Gail Ramsay will be awarded the Achievement Bowl during Women in Sports Day at the U.S. Open Presented by Macquarie Investment Management Tuesday, October 10, at Drexel University. She is one of the most accomplished women in U.S. squash history.
Growing up in Philadelphia, she was the last great junior player to not win the National Juniors—because the tournament only started a girls draw in the spring of 1977 when she was a few months too old. While at Penn State, she captured four straight national individual intercollegiate titles, one of just three players to ever dominate college squash to that extent.
She went on to a storied career as a pro. In singles, she reached the finals of the National Singles three times and twice played for Team USA at the world team championships, in 1983 in Perth and, as captain, in 1985 in Dublin. In doubles, she won three National Doubles title and seven National Mixed Doubles titles, six with her brother Bill.
Perhaps her greatest legacy has been as a mentor. In the 1980s she coached at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn and Uptown in Manhattan. From 1988 to 1994 she was the coach of the women’s team at Williams and since 1994 she’s coached the women’s team at Princeton. Her teams have won five national titles and four times a player of hers has taken the individual title.
A strong believer in sportsmanship and character development, Ramsay has been honored by the Chaffee Award in 1995 for the coach of a team exhibiting outstanding sportsmanship and twice when a Princeton player of hers has been awarded the Richey Award for that player who exemplifies the ideals of the game.
Ramsay has been a long-time leader and former president of the College Squash Association. In 1995 she was inducted into the CSA Hall of Fame, and the Ramsay Cup is the trophy for the women’s individual intercollegiate champion.
The Achievement Bowl is US Squash’s oldest award. It is given out annually to a woman who has made notable and profound contributions to the advancement of squash. Ramsay will be honored, along with Deborah Antoine and Jenny Duncalf, at the fourth-annual Women in Sports Day.
Purchase tickets for Women in Sports Day on www.usopensquash.com/tickets.
