Stanley D.Woodworth Sportsmanship Award

1990 David Body

1991 George L. Morfitt

1992 John W. Sweet

1993 Marjin Wall

1994 Richard Daly

1995 John Moore

1996 Tom Wrightson

1997 Brian Covernton

1998 Alan Fox

1999 John Lau

2000 Peter Gaynor

2001 Rod Symington

2002 Terry Eagle

2003 Gary Johnson

2004 Hugh LaBossier

2005 Michael Jackson

2006 Purdy C. Jordan

2022 John Dewis

2023 Charles “Chuck” Williams 

In 1948, Stan Woodworth began his tenure at Cate School and taught there for 40 years until his retirement in 1988. He became a man for all seasons, spoke eight languages, a prolific reader, wildly intelligent, was a sought-after teacher, and an active sportsman. 

Stan, who played both squash and baseball at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut, coached Cate's baseball team for 40 years and the school's squash team for 34 years before fellow faculty member Terry Eagle assumed the coaching duties in 1984.

The two North American hardball singles courts at Cate, constructed in 1937 were rarely used (a travesty IMO). Upon his arrival in 1948. Stan discovered them being used for band practice rooms.

He also saw fit to establish a team that traveled to compete against other clubs on the west coast.

As a result, Stan became known as the father of Southern California squash.  

In 1956, he inaugurated the Cate Invitational Squash Tournament that included a spot on the entry form stating that professionals were allowed to play. The Bay Area's Alex Eichmann won the very first Open division tournament and received a check for $25, which he framed and had In his office at the Squash Club of San Francisco. 

Over the years, the tournament grew in popularity, so much so that in the 70's and 80's (attempting to manage the demand) a waiting list was established after the first 80 racquets were received.

The Olympic Club in San Francisco would regularly send a traveling team of 6 to 10 players to play at Cate and periodically the nascent U.C. Berkley Squash team would also send a contingent. 

One of Terry's duties, besides being assistant tournament director and Stan’s go-fer, was to sneak the Berkeley undergraduates into the student's dormitories bunking in with members of the Cate School Squash team. That is when I was first introduced to and met fellow Californian standout squash player John Lau.   

Matches started at 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon and went until 10 at night. On Saturday, the tournament broke for dinner from 5 to 7, and afterwards all of the semi finals were played followed by a postmortem party at the headmaster‘s house.

On Sunday morning, the tournament's finals were played followed by the awards ceremony luncheon at Betty and Stan Woodworth’s home in full view of the glorious Pacific Ocean.

In 1982 when Stan went on a well-deserved sabbatical, Eagle took over running the tournament, which has continued uninterrupted until this present day.

Tragically, Woodworth died unexpectedly less than six months after his retirement.

In 1990, U.S. Squash created the Stanley D. Woodworth Sportsmanship Award to honor Stan and to recognize exceptional sportsmanship demonstrated by West Coast squash players.

Terry Eagle

******