Don McNeill
- November 28, 1996
- 78 years
About Don McNeill
Don McNeill, 78, American tennis champion.
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Full Biography
|William Donald McNeill (April 30, 1918 – November 28, 1996) was an American tennis player. He was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, and died in Vero Beach, Florida.
Biography
Don McNeill graduated from Kenyon College in 1940, where he became a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon.
McNeill won his first major title in 1938 when he defeated Frank Bowden at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, played at the Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, New York.
In 1939, McNeill became the second American to win the French Championships singles title (after Don Budge) when he defeated compatriot Bobby Riggs in the final in straight sets. Afterwards he played at Wimbledon, the only time he participated, and lost to Franjo Kukuljevic in the second round of the singles, reached the third round in the doubles and the quarterfinal in the mixed doubles. He won the All England Plate, a tennis competition held at the Wimbledon Championships, which consisted of players who were defeated in the first or second rounds of the singles competition.
In June 1940, McNeill beat Bobby Riggs to win the singles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Chicago. In August that year he also won the Southampton Invitational tournament after a victory in the final over Frank Kovacs. His run continued two weeks later when he won the invitational tournament at the Newport Casino. In September he won his second Grand Slam title when he defeated Riggs in the final of the U.S. National Championships after being down two sets to love. It was claimed that there were several bad line calls that went against Riggs in this match. McNeill was the third player who managed to overcome a two-set deficit in the final of the U.S. Championships after Maurice McLoughlin (1912) and Bill Tilden (1922).
His title wins in 1940 earned McNeill the No. 1 ranking in the U.S. by the USLTA ahead of Riggs at No. 2 at the end of the year. There were no "official" amateur rankings during World War II - McNeill reached as high as World No. 7 in Gordon Lowe's amateur rankings list in 1939. During the war McNeill served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and was attached to the embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While stationed there he won the Argentinian Championships in 1942 and defended the title successfully in November 1943, defeating Pancho Segura in the final.
After the war, McNeill focused on his business career and played tournaments less frequently. In 1950, McNeill won his second U.S. Indoor title, 12 years after winning his first, defeating Fred Kovaleski in four sets. Additionally he had been a runner-up in 1940 and 1946. Both Allison Danzig, in a New York Times article in 1936, and Pancho Segura, in a telephone interview in 2014, described McNeill's game as consisting of very heavily topspun drives off both wings, and Segura was of the opinion that McNeill didn't turn pro because there was really very little money in professional tennis then.
He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.
After his tennis career, he became an advertising executive in New York. McNeill died on November 28, 1996 in Vero Beach, Florida due to complications from pneumonia.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: (2 titles)
Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Mixed: (1 runner-up)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McNeill_(tennis)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Don McNeill's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what year was Don McNeill elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame?
- A.1960
- B.1955
- C.1970
- D.1965correct
Don McNeill was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.
Source: biography section
2.What profession did Don McNeill pursue in New York after his tennis career ended?
- A.Sports journalist
- B.Advertising executivecorrect
- C.Real estate developer
- D.University professor
After his tennis career, Don McNeill became an advertising executive in New York.
Source: biography section
3.In what city did Don McNeill pass away?
- A.Vero Beach, Floridacorrect
- B.Chicago, Illinois
- C.Manhattan, New York
- D.Chickasha, Oklahoma
Don McNeill died on November 28, 1996 in Vero Beach, Florida.
Source: biography section
4.What was the cause of Don McNeill's death?
- A.Pneumonia complicationscorrect
- B.Heart failure
- C.Stroke
- D.Cancer
Don McNeill died due to complications from pneumonia.
Source: biography section
5.In what city was William Donald McNeill born?
- A.Vero Beach, Florida
- B.New York City, New York
- C.Chickasha, Oklahomacorrect
- D.Chicago, Illinois
William Donald McNeill was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma on April 30, 1918.
Source: biography header
6.Don McNeill graduated from which college in 1940?
- A.Kenyon Collegecorrect
- B.Yale University
- C.Harvard University
- D.Princeton University
Don McNeill graduated from Kenyon College in 1940.
Source: biography section
7.Against whom did Don McNeill win his first major title in 1938?
- A.Pancho Segura
- B.Frank Kovacs
- C.Bobby Riggs
- D.Frank Bowdencorrect
Don McNeill won his first major title in 1938 by defeating Frank Bowden at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.
Source: biography section
8.Don McNeill was the second American to win which singles title in 1939?
- A.U.S. National Championships
- B.French Championshipscorrect
- C.Wimbledon
- D.Australian Championships
In 1939, Don McNeill became the second American to win the French Championships singles title after defeating Bobby Riggs.
Source: biography section
9.Which trophy did Don McNeill win at the Wimbledon Championships after being defeated in the early rounds of the singles competition?
- A.The All England Platecorrect
- B.The Wimbledon Trophy
- C.The London Cup
- D.The Gentlemen's Plate
Don McNeill won the All England Plate, which consisted of players who were defeated in the first or second rounds of the singles competition.
Source: biography section
10.Don McNeill won his second Grand Slam title at the U.S. National Championships in 1940 by defeating which player?
- A.Fred Kovaleski
- B.Pancho Segura
- C.Bobby Riggscorrect
- D.Frank Bowden
In September 1940, Don McNeill won his second Grand Slam title when he defeated Bobby Riggs in the final of the U.S. National Championships.
Source: biography section
11.How many other players had overcome a two-set deficit in the U.S. Championships final before Don McNeill achieved this feat in 1940?
- A.Three
- B.Four
- C.Twocorrect
- D.One
Don McNeill was the third player to achieve this feat after Maurice McLoughlin in 1912 and Bill Tilden in 1922.
Source: biography section
12.What military rank did Don McNeill hold while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II?
- A.Admiral
- B.Commander
- C.Captain
- D.Lieutenantcorrect
During World War II, Don McNeill served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.
Source: biography section
13.In which city was Don McNeill stationed during his military service when he won the Argentinian Championships?
- A.Montevideo
- B.Santiago
- C.Rio de Janeiro
- D.Buenos Airescorrect
While stationed at the embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Don McNeill won the Argentinian Championships in 1942.
Source: biography section
14.Against which player did Don McNeill defend his Argentinian Championship title in November 1943?
- A.Frank Kovacs
- B.Fred Kovaleski
- C.Bobby Riggs
- D.Pancho Seguracorrect
Don McNeill defended his Argentinian title in November 1943 by defeating Pancho Segura in the final.
Source: biography section
15.How many years passed between Don McNeill's first and second U.S. Indoor title wins?
- A.10 years
- B.12 yearscorrect
- C.20 years
- D.15 years
Don McNeill won his second U.S. Indoor title in 1950, which was 12 years after winning his first in 1938.
Source: biography section
16.What primary characteristic defined Don McNeill's tennis game according to Allison Danzig and Pancho Segura?
- A.Heavily topspun drivescorrect
- B.Very fast serves
- C.Consistent backhand slices
- D.Aggressive net play
Both Allison Danzig and Pancho Segura described Don McNeill's game as consisting of very heavily topspun drives off both wings.
Source: biography section
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