Tournament History

The Chris Thomas Memorial Tennis Tournament once was an annual event held each summer at Salisbury University. The tournament was a tribute to its namesake, Chris Thomas, who died of cancer in 1982. Money raised through the tournament originally benefited cancer care at Peninsula General Hospital Medical Center.

Christopher Charles Thomas grew up in southern New Jersey and in Salisbury. A natural athlete, Chris excelled in many sports with little effort. He graduated from Salisbury University, having played on the college tennis team for several years. In 1980 Chris became associated with Peter Burwash International, a tennis professional placement service. Chris worked as a teaching pro first in Hawaii and later in Guam. In May, 1981, Chris returned to Salisbury to face a year long battle with cancer. He died at home on June 15, 1982. He was twenty-seven years old.

Shortly before Chris’s death the Chris Thomas Challenge Fund was created by William F. Riordan, a friend of Chris. Riordan offered a pledge of $100,000 to Peninsula General’s Radiation Oncology Unit if the community would collectively match his contribution. Responses throughout the Delmarva Peninsula was tremendous. Contributions poured into the hospital from individuals, corporations, school classes, and non-profit organizations. When the final tally was made, more than $300,000 was raised, including Riordan’s challenge contribution.

The first Chris Thomas Tennis Tournament held in 1982 was a local sixteen team doubles draw. The winners, Bob and Ray Still, a father and son team, received $50 and a bottle of champagne.

The second tournament held two years later in 1984 began to take it’s current form. Spearheaded by Bill Riordan, family, and friends, the tournament was able to offer $2500 purse through the sponsorship of First National Bank of Maryland and McDonald’s of Salisbury. A strong regional field of players competed. Junie Chatman of Richmond, Virginia, who played number one at the University of North Carolina, won the singles title over ATP touring pro, Steve Tourodo of Bernardsville, New Jersey. Baltimoreans John Rolph and John Zahurak won doubles. More than $5,000 was raised for the hospital that year from the tournament.

The tournament grew dramatically in the next few years. Corporate sponsorships and prize money increased steadily. Stronger and stronger players arrived in Salisbury each August to play a tournament that was gaining popularity with them also. Names of world ranked players began appearing in the lists of seeds and numerous foreign countries were represented in the draws. Proceeds from the tournament in those intervening years exceeded $80,000.00 and were all earmarked for cancer care at the hospital.

Major renovations of the Salisbury University tennis courts prevented the tournament from being held in the summer of 1989. But the tournament was back in 1990 and some breathtaking tennis was played on the Salisbury University courts once again.

In 1990 Ed Nagel entered the record books by winning both the singles and doubles titles. The Michigan native outlasted George Zink in a marathon final - in a pair of tennis shoes borrowed from a spectator no less! He had teamed with Scott Smith the day before to win the doubles event. The following year saw Richard Matuszewski of Lutz, Florida, walk away with the singles trophy. We note with pride that Richard reached the round of sixteen at Wimbledon this year before losing to Stefan Edberg. The 1992 final was an international affair with Patricio Arnold of Argentina defeating Oren Motevassel of Israel. Californian Eric Amend was the doubles winner for the second straight year. Fellow Californian Pat Crow accompanied Amend to the winners circle in ’92. Mark Avedikian of Atlanta, Georgia, was Amend’s partner in ’91.

After a bit of a break from 1995 to 2003, several committee members from the Chris Thomas Memorial Tournament joined with the family of Jack Purnell along with local teaching pro, Chris Robbins to once again establish professional tennis in Salisbury. The Jack Purnell-Chris Thomas Memorial Tennis Tournament was revived in 2004 at the Salisbury University Tennis Center. The $25,000 purse was the largest to that date with all funds raised by the tournament benefiting Coastal Hospice. This year's prize money increased to $30,000.

Jack Purnell, born in Salisbury in 1929, was a lifelong devotee of athletics, although he began his tennis career relatively late in life. Starting in his forties, inspired by many of the area’s young players, such as Chris Thomas, Jack quickly established himself as a tremendous competitor. He usually opted to play with many who were several years his junior, such as his Friday night group of Chris’ brother, Ed Thomas, Tom Monahan and Joe Grasso. Jack was also a state seniors doubles champion with his friend Jack Smith. Jack was still playing tennis two months before his untimely death due to cancer in July, 2002.

In high school and at the University of Maryland Jack played three sports: basketball, baseball and football. He was in major league baseball in the early 1950’s, first as the youngest general manager of a farm club for the Cincinnati Reds, and then in the public relations office of the National Baseball League. When he returned to Salisbury to enter the family jewelry business, Kuhn’s, he coached Little League baseball for many years. He was also an avid golfer all of his adult life. But is was tennis that gave him the kind of fast-paced competition he loved.

The commonality between Chris Thomas and Jack Purnell was not only their love for the sport of tennis, but unfortunately, the devastating experience of cancer. Ironically, as one of his many community leadership roles, Jack was a founding board member of Coastal Hospice, whose services he benefited from in the last weeks of his life. We know that Jack would be deeply honored to see the revival of the Chris Thomas Tennis Tournament, which he had been involved with throughout its thirteen year run, and to have his name associated with bringing professional tennis back to Salisbury, all for the benefit of Coastal Hospice.

Chris and Jack would be proud.