John Harris reflects on tennis career, Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month taking place in February, USTA Nebraska is highlighting self-taught tennis player John Harris.

Growing up in St. Louis, John Harris remembers when he was 14 years old he bought a wooden racquet at a hardware store for $3. The first time he hit a tennis ball the racquet broke in half. So he went back to the same hardware store, spent a few more dollars on an aluminum racquet and hasn’t looked back.

Harris is a self-taught recreational player who lives in Lincoln and plays mostly at Woods Tennis Center. At one point the 63-year-old thought he would stop playing because he was losing, but he just can’t quit the sport he loves so much.

“I love the game, and as long as my limbs are moving I’ll play,” he said. “I love the picture of Arthur Ashe (at Woods). I don’t have to struggle like he did.”

Harris even made a shirt with a picture of Ashe on it, and he said he plays better when he wears it.

When reflecting on Black History Month, Harris said it’s not just about Black history but about American history.

“Black History Month gives us an opportunity to provide education and make people aware,” he said. “Hopefully people will embrace it and learn something they didn’t know.”

Harris worked at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a special assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs and then at City Impact before he started Encouragement Unlimited, a nonprofit serving the Lincoln community. He said it’s a blessing to be able to give.

“It’s important because in my younger life we were very low income, and I felt bad about it,” Harris said. “As I began to lean on my faith that my parents raised us with, I really tested it to see if it’s real.

"My heart went from a hard, cold heart to a soft heart. I wanted to give.”