20 Things You Didn't Know About Stan Smith

He may have retired nearly 30 years ago, but that doesn't mean Smith can't still play tennis every once in a while. And rather than play in a brand-new shoe like the Barricade, he plays in the Stan Smith Millenium, a rarely seen update from the '90s.

USC is better known for their football (Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson, Ronnie Lott) and baseball (Fred Lynn, Tom Seaver, Mark McGwire) alum, but Smith was also a Trojan, as were fellow doubles masters Luke and Murphy Jensen.

At 34, Smith defeated 22-year-old South African Johan Kriek in Frankfurt. Kriek would go on to win back-to-back Australian Opens in 1981 and 1982.

Rod Laver's eponymous mesh tennis shoe may be every bit as revered as Stan Smith's (especially in its later "Super" form), but Smith owned the Aussie on the court when it counted. Sorry Rod, but at least you'll always have that DOOM lyric.

Back when Smith started (and right up to his retirement in the early '80s), the simplest tennis endorsement was a racket. Smith himself used a Jack Kramer racket-and oddly never got one of his own. Too late?

At 6'4", Smith often towered over his opponents. And, well, he was from Pasadena. Would have made for some interesting T-shirts.

Happily married for 40 years, this Stan has never seen the need to lock the former Marjory Gengler (a fantastic tennis player herself) in the trunk of his car. This should come as a relief to everyone.

You win 54 doubles titles, you're entitled to write a book on it. Hopefully the foreword of the book was just one word: "What?"

Smith retired from professional tennis in 1985, just before the money started getting crazy. He earned $1.775 million over the course of his career. To put that in perspective, Rafael Nadal received $2.6 million just for winning the 2013 U.S. Open.

Ashe and Smith were later teammates on adidas, but were still opponents on the court. Smith beat Ashe in four sets (the first went 14-12, Smith) in Melbourne, Australia to earn his first professional singles title. Smith actually defeated Ashe all three times they faced each other in final matches.

Hard to believe, but back in the mid '60s, it was still a canvas world. The Robert Haillet was the first leather tennis shoe, and the Pro Model (introduced the same year) was the first leather basketball shoe. Innovation at its best.

Must be nice to never age, huh? While the real Stan Smith actually does look younger than his 67 years, the face on the tongue of his sneaker is still that of his 1971 self. That's the easy way to take off 40 years.

Having not read Stan's book on winning doubles, we can only assume that one of the keys is finding the right partner. Clearly Lutz was the proper wingman for Smith, as they managed four U.S. Open across three decades.

Maybe he was better known for his doubles performances, but Smith was no slouch when it came to singles, either. He only appeared in three Grand Slam singles finals, but won twice-finishing as the runner-up to Australia's John Newcombe at Wimbledon in 1971. Two out of three ain't bad.

Is talent genetic? In part, probably. Then again, growing up with Stan Smith as your dad probably meant you hit the ball around quite a bit. Nature or nurture? We'll go with both.

Stan Smith's suggestions for the sneaker that bore his face and name were simple-more heel support, and stop the tongue from sliding around. That little tab on the tongue was a simple and elegant fix that is now nearly universal.

The Stan Smith was originally named for Robert Haillet, a French tennis great whose career was winding down. When he retired in 1971, the sneaker became the Stan Smith-in part to capture a bigger part of the American market.

Awkward? Perhaps. But at first, Robert Haillet's name was on the tongue while Stan Smith's name was still emblazoned on the sides. Whatever worked.

This isn't Michael Jordan not making the varsity as a sophomore, but it's doubtful that those Davis Cup organizers could have imagined Smith one day being the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world. Imagine that.