At 17 Nagler began attending the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) at the urging of his best friend, tennis player Allen Fox, whom he had known since he was 13 years old.[3][7][8] He earned a B.A. in political science at UCLA in 1962.[9][10][7] He then attended UCLA Law School, where he earned a J.D. in 1965; he played tennis only in the summers during the time he was in law school.[7][3] He lived at the time in his parents' home in North Hollywood, California.[11][3]
College career
Nagler described his relationship with Fox, who was UCLA's top player, as "We were bitter rivals and close friends."[8] In turn, Fox recounted he "was psyched out by his speed on the court, his physical abilities, and his ferocious competitiveness."[12] They were on the junior U.S. Davis Cup team together. Nagler recalled how: "Allen was a vicious competitor who hated to lose, especially to me. One year [1960] at UCLA I beat him in the singles final of the Ojai tournament. After he lost, he broke two racquets and sneered at me that he was going to throw the doubles finals. And I was his partner! He said he couldn’t stand for me to win another title. Sure enough, we lost to UCLA teammates we usually thrashed."[8][13] Nagler and Fox won the doubles title at Ojai in 1961, defeating Bill Hoogs and Jim McManus.[13]
During his freshman and sophomore years at UCLA in 1958 and 1959, Nagler also played on the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team for Hall of Fame coach John Wooden.[14][20] Nagler credited Wooden for his encouraging him to focus on tennis, rather than basketball.[10]
Ashe named Fox and Nagler as among his closest friends at UCLA and credited their relationship as helping Ashe to become more aware of Jews. In his memoir, Ashe recounted how he discovered his doubles partner was Jewish:
"One day, Nagler, my doubles partner, invited me to his house in Los Angeles. Lox and bagels, which I had never eaten before, were served. Suddenly I realized that Nagler, my doubles partner, was Jewish, and that his close friend Allen Fox was also Jewish. It was a revelation to me. I had thought of them simply as white. In those days, to be Jewish in the top ranks of tennis was to encounter a certain amount of prejudice."[23]
Ashe and Nagler thereafter had deep discussions about religion, race, and politics, which Ashe said "laid the foundation for my gratifying relationship as an adult with Jews and American Jewish culture.[23]
In 1962 Nagler was ranked 11th in the United States in singles.[24] He won the Middle Atlantic invitation grass courts championship, defeating Frank Froehling.[11]
Nagler was inducted into the Wheatley School Hall of Fame in 1983, with the Hall noting that he had competed in tennis, basketball, and baseball.[29] He was inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame in 2004.[30] He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.[18]
Legal career
Nagler practices law in Los Angeles, California.[10] He has represented, among others, tennis players Arthur Ashe and Tom Okker, and actor Sylvester Stallone.[31][32][33] He was a Judge Pro Tem of the Beverly Hills Municipal Court and Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1976-78.[7][34]