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 History of Ektelon Racquetball

Ektelon Milestones

1971 Ektelon introduces the Magnum, the state-of-the-art aluminum racquet of the early 70s.
 
1978 Ektelon unveils racquetball’s first hand-laid composite racquet, the 250G.
 
1980 Ektelon creates the CBK, the dominant high-performance racquet of the early 80s.
 
1984 Ektelon introduces the Contra, the first oversize racquet in the history of racquetball.
 
1986 Ektelon engineers the preeminent high-performance racquet of the late 80s, the Toron.
 
1989 In the Mirada, Ektelon premiers its exclusive Racquetball Taper System (RTS), a revolutionary racquet design technology.
 
1999 Ektelon introduces Triple Threat® technology to reduce arm shock and increase stability.
 
2002 MORE Performance™, the first racquet in history built using Ektelon’s revolutionary PowerLock™ construction.
  1964

Ektelon was founded by Franklin W. "Bud" Held, developing an aluminum tennis racquet and racquet stringing machine from his garage in San Diego, California.

  1970

Ektelon makes the first experimental racquetball racquet for Bud Muehleisen, a top competitorand one of the first legends of the sport. The racquet becomes a tremendous hit with tournament players. The company moves into a larger facility in San Diego to begin manufacturing racquetball racquets on a large scale.

  1971

Ektelon introduces the Magnum: the first high-strength aluminum alloy racquet.

  1978

Ektelon introduces the 250G: the first handlaid composite racquet.

  1980

Ektelon introduces the CBK with advanced carbon, boron and kevlar materials. One of the most powerful and revolutionary racquets of all time.

  1982

Ektelon player, Dave Peck, becomes the #1 Men's Pro Tour Champion.

  1984

Ektelon introduces the Contra racquet and MACRO Series: the first oversized aluminum racquets.

  1985

Ektelon signs three-time pro champion Mike Yellen to the richest contract in racquetball history for $1,000,000.

During the same year Ektelon Pro Lynn Adams completes the unprecedented feat of going undefeated for the entire year.

  1986

Ektelon introduces the Toron: the first oversize graphite racquet.

  1987

Ektelon pro Mike Yellen wins his fifth straight Professional Tour title.

  1988

Ruben Gonzalez became the oldest player to finish #1 on the men's tour.

  1989

Ektelon introduces the Mirada racquet with RTS; a revolutionary frame technology with a unique tapered design and advanced composite materials.

   

During the same year, Michelle Gillman-Gould, completes an undefeated grand slam season, capturing every major national and international title and being named Athlete of the Year.

  1991

Ektelon Pro Drew Kachtik named #1 player in the World

  1993

Ektelon introduces the Allusion: the first ultra-lightweight racquet that removes weight around the entire length of the frame.

  1994

Ektelon introduces Arc2®: a patented technology designed to add stiffness, stability, accuracy and control to racquetball racquets.

  1995

Ektelon develops Power Web: a revolutionary patented technology to dramatically change string bed to extend main string length to their longest point, improving racquet power by more than 25%.

  1999

Ektelon introduces Triple Threat® technology. Woven titanium, cooper and carbon are positioned in three critical locations of the new Deliverance racquet to reduce arm shock and increase stability.

  2000

Ektelon Pros Mike Guidry and Ruben Gonzalez win the Ektelon National Doubles Championships for the second time in three years.

  2002

Andy Roberts is inducted into the USRA Racquetball Hall of Fame.

Ektelon introduces MORE Performance™: the first racquet in history built using Ektelon's revolutionary PowerLock™ contruction, a unique patented molding technique requiring no drilling and no grommets.

  2003

Ektelon player Kane Waslenchuk becomes the #2 Men's Pro Tour Champion.

Ektelon introduces More Performance™ S Series racquets with Ektelon's Direct Contact™ Suspension System.