Tennis was Ken McAllister's third choice.

A Fort Stockton (TX) High School standout in basketball and golf, he was disappointed not to make New Mexico Highlands University's basketball team as a freshman. He was even more upset that the school dropped its golf program the year before he arrived. Nearly out of athletic options, he happened across a flyer in the gymnasium one day announcing tryouts for the tennis team.

His parents had encouraged him to take up tennis when he was young because they thought it was something he could enjoy his entire life. So he'd played some, but only when it didn't get in the way of his other interests. That first year at NMHU he wound up winning conference titles in both singles and doubles. "It made me think that this wasn't such a bad sport," he says.

After transferring from NMHU to Southwestern in 1962—a move he calls "the best educational decision I ever made"—McAllister was the Pirates number one singles player under Coach Harvey Watts. He earned a degree in English with a minor in math and teaching certificates in both subjects. He applied to teach English all over the state and was hired by Snyder because "I knew how to keep score in tennis, so they figured I could coach their team as well."

He quickly discovered a talent for coaching. Within six years, his team won a state title and five of his players earned college scholarships. He went on to build high school and junior high programs at Deer Park. While coaching there, he served as a base-linesman for the famous 1973 exhibition match between Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King at the Houston Astrodome.

From 1974-1990, McAllister served as director of tennis at Walden on Lake Conroe, Lakeside Country Club in Houston and Lakeway World of Tennis near Austin. In 1975, he helped coach the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team that included 17-year-old John McEnroe. In 1981, he was named the United States Professional Tennis Association's National Pro of the Year. In 1987, he earned a Master Professional teaching status that only around 100 others in the country can claim.

He joined the USTA Texas Section as executive director in 1991. The Texas Section is the fastest growing section of the USTA, the official governing body for tennis in America. It helps facilitate and organize various tennis programs and tournaments for more than 47,000 junior and adult members in the state. "I liked the administrative aspect of the position and I was lucky enough to get it. I have the opportunity to travel from Amarillo to Brownsville speaking to groups and visiting with people about the sport for which I have such a passion."

"I love that I'm able to touch every tennis player in Texas and expose so many to a healthy lifetime sport." One of the missions of his organization is to give youth from all backgrounds the opportunity to play what many still view as a "wealthy" sport.

"What pushes me is the fact that growing up in Alpine, Texas, I could watch baseball on television and then walk out the front door and play little league. I should have been able to play tennis just as easily. My hope is that some kid in Alpine, no matter his or her economic status, can be exposed to tennis today."

Last year, McAllister was inducted into the Texas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He and his spouse, Lynn, have two children: Levi, 18, and Jordan, 13. He also has four grown children (Kenny, Michael, Marie and Ann) and five grandchildren (Christopher, Matthew, Fernell, Crystal, and Holly). Their family enjoys traveling together and McAllister regularly plays tennis tournaments in the 55+ age division and still golfs at every opportunity. But most of all, he says, "I like to watch my daughter Jordan play bass in her orchestra."

-Greg Holland