Ivan Williams was best known in Neenah as the “Father of Youth Tennis Programs,” but he was far more than that as a dedicated teacher, serviceman and coach for a variety of Neenah High School
athletics teams.
Williams spent nearly his entire life in Neenah, graduating from Neenah High School in 1923 and returning as an American history teacher in 1930. He taught and coached football, basketball and tennis in Neenah until his retirement in 1970 and then remained an active community citizen until his death in 2002 at age 96.
While a high school student, Williams participated in basketball and track at Neenah. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 1934, Williams created the Neenah Parks and Recreation summer tennis program and was on his way to building a powerhouse tennis program at Neenah High School. He led his teams to four state championships (1951, 1953, 1957 and 1965) and four state runner-up finishes (1935, 1940, 1950 and 1952). The Rockets also won 24 conference titles and amassed a 371-71 record during his 36-year career. Williams was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Association and the Fox Valley Tennis Halls of Fame. The tennis courts at Shattuck Middle School bear his name and were newly renovated this past summer.
Williams didn’t get credited with Neenah’s first state tennis championship in 1946 when he was completing a tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force. He took a leave of absence from teaching in March 1943 and returned for the 1946-47 school year. During that time, he trained airmen in meteorology and navigation and researched a six-volume tome on aviation medicine that is still in use. He served 18 more years in the reserves before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1965.
Williams and his wife, Mary, were married for nearly 55 years until her death in 1993. They had two children, a daughter, Joan, who still resides in Neenah, and a son, David, who died in 1993. They also had three grandsons.
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