Toley remembered

George is one of the greatest people I met in umpteen years as a sportswriter. His USC men's tennis teams won 10 NCAA championships (one was shared with UCLA). HIs players, from young teens up to the likes of Stan Smith, won more than 400 national and international titles, including Wimbledon singles and doubles. That's not tournament titles, which are beyond counting. And not counting Davis Cup. In one USA-Mexico Davis Cup tie, both captains and most -- maybe all -- the players were former Trojans.
There are no coaches in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. George should be there, along with his players Dennis Ralston, Stan Smith, Alex Olmedo, Rafael Osuna.
He played with and against some of the greats: Bill Tilden, Bobby Riggs, Bitsy Grant, Jack Kramer. He came very close to making the U.S. top 10 when he was a player. He and Riggs were perhaps the first players ever to play in shorts rather than long pants at the L.A. Tennis Club.
He grew up in L.A. but started in college at Miami (Fla.). Transferred to USC because one of his parents fell ill. Went to MIami at first to (a) improve his clay-court game, and (b) be with pal Gardnar Mulloy, an all-time great player who was running the Hurricanes' tennis program. He was best man at Mulloy's wedding.
After leaving USC, he traveled the world as Raul Ramirez' coach for two years.
L.A. Tennis Club was mecca for great players when he was head pro there for many years.
Could coach all kinds and all ages. Singer Ricky Nelson, who was a good junior. Ralston came into SC already as a worldl-class player; Toley taught him strategy and doubles. Osuna came in awfully raw; Toley rebuilt his game from the ground up, kept him from going to Wimbledon early in Rafe's college career, insisted that Rafe stay at home and work on the ball machine, etc. It worked.