Talbott bros. raise Yale squash to higher level

JULIA TIERNAN/YH JUST THE TWO OF US: Yale men's and women's squash coaches, brothers David (l) and Mark Talbott.

After school, David Talbott would already be sitting in his car waiting for his younger brother, Mark. The trip from Mark's school in Baltimore to the Naval Academy in Annapolis would take about 30 minutes. The two were regulars there. But while most of the Midshipmen on the squash team had heard of David, who was just beginning to blossom as a professional, many didn't know what to make of his kid brother...or whatever he was.

"They weren't sure if he was a boy or girl," David recalled. "They would just line up, and Mark would beat them one by one." Mark--short, skinny, and sporting long hair--was just a shy ninth grader. Still, David says, "Everyone knew then he was going to be the next great player of his generation."

They are two brothers separated by eight years, brought together by the love of a sport--and they are now coaches of the Yale men's and women's squash teams. The elder Talbott has coached the men's team for the past 16 seasons. He has guided the Bulldogs to two national titles, compiling a remarkable 190-48 record during that span. The team this year is off to a 10-1 start. Its only loss was to the country's No. 1 team, Trinity, a squad that Talbott calls "the best team I've ever seen. Period." Yale's Sat., Feb. 6, showdown with Princeton could decide the Ivy League title.

Meanwhile, in the '80s, while David was beginning to build the Bulldogs into a national power, Mark was establishing himself as "the next great player of his generation." His achievements are astonishing--he was the country's top-ranked squash player for 12 seasons, captained the first U.S. team to compete in the Pan Am Games in 1995, is a three-time Olympic Athlete of the Year, and has won 170 professional tournaments. He also founded the Talbott Squash Academy in Rhode Island, the premier junior training facility in the nation. And just last fall, he moved into the office next to David's.

"We wanted to find a coach that would take the program to the next level," Athletic Director Tom Beckett said. "[Mark] Talbott understands the game so well and has great respect from the squash community." The women's squad is off to a fine start; despite a 7-2 loss to Dartmouth on Wed., Jan. 27, the Bulldogs are 7-3. "When the women's job opened up, I told Mark that it was the right time for him to get a job, since he hadn't had one all his life," David said. Yale was an attractive option--with the gym's recent renovations, the squash facilities are among the best in the world.

"He's a great coach," women's captain Carla Shen, TC '99, said of the younger Talbott. "He's got such a friendly and open personality. He's such a nice guy. Wherever we go, he knows the other coach. If he's not friends with them, they know who he is." Shen also noted the brothers' camaraderie. "There's a lot of joking around," she laughed. "It provides entertainment."

The brothers share many similarities that go beyond squash. Both are easygoing and talkative, and they share an identical goofy laugh. They don't take themselves too seriously, either: in numerous tournament matches when they faced each other, the two would emerged in outrageous attire. In a Thanksgiving match in the Boston Open, the two dressed up as Pilgrims.

With their offices so close to each other, the two inevitably see each other "all the time," according to David. Still, Mark joked that his brother does give him a hard time. "He avoids me," he said. "He only talks to me when he wants me to buy him lunch."

"He's the one always asking for money," David retorted. "I lived with him enough, though, to know that he has enough." In the early '80s, Mark followed Dave to Detroit to pursue professional squash. Both brothers were successful, but it was Mark's career that skyrocketed. "While me and the other guys had to teach as well as play tournaments, Mark made enough money on earnings to support himself," David said.

David would eventually be ranked as high as 12th in North America. On the wall in his office is a photo from a title he won in 1983. To win the championship, he had to get by his brother--and that was the last time David beat Mark. "He started beating me after high school," David said. "He just dominated the sport."

The two grew up in a house in Dayton, Ohio that their grandfather Nelson, Class of 1915, built complete with a squash court. "Our mom use to stick us down there, and we'd just stay for hours," Mark said. The Yale tradition has run in the Talbott family for generations. Nelson was captain of the football team back in 1914. Mark and David's father Doug, PC '47, swam for the Bulldogs.

To the man who brought the brothers back, it was meant to be. "There are many connections with the Talbott family here at Yale," Beckett said. "It's a natural connection."

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