John Harris

A native Washingtonian, Harris has been active in tennis as a player, businessman, and volunteer for over five decades. He was a nationally ranked junior player, captain of the University of Michigan team and a top-ranked mid-Atlantic player for many years. At the University of Michigan, he was a member of two Big Ten championship teams and the 1957 NCAA championship team. He won several individual Big Ten singles and doubles titles. After college, he continued to win many singles and doubles tournaments and was a member of the U.S. Team for the Pan American Maccabiah Games held in Brazil and a member of the U.S. Team for the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, winning four medals. In 1969, he co-founded the Major Professional Tournament in Washington, which continues to raise millions of dollars for at-risk inner city youth. He served as the co-director of this event for twenty-five years. Harris held many other high-ranking positions with various tennis associations including U.S. Representative on the governing body for Mens’ Professional Tennis. He was inducted into the National Capital Area Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Middle Atlantic Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.