Nancy Pearce Jeffett

Co-founder of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and longtime chair of the U.S. Wightman and Federation Cups, Nancy Pearce Jeffett (b.1928) is considered one of the most influential women in tennis. Raised in St. Louis, Jeffett rose to No. 10 in the junior ranks before entering Washington University. Her marriage to businessman Frank Jeffett in 1956 brought her to Dallas, where she assumed a leadership role in the tennis community while raising her two children.

In 1968, Jeffett teamed with Grand Slam champion ‘Little Mo’ Connolly to establish a tennis foundation, for which Jeffett took full responsibility following her friend’s untimely death from cancer. Over the next 30 years Jeffett created an organization that today sponsors a dozen major tournaments and has contributed more than $4 million for player development – from public parks to the professional level. Honored worldwide, Jeffett is celebrated in her hometown with the annual presentation of the Dallas Tennis Association’s Nancy Jeffett Lifetime Achievement Award.