Chuck McKinley’s 1963 Wimbledon win and the impact on tennis in San Antonio

After former Trinity University student Karen Hantze Susman won Wimbledon in 1962, Chuck McKinley was able to follow in her footsteps when he won Wimbledon the very next year while still a student at Trinity. For McKinley’s 1963 Wimbledon Championship, he won it without losing a set, something only a handful of male players have been able to do in Wimbledon history.

We sat down with two of McKinley’s former Trinity teammates, brothers Butch and John Newman, who shared what it was like to have a Wimbledon Champion as a classmate.

“To have someone like that on the team is just incredible,” said Butch. “He put Trinity University tennis and the whole university on the map when he won Wimbledon in 1963 without the loss of a set.”

“I wasn’t…not even a really good player and he treated me like I was just his teammate and practice partner and you got better just being around the guy,” said John.

After McKinley’s win in 1963, support from the private section in San Antonio and financial help from John R. McFarlin helped promote tennis in the Alamo City. McFarlin along with the help of John H. Braubach built a foundation of tennis in more ways than one.

Braubach’s son, Bob Braubach, spoke with us about the lasting legacy of how sports, private investment, and city development helped build facilities for future tennis players who came to San Antonio and Trinity University to develop their skills.

“That started it all, in 1968 the NCAA National Championship takes place at Trinity,” said Braubach. “The planning for McFarlin Tennis Center starts in 1970, opens in 1974, the McFarlin Foundation is set up by Mr. McFarlin and my dad, John Braubach and that continues today.”

McFarlin’s financial generosity has helped generations of tennis players have the ability to learn and play the game while supporting the Trinity tennis program in its early stages. The teamwork from Trinity Tennis, McFarlin, and the City of San Antonio helped tennis continue to be a mainstay in local activities for San Antonio residents.

“No telling what would have happened if he (McKinley) had not had been here,” said John. “We would have been an ok team but not one of the elite teams in the world and we’re grateful for him and his life and what he represented as far as tennis and as a human being.”