Tom Page was one of the most electrifying and talented squash players in American history. He was the greatest of prodigies. In the winter of 1977 at age nineteen, he upset Peter Briggs and Hiddy Jahan and almost Sharif Khan in the North American Open and a month later swept the National Singles with the loss of just one game. At age twenty and then again at twenty-one, he captured the National Doubles (still the youngest player ever to win the National Doubles).
After two seasons at Princeton, Page turned pro and joined the North American hardball tour in 1979. At the 1980 season opening tournament held in Philadelphia and directed by his older brother David, Tom beat legends like Aziz Khan, Mario Sanchez, Sharif Khan and Clive Caldwell to secure his first pro title victory.
He was a human highlight reel. His will to win and aversion to playing safe, orthodox squash was legendary. Page combined pace and finesse, shotmaking and retrieving in a way that no player ever has before or since. He beat every single leading player on tour and was ranked in the top ten for six straight seasons. Built like a halfback, brawny and muscular, he powdered the ball and was known for the hardest backhand anyone had ever seen. His signature move was to hard serve, from the first point of the match to the last. He won the 1985 U.S. Pro softball tournament and played for Team USA at the Men’s World Team Championships in 1976 and 1987.
At doubles, Page had extraordinary flexibility, winning titles on both walls with verve and style, hitting a vicious three-wall at will and covering the majority of the court. In addition to his back-to-back National Doubles wins and a victory at the 1979 Canadian National Doubles, Page won one World Doubles, five Cambridge Clubs, four Elites, three North American Opens and two Johnsons. Four times the pro tour honored him with the Doubles Team of the Year Award.
The impact his life had was evident in 2001, by the huge number of people who packed the chapel at Episcopal Academy to say farewell to a life that ended far too early at age forty-four. Everyone present shared the sentiment that was expressed by his doubles partner Todd Binns, who said: “Tom was a great friend, wonderful teammate and genuine soul. I cherish my memories of being with Tom both outside the court and especially when we were on court playing together. There were many great moments that we shared, an absolutely fantastic athlete who embraced a tough fight and rose to the occasion again and again.”
Please join US Squash on April 2, 2022 for the induction of four members to the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame–Tom Page, John Fry, Gail Ramsay and Nancy Gengler-Saint–and the dedication of the spectacular new Peggy & Leo Pierce U.S. Squash Hall of Fame space in the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Registration
