches; court is 16 1/4 feet wide for the US
1907
First nationals in Philadelphia; John Miskey, local doctor, wins; first doubles court built in Philadelphia
1908
First inter-city five-man team tourney at nationals, with two cities represented (Boston and Philadelphia)
1910
Nationals held in Baltimore; Chicago sends team
1912
Boston hosts nationals and wins five-man teams
1913
Toronto sends team to nationals
1920
Executive committee reorganized and new leadership takes over; 18 1/2-foot court width standardized
1921
Charlie Peabody becomes first American to win Canadian nationals
1922
17-inch tin standardized for US; Lapham Cup (US vs. Canada) started
1923
19 clubs on East Coast affiliate with USSRA
1924
Britain sends first touring side and 46-year-old Brit Timmy Robarts wins nationals
1925
First US team tours Britain, plays in English nationals; Lockett Cup (New York vs. Philadelphia vs. Boston) started; Harvard becomes first college to win national five-man teams
1926
First non-Philadelphian (Lyman Bass) becomes president
1928
First women’s nationals
1929
15 cities from around country send team to nationals
1930
49 clubs affiliate with USSRA
1931
Men’s intercollegiate association founded
1932
Philadelphia & Districts, first junior tournament, founded
1933
Wolfe-Noel women’s cup (US vs. Britain) founded; National doubles started
1934
Knox Cup (Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland) started
1936
Seamless becomes official ball
1937
First non-East Coast president, Jim Standish from Detroit; Elko Racquets Club in Nevada becomes first squash club west of Mississippi to join USSRA
1938
USSRA board expands from five to 12
1939
Connor Cup (Hartford vs. New Haven vs. Providence) started
1940
Pacific Coast Championships founded, represents more than a dozen western states
1942
Germantown Invitational Mixed Doubles founded; Detroit, first non-East Coast team, wins national five-man teams
1943
Sherman Howes win unofficial wartime nationals
1945
Grant doubles competition added to Lapham Cup
1949
FitzGerald Cup (Washington, DC vs. Baltimore) started
1951
USSRA begins to publish national rankings
1953
Only time both finalists at men’s nationals are unseeded; Ernie Howard wins, becoming first Canadian to win US nationals
1954
USSRA sanctions first United States Open; first individual memberships offered ($10 per year; $50 for life)
1955
Women’s national teams renamed Howe Cup in honor of Margaret Howe and her twin daughters, Peggy Howe White and Betty Howe Constable; first Achievement Bowl goes to Anne Page Homer; Eddie and Joe Hahn of Detroit become first non-East Coast players to win national doubles
1956
250 USSRA members; 70 member clubs; first nationals juniors for boys
1957
USSRA has seven standing committees
1959
First time squash televised, broadcast locally at US Open in Pittsburgh; Yale wins national five-man teams
1960
Rochester nationals almost snowed out by freak blizzard
1961
Cragin Green Diamond becomes official ball
1963
Hahn Cup (Indianapolis vs. Cincinnati vs. Louisville) started
1965
First women’s intercollegiates held
1966
US Open amalgamates with Canadian Open to become North American Open; USSRA awards first President’s Cup to Charlie Ufford
1967
USSRA helps start International Squash Rackets Federation (now the WSF); Sam Howe becomes only player ever to win US and Canadian nationals in both singles and doubles in same year
1968
First glass back-wall built, at Penn
1969
National mixed doubles founded; Hyder Cup, first softball tournament in US, started
1972
Bunny Vosters & Gretchen Spruance win first of five national doubles titles together—only parent-child combination ever to win national doubles
1973
Al Molloy at Penn makes first USSRA instructional film; first public commercial squash club started in Berwyn; first intercollegiate women’s Howe Cup won by Princeton; first US men’s team plays in world championships, comes in fifth out of five teams
1974
USSRA hires Darwin Kingsley, first executive director and starts head office on Ford Road in Bala Cynwyd; 1,500 members and 150 member clubs
1976
Men and women play nationals together for first time at Penn
1977
70+ becomes official ball; nationals for junior girls founded; Bancroft Open, the first professional women’s tournament, held in New York; Wolfe-Noel Cup stopped.
1978
Squash News becomes USSRA’s first official monthly publication; first junior squash camp founded, at Heights Casino; first Insilco, national B and C tournament
1979
First pro joins USSRA executive committee: Jim McQueenie; national women’s association merges with USSRA; first US women’s team plays in world championships; nationals in Portland, first nationals west of Chicago
1981
First world doubles tournament in Toronto; US men’s team comes in seventh out of 20 teams, best finish ever
1983
First national softball tournament in Baltimore
1984
First portable glass court tournament in US, at Boston Open
1985
8,000 members and 300 member clubs; North American Open played at Town Hall in New York; US Open re-launched as softball tournament; US women come in seventh at world championships, best finish ever
1987
Ned Edwards (foreground) d Mark Talbott 15-14 in the fourth of the 1987 North American Open.
1989
Will Carlin wins last amateur-only softball nationals; USSRA moves offices to Cynwyd Road; endowment fund campaign launched, raises $1.5 million in four years
1990
SL Green started, first time pros can play in a national tournament; USSRA joins US Olympic Committee as non-medal sport
1991
Softball nationals has more entrants than hardball nationals
1992
Craig Brand succeeds Kingsley as executive director
1993
National juniors snowed out at Trinity; women college teams switch to softball; record 628 people play in softball nationals; pro hardball and softball associations merge to create PSA (Professional Squash
Association)
1994
Men’s college teams switch to softball
1995
USSRA helps get squash into Pan-Am Games; last North American Open played in Denver
1997
Squash Magazine takes over as official publication of USSRA
1998
Boys world juniors held at Princeton
2000
US Squash Hall of Fame launched; pro doubles players leave PSA and start ISDA
2001
US Jr. Women finish 4th at world championships
2002
Last vestige of amateurism gone, as national doubles goes Open
2003
Palmer Page succeeds Brand as executive director
2004
USSRA has 8,100 members and 265 member clubs
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Feb 2008
(click for contents)
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