Chuck McKinley

Charles Robert "Chuck" McKinley Jr. (5 January 1941 – 10 August 1986) was an American men’s amateur tennis player of the 1960s. He is remembered as an undersized, hard working dynamo, whose relentless effort and competitive spirit led American tennis to the top of the sport during a period heavily dominated by Australians.

McKinley won the 1963 Men's Singles Championship at Wimbledon, and as a result was ranked the number one player in the world. He paired with his college rival, Dennis Ralston, to win the 1963 Davis Cup, the only interruption in eight unbroken years of Australian dominance. He also paired with Ralston to win the U.S. men’s doubles championships three times, in 1961, 1963, and 1964.

Biography

McKinley was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a local pipe fitter, and grew up in a “rough neighborhood” on the north side of town. As a boy, McKinley used to drop by the local YMCA where he was taught table tennis by volunteer instructor Bill Price. Eventually Price, who was also a tennis professional, took McKinley and some of the other boys to the public tennis courts. McKinley soon became so good that Price advised him to quit all other sports and concentrate on tennis.(Sports Illustrated, “Little Man with a Big Wallop,” 16/MAY/1960,accessed online at...
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