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spent in physical training may partially explain his longevity in the sport. He was, however, always devoted with practicing his serve on a practice court as well as his ground strokes against a backboard. At the age of 90, tennis was still his main form of exercise and recreation. The social aspect of tennis also contributed to his longevity in the sport.
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Frontier Field Walk of Fame Class of 2014. As part of this induction, he was selected to throw out the first pitch at a
Rochester Red Wings Baseball baseball game on August 24, 2014. This is fitting since Okey was more successful than any of his peers at sneaking into Red Wings Baseball games during
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Other than Squash, Okey did not employ physical training such as weight training or road running outside of the game itself. He says that his 6-mile daily walk between his home on Weaver Street in
Rochester and Aquinas High School gave his legs strength and stamina on the court. This lack of time
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Okey's unusual technique, including his natural preference of hitting the ball with a slice, contributed to his success and frustrated opponents throughout his career. This advantageous style likely emerged from the lack of formal tennis lessons and his use of squash as a training method. He is
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Neighbourhood. They used heavy wooden tennis rackets that were won as a prize by their father (master cabinet maker
Dominik Josef Okolowicz), who strung them with piano wire. At that time, Okey was given about 100 tennis balls by a member of the Tennis Club of Rochester after begging for balls
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Okey played his first tennis tournament at age 10 and his last at 80. He shared some of the secrets of his athletic longevity in a 1990 news clip and in a 2019 article and news clip. He suspended tournament tennis in 1999 after his first stroke. He suffered a second stroke in 2000, but still
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known as a smart player who rarely gave opponents balls that were easy to hit, and who made them run around the court. Throughout his career, he has practiced his serve and ground strokes on an empty court or against a backboard or with a ball machine.
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through the fence. He practiced against any building or wall he could find and sometimes played against his brother at the Seneca Park tennis courts in
Rochester. He read all the books on tennis he could find in the Central Library of Rochester.
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Okey never took a tennis lesson due to his family's lack of money. He began learning the game at age 10 by hitting balls with his brother Ray on the cobblestone street outside their house (on Weaver Street) in
Rochester's
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ABC 13 WHAM news clip, 11 July 2019, Bright Spot: Centenarian recommends everything in moderation - but tennis
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Okey was the first native of
Rochester, New York ever to play in the U.S. National Tennis Championships (
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639:"Frank A. Okey Obituary (2023) - Rochester, NY - Anthony Funeral & Cremation Chapels - Brighton"
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the early 1930s—under the center-field fence—indicating his devotion as a Red Wings fan.
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practiced with a ball machine year round at the Tennis Club of
Rochester. Okey died in
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Love of the Game: From Riggs to Seixas, Pittsford's Okey has served with the best
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ABC 13 WHAM news clip, 1990, Frank Okey's tennis career and some of his secrets
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on grass in Orange NJ (6–3, 6–3). Other notable tournament opponents include
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Winner, US National Senior Clay
Consolation Championship, Washington, DC.
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Frank Okey's page on the
University of Rochester's Hall of Fame website
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108:, December 16, 1919 – December 23, 2023) was an American tennis and
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National
Seniors titles between 1965 and 1975. His best national (
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Winner, Rogers Bowl Invitational Singles, Longwood Cricket Club
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Invitational Senior Singles (2 times) and Doubles (4 times)
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Frank Okey in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 29th 1952
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Winner, US National Senior Grass Consolation Championship,
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Player, U.S. vs. Canada (Gordon Trophy) Senior Team Match
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Player, U.S. (Open) Championship, Forest Hills, New York
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Frank Okey in the St. Petersburg Times, August 29th 1952
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Winner, Approximately 12 Tournaments sanctioned by the
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American tennis player and squash player (1919–2023)
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567:Frank Okey in Hartford Courant, August 30th 1952
325:Winner, District Senior Doubles, 25 consecutive
317:Winner, District Senior Singles, 12 consecutive
373:Winner, Canadian National Senior 55+ Singles
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301:Winner, Men's City Indoors Singles, 3 times
35:Okey at the Tennis Club of Rochester in 1954
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219:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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341:Winner, Canadian National Senior Singles
239:Learn how and when to remove this message
177:on December 23, 2023, at the age of 104.
464:National Ranking, 5 in Men's 80 Singles
445:National Ranking, 7 in Men's 70 Singles
434:National Ranking, 6 in Men's 65 Singles
404:National Ranking, 9 in Men's 60 Singles
293:Winner, District Singles, 2 consecutive
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309:Winner, District 35+ Singles, 2 times
703:Sportspeople from Rochester, New York
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713:Tennis players from New York (state)
217:adding citations to reliable sources
285:Winner, District Doubles, 15 times
181:Selected wins and national rankings
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487:Okey was a 1942 graduate of the
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150:United States Tennis Association
618:Anthony Funeral & Cremation
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106:Franciszek Krzysztof Okolowicz
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708:Sports in Rochester, New York
668:The Tennis Club of Rochester
471:A squash champion, for tennis
168:70 years of tournament tennis
698:American male tennis players
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693:American men centenarians
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128:Tennis career highlights
95:No. 5 Senior '80s (1980)
489:University of Rochester
267:University of Rochester
87:Achievements and titles
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138:Forest Hills, New York
92:Highest world ranking
523:No physical training
213:improve this section
41:Personal information
493:Rochester Red Wings
385:Tennis Association
175:Pittsford, New York
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73:(2023-12-23)
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688:2023 deaths
683:1919 births
623:January 22,
500:Self taught
351:Lake Mohawk
162:Bobby Riggs
677:Categories
648:August 19,
643:Legacy.com
532:References
269:, 3 years
142:Vic Seixas
52:1919-12-16
23:Frank Okey
483:Accolades
200:does not
156:Champion
154:Wimbledon
570:Archived
361:Winner,
349:Winner,
136:, 1952,
591:YouTube
383:Florida
363:Bermuda
221:removed
206:sources
146:Bermuda
134:US Open
122:Florida
507:Polish
477:squash
257:Title
110:squash
104:(born
81:, U.S.
62:, U.S.
650:2024
625:2024
462:USTA
450:1995
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432:USTA
420:1982
402:USTA
370:1975
338:1965
330:1952
254:Year
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68:Died
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