by Geoff Capell

Giving is why Wayne Black is our most recent inductee into the NCHA Hall of Fame, and when I asked Wayne where he learned that, he said his mom taught him. “My mom was a big giver and always helped others, and it is something I just took over. I love to help and love to be around others who do the same.”
 

Wayne was born and raised in Albany, California. He played football, basketball and baseball, and ran track on the side. He was all-state in football, playing fullback on offense and line backer on defense. He was set to play football in college, but the Vietnam War had other plans for Wayne and he joined the National Guard and served in Vietnam. After coming home, college football was just a distant memory. 

Two years later Wayne and a buddy were down at Fisherman’s Wharf and saw a beat-up, old, weathered door with the South End Rowing Club seal prominently hung next to it and decided to knock. Old timer George Dillon opened the door and asked the boys if they were handball players. They said they were, but they really weren’t, and the rest was history. After playing handball at the SERC for two years, George told them they really should join and they did. Wayne immediately got involved with the South End and everything else that had to do with handball.

Wayne is manager of the South End Rowing Club and is assistant manager relating to all handball issues. Wayne contributed and helped raise money to install a South End Rowing Club display in the hall of fame building in Tucson. He, along with Rory Moore, is organizing the American/Irish handball challenge at the South End this October. He, along with Vince Breining, raised money for the renovation of the handball courts at Golden Gate Park. He, along with Dave and Dawn Kennedy, helped raise over $15,000 in Santa Rosa to help defray the costs of cancer treatment for one of their handball player’s wives. He is also the best cook in the world and cooks for the Kauai Open, all South End tournaments, Park Point in Santa Rose, Golden Gate Park Tournaments, and any other tournament he is asked to do. He also accepted a position on the USHA hall of fame committee. Wayne has been doing all these services for handball for over twenty years. There is no sign that he is slowing down.

I asked Wayne another reason why he gives so much, and he said, “Anywhere in the world you can find a handball player, they will take you in and take care of you. Handball players have unbelievable generosity. An example was our cancer drive. We’re really a community, we come together in crisis. We have a network all over the world and all over the USA. I really enjoy what I do, and I really love to play handball.” 

Congratulations Wayne, you are a great addition to the NCHA Hall of Fame!