TERRE HAUTE —
A business welcoming its third generation home bounces up the street today, making for a special Father’s Day celebration in the house that Lawler built.
Ownership of Lawler Sports officially transferred last year from founder Rex to son Mike, and now as newly graduated grandson Scott joins the team, the family expects to keep a net on the racquet business for some time.
Last week the sign outside the brick building at 297 W. Honey Creek Drive read “Lawler Sports, Home of the String King.” This afternoon, on Father’s Day, it will find a new home at 901 S. 25th St. as the company moves to a new location across town. But the memories that line the walls by way of pictures and trophies remain in the same minds that brought them to life years ago.
“It goes back a ways,” Rex said inside the store on Honey Creek Drive, surrounded by memorabilia ready to move. “Twenty-plus years.”
Now a global operation with distribution from Canada to South Korea, Germany to Japan, Lawler Sports actually started in a basement, born as a hobby from Rex’s love of racquetball.
A 1960 graduate of Purdue University, Rex noted his degree was actually in agriculture and population genetics, one he earned while serving as a three-year cheerleader and member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
He worked in the poultry industry for a few years before opening Lawler Tire in Terre Haute, which he then sold upon getting a job with Anaconda Steel. But after 11 years there, he found himself the victim of corporate downsizing and moved to Pitman-Moore, where again he was let go in 1989 due to downsizing.
But along the way, Lawler had become quite the racquetball player, and a go-to guy of sorts for buddies needing equipment. Injuring his wrist while playing handball in his 30s, a friend offered him a sawed-off tennis racquet and suggested he pick up what was then a relatively new sport. Over the next few decades, he would go on to win the U.S. Nationals multiple times in both singles and doubles, traveling with the U.S. team while supplying gear he’d bought wholesale.
That wholesale business, an extension of the mail-order business he’d begun early on, remains a large component of the enterprise, which now services all racquet-based sports from ping-pong to pickleball.
“That’s actually our main business,” he said, distinguishing wholesale from the retail shop operated in town. About 10 years ago he developed a website, www.lawlersports.com, which enables him to market products around the globe.
Faced with his second job loss, Rex decided to make the sport his full-time career, working tournaments and pitching products. His name, which means “King” in Latin, became part of the marketing machine, as he was dubbed “The String King.”
“And it took off. So this is all I’ve been doing since then,” he said of the official full-time status maintained since 1989.
And Mike watched his father’s long, hard labor of love grow, from start to present.
A 1979 graduate of Terre Haute North Vigo High School and 1985 graduate of Indiana State University, Mike played racquetball in college while competing on the powerlifting team, racking up a 430-pound bench press at 190 pounds. Employed by Bemis after college, Mike decided to buy out his father in 2011.
“He’s still the boss,” Mike said of the company’s founder. “But officially, I took over the company May 1 of last year.”
The details of operating the business are considerably different than those observed while helping out over the years, he said, adding he still draws on his dad’s experience and doesn’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Rex noted that over the years, he’s stepped out of the way to let Mike handle events on his own. In a business built from the basement up, so many of the processes and protocol remain documented only in the head of the founder. But transferring that knowledge through experience has been part of the fun, they said.
“We all work pretty well together,” Mike said, adding he’s called upon his own son a number of times to help out at large events, carrying those lessons forward.
Scott graduated from Indiana University last month, earning a degree in telecommunications and Japanese. Someday, he’d like to design video games, but for now, he’s working full time with his father and grandfather, including managing their Internet business.
“Yeah, none of them went to Purdue,” Rex remarked of his kids and grandkids.
Scott retorted, “We knew better.”
Mike said the group works well together, and though Rex works hard to deny it, he’ll always be the boss.
Rex admitted he’d be a little lost without the work, but after having a knee replaced last month, he’s moved on to perfecting his pickleball game.
“It’s hard to get away from it when you’ve done it this long. I have to do something,” he said, noting pickleball is growing in popularity, particularly among senior citizens such as himself. “It’s a good sport you can still do and get some exercise.”
Like his father and grandfather, Scott said he hopes to bounce around a little career-wise before settling down, but there seemed little question that eventually, he’ll take over for Mike, perhaps adding yet another location to the family business.
In the meantime, Lawler Sports is celebrating a three-generation Father’s Day in its new store, still home of the “String King.”
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
News
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Teammates: Scott Lawler and his dad Mike play a game of pickleball Friday morning at Brittlebank Park.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis In business: Scott Lawler (right) is joining his dad, Mike, in the business built by his grandfather, Rex. The business moves today from its longtime home at 297 W. Honey Creek Drive to 901 S. 25th in Terre Haute.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis At work: Scott Lawler, a recent Indiana University graduate, restrings tennis rackets in the Lawler Sports Shop near the Wabash Valley Tennis Center bubble.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Family gathering: Mike Lawler and his son Scott play a game of pickle ball with Mike Effner and his son Jack at Brittlebank Park Friday morning. In the background Nancy Effner chats with Rex Lawler, Mike's dad.
Discussion
Terre Haute business moves into its third generation
- News
-
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down more than $10M
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” -
Boat trip aims to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia
In 2013, the Year of the River, it makes sense to link a grand adventure on the Wabash River with a good cause.
-
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Is it regulation that doesn’t make sense or evening the playing field?
I’m not much of a drinker, so I haven’t spent much time thinking about how Indiana’s alcohol laws personally impact me, but that changed last fall when my daughter got married.
-
For Piper: Annual ‘Rush the Punter’ event dedicated to Dixie Bee student who died Wednesday after a short illness
Steve Weatherford’s “Rush the Punter” fundraiser at Fairbanks Park on Saturday was dedicated to a little girl who lost her life unexpectedly to pneumonia.
-
Vigo schools prepare to tighten belts
State funding for the Vigo County School Corp. will remain “pretty flat” for the next two years, said Donna Wilson, chief financial officer.
-
Veterans take to the trees
Cristal Bednar took photos of her husband, Justin, as he laboriously climbed his way up a “Dangle-Duo” to get to a zipline at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Outdoor Center.
-
Property owner seeks halt to Hulman Lake dam project
A Terre Haute property owner is seeking an injunction that would at least temporarily halt the city’s work on the Hulman Lake dam project.
-
Tornado veterans balance preparedness, practicality
Few things in nature are less predictable than a tornado. They can form quickly. They strike weirdly, leveling one building while leaving its neighbor untouched. They can fling a car a half-mile and turn a piece of lumber into a wall-piercing missile.
-
ISU unveils interactive Bayh Family Legacy Wall at school
A who’s who of Indiana Democrats paid tribute to Evan Bayh and several generations of the Bayh family Friday during a dedication of a new interactive display at Indiana State University.
-
Can you smell me now?
A contraband cell phone has been discovered by the Vigo County Jail’s youngest and most unique officer.
-
GIVING BACK: Steve Weatherford buys shoes for kids day before charity run
Terre Haute’s Steve Weatherford, punter for the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants, showed once again his generosity Friday by donating new athletic shoes to more than two dozen Vigo County kids.
-
N.Y. Giants honor Weatherford as ‘Man of the Year’
Dan Tanoos, superintendent of Vigo County schools, remembers the first time he saw Steve Weatherford as a freshman at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
-
Sunday recital at The Woods
A recital featuring songs from well-known composers is at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
-
Police investigating rash of car window shootings
Terre Haute Police are investigating a rash of shootings that have shattered car windows throughout the city.
-
City hospitals get passing grades for patient safety
Two Terre Haute hospitals have been ranked for patient safety by an independent organization that assesses safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans.
-
Three from Operation Turn and Burn sentenced in federal court
Three co-conspirators in a Wabash Valley methamphetamine trafficking ring were sentenced this week to several years in federal prison.
-
Skateboarders, BMX bike riders working to improve area of city park they use
The sound of small wheels rolling across smooth concrete fills the air, accented by the clacking noise of a wooden skateboard coming to an instant stop on a metal edge before rolling on again.
-
Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
Build it… and they will come. The Missouri Valley Conference and Indiana State University made that famous line from the movie “Fields Of Dreams” reality Thursday.
-
Overlay recommended for 812 area code
The state agency that represents Hoosier utility customers is calling for a ten-digit solution to southern Indiana’s vanishing supply of 812 area code telephone numbers.
-
Elementary school saddened by student’s death
A 9-year-old Dixie Bee Elementary student died unexpectedly Wednesday evening as the result of pneumonia, said Vigo County Coroner Susan Amos on Thursday.
-
Vermillion CSX crossings undergoing maintenance
CSX maintenance crews are working on railroad crossings between Dana and Chrisman, Ill. this week and next, a CSX official said Thursday.
- More News Headlines
-
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
