Every time Don Bly leaves the house and tells his wife of 48 years he’s headed to the tennis courts, he must pause and get a kick out of what he’s about to say next: “Dorothy, I’m headed out to Donald Bly Tennis Complex.”

It’s typical for recreation facilities and other sports parks to be named after people once they’ve passed on and their work is done, but kudos to the civic leadership at the City of Inglewood, who back in 2019 had the vision and foresight to honor a living legend while he’s still not only a local resident, but also an active player and coach at the facility named for him.

The re-naming of Donald Bly Tennis Complex at Edward Vincent Jr. Park in Inglewood was voted on by the Inglewood City Council and signed off by Mayor James T. Butts in September of 2019.

“They couldn’t find anyone else to blame it on,” said the humble Bly, managing to crack a smile, earlier this summer at a Juneteenth celebration at the park. “It’s great because I learned how to play here, and I’ve taught here for many years.”

One of those players he taught is 40 Love Foundation Founder and CEO Doris Obih, who met Bly when she was around 10 years old and immediately had an impact on her life. On Juneteenth, Obih looked around the busy courts in wonder, spotting Bly off in the distance and commenting that none of what was transpiring on this day would have been possible without Bly’s love and dedication to the sport.

“Don has been everything for this community,” Obih said. “If a kid didn’t have money to pay for a lesson, he would never turn them away.”

Bly also took a moment later in the day to soak in the great turnout and complimented Obih on how proud he was of his former student, who went on to play college tennis on scholarship and then to the pro tour before returning back to her tennis roots in Inglewood.

The City of Inglewood ordinance stated the following about naming the park for Bly: “In order to be considered a pioneer of any industry, it requires someone to change the landscape of that field in a new way, overcome obstacles, and remain dedicated in a tireless effort to make an impact in the community. Over a 50-year career Donald Bly has done all of these things and so much more.”

Originally from Oklahoma, Bly said he came West to California and began playing and teaching at Griffith Park in the late 1960s. He taught at Dorsey High and for other park and rec departments before going full-time with the City of Inglewood in 1987.

At the height, Bly said he helped coach an average of 340 kids in clinics each summer at the complex.

Bly, who still plays senior events and will now compete in the 90s USTA Nationals, said his California tennis adventures have enabled to hit with a UCLA college student named Arthur Ashe, and a pair of Williams siblings whose father Richard sought advice from Bly on how best to raise his future champion daughters.

“Richard would sit right over there,” said Williams, pointing to an area just outside of the courts. “He wanted to take me to Florida to coach them. I was the one who introduced him to all the people in Florida, like Rick Macci. He had a lot of people here, including Fred Williams, looking out for the girls. Everybody knew they were going to be great.”

Bly said finding a pair who want to be great like Venus and Serena is rare. He said he is not teaching regularly at the present time, but that he will offer his teaching services free of charge to “anyone who wants to get better.”

“You become great because you want it. It’s not about the forehand or the backhand. You have to teach them to enjoy it, and they have to want it. I’ll coach anyone, but they first have to show me their intent.”

At the age of 36, Don Bly made the pilgrimage to the tennis mecca of Southern California wanting to learn the sport he was deprived of playing as a youth and young adult in Oklahoma.

“A black man could not buy a tennis racket where I was from growing up,” Bly said. “We would take tennis rackets and balls to the front desk and the guy would say, ‘Take that back.’ Because you had no place to use it.”

Asked what Juneteenth and the celebration those around him were enjoying meant to him, Bly paused and said one word: “Freedom.”