Three Professional Atheletes of Racquetball Cliff Swain was born on March 21, 1966 in San Jose California but really raised in Braintree Massachutes. His father, Robert “Red” Swain, a competitive handball player introduced Cliff to racquetball when he was just 13 years old. Soon winning Massachusetts State and New England Regional Junior Racquetball Championships, Swain was naturally talented and quickly picked up the game. The US Junior National 16 and Under Racquetball Championship was won by Cliff Swain in 1983. Then in 1984 the Orange Bowl World 18 and Under Junior Racquetball Championship was won by Swain. Swain later went on to Providence College in 1984 where he was on the racquetball team before turning professional.
The most tournament wins in professional racquetball can be accredited to Cliff Swain. In the 1980s continued onto the 2000s, he began playing the pro tour International Racquetball Tour (IRT). The left-handed Swain was a dominant player in the 1990s known for his great drive serve and on court intensity, finishing as the #1 IRT player in 5 seasons during that decade. In 2003, Swain was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of fame. Following the 2006-07 season Swain retired from the IRT, but did play some tournaments in the 2008-09 IRT season. Also in the 2008-09 seasons he also played on the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT) for former pro players over 40.
Swain has played 265 tournaments which are more than any other player and his 71 IRT tournament wins is more than any other IRT player. His two US Open Racquetball Championships in 1997 and 2001 are Swain’s career highlights. Swain was the season end #1 IRT player 6 times: 1990, 1993-95, 1998 and 2002. In 1985 Swain won his first profesional racquetball title at the Tulsa Open in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In his first season on tour, Swain went on to win the 1985 Ektelon National Championship, consecutively beating racquetball legends, Marty Hogan, Dave Peck and Greg Peck. For the first time in 1990 Swain finished the year as the number one ranked player in the world. Also in 1990, at the age of 24 Swain would likely have won more racquetball tournaments but he left racquetball to pursue a tennis career at the encouragement of Ion Tiriac, one time coach of Boris Becker. Although Swain had some success, it was not nearly at the level he had experienced in racquetball and that pursuit only lasted two years.
Marty Hogan was born January 22, 1958 in St. Louis Missouri where he was taught top lay racquetball by his mother, Goldie. Hogan has won more tan 100 international or national titles and six U.S. national championships during his 14-year career as a former American racquetball player. From 1976 to 1990 Hogan was ranked either number one or number two in the world. Hogan relocated to San Diego, California while still a teenager to pursue profesional racquetball and eventually atended San Diego State University. Between 1978 and 1982, and again in 1986 he won the indoor profesional racquetball national championship on five consecutive occasions. Hogan had a serve that drove the ball as fast as 142 miles per hour which credited him for revolutionizing the game of racquetball. Marty Hogan brought an elegance that was fascinating to watch based off his unusual grace and balance of movement to the sport.
In 1975, Hogan turned profesional and won his first profesional racquetball title in Burlington, Vermont. Hogan was the one in all the history of racquetball to go on to become the first millionaire. He didnt only win the Pro Racquetball Nationals in his greatest season of 1979, but he also won the Outdoor Racquetball Nationals and the PaddleBall Nationals. He is the only player in history of the sport to win all three titles in one year. In 1989, Hogan captured his final national racquetball championship, before retiring the following year. 16 years after he won his first professional tournament he returned briefly and won his last professional racquetball title in 1991. Named the Professional Racquetball Player of the Year an unprecedented eight times in 1977-82, 1986 and 1989 and ranked as the number one racquetball player of all time by National Racquetball Magazine, Hogan was inducted into the USA Racquetball of Fame in 1997. In 2002, Hogan founded The Legends Racquetball Tour. He won 14 events, which was the most victories of any participant in the Legends Tour.
Paola Longoria born on July 20, 1989 is a Mexican racquetball player. At the end of the 2008-09 season and at the end of 2009-2010 season she was the first Mexican woman to attain the number one ranking on the Women’s Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) tour. Longoria is the only pro player using the grip style characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball. In 2007 Longoria won her first WPRO event. Then in the 2008-09 season she was the first Mexican-woman or man-to 4 of the 9 WPRO tour events, including the US Open Racquetball Championships. She had a strong record that led to her #1 ranking at season’s end, and coming in second in four other events.
Currently Longoria is World Champion in women’s doubles winning the title with Samantha Salas Solis. To become the first Mexican women to win a World Championship in singles or doubles they beat Americans Aimee Ruiz and Jackie Paraiso in the final. In 2006, 2008 and 2010 Longoria won the Pan American Championships. Then in the final at the 2009 World Games Longoria won the gold medal defeating Rhonda Rajsich. From 2001 to 2008, Longoria also won eight consecutive International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships, winning twice in each age category from 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under, and 18 and under.