Reverend Bob Hetherington had a busy week. Top seeded at the 1973 National Public Parks tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the 32-year-old left-hander found himself running around both on and off the court. After advancing to the second round on Monday, he flew home to Buffalo to officiate a funeral. He raced back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, only to discover that his second-rounder was delayed by rain.
What would he do, local reporters asked, if he made it to Sunday’s final? Some athletes of a religious bent would never play on Sunday. “The Rev”–as he was known in Buffalo tennis circles–wasn’t so devout as that. He’d find a substitute for the morning service and chalk it up as a vacation day.
Hetherington had reached the final of the Public Parks event in 1971, so it wasn’t just idle speculation. He had been a well-regarded junior, earning invitations to play the US National Championships at Forest Hills in 1960 and 1961. The Reverend kept up his game through the years, winning local events in both Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Tennis wasn’t even his best sport: He was nationally ranked in squash rackets, with multiple victories to his credit over all-time great Hashim Khan.
The Public Parks event was well-suited to a man of Hetherington’s skill level and full-time employment. For 47 years, the tournament had invited qualifiers from regional playoffs to compete for national titles. It attracted many strong players over the years, especially Midwesterners who couldn’t quite cut the mustard among elite competition. Even when many of the world’s best tennis players remained amateurs, there was demand for lower-stakes events that showcased the abilities of outstanding recreational players.
Hetherington had maintained that level for more than a decade, and he possessed the easy confidence of a veteran. In the third round, a Washington, D.C. law student named Pierce Kelly pushed him to 10-all in the deciding set before he finally pulled away.
“Never in doubt,” laughed the Reverend.
“You don’t defeat a clergyman in tennis,” wrote Jeff Samuels in the Pittsburgh Press. “He’s got too many forces on his side.”
He would need all the help he could get. As he advanced through the bracket, Hetherington lined up a replacement pastor for Sunday’s service. Then, at the last minute, he learned that his sub couldn’t make it, either. After winning Saturday’s semi-final, he once again dashed home.
On August 19th, the Reverend began his day by delivering a sermon to his Episcopalian flock in Buffalo. Another run to the airport, another short hop to Pittsburgh, and he arrived only an hour late for the final. This was the Public Parks tournament, not Wimbledon, and no one was about to default a man of the cloth on Sunday.
If Hetherington was exhausted by his outrageous commute, there was no sign of it. He made quick work of his opponent, a 19-year-old University of San Diego student named Russell Watts. The Reverend won the championship, 6-3, 6-2. He stayed on court to win the doubles title with buddy Charlie Garfinkel by nearly the same score, 6-2 6-3.
Victory complete, Garfinkel joked, “I guess it’s back to oblivion for me.”
The Rev would step away from the national scene, as well, but he was hardly taking a break. The next weekend, he led the field at the Kronman Memorial tournament in Buffalo. The final was scheduled for 1 P.M. on Sunday–perfect for a player who had a few things to take care of in the morning.
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This post is part of my series about the 1973 season, Battles, Boycotts, and Breakouts. Keep up with the project by checking the TennisAbstract.com front page, which shows an up-to-date Table of Contents after I post each installment.
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