Marion Blackburn
Marion Ossie Blackburn was an American entrepreneur and tennis professional.
Early life and education
Marion Blackburn was born on July 31, 1939, in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended William Hooper Councill High School and Alabama A&M College, where he played on what he described as a “ragtag tennis team.”Business career
In the early 1960s, Blackburn moved to Portland, Oregon, where opened a wood manufacturing business called Wood Arts. He then opened a tennis teaching business called "Tennis Lessons Inc." Initially operating out of a warehouse with low ceilings and concrete floors in the John’s Landing neighborhood, Blackburn soon started a full-fledged tennis club. With a loan from the federal government, he built a tennis club from scratch on the 5800 block of the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. The initial name of the club, which opened in 1977, was Tennis Town. After adding on additional facilities such as a weightlifting room, aerobics studio, racquetball courts, outdoor tennis courts, and pool, Blackburn renamed his club Raleigh Hills Racquet and Health Club. He later changed it to Portland Athletic Club, or "PAC."In a colorful profile of Blackburn written by sportswriter and baseball executive Harold Parrott, Blackburn hinted at the slim margins but rich rewards of owning and operating a tennis facility. "There's no money in this business," Blackburn explained. "I mean, I couldn't turn all this into cash, even if I wanted to. All I've done is bought myself a job. It's a steady job, and you've got to work at it to stay afloat."
Blackburn claimed to be the only single-person owner-operator of a Black-owned tennis club in the United States who also owned the land beneath the facility. No other examples of single-owner, Black-owned tennis clubs currently exist in the Pacific Northwest.
Tennis career
During his time in the U.S. Army, Blackburn learned to play tennis at a high level. Back in Portland in the 1960s, Blackburn played tennis regularly at Irving Park. He was initially denied membership to the Irvington Club. Following the protests of Irvington Club pro Jack Neer, Blackburn and his family were admitted.During the 1970s and 1980s, Blackburn was a competitive tournament player, with a ranking in the USTA Pacific Northwest region’s 35+ category. He won the Oregon State men’s 35+ tournament numerous times.