Enterprise's Justin Sollie returns a serve during the Bill Autry Memorial Scholarship tennis tournament Saturday, March 6, 2021, at Northeast Park.

Bill Autry’s impact on the East Mississippi tennis community could be felt not only because of a name change but because of how many people were there to see it.

Autry, a longtime tennis coach at Northeast Park, died in April 2020 of a heart attack, leaving behind a legacy that impacted countless tennis players from Lauderdale and surrounding counties. Saturday at Northeast Park, a tennis tournament designed to raise money for the Bill Autry Memorial Scholarship drew 78 players, a reflection of their love for Autry and his work teaching countless young people the game of tennis.

The tennis courts at Northeast Park were also renamed after him, something his widow, Genie Autry, said was a heartfelt tribute to her and her family.

“That’s a very touching and meaningful thing both to me and my boys (twins William and Jack),” Genie Autry said. “They both continue to come out here and play, so when they come out and see their dad’s name up there, that’s really a special thing.”

Pete Mazzella, the tennis teaching pro at Northeast Park, said he hopes renaming the courts after Autry will ensure people never forget his contribution to the community.

“It’s a great way to honor what he meant, because he meant so much to so many people on these tennis courts,” Mazzella said. “It’s just a great way to see that his memory’s not lost. Now every time his boys will see his name every time they drive by here when they’re older. That’s a small consolation for what they lost, but I know it’ll give them a good feeling when they see that.”

The goal is to raise $25,000 toward the scholarship fund, and Mazzella estimated they raised at least half that much Saturday. 

“From the get-go, everyone was on board and excited to put this together,” Mazzella said. “It’s been a huge success.”

Justin Sollie, who coaches tennis at Enterprise High School and was a participant in Saturday’s tournament, said it was no surprise to see so many people on-hand wanting to support Autry.

“Bill actually coached my wife growing up and gave her lessons, and he gave many players who have come through my program at Enterprise lessons,” Sollie said. “He was always a friendly, caring man. I saw him a lot at the state tournament in Oxford, and he would always check on my team and me. Just a very Godly, caring man, and the courts are named after him now for a reason.”

Many of the participants were high school players, something that stood out to Genie Autry.

“He would love that they came out here and play together, and that they chose to do that would me a lot to him,” Genie Autry said. “He’d be really proud of them.”

Wanda McPhail, Meridian Community College’s long-time tennis coach before her retirement in 2018, said she will always appreciate what Autry meant to both her family and to Meridian.

“Bill was such a big part of our lives for so many years,” McPhail said. “We started with him giving our children tennis lessons, and then he became a dear friend. He was probably my biggest encourager when he took the job at Meridian Community College. It was great to have someone like that who was always in your corner cheering you on. With the impact he had on my children, I would have sent them to Russia with him knowing they’d be great. 

“It was more than about tennis with Bill, it was about the lives he could touch and impact, and he made everyone feel like they were his best friend.”