Site Products
houshang

Seemiller – The American: Everyone Needs a Rival

Seemiller: The American

(by Steve Hopkins)

One of the most storied players in American table tennis history, Dan Seemiller.  He first qualified for the US Team in 1972, was the top ranked player in the country by 1974, won five US National Championships, and logged an amazing international record that at one point included completing two consecutive World Team Championships without losing a match.  Later in his career, he became a highly decorated and successful coach, a tournament promoter and director, an author, and he also served as President of USTTA.

The signature grip and style that bears his name is still referred to by many internationally as “the American grip”.  Seemiller is the quintessential “American” player – with emotion and grit and heart.

In February, as Dan was training for the Olympic Trials, he began posting memories to his Facebook page.  Over the next few weeks, we are going to share some of those photos and quotes in this series “Seemiller – The American”:

________________________________________________________

Everyone needs a rival to reach their best.  Eric Boggan did that for me and I him. We played in five US Nationals Finals. He stunned me in 1978 as a 15-year-old.  I got him back in 1982 with a huge comeback to win. Eric and I always got along both on the table and off.
Houshang was a fine coach.  He was always there and ready and informative with plenty of enthusiasm.  He always worried about his height. Notice he is on his toes in the photo below!  Houshang is in his 80s and lives just up the street from my daughter and grand kids in Longmont, Colorado near Denver.

Latest News

Racket Always Up

November 5, 2025
In and Out Footwork against random topspin with different amounts of spin: Robot plays random topspin balls to… Read More

MLTT Weekly Round-Up – We’re Heading To New York

November 5, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) WEEK 5 IN NEW YORK: Fresh match-ups and new storylines as the league… Read More

Product Validation – Outerforce ALC

November 3, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) Choosing the right equipment can be challenging — but confidence in what you play with… Read More

Ball Contact in Front of the Body

November 3, 2025
In and Out Footwork against random topspin with different amounts of spin: Robot plays random topspin balls to… Read More

Learn to Defend on Receive

November 3, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Many coaches, including myself for many years, encouraged up-and-coming players to return serves aggressively, even… Read More

Jonathan Pino – Falkenburg Variation

November 3, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Jonathan Pino is doing a variation of the Falkenburg drill… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: K Ping Pong Club

November 2, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) K Ping Pong Club is centrally located in the largest population center in North America. … Read More

Moregard and Yidi Win in Montpellier

November 2, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) After a week marked largely by upsets, the top remaining seeds took both… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.