Above and Beyond: Iowan Kevin Nebergall lives to share love of tennis

It’s been more than 35 years since Ronald Reagan stated, during his first inaugural address, “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” We discovered heroes in every state, starting with the determined 69-year-old who won a match at an ITF Pro Circuit event earlier this year in the Alabama town of Pelham, and culminating with the coach who has overcome multiple sclerosis to build a winning program at the University of Wyoming. Their compelling stories of courage, perseverance and achievement demonstrate that the message delivered by our 40th President rings as true today as it did then.

In his time as part of the tennis community in his hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA, and surrounding areas, 68-year-old Kevin Nebergall has missed just one meeting. His excuse? The heart attack he suffered on the way.

Nebergall’s faithful attendance record is simply a side effect of his dedication. If he sees a need, the recently retired college English professor is willing to meet it.

Take his trip to the Iowa State Penitentiary in 2006, for example. Visitors had not been allowed on the grounds of the maximum-security prison in over two decades because of prisoner rioting. Undeterred, he and some of his tennis colleagues jumped at an opportunity to coach lifetime criminals.

Nebergall will never forget one inmate’s parting words: “When I’m on the tennis court hitting balls, that’s the only time I’m not in prison.”

Nebergall first picked up a racquet after college, when he heard that the local courts had a surplus of female players.

“I never found a girl,” he says with a chuckle, “but I did fall in love with the game of tennis.”

He made it his mission to share that love with as many people as possible.

About a decade after he started taking lessons, Nebergall began giving them. In addition to teaching at local schools and parks, he took over a Special Olympics clinic in the area. The first year he fielded a team for the state championships, he remembers missing the conclusion of one player’s match. Afterward, he asked her if she had won.

“Oh, no,” she replied. “But I made a new friend.”

The unwavering positivity of the Special Olympics athletes made it a pleasure for Nebergall to coach for 30 years. Though he’s now retired from that role, he is making sure to stay busy (with his doctor’s blessing). He’s finishing up his third term as president of USTA Iowa and, of course, teaching some tennis.

“I don’t want time to myself,” he says matter-of-factly. “That’s why I’m not a fisherman.”