John Britton

National Records:

US National Doubles Champion 1978, ‘81, ‘83, & ‘85

US National Mixed Doubles Champion 1984

8 Thomas Cup teams 1970-90 (2 in Scotland)

International Records:

40-international matches representing US;

20-international matches for Scotland

2 times Scottish Open Men's Doubles champion (1-Scotland & 1-USA)

Presented by Traci Britton:

John graduated with honors from S.S. P. E. Scotland. He graduated with a B.A and M.A. from CSU, Dominguez Hills, CA. Currently he is a teacher and coach at El Camino College in California. He is the varsity men's and women's soccer coach, and the head women's badminton coach. In 2001, John was inducted into the El Camino College Athletic "Hall of Fame" as the all-time leading soccer goal scorer.

John Britton began playing badminton when he was 10 years old in Scotland and proceeded to get hammered in his first tournament. He said,  "I didn't even know how to keep score properly, but I do know the boy who beat me lost in the finals as he was from the same club."  Nobody wanted to play doubles with him because he was too young and couldn't smash.  "My mother was my coach and mentor. She was the best player of her era and dragged me along to her various badminton clubs.  When I was very young, I often harassed club members who were not on the court to hit with me in the hallway, and later fall asleep waiting for my mother."  Both parents encouraged John to play sports and didn't make him specialize in any particular sport.

John loved all sports and took to them easily. He was a Scottish junior tennis champion, played water polo for Portobello A.S.C. when he won several Scottish national titles, and later, while a student, he was selected for the British Colleges team.  He played rugby at the national level in Scotland and continues to play in California for Santa Monica R.F.C. The highlight of his rugby career was being selected for Southern California USA 7-a-side team which competed in the Fiji international sevens. John also is an avid cricket player and still plays for the South Bay Cricket Club.  His sport love, however, is soccer.  He coached and played soccer in the USA professionally for a number of seasons, and holds a U.S.S.F. "A" coaching license.  His professional soccer career opened many doors for him, one of which is his current college teaching position at El Camino College in California. His favorite athlete is George Best (soccer) who recently passed away. John said, "As a youngster I was awed by his unbelievable talent. I got the opportunity to practice and play with him when he was a member of the LA Aztecs in the twilight of his career."   John coaches and still plays frequently with his emphasis on "fun."

John's USA badminton career began in the 70's.  He became a member of the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club in the 70's and teamed up with Charles Coakley, another national player, and won the US National doubles title in 1978.  A few years later he teamed up with Gary Higgins, a former national champion and USA Hall of Fame Inductee, winning three US Nationals titles in 1981,1983, and 1985, and in 1984 he partnered with Cheryl Carton, a USA Hall of Fame Inductee and singles champion, to win the US National Mixed Doubles title. He began his USA coaching career at U.C.L.A. coaching the women's badminton team, until the NCAA dropped the program in the late 1980's. He is currently the head coach of the El Camino College Women's Badminton and Soccer teams, as well as the head coach for the Men's Soccer Team. He actively recruits soccer athletes from his soccer teams to play on the badminton team. John says, " I get a lot of satisfaction watching the women improve and enjoy a sport many have never seen before."

John is married to a former national and California badminton champion, Traci Britton.  Traci and John have three children. Their daughter, Jamie was recently married and works in the athletic department at El Camino College and coaches soccer at a local high school.  Tommy just graduated with honors from UC Irvine, and works in the computer technology industry, and Andrew, the youngest son, is playing professional soccer in Scotland. Traci is vice-president of a security consulting and training company.  

Traci, his wife and a former national champion, and John still follow the sport and recently attended the 2005 World Badminton Championships at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA as guests of the Scottish Badminton Union. John says, "It was magic watching a USA trained player, Howard Bach, and his partner Tony Gunawan win the gold medal!"  As for my badminton career now, I stay on the sidelines and pull for my favorites. He continues to have a keen interest in stamps (philatelist) and is a music aficionado.