Rex Maynard is a man with a big personality and an even bigger heart. In 2016, he will reach his 40th anniversary of volunteering for the USTA.
While it’s easy to measure the length of his selfless giving to the sport, it’s harder to fathom how much he has done to support tennis in his hometown, his state and in the United States. He began as a local volunteer in his hometown of Belton, South Carolina, population 4,200. Maynard has risen to serve as USTA Southern President and twice as USTA Delegate for USTA Southern. In 2015, he received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor bestowed on citizens of South Carolina.
Outside of tennis circles, Maynard is known as the owner of Maynard Home Furnishings and for appearing in television ads in the upstate of South Carolina using his trademark introduction, “Hello Nice People.” Additionally, there are few in the USTA Southern family that haven’t been touched with Maynard’s exuberance and contagious let’s-have-fun attitude.
Maynard has served as the Palmetto Championships Tournament Director for 35 years. The Palmetto, which was established in 1957 and serves as the South Carolina junior qualifying tournament, won the USTA Southern Junior Tournament of the Year in 1990 and 2008. Dedicated to his hometown’s involvement in tennis, he has also served as President of the Belton Tennis Association for several terms and presently serves as Treasurer. The BTA received the 2013 USTA Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year Award. He established the Hall of Fame Classic for high school girls in 1987; the tournament celebrated its 29th anniversary in 2015 and was named the 2012 USTA Southern Team Event of the Year. Maynard most recently started the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014 further confirming Belton’s reputation as the “Tennis Capital of South Carolina.”
Maynard has attended and enlivened every USTA Southern Annual Meeting since 1989. He was elected to the Executive Committee member in 2001 and became a Vice-President in 2003. Six years later (in 2009), he was elected USTA Southern CEO and President. During his term as president, Maynard spearheaded several successful projects including bringing big-time professional tennis back to Georgia with the purchase of BB&T Atlanta Open. He personally made it his mission to shake the hand of every ticketholder in its debut year of 2010. He served on the tournament oversight committee for many years and was the Co-Chair of volunteers for the 2015 event.
Maynard was awarded the USTA Southern’s Jacobs Bowl in 2010, the President’s Award in 2011 and the Charles B. Morris Jr. Service Award in 2012. Maynard is currently on the USTA Southern Board and Human Resources Committee. He has served on a long list of USTA Southern committees since 1989.
In 2001, he was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, which he helped establish. He is also the recipient of the following USTA South Carolina honors: Family of the Year, the President’s Award twice, the Junior Council Volunteer Service Award, the Lucy Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award and the District Volunteer Service Award. He was President of USTA South Carolina in 1994 and 1995. Maynard is a former Chairman and current Treasurer of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation and has served as the Historian for the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame located in the Belton depot since it opened in 1983.
On the national scene, Maynard was honored with the 2014 USTA Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award. He has served as a volunteer at the US Open in 1995 and 2003. Maynard has served on a number of national committees, including Publications, Junior Ranking, Community Development, and Youth Competition and Training. He is currently serving his second two-year term on the USTA Nominating Committee.
One of Maynard’s passions is his service to the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation. He is a past trustee and chairman and presently serves as an advisor. Over many years he has worked diligently to increase donations, including spearheading the production and distribution of new funding, communications and marketing. He is also a driving force in establishing a foundation website.
Induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame
Rex Maynard, South Carolina, inducted in 2016
- Volunteered to help with the Palmetto Championships in his hometown of Belton in 1976 and has served as the Tournament Director since 1980
- Served 2 terms as President of the Belton Tennis Association, founded the Hall of Fame Classic girls high school tournament in 1987, the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014 and was instrumental in starting the Southern SPUD tournament in 2011
- Led 3 major 5-figure fundraising drives to rebuild tennis facilities in the community, including a $250,000 6-court public park project in 2014
- Helped establish the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation as its first chair in 1982 and open the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983, volunteer editor of South Carolina Tennis Magazine for 4 years and President of the South Carolina Tennis Association in 1994 and 1995
- Member or chairman of USTA Southern committees since 1990, elected to the Board in 2001, President in 2009 (when Southern purchased an ATP tournament sanction), USTA Delegate in 2011 and 2015 and Patrons Chair
- Served on USTA committees since 1991 including Publications, Community Development, Junior Ranking, Junior Competition and Nominating and was USTA Southern Delegate and a member of the USTA Executive Committee
- Received volunteer service awards in South Carolina (President’s Award and Lucy Garvin Award), Southern Section (President’s Award, Jacobs Bowl and Charles Morris Award) and USTA (Eve Kraft Award), and was inducted in the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001
