Heather McKay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heather Pamela McKay (nee Blundell) (born July 31, 1941) is a retired Australian squash player, who is considered by most commentators to be the greatest female player in the history of the sport. She dominated the women's game in the 1960s and 1970s, winning 16 consecutive British Open titles between 1962 and 1977, and capturing the inaugural women's World Open title in 1979, whilst remaining undefeated during that period.
Contents |
[edit] Career
McKay was born in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, and later based herself in Melbourne, which would in future years produce the squash World Open winners Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Carol Owens. She won her first British Open in 1962 and then won it again each year for the next 15 years, losing only two games in that time. She usually won her finals matches comfortably including the 1967 championship, where she beat her compatriot Bev Johnson 27-0. She also won the Australian Women's Squash Championships for 14 consecutive years.
When she retired in 1981 at the age of 40, she had gone nearly 20 years with only two defeats to her name, a record that is unlikely to ever be broken.
Heather also proved to be a talent in other sports, including field hockey, representing the Australian Women's Hockey Team in 1967 and 1971. She was also USA Women's Professional Racquetball Champion four times, in 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1984.
[edit] After Retirement
Heather was awarded the MBE in 1969 and the Member of the Order of Australia in 1979. She was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
McKay wrote a book - Heather McKay's Complete Book of Squash which was released in 1979. Staying active in squash, she was named coach of the Australian Institute of Sport, Squash Division in 1985. In 1999 she was one of the founder members of the WISPA Hall of Fame, of which she herself was one of the first to be inducted.
McKay was featured on the front cover of the 2006 Sensis White Pages® for the Canberra, Queanbeyan and Yass regions.[1]
