Philadelphia, PA — Charles M. P. Brinton, a member of the Men’s College Squash Association Hall of Fame, passed away on June 12th at the age of 91. Rob Dinerman of the DailySquashReport.com first reported the story last week.
Brinton played college squash at Princeton University. As a junior and a senior, he captured the Pool Trophy (Individual Championship) in 1941 and 1942. In 1942, the Men’s College Squash Association began to recognize the school with the best dual match record as the national champion. Not surprisingly, Brinton, Princeton’s captain, helped the Tigers capture the best dual match record (6 – 0) and the the national championship in 1942.
In Squash: A History of the Game, James Zug writes of Brinton:
Brinton was the consummate stylist. He flowed across the court. He had perfect footwork, perfect strokes and a tiny twinkle in his eyes which were all but covered by his black bushy eyebrows that arched up like dusty Gothic vaults. When asking for a let, he would stop, raise his left index finger and smile wordlessly at the referee.
In his Winning Squash Racquets, Jack Barnaby, the legendary Harvard squash coach, wrote:
Charlie was the ideal champion. … A gentleman on and off the court, his fluid strokes and classy style of play were a joy to behold. ….Few players, if any, outthought him in the court. Competitors don’t come any tougher than Charlie Brinton.
Despite a hiatus due to World War II, he also won the U.S. National Championship four consecutive times (1941 – 1942 and 1946 – 1947). He also won the 1946 and 1948 U.S. National Doubles title with Don Strachan and Stan Pearson Jr., respectively.
In 1990, Briton was inducted into the first class of the Men’s College Squash Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the US Squash Hall of Fame in 2000.
