Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
The invitation of “Tennis anyone?” doesn’t quite make it for Dan Luna.
His marching order is “Tennis everyone.” From his roots in a steel-mill neighborhood in Pueblo where he learned to play, continuing on the courts at the University of Colorado and still playing at 73 years old, Luna is a self-appointed tennis activist.
Luna’s doctrine is diversity. He believes more young people from every walk of life should look at tennis in a positive way when choosing a sport.
“It’s important that we get tennis out of the niche of being considered a country-club sport,” Luna said. “The sport has been very good to me and my family, and it can be for a lot of others.”
One of Luna’s platforms is the U.S. Tennis Association’s Hispanic participation task force. But his efforts aren’t aimed at any specific group.
“We want to expand the presence of tennis among minorities in general,” Luna said. “We do a lot of work with the parks and recreation programs throughout the state.”
Fritz Garger, executive director of the Colorado Tennis Association, sees results and credits Luna’s dedication.
“We’re seeing an increase in the number of requests for grants and scholarships,” Garger said. “The financial grants go to support parks and recreation tennis programs, and the scholarships go to a deserving individual. Dan Luna has been a great ambassador for our sport. He has a great passion for getting young people involved in the sport.”
Luna found that tennis was a fit for his athletic ability and body size about the time he was entering Pueblo Central High School. His father, Francisco, was a steelworker, and his mother, Sista Ortiz-Luna, was a leader in the Mexican-American community. His parents were immigrants from Mexico.
Luna credits older brothers Francisco and Lupe and friends Tom Keach, Wallace Crozier and Lester Ward with helping spark his interest.
“We kind of hooked up when he was in the ninth grade and hanging around the courts,” Keach said. “He was a very committed player and came along very well in learning the sport. We spent a lot of time on the courts until he started beating me.”
In 1950, Luna became the only Hispanic player to win the state’s No. 1 high school singles title.
“I was on a hot streak,” Luna said. “I was working hard on my game at the time.”
In 1954 at CU, Luna made his mark in the Big Seven Conference championships as he and Don Hilger won the doubles championship. It was the first title in any sport for CU.
While Luna was making a mark for Hispanics in tennis in Colorado, Pancho Gonzales was making headlines in the sport on the national scene. Gonzales is the only U.S.-born Hispanic national tennis champion.
Luna returned to Pueblo after graduating from CU, but didn’t leave tennis behind. He coached tennis at Pueblo Central and Pueblo South high schools and later became the head tennis professional at Pueblo Country Club.
In 1993, Dan and his family started Luna Tennis, Inc., offering tennis instruction at no cost in Denver’s low-income communities.
Tennis is his sport, but Luna also excelled in public service. He held posts in the administration of former Denver Mayor Bill McNichols and posts at the state level in the administrations of Govs. Dick Lamm and Roy Romer.
Luna still plays his game. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was on the doubles championship team at the Asian Tennis League’s tournament at the Gates Tennis Center.
His efforts have been recognized. The Colorado Tennis Association in 2003 made him the first Hispanic inducted into its hall of fame.
Luna prepared for tennis as well as everyday life. Along with being the captain of the tennis team at Pueblo Central, he also was on the debate team.
“I always thought that was a good combination,” Luna said. “If I couldn’t beat them physically, I’d talk them out of it.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
