Donald Clark Paup (April 2, 1939 – August 7, 2012) was an American badminton player who won national and international titles from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.[1][2] Primarily a doubles specialist, he was known for his quick racket and tactical astuteness. He was ranked first in U.S. men's doubles for twelve consecutive seasons (1965–1976); all but the last of these in a partnership with fellow left-hander Jim Poole which was consistently competitive at the world class level. Paup and Poole reached the finals of men's doubles at the U.S. Open Championships five times, winning twice, and were undefeated in all five of the closed national championships in which they competed as a team.[3] Paup was a member of all U.S. Thomas Cup teams between 1963 and 1973.[1] He was elected to the U.S. Badminton Hall of Fame, now called the Walk of Fame, in 1973.[4]

He refereed for badminton in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[2]

He died in 2012 after struggling for a number of years with Parkinson's disease.[5]

Major Achievements in Badminton

Tournament Event Year
U.S. Open Men's Doubles 1968, 1973
U.S. Championships Men's Doubles 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982
Mixed Doubles 1971
Mexican Open Men's Doubles 1965
South African Open Men's Doubles 1971

References

  1. ^ a b "Paup". Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  2. ^ a b "Donald C. Paup, professor, badminton champ". The Washington Post. August 17, 2012.
  3. ^ Don Rittmann, "The 'All-Time' Thomas Cup Team," Badminton USA, February, 1983: 8.
  4. ^ "USA Badminton - Walk of Fame Inductees". USA Badminton. teamusa.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  5. ^ "DONALD PAUP Obituary (2012) - Washington, DC - The Washington Post".
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