Southwest Showcase

by Jack Michalko, Executive Director, USPTA Southwest

D’Wayne Begay - A man with many talents!

It’s not often you run into someone who excels in more than one career but D’Wayne Begay is the exception to that rule. D’Wayne, a full blooded Native American (Navajo) was born in Albuquerque, NM. He became a Southwest Division USPTA Pro in 1996. He began his career at Tanonan Country Club in the early 1980’s. He left Albuquerque in 2012 for a position at Midtown Athletic Club in Palatine, IL. From there D’Wayne moved to California in 2014 which is his current residence and is a member of the San Diego Division of the USPTA.

D’Wayne has served on many national and division USPTA committees over the years and was a supporting presenter at the Tennis Teacher’s Conference in New York City along with Luke Jensen and Tom Gullikenson. Begay also was USPTA International Championship – Sportsmanship Award winner in 2010 and received the ‘Spirit of Albuquerque Award in 2009 from the city of Albuquerque Mayor’s Office, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Albuquerque Journal for his nationally recognized wheelchair program. D’Wayne has also won many USTA Southwest awards over the years.

But what makes D’Wayne so unique is while he was heavily involved in a tennis teaching career he found time to become and actor and was in 9 movies, one of which was a foreign film and 2 were made for TV.

Begay had a part in the 1994 film “Wyatt Earp” starring

Kevin Costner as Wyatt Earp and included such household names as Gene Hackman,

Dennis Quaid, and Mark

Harmon. D’Wayne was a limo driver in John Carpenter’s

“Vampires”, a 1998 film starring James Woods and Maximilian Schell.

D’Wayne also had parts in “Santa Fe”, “Dream Keeper”, a Canadian film, and “Medicine Wind”. He was also in the 2000 film “All the Pretty Horses”, which starred Matt Damon and Bruce Dern and was directed by none other than Billy Bob Thorton!

D’Wayne with Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses!

D’Wayne & the late Jack Palance in Buffalo Girl

D’Wayne with Billy Bob Thorton

Begay also did 2 movies made for television having parts in the 1995 movie “Buffalo Girls” where D’Wayne played a Navajo Chief who kills Custer in the movie starring Anjelica Huston, Melanie Griffin and the late Jack Palance. He was also in “The Lazarus Man” starring Robert Urich and Ann Gunn, who is better known as Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) wife Skyler, in “Breaking Bad”. It was also filmed in Albuquerque. Not too shabby for a tennis pro huh? And if that’s not enough D’Wayne is also an experienced model.

As you might expect, D’Wayne is also an experienced horseback rider, which certainly was an advantage in his western movies. His hobbies include skiing, golf, fishing, snorkeling motorcycling, archery and guitar.

D’Wayne also found time to give back to those in need. He is currently working Rosie Casals (Love & Love Foundation), USPTA pros Sharon Walsh and Tory Fretz introducing Coachella Valley children to tennis with free clinics and 2 Bounce Tennis Inc. Billy Jean King donated funds for tennis equipment for 17 elementary schools. The equipment was for the Coachella Valley United School District. With Billy Jean’s support D’Wayne was able to get tennis introduced into that school district! D’Wayne also helped raise money for Children with Cancer, at Sangre Cristo Racquet Club in Santa Fe, NM along with fellow USPTA pro, Rocky Royer, which included meet and greet with tennis legends Rod Laver and Roy Emerson. Begay also introduced tennis to over 60 juniors at Carrie Tingley Children’s Hospital from a statewide program for those confined to wheelchairs from 2006-2011. D’Wayne introduced tennis to children with vision and/or hearing impairments at the New Mexico State School for Deaf and Blind in Albuquerque from 20082010.

Needless to say, we in the Southwest are proud to call D’Wayne a true professional in every sense of the word!

Rosie Casals, D’Wayne & Billy Jean King