Stan Smith, American tennis player and coach
Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946) is an American former tennis player, best known to non–tennis players as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes. A world No. 1 tennis player and two-time major singles champion, Smith also paired with Bob Lutz to create one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. In 1970, Smith won the inaugural year-end championships title. Smith's two major singles titles were the 1971 US Open and 1972 Wimbledon. In 1972, he was the year-end world No. 1 singles player. In 1973, he won his second and last year end championship title at the Dallas WCT Finals. In addition, he won four Grand Prix Championship Series titles. In his early years he improved his tennis game through lessons from Pancho Segura, the Pasadena Tennis Patrons, and the sponsorship of the Southern California Tennis Association headed by Perry T. Jones.