Site Products
houshang

Seemiller – The American: Everyone Needs a Rival

Seemiller: The American

(by Steve Hopkins)

One of the most storied players in American table tennis history, Dan Seemiller.  He first qualified for the US Team in 1972, was the top ranked player in the country by 1974, won five US National Championships, and logged an amazing international record that at one point included completing two consecutive World Team Championships without losing a match.  Later in his career, he became a highly decorated and successful coach, a tournament promoter and director, an author, and he also served as President of USTTA.

The signature grip and style that bears his name is still referred to by many internationally as “the American grip”.  Seemiller is the quintessential “American” player – with emotion and grit and heart.

In February, as Dan was training for the Olympic Trials, he began posting memories to his Facebook page.  Over the next few weeks, we are going to share some of those photos and quotes in this series “Seemiller – The American”:

________________________________________________________

Everyone needs a rival to reach their best.  Eric Boggan did that for me and I him. We played in five US Nationals Finals. He stunned me in 1978 as a 15-year-old.  I got him back in 1982 with a huge comeback to win. Eric and I always got along both on the table and off.
Houshang was a fine coach.  He was always there and ready and informative with plenty of enthusiasm.  He always worried about his height. Notice he is on his toes in the photo below!  Houshang is in his 80s and lives just up the street from my daughter and grand kids in Longmont, Colorado near Denver.

Latest News

Week 3 in Portland: Latest MLTT News

October 2, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) WEEK 3 PREVIEW OF MLTT IN PORTLAND MLTT returns this weekend to Portland,… Read More

China Smash Day 5: A Pair of Japanese Upset Wins

October 2, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Sora Matsushima and Yukiya Uda were both underdogs in the early (12:10 and 12:20) matches,… Read More

China Smash Day 4: Coton, Ionescu, Karlsson Reach Final 16

October 1, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Wang Chuqin and Felix Lebrun had narrow wins, but the top storylines in… Read More

Seven Medals For Puerto Rico At The Junior Pan American Games

September 30, 2025
(By Edgardo Vazquez) As a Butterfly America coach, I am very proud to share what we experienced at… Read More

Puerto Rico shines at the Rosario 2025 Pan American Youth Championships

September 30, 2025
(By Bowmar Sports/ Edgardo Vazquez) We are proud to share the participation of Puerto Rico’s youth delegation in… Read More

China Smash: Day 3 Action – Higher Seeds Press Forward

September 30, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Zhou Qihao and Yukiya Uda had wins over higher seeds, but most of… Read More

Focus the First Ball Attack on Spin

September 29, 2025
(By Bowmar Sports) Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays long backspin to middle/pocket, Jhon plays Forehand topspin to… Read More

Tip of the Week – Deliberate Practice in Table Tennis

September 29, 2025
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, www.tabletenniscoaching.com/blog If you are putting in hours and… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.