Glenn Cripe, Millennium Hall of Fame

With a special twist for doubles, Glenn Cripe won every major

championship possible, injured his back, then put a new spin on his

career.

Cripe, a former Newport Harbor High and UCI standout, developed back

problems during his collegiate tennis career and his pain was relieved by

upper cervical techniques, the same methods he uses today as a successful

Newport Beach chiropractor.

“It’s all referral, all word of mouth,” Cripe said of his business. “I

try to make sure I give my patients the best corrections I can. It’s been

a nice way to make a living, especially with this specialty in NUCCA

(National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association).

“So I guess you could say I specialize in doubles and specialize in

chiropractic.”

Considered one of the best doubles players in Newport-Mesa School

District history, Cripe was part of Coach Pat Wilson’s dominating Sailor

teams of the late 1960s and early 70s.

Cripe played No. 1 doubles with Dave Plumb his freshman year in 1967,

when Newport Harbor captured its first CIF Southern Section title -- the

school’s initial CIF championship in any sport (water polo won its first

of 10 CIF titles in the fall of ‘67).

It was the beginning of a long string of championships for Cripe, who

won three different titles at the prestigious Ojai Valley Tennis

Championship, a CIF doubles championship with Robbie Cunningham in 1970

and an NCAA Division II doubles title with Bob Chappel in 1973 as a UCI

junior.

A four-time NCAA Division II All-American, Cripe was a four-year

varsity letter winner at Newport Harbor, which reached the CIF finals

every year with Cripe and won section banners his freshman and senior

years.

“Pat Wilson was the perfect coach for our team,” Cripe said. “We had

so much talent and he kept everyone together. He was very, very good for

our high school.”

In the 1970 CIF doubles final, Cripe and Cunningham defeated Mike

Dietrich and Timothy Margolin of Beverly Hills in convincing fashion,

6-2, 6-4, becoming the first players from the district to win a CIF

individual tennis title.

Growing up, Cripe was tremendously influenced by the late Myron

McNamara, who would later become his coach at UCI. “Myron was like my

second father,” Cripe said.

Once ranked No. 2 in the nation in doubles in the 18s with John

Andrews, Cripe grew up playing doubles with his father, Hugh, and his

buddies at the Lido Isle men’s tennis club.

“They were all ‘A’ players,” said Cripe, who was also ranked 22nd in

the nation in singles in the 18s. “They let me play with them, and I

played a lot of doubles with them. I had to keep up with the ‘A’ players,

so I just had to pick it up.”

A member of the Palisades Tennis Club, Cripe won Ojai with Cunningham

in the 16s, he won again with Bill Hart in the 18s, then claimed a third

Ojai championship with Greg Jablonski at UCI. “Ojai was a very good

tournament for me,” said Cripe, a team captain in high school and

college.

Cripe, who also reached the NCAA Division II title match in 1974 but

lost with UCI partner Scott Carnahan, is involved with UCI today through

its booster program, serving as chairman of the Myron McNamara Golf

Classic at Los Serranos Golf Course in Chino Hills Nov. 8.

When Cripe developed back pain during his last two years at UCI, he

was sold on the upper cervical techniques and got into chiropractic

medicine after graduation.

In addition to his father, Cripe said his mother, Marian, was

extremely supportive of his tennis growing up, which provided him with

boosts to keep him going.

Cripe, whose family moved from Los Angeles to Newport Beach when he

was 8, also attended Newport Elementary and Ensign Junior High.

Though Cripe still enjoys playing, his time on the hard courts has

been limited since the birth of his 2-year-old son, Jackson.

Now 47, Cripe lives in Newport Beach with his wife, Kim, and two

stepsons, Jeff and Scott.

He is the latest member selected to the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, celebrating the millennium.