Native American Heritage Month Feature: Marvin Nioce

November is Native American Heritage Month, and USTA Kansas is proud to have several members who are part of the many Native tribes in our state and surrounding ones.

One of those members, Marvin Nioce of Topeka, is a longtime tennis player within USTA Kansas and an organizer for the North American Indian Tennis Association (NAITA), which hosts tournaments for tribal members across the country each year.

Nioce, whose birth name is Pamsaht, is of the Prairie Band Potawatomi nation. He started playing tennis in his youth and credits the sport for introducing him to a large network of friends and teammates both across USTA Missouri Valley and among neighboring nations.

A graduate of Emporia State University, where he proudly mentions he met his wife, he also connected with fellow ESU graduate and USTA Kansas board member Don Eccles, with whom he remains in touch.

“I’ve always played tennis. I didn’t play in college, but I played during my college years and played in a few tournaments in town when they had them,” Nioce said.

His involvement with NAITA came shortly thereafter.

“Connie Robertson would have clinics in town, and I would go and help them out doing that and some wheelchair clinics. That’s when I heard of NAITA,” Nioce said. “After you win one or two (tournaments), you have to go back (and play in NAITA). So I did that, but I also played in local and USTA Missouri Valley tournaments, league tournaments and the Sunflower State Games.

“I took second one year and qualified for nationals once. Tennis has been good to me. I’ve met lots of nice people, and USTA Missouri Valley has given me some great opportunities.” 

Nioce has fond memories of his time playing in NAITA and USTA tournaments, some of which he played with his son.

“I remember going down to Glendale with my son (for NAITA tournaments) and in Albuquerque a couple times at the University of New Mexico—a beautiful place,” Nioce said. “I also got to play on a men’s (USTA) team with my son who’s a lefty, and that was fun—Indians against the cowboys! It was really fun. We qualified for sectionals in St. Louis. We still play. He’s got great topspin for a lefty guy!”

After playing in several NAITA tournaments, Nioce helped organize two of them in Kansas at Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka, where he was a board member for three years.

“My wife and I hosted two years in a row in Topeka and had tremendous cooperation with Kossover and USTA Missouri Valley,” Nioce said. “(They) gave us free use of the courts, and we got a grant as well from USTA Missouri Valley. We hosted about 80 players from different tribes, a lot from Oklahoma.

“It’s a lot of work; you need to get T-shirts made, trophies made, host a banquet on Saturday night and bring in someone to bless the tennis grounds. On Sunday, the last day, we made box lunches so players could take them on the road with them.”

The level of work it takes to host a tournament of that magnitude can be taxing, but Nioce noted he was thrilled to get help from a local tribe.

“When I ran the two tournaments in Topeka the tribe provided food, water and free meals at their casino. It was good publicity for them as well,” he said. “They were glad to have us, and it was put in the local newspaper and on local TV coverage. Other tribal officers were very happy to help and even helped with networking and support.”

Nioce, who recently retired from his career as a procurement officer, still plays tennis, though with less focus on the competition.

“I sub for leagues now. I was always a singles player; not a lot of players called me for doubles,” he said. “Now that I’m getting older, they need doubles players so they call me!”

He noted that in addition to tennis he’s found joy in bird hunting and has taken an interest in local archaeology. Nioce is keen to staying active and has no plans of slowing down now.

Read about the 2024 NAITA National Championships, which took place within the USTA Missouri Valley, by clicking here.