Barbara Wynne, Indianapolis tennis legend, dies at 93

Indianapolis tennis legend Barbara Wynne passed away on July 18 at the age of 93.

Wynne’s family goes way beyond her six children, 17 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. The Shortridge High School graduate was a massive force in Central Indiana tennis, paving the way for young talent to thrive in the sport. 

Wynne helped establish the North Side Tennis Club in 1964, which eventually became the Indianapolis Community Tennis Program. Wynne began the public tennis program “with the vision that tennis can enhance one’s athletic ability, as well as one’s personal life,” according to ICTP. 

Wynne’s program went from her backyard court to eight courts at North Central, where thirty courts and a tennis house were eventually built. Washington Township completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of the tennis house in 2003. The 30-court facility was named the Barbara S. Wynne Tennis Center. 

In 1984, twenty years after founding her tennis club, Wynne’s program began “Kids Helping Kids,” a charity project to benefit Riley Children’s Foundation. Young tennis players raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Riley Hospital for Children.

Barbara helped establish the Indianapolis chapter of the National Junior Tennis League in 1973 and served as president of the Central Indiana Tennis Association from 1987 to 1988. Wynne created the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest on behalf of the NJTL national committee and served as its chair for 21 years.

The tennis pioneer was president of the Indianapolis Junior Tennis Development Fund for 40 years and chaired 11 Women’s Tennis Association professional tournaments in Indianapolis from 1984 through 1994. 

“Barbara worked tirelessly to create a place where every child could learn the game and have the opportunity to reach his or her personal best,” Wynne’s obituary reads.

Little did Wynne know when she was learning the sport as a young girl at the Woodstock Club in Indianapolis that she’d leave the world with an undeniable, unmatched legacy. 

Wynne was inducted into the Indiana High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002 and the United States Tennis Association Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2018, Wynne was named a Tennis Legend at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience and honored with a bronze statue. In 2020, North Central gifted Wynne a letter jacket inscribed with “Dr. of Tennis.”

“Tennis was one of Barbara’s greatest passions, but for her, the sport was never simply about winning,” Wynne’s obituary reads. “She believed tennis could build confidence, discipline, friendships and opportunity. She dedicated more than six decades to making the game accessible to children throughout Indianapolis.”

IndyStar plans to publish a larger profile on Barbara Wynne in the future.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Barbara Wynne, Indianapolis tennis legend, dies at 93