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HALL OF
Fame

GIG YOUNG

Stephen Johnson

Aside from that of the legendary Louis Jourdan, Gig Young developed a croquet form stance through swing unequaled in its beauty by any of his Hollywood peers. Nor could they match his dedication to the game, which included endless hours of practice at the Goldwyn course, to which he had become instantly addicted after being introduced to it by his friend and mentor William O. Harbach.

FULL BIO

Aside from that of the legendary Louis Jourdan, Gig Young developed a croquet form stance through swing unequaled in its beauty by any of his Hollywood peers. Nor could they match his dedication to the game, which included endless hours of practice at the Goldwyn course, to which he had become instantly addicted after being introduced to it by his friend and mentor William O. Harbach. "He could kill you at eighty feet," recalls Billy referring to Young's uncanny ability to hit any ball foolish enough to stray out onto the other end of a court. "You would simply say 'Oh my God, here he comes' and sit down for twenty minutes while Gig circled the court in one turn."

Gig never traveled without his leather-encased mallet and once carried it onstage of the Tonight Show where he stubbornly refused to talk to Johnny Carson about anything but croquet.

With it all, it was his marvelously even disposition which made him such a popular player both as a partner or as an opponent. He simply never lost his temper in a game hardly known for such restraint. Those of us who were privileged to play with him miss him a great deal for he was such a joy to watch take that flawless swing and ruefully smile as his ball magically and inevitably found its mark.

Gig Young was inducted into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame in 1980.

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