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”:
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This photo is from 1979 in Pyongyang, North Korea with David Philip. David was the Collegiate champion in 1972. In the Eastern trials I defeated him 21-19 in the 3rd to qualify for the 8th spot in the East. 6 Months later in Chicago, after training with Dell Sweeris all summer, I won the U.S. trials. If I had not won that match versus David my career would have been completely different.
North Korea was an unforgettable experience and not of the good memories kind.
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