TOM FLURI

Tom Fluri didn't have a fast serve. He had a bullet. He won a St. Louis fast-serve contest and qualified for the National Fast-Serve Tournament at Forest Hills, where he lost to Colin Dibley, an ATP tour powerhouse whose serve was clocked at 139 miles per hour. 

At McCluer High School he won two state doubles championships, including one with his brother Gene. He transferred from Kentucky to the University of Missouri, where he broke Gene's record for career wins. He reached the Big Eight Conference singles final twice, and together they captured the Big Eight doubles title. 

When he came home, Gene was waiting on the court. 

They claimed an ATA doubles title and Muny and District championships. Tom earned a No. 1 Muny singles ranking of his own. He beat Juan Farrow in the final of the KTVI Invitational and drove home in a brand new AMC Pacer. Then he and Gene beat friendly rivals Bill Heinbecker and Jerry Johnson for bragging rights as the city's best doubles team. 

Then there was the All-Racquets Tournament, a St. Louis competition that spread across tennis and five other racquet sports. It ran for four years. Gene and Tom won all four. 

(2013)