Hall of Famer Jane Hines continues serving the Nebraska tennis community

For more than 50 years, tennis has been a part of Jane Hines’ life. Even though she no longer competes, Hines continues to mentor and volunteer as well as support tennis programming throughout the state of Nebraska.

“The most rewarding part of my tennis career has been the opportunity to work with players of all ages and abilities, from toddlers just learning to rally to high-performance juniors aspiring to compete in high school, college and even on the professional circuit,” she said.

Hines has been instrumental in helping bring tennis into schools. She’s also taken part in diversity outreach programs in the parks.

More recently, she spends her time with adaptive tennis programs such as Omaha Tennis Buddies, which she coaches at the annual Fred Johnson ALL Stars event. Hines is a USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Famer (2020) and a USTA Nebraska Hall of Famer (2009).

“I have learned so much from our athletes, their parents/caregivers and our volunteers,” she said. “The growth in our athletes’ tennis skills has been phenomenal, and the friendships formed among the families are truly heartwarming.”

As a young girl, Hines spent her time on the golf course and in the swimming pool. When Hines was 14 years old she met John Rasmussen, a 1990 USTA Nebraska Hall of Fame inductee. The Nebraska tennis coaching legend invited Hines and her friends to attend a summer school tennis class at Burke High School.

For $7, Hines and her friends spent their summer learning all about tennis for 90 minutes a day and even earned a PE credit. She said it was an incredible opportunity to learn.

“That summer changed everything,” Hines said. “Lessons led to tournaments, tournaments led to high school and college tennis and eventually to my career as a tennis professional.”

After she graduated from Burke High School, Hines attended the University of Hawaii on a basketball scholarship with tennis as her secondary sport. After her freshman year, she committed fully to tennis and kept her scholarship.

“Our team included remarkable international talent,” Hines said. “The cultural richness of Hawaii—combined with teammates from diverse backgrounds around the world—expanded my perspective both on and off the court. It was an extraordinary chapter in my life.”

Having accomplished a lot in her storied tennis career, Hines said there is one thing she never got around to doing. She wanted to create a tennis program in the Boys Town community: first a girls’ high school team and then expanding it to include the boys.