User:Dohn joe/Stephen Avoyer

Stephen Edgar Avoyer (born April 12, 1948) is an American commercial real estate agent and former tennis player from San Diego, California. Avoyer was U.S. Junior Boy's 18 singles champion in 1966, and a member of the NCAA championship-winning tennis teams of the University of Southern California in 1968 and 1969. Avoyer competed in several Grand Slam tournaments. In 2014, he was elected to the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame.

Junior career
Avoyer was born and raised in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego, where he started playing tennis at the Kona Kai Club. His early tennis coaches included Ben Press. In 1964, Avoyer swept the singles events in the Southern California Tennis Association. He won the singles titles at the Southern California Sectionals, and the National Hardcourt tournament in Burlingame, California, and advanced to the finals of the National Junior Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan in both singles and doubles. That year, Avoyer was the number one-ranked 16 and under player in the Southern California Tennis Association, and number two-ranked player nationally. He was also the second ranked doubles player, with Donald Lutz.

The following year, Avoyer was runner-up in the Boys' 18 Southern California Junior Sectional Championship, losing to future USC teammate Bob Lutz. He was also finalist to Lutz at the National Junior Championships in Kalamazoo, but won the National Hardcourt tournament in Burlingame. Avoyer was ranked the number two 18 and under singles player in the Southern California section, and number three in the U.S. He was awarded the Roland Brock Sportsmanship award in 1965 from Youth Tennis San Diego.

In 1966, Avoyer won the singles titles at the Southern California sectionals and the Burlingame hardcourt tournament, and won the doubles title with Jim Rombeau at the National Grass Court championship tournament. He was U.S. Junior Boy's 18 singles champion at Kalamazoo. That year, he was named captain of the United States Junior Davis Cup team, and helped the United States win the Junior Davis Cup International Sunshine Cup in Miami. He finished the year ranked as the number one junior player in Southern California and nationally.

Collegiate career
After graduating from Point Loma High School in 1966, Avoyer attended the University of Southern California on a tennis scholarship, earning a B.S. in real estate and finance in 1970. He was a three-time varsity letter winner at USC, was an honorable mention All-American in 1968, and earned All-American honors in 1969. Avoyer was a member of the 1968 and 1969 NCAA team champions at USC, competing as the number four singles player on the team, and on the number two doubles team with Bob Lutz. He lost in the fourth round of the 1969 NCAA singles tournament that year to Dan Bleckinger, who was competing for University of Utah. In the doubles tournament, Avoyer and USC teammate Lutz lost in the finals to fellow USC players Joaquin Loyo-Mayo and Marcello Lara. In 1970, Avoyer was voted captain of the USC varsity tennis team.

Tournament history
In 1966, Avoyer reached the semifinals of the Tulsa invitational tennis tournament. In 1967, Avoyer was named to the Reserve Davis Cup team. He reached the semifinals of two tournaments: Ojai Valley and the Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney. He also played overseas, reaching the second round of the Kent Championships, and competing in the International German Tennis Championship, and the Swedish international championship.

In 1968, Avoyer won the Santa Monica City Tournament and Texas Open, where he took both singles and doubles titles, and reached at least the quarterfinals of an additional two tournaments. Avoyer also won the mens singles title at the 1968 Annual La Jolla Championship Summer Tournament of the La Jolla Tennis Club. He reached the quarterfinals of the 1969 Balboa Bay Club Invitational, losing to Stan Smith.

Grand Slam competition
Avoyer competed three consecutive years (1965-1967) at the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hills, New York, the predecessor of the U.S. Open. His best result came in 1965, when he advanced to the second round, losing to Ron Holmberg. Avoyer also competed in qualifying for Wimbledon in 1967, reaching the second round.

Real estate career
After leaving competitive tennis, Avoyer worked for twelve years in the downtown San Diego office of Coldwell Banker - Commercial Real Estate Services (what is now CB Richard Ellis). In 1985, Avoyer founded Flocke and Avoyer with Jim Flocke, a fellow veteran of Coldwell Banker - Commercial Real Estate Services. Avoyer helped build the firm into one of San Diego's largest commercial real estate firms, with over $3.5 billion in completed sales and lease transactions. The firm is the exclusive agent for over 100 retail projects in San Diego, with additional clients in Riverside, Bakersfield, and Austin. Some of the more notable projects for which Flocke and Avoyer has served as leasing agent include Fenton Marketplace, Carmel Mountain Plaza, La Costa Town Square, and Sunroad Otay Plaza.

Miscellaneous
In 2014, Avoyer was elected to the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame.

Avoyer sits on the Scripps Health Foundation Gift Planning Advisory Board.

Avoyer finished fifth in his age group at the 2010 La Jolla half marathon.

Avoyer is the grandson of early aviation executive Edgar Gott.