René Lacoste
A French tennis champion who turned a tenacious on-court nickname into one of the world's most recognizable fashion brands, the polo shirt.
1904–1996 (age 92)·French and Jamaican tennis player·Birthday: July 2·The Greatest Generation
Biography
René Lacoste was more than a tennis champion; he was an innovator who changed the look of sport and casual wear. On the court in the 1920s, he was part of France's legendary 'Four Musketeers' who dominated the Davis Cup. His relentless, patient style of play earned him the nickname 'Le Crocodile' from the American press, a moniker he embraced. Frustrated with the stiff, long-sleeved shirts of the era, he designed a practical, short-sleeved, piqué cotton shirt with an unstarched collar. In 1929, he wore it at the U.S. Open. It was a sensation. In 1933, he stitched a small embroidered crocodile onto the chest and founded La Chemise Lacoste. This was the birth of the branded polo shirt. Lacoste seamlessly transitioned from Grand Slam winner to savvy businessman, building a global empire from a simple idea born of athletic necessity. His legacy is a dual one: seven major singles titles that helped put French tennis on the map, and a timeless garment that escaped the court to become a universal symbol of casual elegance.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
René was born in 1904, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When René Was Born
The biggest hits of 1904
René's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1904Born
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Started school
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1917Became a teenager
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Could drive
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1922Could vote
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1925Turned 21
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1934Turned 30
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 40
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 50
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1964Turned 60
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1974Turned 70
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 80
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1996Died at 92
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
Key Achievements
- Won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including the French Open three times and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open twice each.
- Was a key member of France's 'Four Musketeers' who won six consecutive Davis Cup titles from 1927 to 1932.
- Invented and commercially launched the first modern polo shirt, founding the Lacoste clothing brand in 1933.
- Introduced the first steel tennis racket, which he used to win the 1927 French Open.
Did You Know?
His crocodile nickname originated from a bet over a crocodile-skin suitcase; a cartoonist later drew him with a crocodile, and it stuck.
He designed his iconic shirt by modifying the standard long-sleeved white tennis shirt of the time, making it short-sleeved and from breathable piqué cotton.
Lacoste was also an accomplished golf course architect, designing over 70 courses worldwide.
He married Simone de la Chaume, a champion golfer who won the British Ladies Amateur in 1927.
“A tennis player must have the style of his own personality.”
