Sep

1

From the Sports Illustrated vault:

The Squabbler of the Squash Courts
Vic Niederhoffer brought a touch of Brooklyn rowdiness to Harvard and a traditionally genteel game

The progress of Victor B. Niederhoffer, Harvard '64, among American squash players has surprised a lot of people, but not Vic Niederhoffer. Beaten only once in the past two years as No. 1 on Harvard's undefeated squash team and the winner of three major squash championships this year, Niederhoffer thinks he is unbeatable and clamors loudly for justice when his shots go awry. Consequently, on those rare occasions when he loses a tournament, squash lovers are delighted. Niederhoffer could not care less. "He's the Ty Cobb of squash," says his coach at Harvard, Jack Barnaby. "He'd chew glass to win. Nothing matters but victory."

Racket guy from Brooklyn
But Vic Niederhoffer doesn't use dem or dose. The five-time U.S. champ has a Ph. D., a million-dollar business and wears a tux—with track shoes

To the victor — Victor Niederhoffer, that is — belongs another silver pitcher. Last week in New York, at 31, he won the U.S. National Singles Squash Racquets championship for the fifth time. His opponents did little but gasp, sweat and run. But Niederhoffer seemed to play effortlessly. His shots were not always brilliant, but he patiently waited out long rallies, and his frustrated opponents consistently found themselves in situations where most of their moves were of high risk. And then they were forced to make mistakes which ruined them.


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  1. Ned Racine on September 4, 2025 2:57 pm

    Update for Vic: Handball and paddleball are still hanging on, but just barely. The courts in NYC have been overtaken by pickleball and tennis practice. Recently, I saw a man using a handball court wall in Manhattan to practice Irish hurling! It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find courts and players.

    However, both handball and paddleball seem to be doing reasonably well in Brooklyn. Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Marine Park, and McCarren Park are usually busy with older, high-caliber players, but there aren’t many younger participants. Fortunately, I found a good group to play paddleball with at my local YMCA. Outside of NYC, it’s very tough to find players and courts. The Chair has noted the multfarious benefits of playing racket sports. I agree completely and love playing even with the relentless progresion of the years.

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