Site Products

Seemiller – The American: Grand Rapids

Posted on

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”:

________________________________________________________

When I was at the 1972 US Open at Long Island Dell Sweeris invited me to Grand Rapids,Mi. to train with him for the summer.

He had coached me in a trip to England the previous year.
Dell became my coach for the next 5 years or so from the age of 18-23. Dell’s coaching and being able to play at his new full time TT club was critical in my development. Having a knowledgeable coach is a vital ingredient in becoming the best one can be. Thank you Dell and Connie. I stayed at their home the 1st couple of years until Todd was born. We even played on a summer softball team together.Great memories.
Photo: CNE Men’s Singles Final Awards

 

Latest News

Harimoto and Hayata Win in Frankfurt

November 9, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Germany's Patrick Franziska gave hope to Germany fans with his heroics, but ultimately… Read More

Playing Lefties

November 9, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame) The problem with playing lefties is two-fold:… Read More

Butterfly Players Hold Both World No. 1 Spots

November 7, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Butterfly has signed Wang Manyu of China, and the timing couldn't be better. Butterfly players… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Central Florida Table Tennis Club

November 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Located on South Orange Blossom Trail, just south of downtown Orlando, Central Florida Table Tennis… Read More

3 Germans and 3 Japanese reach Quarters in Frankfurt

November 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The top two seeds avoided early upsets as both Matsushima and Harimoto reach… Read More

Yu Di – Forehand Loop Timing

November 5, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Yu Di is demonstrating exact dynamics of the timing of… Read More

Shashin Shodhan Amicus Training Series – Forehand Flip

November 3, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Amicus Training Series, Shashin Shodhan In this Amicus Training Series, Shashin Shodhan is… Read More

Sunny Zhang Pan American Senior Table Tennis Championships

November 2, 2026
(by Coach Raymond (Zhaowei) Zhang) Seventeen-year-old Sunny Zhang of Three10 TTC represented Canada at the Pan American Senior… 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.