Jay O’Meilia sculpture for the Tribuno World Paddle Championship

The APTA had been given a beautiful sculpture by Jay O’Meilia in the spring and had asked for background information about why the piece was created. Brad Drowne of Short Hills, NJ provided the history.

The “First Tribuno World Paddle Championship” was contested on April 3rd, 1976 at the West Side Tennis Club, better known in the tennis world by its location, Forest Hills. The sculpture was commissioned to be the trophy for the event. However, Jay O’Meilia, a noted sports artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, did not complete the trophy by the date of the championship final. Instead, he was to send a plaster model to Forest Hills for the presentation. Unfortunately, this was lost by the airline.

The May 1976 issue of Paddle Talk (predecessor to Platform Tennis News) confirms this account when it stated, “Russell and Gray received a check for $4,000.00 and the promise of a trophy for their victory in the climactic tournament of the Tribuno tour.”

Doug Russell and Gordon Gray were the winners of that 1976 World Paddle Championship when they came from behind to defeat the APTA National Champions of that year, Steve Baird and Chip Baird by scores of 4-6, 3-6, 6-1,6-3, 6- 2.

A crowd estimated at between 2,500 and 3,000 were treated to a tremendous display of outstanding paddle starting with the semi-finals in which Russell/Gray defeated Brownlow/Rogers, 6-3, 6-1, and the Bairds overcame Jennings/Steele, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6.

Also on the program, between the semis and the final, was a pro-celebrity event in which sportscaster Howard Cosell provided commentary on the cold and blustery day while holding tightly on to his hat and his hairpiece. It was planned to present the winners with small reproductions of the championship trophy.

Source: Platform Tennis News, Fall 1994