LOS ANGELES – Vic Braden, a tennis player in the late 1940s and early '50s who became one of the nation's top tennis teaching professionals, has died from complications of congestive heart failure. He was 85.
Braden died Monday at his home in the Orange County city of Trabuco Canyon, according to his wife, Melody Braden.
Braden was a 1951 graduate of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, where he was captain of the tennis team and later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame.
Braden turned pro after college at a time when there were only a few professional tournaments. He eventually joined Jack Kramer on Kramer's fledgling pro tour. Among those Braden played with were Jimmy Evert, the father of Hall of Famer Chris Evert, and George Richey, the father of future pros Cliff and Nancy Richey.