By Dan Messerschmidt

The summer of 1964 was a great one for me. At 13, my parents were allowing me more freedom and my brand-new copper tone Schwinn bicycle took me wherever I wanted to go.

During that year and several years subsequent, much of my time was spent at Aumiller Park. There was swimming, softball and basketball, but it was then that I and several of my school chums discovered tennis.

A gentleman named Sam Sabback was giving free lessons, which was music to our parents’ ears since none of us had our own money at the time. The only thing my dad had to invest in was a racquet and a can of tennis balls.

Little did we realize in those formative years what an icon Sam would become and what an impact he would have on the community and many of our lives.

When Sam passed on Monday, February 26, his loss was felt by literally thousands in Bucyrus and the surrounding area.

As my sketchy memory recalls, Sam was at the park three mornings per week about 10 a.m. and lessons lasted an hour. Sam would give individual instruction and then pair us up to play matches.

He patiently taught us the nuances of doubles, the scoring system, how to serve and the proper grip of the racquet. If not for Sam’s insistence, I would have probably spent my tennis career using the Western grip. Sam strongly preferred the Continental and Eastern grips.

Sam not only taught, he could play — and played well. If students wanted a demonstration of Sam’s instruction, they needed only go back to Aumiller on many evenings when he was playing with his cousin and another tennis legend, Gene Hunt, Tom Naftzger and other playing partners.

“He truly was (a great player),” said Naftzger, who began playing with Sabback in 1970. “His strongest suit was a great forehand, his go-to shot. He was steady and quick. And he was extremely competitive, despite his nature off the court. No doubt about it, he was a smart player.”

Naftzger described a man eminently qualified to give tennis lessons to novice teenagers. And giving of his knowledge and talents epitomized Julius Nicholas “Sam” Sabback as a person. Naftzger himself benefitted, as he coached Bucyrus tennis from 1988-98.

“He was a kind person,” Naftzger said. “He never had a lot of money, but he was very generous. I never saw him turn anyone down.”

Sam ran his candy store, originally located just west off the square next to the Weaver Hotel and later, on East Rensselaer Street, and he helped many file income taxes each year.

It was enough to support him, and he was available to the public, even when he was working. As Naftzger noted, many people were entertained at Sam’s store.

It was no coincidence that the tennis program at Bucyrus High School burst onto the scene in 1968 and flourished under the guidance of Jim Grandy. Sam Sabback created and maintained the feeder system of players for Grandy’s program.

The Redmen won the Northern Ohio League championship in their third year, the first of three straight NOL titles. The program had been resurrected after a nearly 30-year hiatus at the insistence of junior Randy Clady, a Sabback disciple and later playing partner.

It is no wonder that the courts at Bucyrus High School are named for Sam and the girls tennis team hosts the Sam Sabback Invitational each year. One of his female students, Sharon Kennedy Paul, went on to become a high school tennis coach at Milton-Union and was inducted into the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sam continued to play the sport he loved until about 10 years ago, according to Naftzger.

“He played his last tournament over in Ontario in 2008,” Naftzger said. “He took a big swing and went down. He thought he pulled a groin muscle, but he never had it checked by a doctor. Even after that, he continued to give lessons.”

Sam was a 1949 graduate of Bucyrus High School and was fiercely loyal to his alma mater. He was inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame in January 2017. Sam attended most home basketball games with his friend, Jack Hewitt, until his health no longer permitted it.

There are other stories as well, too many to recount in this column. Suffice to say Sam’s legacy will continue for years to come. Incidentally, I still have the old wooden racquet I used when Sam was giving me lessons. I’ll never get rid of it.

When they laid Sam to rest at Oakwood Cemetery, dozens were there, in the rain, to pay their respect and no doubt thousands more were there in spirit.

Sam, you will be missed.