Say the name Carney in Joliet sports circles, and tennis automatically comes to mind.

Back in the 1970s, the Carney family dominated the local tennis scene, with a highlight every summer being the Will County Tennis Tournament, more commonly referred to as the WillCo.

Brian Carney, along with brothers Jack, Tom and Jim, were names that grabbed the headlines.

But mirroring the dip in tennis popularity nationwide, the WillCo eventually fizzled out. Brian Carney and Andy Olin, who were in the group that ran the tournament during tennis’ heyday, were talking about the old days and decided to try to revive the tournament.

“The WillCo has been dormant for a lot of years,” said Carney, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. “We had a draw of 128 when we won the tournament. It was a huge deal back then. Now, Joliet doesn’t even have an indoor facility anymore. The Joliet Tennis Club was razed years ago.”

The revived WillCo Tournament, with Olin the tournament director, is scheduled July 14 to 15 at the Joliet West courts (Joliet Catholic courts also will be used if needed). Doubles could be played the following weekend, depending on the entry numbers.

The entry fee is $25, and all proceeds will go to the Alzheimer's Association. To enter, visit http://www.alzheiemer-illinois.org/WillCo/index.asp. The deadline for entering is Friday. Divisions planned are Youth (16 and younger), Open (17 to 50) and Senior (50 and older).

For information, contact Sari Eilon at 847-779-6952 or seilon@alz.org, or Olin at 630-287-1621 or h2ovail@aol.com.

“We already have raised more than $10,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association,” Brian Carney said.

Carney said he will be returning home for the tournament, although he and a couple of his siblings will not be able to play for health reasons.

However, there will be significant Carney representation in the field.

“Jack and Tom played college tennis,” Brian Carney said. “Tom’s kids are all great tennis players. They won 11 straight sectional titles at Joliet West. So two generations of Carneys have dominated in a certain time period.”

The younger generation includes Jack, Tom and Eileen. Jack played for two years at Northern Kentucky before transferring to Indiana, where he managed the women’s team “and just loved it,” Eileen said.

Jack graduated in May. Tom is playing at Ball State, where he will be a senior in the fall. Eileen, who won her fourth straight sectional title last fall, is entering her freshman year at Toledo. Tom and his partner earned a Mid-America Conference Doubles Team of the Week honor this past spring season.

Eileen said she learned growing up about the tennis prowess in the family.

“I heard so often how good the older generations of Carneys were back in their day,” she said. “We have newspaper articles, trophies, pictures, all of that to look at. Even my cousins who don’t play tennis love hearing about it.

“The [WillCo] tournament was such a big deal back then. I know tennis was something that brought the whole town together. My dad told us the finals of the WillCo were like the sectionals now in high school. That’s how many people would come out to watch.”

So if all the the Carneys, from both generations, were healthy, who would win a family tournament?

“That’s a tough one,” Eileen said. “Maybe Jack, my oldest brother. Or maybe my cousin Brenna. She’s 22. She plays recreationally, and she’s good. Our reunions always are fun because we all can rally together.”

Meanwhile, Eileen, who is teaching tennis for the first time this summer at Butterfield Country Club in Oak Brook, is trying to do her part to get potential players interested in the WillCo.

“I have contacted some of the girls I played with at Joliet West, some of the girls I hit with at the Naperville Tennis Club and some of those I am teaching at Butterfield,” she said. “I just played a tournament at Northwestern last weekend. I played with one of my teammates at Toledo.”

“We’re hoping for a good turnout,” Brian Carney said. “If we can get 100, we’d be doing great. We’re hoping to attract a younger crowd, but also be able to get renewals of some good rivalries.

“You don’t see a lot of tennis being outside during the day anywhere in the country like it was in the ’70s. We’re trying to do our part to bring it back. The first year is a real challenge, but we are trying.”

Carney mentioned Steve Barrett, Paul Blahunka, Scott Blim, Dan Streitz, Kathy Porter, Ruth Derrow, Jim Waters, Scott Stephen, Bob Stephen and Lee Irvin among the many good local players from the past that people remember, thanks in no small part to the WillCo.

Of course, there always will be Carneys, as well.

“Maybe we’ll have a next generation, too,” Eileen Carney said.