Former Princeton Captain Arif Sarfraz Dies At Age 60 By Rob Dinerman Dateline May 26th---
DailySquashReport.com is sad to report that former Princeton captain
Arif Sarfraz, 60, who had been waging a private seven-year battle with
bone cancer, died this past Friday in London, where he had been living
for the past 20 years.
Sarfraz was a three-year
varsity squash team letterman at the Phillips Exeter Academy, where as
a senior he won the 1972 New England Interschols, defeating Bill
Strong of Middlesex in the final. He was also on the varsity soccer and
lacrosse teams at Exeter. He then played No. 2 as a freshman at
Princeton, eventually ascending to the No. 1 position of the 1974-75
team that won the Ivy League and National Championship, going
undefeated in dual-meet play and reaching the semifinals of the
Intercollegiates. The following year, Sarfraz captained the Tigers and
played a major role in the postseason Six-Man title that they won in
Williamstown. He won a number of close matches all four years in 5-4
Princeton victories at a time when there were several contenders in a
hectic Ivy League.
After attending the
Wharton Business School at Penn in the late-1970's, Sarfraz moved to
New York and competed in the A League and in amateur tournament play,
winning the John Jacobs Invitational in 1982 and winning the New York
amateur championship several times. He later endured several knee
operations before having to retire from tournament competition and
moving to London. He was one of the most popular and well-respected
players in Princeton squash history and he will be sorely missed by his
former teammates and a legion of friends across the globe.
