Because of Sam's efforts, many players became City Tournament winners.  Among them:  Bobby Payne, Bobby Bortner and  Dell Sylvia. 

In an article written about Sam in the mid 50's,  the Richmond News Leader described him as "a diligent and professional instructor who has never received a dime for his work and a man who has passed on every effort to reward him for his efforts with a shrug."

"I don't want to lose my amateur standing," he'd say.  Sam Woods coached Thomas Jefferson tennis teams for twelve years and refused remuneration.  Tee-Jay players won more trophies at junior, college and adult levels than any high school ever had a right to.

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Bobby Bortner...............

In 1955, under a torrid sun baking the CCV courts with stifling heat, Bobby Bortner sought to win the city tennis title.  An article in the Richmond newspaper described it this way:  ""Bobby Bortner, the #1 player of the tournament, shrugged off a siege of double faults and several exhibitions of faulty forehand marksmanship to oust Frank Mahoney 6-4., 6-2.....but after a tight go of it in the 1st set, Mahoney gave way to excess weight, the heat, and loss of confidence".  

Bortner's win paved the path for the final match against Gene Wash.  Gene had banged up his shoulder the week prior when he dove off a sandbar into shallow water.  He had to lay off practice for a week. Nevertheless, he was playing great, hitting the ball as well as ever.  Bortner's friends told inquiring reporters that "Bobby's fight will more than make up for his faulty forehand."  Gene's backers claimed "his better game will win for him despite his occasional lapses of concentration."

At 20 years of age, Bortner was following up his previous year's loss to Dell Sylvia, the winner of the tournament in 1954.  Bobby had started tennis at age 14 under the tutelage of Ralph Whitaker* at a teaching court behind Westhampton School. With the help of Sam Woods, Bobby quickly made a name for himself in state juniors tourneys. A column called Keepin' Time by Andy McCutcheon in the Richmond News Leader said, "For 17 year old Bortner, tennis has become a primary part of his life.  It is his midday swim, his afternoon movie, his daily ball game.  "Would you like to play big time tennis?" Andy asked him.  " Would I!" said Bortner. "More than anything, if I were good enough."  

Like many of Sam Woods' proteges, after playing at Tee-Jay, Bortner went on to the University of North Carolina, a bastion of tennis talent.  While there, he came back to Richmond to play in the city tournaments, meeting his former Tee-Jay pals on the clay courts at CCV to determine who was still at the top of their game.  And so it was like that again in the Summer of '55.

The Bortner/Wash match went five sets: 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 8-6.  Wash won the first set easily, but Bortner rallied.  "I was heading the wrong way, and fast.  I knew I had to vary the pattern.  And I knew I had to turn on the power.  Gene made a lot of mistakes at the net," Bortner told a reporter after the match, "but at least he got there.  That was more than I was able to do."   With Bortner up two sets to Wash's one, the rains came.  The players were sent home.  Two hours later, they were called back.  The delay helped Wash more than Bortner.  It would be three more years before he found himself playing a final on Court 1 again.  Bobby Bortner finally won the City Title in 1958, defeating Wayne Adams.

After clinching the city title, Bobby Bortner served a brief stint in the military, then went  to work at Burlington Mills. He was called back to serve during the Berlin Crisis, and during that time he played on the tennis team at Fort Eustis. "I basically played 6 months of tennis," said Bortner.  "My Commander in Chief was a very good player, thankfully."

In 1962, kind of at loose ends, he took at job with an oil company until his friend Bobby Cabell steered him to the FBI.   Bortner became a field agent, spending time  in Richmond, Quantico, Illinois and Cleveland before settling in Louisville, KY.  He didn't give up tennis, and won two Kentucky state doubles titles before retiring his racquet.  

I asked Bobby how the game today differs from the game of 50 years ago.  "The difference now?  It's like playing with bazookas," he said. "Compared to wooden racquets.....We didn't just slam the ball, we would hit it hard, and move our opponents around.  We came to the net.  Now it's total top spin.  Not that they don't look good, but put a wooden racquet in their hands and see what they can do."

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As reported in the News-Leader, 1953: Sam Woods never let a youngster forget how he got his start.  "Let's split the field so we can have the best players competing.  It's no fun beating the inexperienced players" said one of Woods' best juniors.

"Not a chance in the world," Sam replied. " You always have to play better players to improve your game.  We made the best players give you games when you were learning the sport.  Now it's time you started helping newcomers improve their game."

Bobby Payne...........

Bobby Payne was two years ahead of Bobby Bortner, and might have been one of the juniors who initially complained about having to play the younger Bortner when he was just starting out.  But it didn't take long for the two to become friends, and they are close friends still today.

Bobby Payne was in the same class as Gene Wash, another of Woods' rising stars.  Payne and Wash had "no peers in high school" when it came to tennis, said articles at the time.  Bobby Payne started playing tennis at age 12, and has fond memories of working with Sam Woods at Byrd Park.  

In 1952, Bobby Payne teamed up with Delmer Sylvia ("Dell")- the resident 'bad boy' of tennis at the time - to win the City Doubles title.  Dell Sylvia was an incredible athlete who won three city singles titles ('51, '52, and '54). Dell lost the title to his former partner Payne in '53, and there seemed to be no love lost in the relationship after that, with articles at the time referring to the "running feud" between the two.  

In 1953, Payne played in the semifinals for the City Championship.  The News-Leader reported:  "Bobby got little mileage from his serve and shied away from exploitation of his attack-attack-attack power game, often regarded as his forte.  Instead he slow-paced himself beautifully to beat down the game challenge of the unranked (Eddie) Phillips, who performed much better than anyone had a right to expect."  Payne moved on to meet Henry Valentine in the final match.

"It was a finale without histrionics," it was reported.  "Both played like they actually enjoyed the game and were a delight to referee. Cliff Miller, who has encountered many a spoilsport in his many years in the high chair, said "I couldn't have had two finer players to referee for," referring to Valentine and Payne.

and Dell Sylvia.............plus brother Bruce

Mr. Miller, the perennial champ of the 30's, may have been making a point to Dell Sylvia, who had a reputation for leaving no stone unturned emotionally.  Dell, while arguably one of the best players in city tennis history, was the John McEnroe of city tennis back in the 50's. As excessively dramatic as Dell was, his younger brother Bruce, was as "perfect and sweet as they come" according to those who knew them both. (Dell currently resides in South Carolina.  Bruce passed away several years ago.)  The Sylvia brothers dominated city tennis in the 50's and 60's like the Steinours have done since the mid 90's.  Bruce added to big brother Dell's three titles with four of his own in '61, '63, '64 and '68. 

Following his title win in 1953, Bobby Payne attended the University of North Carolina.  He was supposed to go William & Mary, but at the last minute his plans changed. Payne played at UNC for four years, and was captain of the team.  As a freshman, he and partner Herb Brown won the Southern Conference (prior to the ACC) Doubles Title; he was the only freshman in the history of the conference to win it.  Following graduation, he joined the navy, claiming the All-Navy singles and doubles championships.  Military service in those days seemed to help - not hurt - players' tennis games.  Payne  traveled up and down the east coast - Pensacola, FL, Lake Meade, GA, Newport, RI - for tennis matches. He played in the all-service tournament, which was a big deal, at the Army/Navy Club.  He lost to the #1 Air Force player, a nationally ranked guy.  "I didn't want to lose to just anybody," said Bobby.

After his navy service, Bobby went to UVA law school, married in 1959, and graduated in 1960.  He practiced land use law in Danbury, CT for 39 years.  Payne continued to play doubles for a few years after relocating, playing in open tournaments in the northeast.  His last major tourney was a National Doubles Tournament, 1964 in Brookline, Massachusetts.  "I hung it up after then."  He has had both hips replaced, and shoulder surgery.

I reached Bobby Payne at his winter home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  He talked warmly about his pals from his tennis days, the group of guys that he associates with his fondest tennis memories.  Frank Hartz, Gene Wash, Bobby Bortner.  Even the boy they refer to smilingly as "the brat," Dell Sylvia, they'll include him in their group.  They have to, it's a very exclusive club.  From 1951 to 1959, the names at the top of the city championship board didn't vary much.

*Ralph Whitaker was 26 years old at the time he taught Bobby. He was the major force behind bringing indoor tennis facilities to Richmond, as a member of The Westwood Club.