Maureen Connolly
Encyclopedia
Maureen Catherine Connolly Brinker (September 17, 1934 – June 21, 1969) was an American tennis
player who was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam
tournaments during the same calendar year.
, U.S. As a child, she loved horseback riding, but her mother was unable to pay the cost of riding lessons. So, she took up the game of tennis.
Connolly's career began at the age of 10 on the municipal courts of San Diego. Her first coach, Wilbur Folsom, encouraged her to switch from a left-handed grip to right and she soon became a baseline specialist with tremendous power, accuracy, and a strong backhand. After Folsom she was coached by Eleanor 'Teach' Tenant who had also previously coached Alice Marble the Wimbledon champion of 1939. At age 14, she won 56 consecutive matches and the following year became the youngest ever to win the U.S. national championship for girls 18 and under.
At the 1951 U.S. Championships, the 16 year old Connolly defeated Shirley Fry
to become, at that time, the youngest ever to win America's most prestigious tennis tournament.
Connolly successfully defended her U.S. title and won Wimbledon in 1952. For the 1953 season, she hired a new coach, the Australian Davis Cup
captain Harry Hopman
, and entered all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time. She defeated Julie Sampson Haywood
in the Australian Championships
final and Doris Hart
in the finals of the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Championships to become the first woman, and only the second person, to win the world's four major titles in the same year, commonly known as a "Grand Slam". She lost only one set in those four tournaments.
In 1954, Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships. On July 20, 1954, two weeks after she won her third straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding when an accident with a truck crushed her right leg, ending her tennis career at age 19.
Grand Slam singles results for Connolly's 11 appearances:
Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches. During her Wightman Cup
career from 1951 through 1954, she won all seven of her singles matches.
Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the U.S. She was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for three straight years from 1951 through 1953. However, Connolly recognized the downside of her tennis career, saying, “I have always believed greatness on a tennis court was my destiny, a dark destiny, at times, where the court became my secret jungle and I a lonely, fear-stricken hunter. I was a strange little girl armed with hate, fear, and a Golden Racket.”http://www.insidetennis.com/0405_bestfemale.html
In June 1955, Connolly married Norman Brinker
, a member of the 1952 Olympic
equestrian
team for the United States, who shared her love of horses. They had two daughters while she remained partially involved in tennis, acting as a correspondent for some U.S. and British newspapers at major U.S. tennis tournaments and as a coach for the British Wightman Cup team during its visits to the U.S. In Texas
, where the couple lived, she and her husband established the "Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation" to promote junior tennis.
In 1966 Connolly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
, from which she died at age 34 in Dallas, Texas
on June 21, 1969, and was interred in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery
in Dallas.
According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail
, Connolly was ranked in the world top ten from 1951 through 1954, reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings from 1952 through 1954. Connolly was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association
from 1950 through 1953. She was the top ranked U.S. player from 1951 through 1953.
Connolly was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
in 1969 and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 1956, Connolly was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/badminton-and-tennis/maureen-connolly/
Brinker Elementary School in Plano, Texas
is named in honor of Connolly. The school was dedicated on November 20, 1988.
Connolly was portrayed by Glynnis O'Connor
in Little Mo, a made-for-television
biographical film
which first aired on September 5, 1978 on NBC
.
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 who was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournaments during the same calendar year.
Biography
Connolly was born in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, U.S. As a child, she loved horseback riding, but her mother was unable to pay the cost of riding lessons. So, she took up the game of tennis.
Connolly's career began at the age of 10 on the municipal courts of San Diego. Her first coach, Wilbur Folsom, encouraged her to switch from a left-handed grip to right and she soon became a baseline specialist with tremendous power, accuracy, and a strong backhand. After Folsom she was coached by Eleanor 'Teach' Tenant who had also previously coached Alice Marble the Wimbledon champion of 1939. At age 14, she won 56 consecutive matches and the following year became the youngest ever to win the U.S. national championship for girls 18 and under.
At the 1951 U.S. Championships, the 16 year old Connolly defeated Shirley Fry
Shirley Fry
Shirley June Fry Irvin was a World No. 1 American female tennis player who was born in Akron, Ohio, United States.Irvin is one of sixteen persons to have won each Grand Slam singles tournament at least once during the person's career...
to become, at that time, the youngest ever to win America's most prestigious tennis tournament.
Connolly successfully defended her U.S. title and won Wimbledon in 1952. For the 1953 season, she hired a new coach, the Australian 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...
captain Harry Hopman
Harry Hopman
Henry Christian Hopman, CBE was a world-acclaimed Australian-American tennis player and coach, born in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, and soon moving to Parramatta, a city adjoining Sydney and now effectively a suburb of the metropolis.Hopman was a student at Rosehill Public Primary school...
, and entered all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time. She defeated Julie Sampson Haywood
Julie Sampson Haywood
Julia Ann Sampson Hayward is a female former tennis player from the United States who won two Grand Slam titles.As the second seeded foreign player, Hayward reached the singles final of the 1953 Australian Championships, losing to Maureen Connolly Brinker 6–3, 6–2.Hayward and Rex Hartwig teamed to...
in the Australian Championships
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
final and Doris Hart
Doris Hart
Doris Hart is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg...
in the finals of the French Championships, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Championships to become the first woman, and only the second person, to win the world's four major titles in the same year, commonly known as a "Grand Slam". She lost only one set in those four tournaments.
In 1954, Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships. On July 20, 1954, two weeks after she won her third straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding when an accident with a truck crushed her right leg, ending her tennis career at age 19.
Grand Slam singles results for Connolly's 11 appearances:
- Australian Championships - 1 time: Winner 1953
- French Championships - 2 times: Winner 1953, 1954
- Wimbledon - 3 times: Winner 1952, 1953, 1954
- U.S. Championships - 5 times (1949–1953): Winner 1951, 1952, 1953
Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches. During her Wightman Cup
Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
career from 1951 through 1954, she won all seven of her singles matches.
Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the U.S. She was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for three straight years from 1951 through 1953. However, Connolly recognized the downside of her tennis career, saying, “I have always believed greatness on a tennis court was my destiny, a dark destiny, at times, where the court became my secret jungle and I a lonely, fear-stricken hunter. I was a strange little girl armed with hate, fear, and a Golden Racket.”http://www.insidetennis.com/0405_bestfemale.html
In June 1955, Connolly married Norman Brinker
Norman E. Brinker
Norman Eugene Brinker was a prominent restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field, such as the salad bar.-Biography:He was born on June 3, 1931...
, a member of the 1952 Olympic
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
team for the United States, who shared her love of horses. They had two daughters while she remained partially involved in tennis, acting as a correspondent for some U.S. and British newspapers at major U.S. tennis tournaments and as a coach for the British Wightman Cup team during its visits to the U.S. In Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where the couple lived, she and her husband established the "Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation" to promote junior tennis.
In 1966 Connolly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
, from which she died at age 34 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on June 21, 1969, and was interred in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery
Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery
Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 7405 West Northwest Highway in north Dallas, Texas . Among the notable persons interred here are:*Sawnie Robertson Aldredge , mayor of Dallas, Texas...
in Dallas.
According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Connolly was ranked in the world top ten from 1951 through 1954, reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings from 1952 through 1954. Connolly was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
from 1950 through 1953. She was the top ranked U.S. player from 1951 through 1953.
Connolly was inducted into 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...
in 1969 and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 1956, Connolly was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/badminton-and-tennis/maureen-connolly/
Brinker Elementary School in Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
is named in honor of Connolly. The school was dedicated on November 20, 1988.
Connolly was portrayed by Glynnis O'Connor
Glynnis O'Connor
Glynnis O'Connor is an American actress, perhaps best known for her work in the mid-1970s, including her lead actress roles in the TV version of Our Town and the films Ode to Billy Joe and Jeremy, all of which co-starred Robby Benson.O'Connor was born in New York City, the daughter of stage, film...
in Little Mo, a made-for-television
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
which first aired on September 5, 1978 on 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...
.
Grand Slam record
- Australian OpenAustralian OpenThe Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
- Singles champion: 1953
- Women's Doubles champion: 1953
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1953
- French Open
- Singles champion (2): 1953, 1954
- Women's Doubles champion: 1954
- Women's Doubles runner-up: 1953
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1954
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1953
- WimbledonThe Championships, WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
- Singles champion (3): 1952, 1953, 1954
- Women's Doubles runners-up (2): 1952, 1953
- U.S. OpenU.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...
- Singles champion (3): 1951, 1952, 1953
- Women's Doubles runner-up: 1952
Wins (9)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1951 | U.S. Championships |  Shirley Fry Irvin |
6–3, 1–6, 6–4 |
| 1952 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
Louise Brough Clapp |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1952 | U.S. Championships (2) | Doris Hart Doris Hart Doris Hart is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg... |
6–3, 7–5 |
| 1953 | Australian Championships Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
Julie Sampson Haywood Julie Sampson Haywood Julia Ann Sampson Hayward is a female former tennis player from the United States who won two Grand Slam titles.As the second seeded foreign player, Hayward reached the singles final of the 1953 Australian Championships, losing to Maureen Connolly Brinker 6–3, 6–2.Hayward and Rex Hartwig teamed to... |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 1953 | French Championships | Doris Hart |
6–2, 6–4 |
| 1953 | Wimbledon (2) | Doris Hart |
8–6, 7–5 |
| 1953 | U.S. Championships (3) | Doris Hart |
6–2, 6–4 |
| 1954 | French Championships (2) |  Ginette Jucker Bucaille Grandguillot |
6–4, 6–1 |
| 1954 | Wimbledon (3) | Louise Brough Clapp |
6–2, 7–5 |
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1953 | Australian Championships Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
 Julie Sampson HaywoodJulie Sampson Haywood Julia Ann Sampson Hayward is a female former tennis player from the United States who won two Grand Slam titles.As the second seeded foreign player, Hayward reached the singles final of the 1953 Australian Championships, losing to Maureen Connolly Brinker 6–3, 6–2.Hayward and Rex Hartwig teamed to... |
 Beryl Penrose Collier Mary Bevis Hawton |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 1954 | French Championships | Nell Hall Hopman Nell Hall Hopman Eleanor "Nell" Mary Hall Hopman was one of the female tennis players that dominated Australian tennis from 1930 through the early 1960s... |
 Maude Galtier Suzanne Schmitt |
7–5, 4–6, 6–0 |
Runner-ups (4)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1952 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... (1st) |
Louise Brough Clapp |
Doris Hart Doris Hart Doris Hart is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg... Shirley Fry Irvin |
8–6, 6–3 |
| 1952 | U.S. Championships 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... |
Louise Brough Clapp |
Doris Hart Shirley Fry Irvin |
10–8, 6–4 |
| 1953 | French Championships | Julie Sampson Haywood Julie Sampson Haywood Julia Ann Sampson Hayward is a female former tennis player from the United States who won two Grand Slam titles.As the second seeded foreign player, Hayward reached the singles final of the 1953 Australian Championships, losing to Maureen Connolly Brinker 6–3, 6–2.Hayward and Rex Hartwig teamed to... |
Doris Hart Shirley Fry Irvin |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1953 | Wimbledon (2nd) | Julie Sampson Haywood |
Doris Hart Shirley Fry Irvin |
6–0, 6–0 |
Win (1)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1954 | French Championships | Lew Hoad Lew Hoad Lewis Alan Hoad was a champion tennis player.... |
Jacqueline Patorni Rex Hartwig Rex Hartwig Rex Noel Hartwig was an Australian tennis player.-Wimbledon:He won the doubles in Wimbledon twice: In 1954 with Mervyn Rose and in 1955 with Lew Hoad.-Australian Championships:... |
6–4, 6–3 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1953 | Australian Championships Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
Hamilton Richardson Hamilton Richardson Hamilton "Ham" Farrar Richardson was a American tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s.Born August 24, 1933 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Richardson was ranked No. 1 in the United States in 1956 and 1958, and was ranked in the top ten in nine other years... |
Julie Sampson Haywood Julie Sampson Haywood Julia Ann Sampson Hayward is a female former tennis player from the United States who won two Grand Slam titles.As the second seeded foreign player, Hayward reached the singles final of the 1953 Australian Championships, losing to Maureen Connolly Brinker 6–3, 6–2.Hayward and Rex Hartwig teamed to... Rex HartwigRex Hartwig Rex Noel Hartwig was an Australian tennis player.-Wimbledon:He won the doubles in Wimbledon twice: In 1954 with Mervyn Rose and in 1955 with Lew Hoad.-Australian Championships:... |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1953 | French Championships | Mervyn Rose Mervyn Rose Mervyn Rose was an Australian male tennis player. He was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales and turned professional in 1959... |
Doris Hart Doris Hart Doris Hart is a former World No. 1 American female tennis player.As a child, she suffered from osteomyelitis, which resulted in a permanently impaired right leg... Vic SeixasVic Seixas Elias Victor Seixas, Jr. is an American former tennis player.Seixas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Portuguese Sephardi Jewish ancestry. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , where he was a member of Alpha Sigma of the Chi Psi... |
4–6, 6–4, 6–0 |