Donald Dell
Encyclopedia
Donald Dell is an attorney and was a professional tennis player, U.S. Davis Cup
captain, and administrator. Dell was one of the first professional sports agents, having represented professional tennis players Arthur Ashe
, Stan Smith
, Jimmy Connors
, and Ivan Lendl
during pro tennis' golden age (1975 to 1985). He was also the founder of Professional Services (ProServ)
, one of the nation's first sports marketing firms established in 1970 with co-founder, Frank Craighill, a fellow law partner. His younger brother, Dick, worked for ProServ, and played Number One Singles for the University of Michigan. He was Big Ten #1 Singles Champion in 1969.
Dell is considered one of the fathers of sports marketing
and the sports agent
business with IMG's Mark McCormack
. Based on his vast experience, Dell wrote a book in 2009 entitled: "Never Make the First Offer."
Dell, was also very instrumental in establishing the Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP) in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale
, according to Kramer in his book: Jack Kramer, The Game, My 40 years in Tennis, (1979). Clients of ProServ
dominated the leadership roles of the ATP in its formative years. ProServ and one of its young agents, David Falk
, would go onto to represent professional basketball players such as: Patrick Ewing
, John Lucas
.and Michael Jordan
selected Dell's ProServ and Falk as his first sports agent after leaving the University of North Carolina.
ProServ was acquired in 1999 by SFX Sports Group, which later became a subsidiary of Clear Channel Entertainment.
where he was a three-time All-American (in 1958, '59 and '60). He reached the NCAA singles finals in 1959 (falling to Whitney Reed
of San Jose State University
), and was a semifinalist in 1960.
He played on the United States Davis Cup team in 1961 and 1963 and was the captain of the winning Cup teams of 1968 and 1969.
He was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. National championships (now known as the U.S. Open
), in 1961, and at the Cincinnati Masters
he was a singles finalist in 1959 and a semifinalist in 1958.
in 1960 and his law degree from the University of Virginia
in 1964. He was an associate for the law firm of Hogan & Hartson from 1966 to 1967, was Special Assistant to Peace Corps
founder Sargent Shriver
from 1968 to 1969, and founded ProServ
, Inc., (now known as SFX) in 1970 and served as its chairman until 1997. He was also a co-founder of the ATP players' union, and was co-founder with childhood friend, John A. Harris, Head of Potomac Ventures, of the Legg Mason Classic tennis tournament in Washington, D.C.
in 1969.
Dell is the Vice Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
and a member of the board of directors for the Arthur Ashe
Institute of Urban Health. Dell broadcast tennis for PBS
and NBC
television in the 1970s and '80s with Bud Collins
and Barry MacKay
, and makes appearances on the CBS
local affiliate station, WUSA. His last interview was July 31, 2007 with Andrea Roane.
in 2009.
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...
captain, and administrator. Dell was one of the first professional sports agents, having represented professional tennis players Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
, Stan Smith
Stan Smith
Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith is a former American tennis player and two time Grand Slam singles champion who also, with his partner Bob Lutz, formed one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world...
, Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, and Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
during pro tennis' golden age (1975 to 1985). He was also the founder of Professional Services (ProServ)
ProServ
Professional Services Inc., was one of the first sports management firms. Initially focused on tennis, the company would grow to become among the world's largest sports marketing, athlete management, event production, and TV companies....
, one of the nation's first sports marketing firms established in 1970 with co-founder, Frank Craighill, a fellow law partner. His younger brother, Dick, worked for ProServ, and played Number One Singles for the University of Michigan. He was Big Ten #1 Singles Champion in 1969.
Dell is considered one of the fathers of sports marketing
Sports marketing
Sport marketing is divided into three sectors. The first is the advertising of sport and sports associations such as the Olympics, Spanish Football league and the NFL. The second concerns the use of sporting events, sporting teams and individual athletes to promote various products. The third is...
and the sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
business with IMG's Mark McCormack
Mark McCormack
Mark Hume McCormack was an American lawyer, sports agent for professional athletes and a prolific writer...
. Based on his vast experience, Dell wrote a book in 2009 entitled: "Never Make the First Offer."
Dell, was also very instrumental in establishing the Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The 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...
(ATP) in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...
, according to Kramer in his book: Jack Kramer, The Game, My 40 years in Tennis, (1979). Clients of ProServ
ProServ
Professional Services Inc., was one of the first sports management firms. Initially focused on tennis, the company would grow to become among the world's largest sports marketing, athlete management, event production, and TV companies....
dominated the leadership roles of the ATP in its formative years. ProServ and one of its young agents, David Falk
David Falk
David B. Falk is an American sports agent who primarily works with basketball players in the National Basketball Association. Falk began his career representing professional tennis players for Donald Dell's ProServ and is best known for representing sports icon Michael Jordan for the entirety of...
, would go onto to represent professional basketball players such as: Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
, John Lucas
John Lucas
John Lucas is the name of:*John Lucas , philosopher*John Lucas II , retired American professional basketball player*John Lucas III , his son, current professional basketball player...
.and Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
selected Dell's ProServ and Falk as his first sports agent after leaving the University of North Carolina.
ProServ was acquired in 1999 by SFX Sports Group, which later became a subsidiary of Clear Channel Entertainment.
Playing career
Dell played his collegiate tennis at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he was a three-time All-American (in 1958, '59 and '60). He reached the NCAA singles finals in 1959 (falling to Whitney Reed
Whitney Reed
Whitney Reed was a tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s.Reed was ranked No. 1 in the United States in 1961 and was ranked in the U.S. top ten in 1957 , 1959 , 1960 , and 1962 Whitney Reed (born August 20, 1932, in Oakland, California) was a tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s.Reed was ranked No....
of San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
), and was a semifinalist in 1960.
He played on the United States Davis Cup team in 1961 and 1963 and was the captain of the winning Cup teams of 1968 and 1969.
He was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. National championships (now known as the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
), in 1961, and at the Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
he was a singles finalist in 1959 and a semifinalist in 1958.
Continued involvement with tennis
Dell received his undergraduate degree from YaleYALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
in 1960 and his law degree from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1964. He was an associate for the law firm of Hogan & Hartson from 1966 to 1967, was Special Assistant to Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
founder Sargent Shriver
Sargent Shriver
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
from 1968 to 1969, and founded ProServ
ProServ
Professional Services Inc., was one of the first sports management firms. Initially focused on tennis, the company would grow to become among the world's largest sports marketing, athlete management, event production, and TV companies....
, Inc., (now known as SFX) in 1970 and served as its chairman until 1997. He was also a co-founder of the ATP players' union, and was co-founder with childhood friend, John A. Harris, Head of Potomac Ventures, of the Legg Mason Classic tennis tournament in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1969.
Dell is the Vice Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The 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...
and a member of the board of directors for the Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
Institute of Urban Health. Dell broadcast tennis for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television in the 1970s and '80s with Bud Collins
Bud Collins
-External links:*** 2001 interview with Collins*...
and Barry MacKay
Barry MacKay
Barry MacKay is a former American tennis player and tournament director and a current tennis broadcaster. While competing in college for the University of Michigan, he won the singles title at the 1957 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship to clinch the team title for Michigan. He was also a finalist...
, and makes appearances on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
local affiliate station, WUSA. His last interview was July 31, 2007 with Andrea Roane.
Awards and honors
He was enshrined into the ITA College Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of FameInternational Tennis Hall of Fame
The 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...
in 2009.