By JATHAN JANOVE
For The Jewish Review
For many years, the Rose Schnitzer Manor has provided a comfortable, supportive environment for many of Portland’s senior citizens, including some prominent people.
One of them is local tennis legend, Jack Neer. He turns 92 on Aug 27. A state high school champion, Neer attended the University of Portland where he posted an eye-popping singles and doubles record: 108 and zero.
In the 1955 NCAA Championships, he made it to the quarterfinals. Along the way, he beat players from tennis powerhouses such as UCLA. He laughs, “They couldn’t believe they’d been beaten by someone from the university of what!?”
After college, Neer tried his luck on the “amateur” tennis circuit. The top players got compensated off the record. The other players got tennis equipment and clothing; and they got fed so long as they remained in the tournament. Today’s top pros have their own jets. In Neer’s case, he didn’t even have a car, so he had to hitch rides to each tournament.
“The top players would stay in houses,” he says. “But for guys like me, it was bedding down on the court.”
To stick around in tournaments – and stay fed – Neer played in every category he could - singles, doubles and mixed doubles. He remembers a time when he lost his last tournament match,
“I quickly shook my opponent’s hand and ran like hell to the snack bar. I ordered a bunch of food before they took my name off the list!”
Neer had the opportunity to play singles and doubles with some of the top players in the world, including Tony Trabert, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Vic Seixas and Roy Emerson. Neer’s professional playing career ended around the time that tennis let go of the amateur notion and tournaments began offering prize money. Compared to Novak Djokovic’s current career earnings over $200 million, Neer’s is a bit more modest: $38.16.
Neer continued to play a lot close to home, winning the Oregon Men’s Open singles championship eight times, and the Portland City Open 11 times. He also won four State of Washington championships. From 1967 to 1969, he was the top ranked player in the Pacific Northwest.
Neer also competed in senior events, including winning the Oregon Senior Championship 15 times, a Canadian National Senior Championship and the Nike World Championship in the age 65-plus group.
Neer had opportunities to play exhibition matches with legends of the sport, including Pancho Gonzales, Margaret Smith Court, Maureen Connolly and Jimmy Connors. He’s a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Portland Hall of Fame, where he was named one of its 10 top athletes of the 20th century. Neer’s greatest contributions to Portland’s tennis community came later, though.
In 1977, the Portland Athletic Club (PAC) opened. Its owner, Marion Blackburn, was African American. Despite having become a serious tennis player, Blackburn was denied membership to the Irvington Club. Thanks to Neer’s intervention, who was then a teaching pro at Irvington, Blackburn and his family were admitted and became the club’s first Black members.
After Marion opened PAC, he asked Neer to be a teaching pro. Neer remained there until PAC’s unfortunate closing this past March.
Nestled in the heart of Southwest Portland, PAC became a fixture for many Jewish Community members, including this author. Over the years, Neer developed many great relationships with others, including many members of the Jewish Community. Most significantly, he met his longtime companion, Alison Stenger, when she went to PAC for a tennis lesson but her instructor didn’t show.
“Hi,” said Neer. “I can fill in.”
Following PAC’s closure, Neer has remained active in his nineties, periodically conducting tennis clinics at a local private court. Caustic as ever, he makes improvement suggestions. Such suggestions directed at this reporter have included, “Move your damn feet!” “What are you looking at – obviously not the ball!” And, “Have you considered switching to golf?”
Portland philanthropist, Jordan Schnitzer, knows Neer well. In the manor named for Jordan’s grandmother, Rose, her portrait is above a photograph of Jordan, Neer, and Jordan’s sons, Samuel Director Schnitzer and Simon Director Schnitzer.
“I became serious about tennis as a freshman in high school,” Jordan Schnitzer says. “I joined the Irvington Tennis Club. For us young tennis players, Jack had godlike status. He was a legend. We tried to emulate his game as best we could – his serve, volleys and net game. He made us feel proud that he was an Oregonian.”
For several years, Nike founder, Phil Knight, and his family were PAC members. Neer can’t describe Knight’s game since he never saw him play. However, Neer does recall seeing his wife Penny and kids playing matches and getting lessons at the club.
Long before creation of the Nike megalopolis, Knight was an ambitious, energetic shoe salesman. He brought a bunch of shoes to the U.S. Open, which at the time was held in Forest Hills, New York. Phil saw Neer and called out to him.
“Jack, can you get me into where the players are?”
“Sure,” Neer said, who was playing in the tournament.
Phil grabbed a big bag filled with shoes and accompanied Neer through the gate. Phil headed straight to the men’s locker-room where he schmoozed with and gave shoes to the top players including Rod Laver.
Neer notes, “I got free shoes too,” and he played a match in them, although he doesn’t remember if he won or lost. It’s his small role in an important part in the growth and development of the Nike empire.
If you’d like to participate in a Jack Neer clinic, reach out by email to [email protected]. There’s no fee, although Jack and Alison are partial to Mandelbrot.
Jathan Janove is an organization development consultant and executive leadership coach. His latest book, “The HR Renaissance: Transforming from Legal Guard to Growth Partner,” is available on Amazon.