Jon Douglas
Encyclopedia
Jon Alexander "Jack" Douglas (September 10, 1936 – July 27, 2010) was a professional American tennis
player and college football
quarterback.
, the only child of Dortha and Gordon Douglas. In 1944 he and his family moved to Santa Monica, California. He graduated from Santa Monica High School
, where he played football, tennis, and basketball
.
, where he was Stanford's first All-American in tennis in 1957, and earned the honor again in 1958, when he was runner-up in both singles and doubles competition at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
.
Douglas was also a quarterback
on Stanford's football team. He played backup to John Brodie
for two years, and when Brodie graduated, became the starter for the 1957 season, leading the team to a 6–4 record.
.
Following his service in the U.S. Marine Corps Douglas played on the U.S. Davis Cup
team in 1961 and 1962, scoring the only point for the U.S. as they lost the 1961 Davis Cup
finals to host country Italy.
company in Southern California
. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Hall of Fame in 1996, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1995, the Jon Douglas Company merged with Prudential
to form the Prudential Jon Douglas Company and was acquired by Coldwell Banker
in September 1997.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
quarterback.
Early life
Douglas was born in Hot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, the only child of Dortha and Gordon Douglas. In 1944 he and his family moved to Santa Monica, California. He graduated from Santa Monica High School
Santa Monica High School
Santa Monica High School, informally known as SAMOHI, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1884, it is one of the oldest high schools in the state....
, where he played football, tennis, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
College sports
He attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he was Stanford's first All-American in tennis in 1957, and earned the honor again in 1958, when he was runner-up in both singles and doubles competition at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship
The NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...
.
Douglas was also a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
on Stanford's football team. He played backup to John Brodie
John Brodie
John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.-Early years and education:...
for two years, and when Brodie graduated, became the starter for the 1957 season, leading the team to a 6–4 record.
Tennis career
After graduating from Stanford, Douglas entered top-level competitive amateur tennis. From 1960 to 1962, he was in the top ten of U.S. players, with his best finish coming as a quarterfinalist in the 1961 U.S. Open1961 U.S. National Championships - Men's Singles
Roy Emerson defeated Rod Laver 7–5 6–3 6–2 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1961 U.S. National Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below...
.
Following his service in the U.S. Marine Corps Douglas played on the U.S. 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 in 1961 and 1962, scoring the only point for the U.S. as they lost the 1961 Davis Cup
1961 Davis Cup
The 1961 Davis Cup was the 50th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 42 teams would enter the competition, 28 in the Europe Zone, 7 in the Americas Zone, and 7 in the Eastern Zone....
finals to host country Italy.
After tennis
Following his tennis career, Douglas founded a successful eponymous real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
company in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association is an organization of 1,500 coaches and 15,000 collegiate tennis players, encompassing more than 1,000 college tennis programs...
Hall of Fame in 1996, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1995, the Jon Douglas Company merged with Prudential
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
to form the Prudential Jon Douglas Company and was acquired by Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker is a large real estate franchise founded in 1906 in San Francisco.Coldwell Banker has an international presence, with offices on six continents, 46 countries and territories...
in September 1997.