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Donald Dell
Photo: Sphilbrick, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons11

Donald Dell

American sports attorney, writer, commentator, and former tennis player

Donald L. Dell (born June 17, 1938) is an American sports attorney, writer, commentator, and former tennis player. Dell was the first sports agent in professional tennis, and represented Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl during the golden age of pro tennis (1975 to 1985).2

From Wikipedia’s article on Donald Dell (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jun 17, 1938.1

About

He was also the founder of Professional Services (ProServ), one of the nation's first sports marketing firms established in 1970.

Dell is considered one of the fathers of sports marketing and the sports agent business along with IMG's Mark McCormack. Dell co-founded the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale. Clients of ProServ dominated the leadership roles of the ATP in its formative years. ProServ expanded into basketball, and Dell signed Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, and other top NBA players. He wrote his first book, Minding Other People’s Business in 1989 about how to recruit, manage, market, and keep client athletes, and a second book in 2009, Never Make the First Offer. Dell negotiated two of the most successful shoe deals in all of sports: Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan line with Nike and the Stan Smith shoe with Adidas. Donald has a younger brother, Dick, who worked at ProServ and went to the University of Michigan and was Big Ten Tennis Champion.

From Wikipedia’s article on Donald Dell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedLandon School3
  • Date not recordedUniversity of Virginia School of Law3
  • Date not recordedYale University3

Career

Occupation: tennis player.5

Dell played his collegiate tennis at Yale University, where he was a three-time All-American (in 1958, 1959 and 1960). He reached the NCAA singles final in 1959 (losing to Whitney Reed of San Jose State University), and he 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 Davis Cup teams of 1968 and 1969. In 1961, Dell was a quarterfinalist at the US National Championships (now known as the US Open), and at the Cincinnati Masters, he was a singles finalist in 1959 and a semifinalist in 1958. In 1961, he and Mike Franks were the first Americans to play tennis in the Russian National Championships.

From Wikipedia’s article on Donald Dell (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornJun 17, 1938, Savannah6
  • CitizenshipUnited States7
  • ResidencePotomac8

Awards

  • Date not recordedInternational Tennis Hall of Fame9

Sources

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