RAY McSPADDEN

CLASS OF 2004
 

Ray McSpadden was a 4-year standout tennis player at Northeastern State University.  He was considered the best singles player of the McSpadden brothers and his records from 1929-1932 stamped him as the best tennis player in NSU history.  He lived in Bartlesville most of his life and retired after 35 years of service with Phillips Petroleum.

In addition to winning many singles and doubles championships in the Open and Senior divisions in Oklahoma and the Missouri Valley, Ray won numerous titles in Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas.  Two match losses mark his stellar career: a five-set loss in the 1933 Oklahoma Open to Don McNeil.  Don went on to win the 1939 French Open Singles and Doubles and the 1940 U.S. Open Singles over Bobby Riggs.  Another tough loss was to Bob Falkenburg at the Amarillo Open in 1947.  Bob won Wimbledon the next year.

Ray has been inducted into the Northeastern State University Athletic Hall of Fame.  The Tennis Center in Muskogee dedicated in 1986 is named for the McSpadden brothers:  Ray, Tom, and Vance.