Brad Parks (tennis)

American tennis player

Brad ParksFull name| Brad Alan Parks[1]

|

Country (sports)|  United States
Born|  (1957-04-01) April 1, 1957 (age 68)
Orange, California, U.S.
Plays| Right-handed[1]
Doubles
Paralympic Games|  Gold Medal (1992)

Medal record

Representing  United States
| 1992 Barcelona | Doubles

Brad Alan Parks (born April 1, 1957)[1] is an American wheelchair tennis player[2] who co-invented wheelchair tennis with Jeff Minnebraker. During the Uniqlo Wheelchair Tennis Tour in the 1990s, Parks won five singles and seven doubles titles during Championship Series events. During the 1992 Summer Paralympics, Parks reached the quarterfinals in the men's singles and won gold with Randy Snow in the men's doubles. At the 1994 Wheelchair Tennis Masters, Parks also reached the quarterfinals in the men's singles. As an executive, Parks co-founded the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis in 1980 before becoming the first president of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation in 1988. Parks became part of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010 and was the 2016 Philippe Chatrier Award recipient from the International Tennis Federation.

## Life and career

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Parks was born in Orange, California.[1] He attended a dental program at the University of Utah.[3][4] At the age of 18, he participated at a freestyle skiing competition in Park City, Utah.[5][6] While participating, Parks performed a special skilled stunt which he then went of the ramp from the competition.[6] He was supposed to land on his skis, but then landing on his back in an icebound surface causing him in an injury.[1][6] With being injured, Parks was paralyzed from his vertebrate anatomy hips.[1] He then created a sport for people with disabilities using wheelchairs, in which Parks had help from tennis player, Jeff Minnebraker, in 1977.[1] Parks creation was wheelchair tennis, in which he thought of the idea in the hospital with his injury.[1] With Minnebraker, they've both created the rules for wheelchair tennis.[5]

As a Uniqlo Wheelchair Tennis Tour player during the 1990s, Parks won five singles and seven doubles titles at Championship Series events.[7][8] He also reached the quarterfinals at the men's singles event during the 1994 Wheelchair Tennis Masters.[9] Park competed at the 1992 Summer Paralympics, in the first wheelchair tennis competition at the Paralympics Games.[5] During his events, Parks reach the quarterfinals in the men's singles.[10] He was awarded the gold medal with Randy Snow in the men's doubles event.[1][5]

Parks co-founded the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis with Dave Saltz in 1980.[11] He then was the first initialed president of the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation, in 1988.[1][5] With his creation, the United States Tennis Association created an award called "The Brad Parks Award", in 2002.[1] He became honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, being placed on the contributor category, in 2010.[1] In 2016, Parks was the recipient of the Philippe Chatrier Award by the International Tennis Federation.[12] Apart from tennis, Park won medals in wheelchair racing at the World Disabled Olympics and the National Wheelchair Olympics.[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Class of 2010: Brad Parks". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
2. ^ "Wheelchair not a handicap for pro". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. December 25, 1980. p. 39. Retrieved February 6, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ Bordman, Sid (August 23, 1984). "Tennis mushrooms with wheelchair athletes". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 24. Retrieved February 6, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Dean, Paul (March 5, 1980). "The Wheelchairman of the Tennis Courts". Los Angeles Times. sec. V p. 6.
5. ^ a b c d e "How One Man's Idea Spawned Wheelchair Tennis". International Paralympic Committee. June 5, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
6. ^ a b c "The amazing story of Brad Parks". Petaluma Argus-Courier. Petaluma, California. October 30, 1987. p. 7. Retrieved February 6, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Brad Parks". International Tennis Foundation. Singles. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
8. ^ "Brad Parks". International Tennis Foundation. Doubles. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
9. ^ "NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters". International Tennis Foundation. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
10. ^ "Brad Parks". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
11. ^ Jauss, Bill (June 1, 1980). "Tennis serves this wheelchair athlete". Chicago Tribune. sec. 4 p. 9.
12. ^ Palmer, Dan (May 17, 2016). "Wheelchair tennis founder to receive ITF's highest accolade". Inside the Games. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
13. ^ Martz, Jim (January 14, 1981). "Tennis on wheels". Miami Herald (International ed.). p. 4B.

## External links

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* Brad Parks at the International Tennis Federation
* Brad Parks at the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Brad Parks

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Members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Men|

| Master players|

* Manuel Alonso Areizaga
* James Anderson
* Mal Anderson
* Bunny Austin
* Wilfred Baddeley
* Jean Borotra
* John Bromwich
* Norman Brookes
* Jacques Brugnon
* Clarence Clark
* Henri Cochet
* Ashley Cooper
* Jim Courier
* Jack Crawford
* Owen Davidson
* Sven Davidson
* Jaroslav Drobný
* Pierre Etchebaster
* Neale Fraser
* Chuck Garland
* Andrés Gimeno
* Arthur Gore
* Bryan Grant
* Clarence Griffin
* Lew Hoad
* Harry Hopman
* Frederick Hovey
* Karel Koželuh
* René Lacoste
* Herbert Lawford
* Gene Mako
* Ken McGregor
* Robert Lindley Murray
* Hans Nüsslein
* Alex Olmedo
* Manuel Orantes
* Gerald Patterson
* Theodore Pell
* Fred Perry
* Tom Pettitt
* Adrian Quist
* Ernest Renshaw
* William Renshaw
* Mervyn Rose
* Frank Sedgman
* Pancho Segura
* Gottfried von Cramm
* Anthony Wilding

|

Players|

* Fred Alexander
* Wilmer Allison
* Karl Behr
* Don Budge
* Oliver Campbell
* Malcolm Greene Chace
* Joseph Clark
* William Clothier
* Dwight F. Davis
* John Doeg
* Laurence Doherty
* Reginald Doherty
* James Dwight
* Bob Falkenburg
* Pancho Gonzales
* Harold Hackett
* Joe Hunt
* Francis Hunter
* Bill Johnston
* Jack Kramer
* William Larned
* Art Larsen
* George Lott
* Maurice McLoughlin
* Frank Parker
* Vincent Richards
* Bobby Riggs
* Ted Schroeder
* Richard Sears
* Frank Shields
* Henry Slocum
* Bill Talbert
* Bill Tilden
* John Van Ryn
* Ellsworth Vines
* Holcombe Ward
* Watson Washburn
* Malcolm Whitman
* R. Norris Williams
* Sidney Wood
* Robert Wrenn
* Beals Wright

Recent players|

* Andre Agassi
* Arthur Ashe
* Boris Becker
* Björn Borg
* Michael Chang
* Jimmy Connors
* Rick Draney
* Stefan Edberg
* Roy Emerson
* David Hall
* Lleyton Hewitt
* Yevgeny Kafelnikov
* Jan Kodeš
* Gustavo Kuerten
* Goran Ivanišević
* Rod Laver
* Ivan Lendl
* John McEnroe
* Chuck McKinley
* Frew McMillan
* Don McNeill
* Gardnar Mulloy
* Ilie Năstase
* John Newcombe
* Yannick Noah
* Rafael Osuna
* Leander Paes
* Budge Patty
* Nicola Pietrangeli
* Pat Rafter
* Dennis Ralston
* Tony Roche
* Andy Roddick
* Ken Rosewall
* Marat Safin
* Pete Sampras
* Manuel Santana
* Dick Savitt
* Vic Seixas
* Stan Smith
* Randy Snow
* Michael Stich
* Fred Stolle
* Tony Trabert
* Guillermo Vilas
* Mats Wilander
* Todd Woodbridge
* Mark Woodforde

Women|

| Master players|

* Daphne Akhurst
* Blanche Bingley
* Dorothy Bundy Cheney
* Charlotte Cooper
* Thelma Coyne Long
* Françoise Dürr
* Marion Jones Farquhar
* Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling
* Suzanne Lenglen
* Simonne Mathieu
* Kathleen McKane Godfree
* Elisabeth Moore
* Angela Mortimer
* Betty Nuthall
* Nancy Richey
* Ellen Roosevelt
* Dorothy Round
* Elizabeth Ryan
* Margaret Scriven
* Eleonora Sears
* Bertha Townsend
* Lesley Turner Bowrey
* Marie Wagner
* Nancye Wynne Bolton

|

Players|

* Juliette Atkinson
* Maud Barger-Wallach
* Pauline Betz
* Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
* Louise Brough
* Mary Browne
* Mabel Cahill
* Maureen Connolly
* Lottie Dod
* Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers
* Shirley Fry
* Althea Gibson
* Ellen Hansell
* Darlene Hard
* Doris Hart
* Ann Haydon Jones
* Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
* Helen Hull Jacobs
* Alice Marble
* Sarah Palfrey Cooke
* Helen Wills

Recent players|

* Tracy Austin
* Maria Bueno
* Jennifer Capriati
* Rosemary Casals
* Kim Clijsters
* Lindsay Davenport
* Chris Evert
* Gigi Fernández
* Evonne Goolagong Cawley
* Steffi Graf
* Justine Henin
* Martina Hingis
* Billie Jean King
* Monique Kalkman-Van Den Bosch
* Li Na
* Hana Mandlíková
* Conchita Martínez
* Amélie Mauresmo
* Martina Navratilova
* Jana Novotná
* Margaret Osborne duPont
* Mary Pierce
* Gabriela Sabatini
* Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
* Monica Seles
* Pam Shriver
* Margaret Smith Court
* Helena Suková
* May Sutton
* Chantal Vandierendonck
* Esther Vergeer
* Virginia Wade
* Natasha Zvereva

Contributors|

* Russ Adams
* George Adee
* Lawrence Baker
* John Barrett
* Nick Bollettieri
* Vic Braden
* Jane Brown Grimes
* Butch Buchholz
* Philippe Chatrier
* Gianni Clerici
* Bud Collins
* Joseph Cullman
* Allison Danzig
* Mike Davies
* Herman David
* Donald Dell
* Cliff Drysdale
* Steve Flink
* David Gray
* Gustaf V
* Derek Hardwick
* Gladys Heldman
* William Hester
* Lamar Hunt
* Nancy Jeffett
* Robert Walter Johnson
* Perry T. Jones
* Robert J. Kelleher
* Peachy Kellmeyer
* Al Laney
* Alastair Martin
* Dan Maskell
* William McChesney Martin
* Mark McCormack
* Julian Myrick
* Arthur Nielsen
* Original 9
* Mary Ewing Outerbridge
* Brad Parks
* Charlie Pasarell
* Gene Scott
* Lance Tingay
* Ted Tinling
* Ion Țiriac
* Brian Tobin
* Jimmy Van Alen
* Dennis Van der Meer
* Walter Clopton Wingfield

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Paralympic wheelchair tennis men's doubles champions

* 1992:  Brad Parks & Randy Snow (USA)
* 1996:  Chip Parmelly & Stephen Welch (USA)
* 2000:  Robin Ammerlaan & Ricky Molier (NED)
* 2004:  Shingo Kunieda & Satoshi Saida (JPN)
* 2008:  Stéphane Houdet & Michaël Jérémiasz (FRA)
* 2012:  Stefan Olsson & Peter Vikström (SWE)
* 2016:  Stéphane Houdet & Nicolas Peifer (FRA)
* 2020:  Stéphane Houdet & Nicolas Peifer (FRA)
* 2024:  Alfie Hewett & Gordon Reid (GBR)

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