Richard C. Peyton Jr.

1947 - 2025

Richard C Peyton, Jr.

March 12, 1947 - March 14, 2025

Richard C. Peyton, Jr. passed away on March 14, 2025. Richard ("Dickie" to many) was born on March 12, 1947. Richard had an extraordinary life, although he was not one to talk much about it.

Richard grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the son of Richard C. Peyton, Sr. and Carolyn Rogers Peyton. Richard has one sister, Valerie Peyton Horn.

Richard was an outstanding athlete, excelling at tennis, squash, skiing, swimming, diving, and just about any other sport he tried. It was tennis that would become the focus of his life.

Richard was a champion junior tennis player and was a member of the varsity tennis team at the University of South Carolina. After college, Richard became a tennis pro in Maui, Hawaii, first at the John Newcombe Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch and then at the Maui Hyatt. Richard spent seven years in Maui, and often remarked how much he loved his time in Maui.

Richard left Maui to coach Bill Scanlon on the professional tennis circuit. During his tenure as coach, Scanlon rose to a high ranking of Number 9 in the world, with wins over John McEnroe, including at the 1983 US Open.

Richard returned to his hometown, Richmond, in 1984. He was the co-founder of a sports marketing firm, based in Richmond, World Class, Inc., which, among other things, put on tennis exhibitions and tournaments throughout the country. Among the events Richard was instrumental in producing were tennis exhibition matches involving Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and senior tennis tournaments including Ken Rosewall and Roy Emerson. Richard also co-produced a pre-season NBA game in Columbia, S.C. in 1984 between the Philadelphia 76ers (then world champions) and the Denver Nuggets. The game featured many stars, including Dr. J, Moses Malone, and Charles Barkley (who was playing his very first game as a professional) and was played to a sold-out Carolina Coliseum. Richard also brought the popular Celebrity Golf Tournament to Richmond for several years in the 1990's.

In 2006, Richard was named head varsity tennis coach at St. Christopher's School in Richmond. In 2007, he was named head varsity coach at St. Catherine's School. For the next 18 years, Richard remained as head coach of both schools, with both of his teams winning numerous state titles. The St. Christopher's team has won 5 consecutive state titles, entering the 2025 season. Richard always said coaching at St. Christopher's and St. Catherine's was by far the best job he ever had because he got to mentor so many wonderful young women and young men. He also greatly enjoyed working side-by-side with his long-time assistant coach, Pontus Hiort.

Richard was fun-loving, optimistic, and always positive. He touched countless lives. He had many close friends, some of whom developed life-long relationships with him. He is survived by his sister, Valerie Horn, and his nephews, Austin R. Horn and Peyton C. Horn.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Richmond Tennis Association, benefitting junior tennis development in Richmond, Virginia through the Richard Peyton Memorial Tennis Fund. Contributions can be made to: Richmond Tennis Association (501(c)(3) organization), P.O. Box 17612, Richmond, Virginia 23226.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. at the St. Christopher's School Memorial Chapel, with a Celebration of Life to follow immediately thereafter at the school.