Dick Miles
Encyclopedia
Richard Theodore "Dick" Miles (June 12, 1925 – October 12, 2010) was an American table tennis
player who won 10 national championships between 1945 and 1962, more than any other player. After his playing career ended, Miles wrote an instructional guide and continued in his sport by playing match games and doing trick shot performances. In its obituary The New York Times
called him "perhaps the greatest table tennis player the United States has ever produced".
and was raised Jewish by his mother on the Upper West Side
after his father left the family when Miles was two years old.
, at times dropping out of DeWitt Clinton High School
to focus on playing table tennis. Other sports he played in his youth included golf
, stickball
and Chinese handball
, which helped him develop his abilities hitting a forehand shot. He enrolled at New York University
, but dropped out to focus on his game. A heart murmur
kept him from serving in the United States Army
during World War II
. Despite being the best American in the sport by the late 1940s, Miles could barely eke out an income of $1,000 a year by playing table tennis, which he supplemented by making bets on games, saying it was "unthinkable to play a match without a wager".
In addition to his strong defensive abilities, Miles was known for the powerful forehand shot he generated with topspin
using an underhand grip
on his paddle
, which he tended to play directly down the middle of the table at his opponents. Tim Boggan
, a table tennis player who became historian for USA Table Tennis
, described how Miles would "go for the gut again and again" instead of trying to hit to the sides of the table. He used these skills to win U.S. national championships 10 times and making him competitive with the world's best players, reaching as far as the semifinals of the World Table Tennis Championships
held in Dortmund
, Germany
in 1959 by defeating two of China's best players. Only two other American male table tennis players have reached the semifinals have reached that far in world competition and none has advanced any further.
After his competitive playing career was over, Miles wrote about the sport for Sports Illustrated
in addition to his 1968 book The Game of Table Tennis. He traveled widely, playing matches and performing trick shots for the USO
. He also started an import company that brought table tennis equipment from Asia for distribution in the U.S.
Miles accompanied the U.S. national team at the world championships held in Nagoya, Japan
in 1971 when the team was invited to visit the People's Republic of China
in what became known as Ping Pong Diplomacy
, becoming what Time
magazine described as being part of "most improbable — and most naïve — group of diplomats". There Miles played an exhibition match against one of the Chinese players he had beaten in the 1959 championships. With the score tied late in the match, Miles sensed that his opponent had conceded him a point. Unwilling to win the game in that matter, Miles gave up a point himself. With each player refusing to allow himself to be the winner, the match ended in a draw.
in 1970 and been companions for decades before they were married in 1993.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player who won 10 national championships between 1945 and 1962, more than any other player. After his playing career ended, Miles wrote an instructional guide and continued in his sport by playing match games and doing trick shot performances. In its obituary The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called him "perhaps the greatest table tennis player the United States has ever produced".
Early life
Miles was born on June 12, 1925, in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and was raised Jewish by his mother on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
after his father left the family when Miles was two years old.
Tennis career
He started playing table tennis as a child after receiving a miniature table tennis set as a birthday gift around the time he was 10 and started playing on full-sized tables at PS 166. By the time he was a teenager he was devoting half his day to playing and practicing at the different clubs that lined BroadwayBroadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
, at times dropping out of DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School
DeWitt Clinton High School is an American high school located in the Bronx, New York City, New York.-History:Clinton opened in 1897 at 60 West 13th Street at the northern end of Greenwich Village under the name of Boys High School, although this Boys High School was not related to the one in Brooklyn...
to focus on playing table tennis. Other sports he played in his youth included golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, stickball
Stickball
Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...
and Chinese handball
Chinese handball
Chinese handball , is a form of American handball popular on the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, and Bridgewater, NJ during the 1960s,'70s, and '80s and is still played today, mostly in New York City, Philadelphia, and San Diego. Different variations are played around the world...
, which helped him develop his abilities hitting a forehand shot. He enrolled at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, but dropped out to focus on his game. A heart murmur
Heart murmur
Murmurs are extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow that is sufficient to produce audible noise. Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ....
kept him from serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Despite being the best American in the sport by the late 1940s, Miles could barely eke out an income of $1,000 a year by playing table tennis, which he supplemented by making bets on games, saying it was "unthinkable to play a match without a wager".
In addition to his strong defensive abilities, Miles was known for the powerful forehand shot he generated with topspin
Topspin
In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...
using an underhand grip
Table tennis styles
Table tennis is unique among racket sports in that it supports a large variety of different styles of players. As players' levels increase, the diversity of styles decreases slightly, because technically weak styles are quickly eliminated. But even at the very top of international table tennis,...
on his paddle
Table tennis racket
A table tennis racket is used by players in the game of table tennis. The racket is usually made from laminated wood covered with rubber on one or two sides depending on the grip of the player...
, which he tended to play directly down the middle of the table at his opponents. Tim Boggan
Tim Boggan
Joseph R. "Tim" Boggan is an American table tennis player, official, and historian.In 1971, Boggan travelled to China as an official attached to the US Table Tennis team. The visit, referred to as 'ping pong diplomacy' by the media, marked a thawing in US-China relations.In 1985, he was inducted...
, a table tennis player who became historian for USA Table Tennis
USA Table Tennis
USA Table Tennis, colloquially known as USATT, is the non-profit governing body for table tennis in the United States and is responsible for cataloging and sanctioning tournaments within the United States. It was founded in 1933 as the United States Table Tennis Association. In addition to...
, described how Miles would "go for the gut again and again" instead of trying to hit to the sides of the table. He used these skills to win U.S. national championships 10 times and making him competitive with the world's best players, reaching as far as the semifinals of the World Table Tennis Championships
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
held in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1959 by defeating two of China's best players. Only two other American male table tennis players have reached the semifinals have reached that far in world competition and none has advanced any further.
After his competitive playing career was over, Miles wrote about the sport for Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
in addition to his 1968 book The Game of Table Tennis. He traveled widely, playing matches and performing trick shots for the USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
. He also started an import company that brought table tennis equipment from Asia for distribution in the U.S.
Miles accompanied the U.S. national team at the world championships held in Nagoya, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1971 when the team was invited to visit the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in what became known as Ping Pong Diplomacy
Ping Pong Diplomacy
Ping pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping pong players between the United States and People's Republic of China in the 1970s. The event marked a thaw in U.S.–China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon....
, becoming what Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine described as being part of "most improbable — and most naïve — group of diplomats". There Miles played an exhibition match against one of the Chinese players he had beaten in the 1959 championships. With the score tied late in the match, Miles sensed that his opponent had conceded him a point. Unwilling to win the game in that matter, Miles gave up a point himself. With each player refusing to allow himself to be the winner, the match ended in a draw.
Personal life and death
Miles died in Manhattan at the age of 85 due to natural causes on October 12, 2010. He was survived by his wife, Mary Detsch. They had met each other in Central ParkCentral Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in 1970 and been companions for decades before they were married in 1993.