The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BACK in his heyday, Peter Isaacs was known as what we call today a multi-talented sports athlete.

But back in those days, Isaacs didn’t have any choice because athletes were accustomed to competing in more than one sport. The only difference is the fact that you named the sport and Isaacs was one of the top athletes during his era in not just one, but every discipline he competed in.

Born August 25, 1936, Isaacs can only look back at his career and marvel at the way things have changed and how the athletes don’t have the opportunity to compete in as many sports as he and others did back then. He suited up to play baseball, softball, cricket, tennis, darts, rugby, soccer, golf, squash and basketball, the latter he quit after playing his first game and getting into a fight.

“I was born quite a while ago. I’m 79 now,” Isaacs wittingly quipped. “I want to let people know what I used to do and hopefully I can leave a legacy for them to remember me. Being 79, I’m not sure how much longer I will be here. But this has been my life. Sports is all I know. Even anytime I get a chance to go away, I always find myself at some sporting event. I just can’t help it.”

When you look at his résumé, you would understand why.

Over the years, Isaacs has been credited with bowling 10 wickets in one inning in a cricket match; was a most valuable player in baseball; batting average in softball for two years straight; he and his brother won the darts title and the list goes on and on. He said he found himself getting involved in so many sports because he didn’t have anything else to do.

Despite all that he was able to achieve, Isaacs admitted that it didn’t come without any disappointments.

“It seemed like I was always sick. I spent a lot of time in the hospital with any flu you could name and at one point, I had to learn how to walk all over again,” he recalled. “I just didn’t want to stop walking or running. So I just kept going and going and going, mostly playing sports.”

Believe it or not, Isaacs had a chance to try out for the New York Mets during a visit to New York. Unfortunately, it was a one shot attempt on a one-day visit, but that didn’t work out in his favour. Even though he was a second baseman, when he went to the camp, it seemed as if everybody was trying out for that position, so he moved behind the plate to try out as a catcher.

“After catching for so long that day, when I got back home, it took me two days to recover,” reflected Isaacs, who was 21 at the time. “I didn’t think I was that good at the time. They wanted to see if I was that good, but I knew I wasn’t quite ready, so I wasn’t disappointed at all. I was away with my sister with an aunt in New York, so since the opportunity came, I took advantage of it.”

Many of Isaacs’ exploits were not recorded in the almanac of The Tribune or the Nassau Guardian, as it was with some of the other athletes who played during his era. But ask anybody about the name Peter Isaacs and many would tell you that he was a “humble, talented athlete, who let his performance do all the talking.”

In addition to those mentioned already, Isaacs became a household name on the tennis court. Today, he is still remembered for his accomplishments whether he’s at the National Tennis Centre or the Gym Tennis Club where he spends the majority of his time during the day.

“I enjoyed the sport so much that I can’t find myself not being around it,” Isaacs said.

When compared to the days of yester-year when he participated to now-a-days when he’s mostly on the sidelines as a spectator, Isaacs said there’s a vast difference.

“Back then when we played, there was more camaradarie between the players,” he said. “Today, as I try to play to keep myself in shape, I’ve noticed that the players are not as committed and dedicated as we were. They have a lot more distraction than we had back then.”

Although he now only plays tennis occasionally, Isaacs said the tennis club is like his home away from home. He takes the time to sit around when nothing is going on to read the newspapers and to catch up on the latest news.

When asked if he had one wish for sports, what would it be?

Isaacs quickly pointed out that he would like to see “one sporting association that cover all of the sports because we have situations where this sport doesn’t know what the next sport is doing. If they had just one association covering everybody, it will make a world of a difference.”