Bernie Schwengers
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Peter Schwengers (26 May 1880, in Surrey
, England
- 6 December 1947 in Victoria, British Columbia
). was a British-born
Canadian
tennis player, baseball player, and all-round sportsman. He is considered the finest Canadian tennis player of the early twentieth century and is amongst Canada's tennis greats.
He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame
in 1966 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1973.
single title in 1900 and 1906, and the doubles title in 1906. He won the Pacific Northwest singles championship five consecutive years from 1909 to 1913, was the Quebec Open Singles champion in 1911, and took the Canadian singles title twice in 1911 and 1912. He was also six-time BC Open Champion in singles in 1907, 1908, 1910, and 1914, and in doubles in 1906 and 1907 and seven-times BC Mainland Champion (Western Canadian) in singles in 1900, 1906–1908, 1910, and 1912, and doubles in 1906. In England he was the Middlesex County Open Championship singles winner in 1913 and the All-England Invitational Championship singles winner in 1914. Schwengers was on the 1913 Canadian Davis Cup
team along with J. F. Foulkes, Robert Powell and Henry Mayes
. It was Canada's first entry into the Davis Cup and they reached the final of the Cup only to be defeated by the United States in the summer of 1913 at Wimbledon where the Cup was being held.
in 1943.
He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame
in 1966 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1973.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- 6 December 1947 in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
). was a British-born
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
tennis player, baseball player, and all-round sportsman. He is considered the finest Canadian tennis player of the early twentieth century and is amongst Canada's tennis greats.
He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame
BC Sports Hall of Fame
For over 40 years, the community has entrusted the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum with the responsibility to collect, preserve, study, and interpret materials that relate to British Columbia’s rich sport history...
in 1966 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1973.
Tennis
He won the Vancouver Lawn Tennis ClubVancouver Lawn Tennis Club
Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club is a tennis club located at Granville Park in the upmarket neighborhood of Kitsilano in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-History:...
single title in 1900 and 1906, and the doubles title in 1906. He won the Pacific Northwest singles championship five consecutive years from 1909 to 1913, was the Quebec Open Singles champion in 1911, and took the Canadian singles title twice in 1911 and 1912. He was also six-time BC Open Champion in singles in 1907, 1908, 1910, and 1914, and in doubles in 1906 and 1907 and seven-times BC Mainland Champion (Western Canadian) in singles in 1900, 1906–1908, 1910, and 1912, and doubles in 1906. In England he was the Middlesex County Open Championship singles winner in 1913 and the All-England Invitational Championship singles winner in 1914. Schwengers was on the 1913 Canadian Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team along with J. F. Foulkes, Robert Powell and Henry Mayes
Henry Mayes
Henry George Mayes was a British-Canadian tennis player, military figure and businessman. He won the Queen's Club Championships in 1922, 1926 and 1927.-Biography:...
. It was Canada's first entry into the Davis Cup and they reached the final of the Cup only to be defeated by the United States in the summer of 1913 at Wimbledon where the Cup was being held.
Other sports
Schwengers was successful in a wide range of sports, and was a champion rower for JBAA, setting the British Columbian 1OO-yard sprint record in 1898. He was also an able soccer player and a star pitcher and second baseman for the Victoria team in the old Pacific Northwest International Baseball League, and once rejected a $8,000 a year contract to play second base for the St. Louis Browns in 1902. He was described as being a "terrific hitter" who was able to "play in any position". The Victoria & District Baseball Association cites Schwengers and Jimmy Holmes as the finest baseball players in Victoria during this period. He later found success as a senior golfer, winning the Pacific Northwest Seniors Golf ChampionshipPacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship
The Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship, also known as the PNW Senior PGA Championship, is a golf championship for senior players held annually, usually in September in the Pacific Northwest. It is affiliated with the PGA of America...
in 1943.
He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame
BC Sports Hall of Fame
For over 40 years, the community has entrusted the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum with the responsibility to collect, preserve, study, and interpret materials that relate to British Columbia’s rich sport history...
in 1966 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1973.