Tombstone
Born: 1982 – WTT expansion franchise
Folded: Postseason 1983
First Match: July 6, 1982 (L 30-8 vs. Dallas Stars)
Last Game:
Team Tennis Championships: None
Venue
Woodlands Inn & Country Club
Marketing
Team Colors: Blue & Grey
Ownership
Owner: George Liddy
Background
The Houston Astro-Knots were a short-lived franchise during the early 1980’s re-boot of World Team Tennis. The club was owned by long-time tennis promoter George Liddy, who also promoted the $100,000 Avon Tennis Championships of Houston that were staged at the Houston Summit in the early 1980’s.
World Team Tennis originally launched in 1974 with huge ambitions. Co-ed teams played 44-game season over the course of four months, with top players departing periodically to play in Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. Games were scheduled at massive NBA and NHL arenas although crowds hovered in the low thousands and sometimes worse. Houston had one of the original franchises in 1974. The Houston E-Z Riders featured Aussie star John Newcombe and played at the Sam Houston Coliseum. But the team folded after just one year. By 1978 the league’s investors were out of hope and World Team Tennis went out of business that fall.
Early 80’s Re-Boot
Founder and frontwoman Billie Jean King helped re-launch a much more modest version of World Team Tennis in 1981. Rosters were reduced to four players (two men, two women) and the season scaled back to twelve matches over a three-week period each summer. Although a handful of teams continued to rent out giant buildings such as the Oakland Coliseum and Dallas’ Reunion Arena, most of the new generation owner did what Astro-Knots backer George Liddy did and set up shop at a country club
During the 1982 season the Astro-Knots four-person co-ed team consisted of John Austin, Rosalyn Fairbank, Bruce Nichols and Wendy White. John Austin is the brother of Tracy Austin, the teen superstar who held the World No. 1 ranking in 1980 at age 18. Billie Jean King’s long-time mixed doubles partner Owen Davidson of Australia served as the Astro-Knots coach.
Demise & Aftermath
The Astro-Knots returned for a second season in 1983, but vanished shortly thereafter. World Team Tennis returned to Houston in 2005 with the Houston Wranglers (2005-2007) who stayed for three seasons.
In Memoriam
Astro-Knots owner George Liddy passed away on March 21, 2007 at age 78.
Links
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