Cliff Swain
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | March 21, 1966 |
| Residence | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Racquetball |
| College team | Providence College |
| Turned pro | 1985 |
| Now coaching | Maria Jose Vargas, Coby Iwaasa, Dane Elkins |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Highest world ranking | 1 (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 & 2002) |
Cliff Swain at the 2015 US Open Championships
Cliff Swain (born March 21, 1966) is a professional racquetball player and coach from Boston, Massachusetts. Known for his dominant drive serve and on-court intensity, Swain finished as the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) six times -- in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2002. He won US Open Championships in 1997 and 2001, and was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2003. A legendary figure in racquetball for over 3 decades, Swain still plays professionally and is quickly becoming a sought-after professional coach as well.
Swain was introduced to racquetball when he was 13 years old by his father, Robert "Red" Swain, who was a competitive handball player. Swain was naturally talented and quickly picked up the game, soon winning the Massachusetts State and New England Regional Junior Racquetball Championships. He won the US Junior National 16 and Under Racquetball Championship in 1983, and the Orange Bowl World 18 and Under Junior Racquetball Championship in 1984. Swain also played on the racquetball team at Providence College in 1984 before turning professional.
Swain began his career as a professional racquetball player in 1985. It was a busy year. He won his first professional title at the Tulsa Open, and his first professional National title at the Ektelon National Championships, where he consecutively beat racquetball legends, Marty Hogan, Dave Peck, and Greg Peck. Swain was aptly named the Professional Racquetball Rookie of the Year in 1985, and remained one of the top ten professional racquetball players until 1990.
In 1990, at the age of 24 and when he was ranked #1, Swain left racquetball to pursue a career in tennis at the encouragement of Ion Tiriac. Swain spent two years on the tennis circuit and had some success, although not nearly at the level he had experienced in racquetball. Swain reclaimed the #1 ranking when he returned to racquetball the following season.
Swain ended the IRT season as the #1 ranked player 6 times: in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2002. He won the US Open Racquetball Championships 2 times, in 1997 and 2001. Swain was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2003.
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