Vic Braden
Encyclopedia
Biography
Braden was one of eight children born to Victor (1904-1973) and Mildred (née Mayes) Braden (1906-1968); both were natives of Claiborne County, TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Introduced to tennis at age 12, he became good enough to earn invites to play in River Forest, Illinois
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
and in Milwaukee. He told 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 a 1976 interview that he once hitch hiked to Detroit to watch Don Budge
Don Budge
John Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional...
play Bobby Riggs
Bobby Riggs
Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947...
because he wanted to learn how Budge hit his backhand.
Braden went to Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
, where he was captain of the tennis team, and won the league title in singles. He was awarded an honorary degree by his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
in 2008.
Career
Braden played professionally after graduating from Kalamazoo College in 1951 while serving as assistant basketball coach at the University of ToledoUniversity of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
. Among those he played with on the tour were Jimmy Evert
Jimmy Evert
James "Jimmy" Evert is a tennis coach and former tennis player from the United States. He is the father of Chris Evert, who was one of the world's top women tennis players in the 1970s and 1980s....
(father of Chris Evert
Chris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
) and George Richey (father of Cliff
Cliff Richey
Cliff Richey played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He is the brother of fellow player Nancy Richey....
and Nancy Richey
Nancy Richey
Nancy Richey is a former tennis player from the United States.Richey won two Grand Slam singles titles and four Grand Slam women's doubles titles . She was ranked World No...
). After obtaining a PhD in psychology at UCLA, Braden joined Jack Kramer on Kramer's pro tour. He and Kramer later founded The Jack Kramer Club, where Braden served as the tennis pro and developed a concept for a so-called "tennis college".
Professional Accomplishments
- Co-founder, Vic Braden Tennis College, Star Island Resort, Kissimmee, FloridaKissimmee, FloridaKissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...
- 1985- Co-founder, Vic Braden Tennis College, St. George, UtahSt. George, UtahSt. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
- Founder-Dir., Vic Braden Tennis College, Coto de Caza, CaliforniaCoto de Caza, CaliforniaCoto de Caza is a census-designated place and guard-gated private community in Orange County, California. The population was 14,866 at the 2010 census, up from 13,057 at the 2000 census....
- 1989-2002 Board Member: Vic Braden Sports Institute for Neurological Research. Washington, D.C.
- 1986-1994 Founder, Vic Braden Ski College, Aspen, ColoradoAspen, ColoradoThe City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. - 1980-1990 Co-founder, Co-director, CotoCoto de Caza, CaliforniaCoto de Caza is a census-designated place and guard-gated private community in Orange County, California. The population was 14,866 at the 2010 census, up from 13,057 at the 2000 census....
Sports Research Center, Ca. - 1967-1969 Manager, Pro Tennis Tour/George MacCall/Charlton HestonCharlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
. - 1961-1972 Co-founder, Jack Kramer Club, Rolling Hills Estates, CaliforniaRolling Hills Estates, CaliforniaRolling Hills Estates is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 8,067 at the 2010 census, up from 7,676 at the 2000 census....
. - 1957-1958 Instructor, UCLA Psychology Clinic School.
- 1952-1955 Head Tennis-Assist. Basketball Coach, U. of Toledo OhioUniversity of ToledoThe University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
.
Awards
- Contributing Most to Tennis in America (USTA)
- Orange County Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award (Sportswriter)
- Coach of the Year Award (USPTA).
- ATPAssociation of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
Children's Tennis Award. - Faculty Emeritus Award
- USTA Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame
- International Tennis Hall of FameInternational Tennis Hall of FameThe International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
Tennis Educational Merit Award (1974)
Videos
- Vic Braden's 70 Minutes with Big Jake and Pancho Video
- Vic Braden's Biomechanics of Tennis Video
- Vic Braden's Strategy Video
- Vic Braden's The Backhand
- Vic Braden's The Forehand
- Vic Braden's The Serve
Full List
Vocational Highlights
Licensed psychologist (California), author, sports educator and researcher, cinematographer, videographer, sports, television commentator.Books Authored
He has authored four books with Bill Bruns whom he met in 1973.- "High Tech Tennis"
- "Sportsathon!"
He also has some credit as a photographer for the book: "Championship Tennis by the Experts: How to Play Championship Tennis".