Tempe, AZ – It is with great pleasure that the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the “ITA,” announces Michael D. “Mike” Case, a longtime supporter of collegiate athletics and college tennis, as the 2024 ITA Chairman’s Award recipient.
Now in its third year, the ITA Chairman’s Award recognizes and honors an individual who has provided lifelong service to the sport, including, but not limited to, innovation across the college tennis landscape in support of coaches, varsity programs, colleges and universities, student-athletes, and communities. The award winner serves as an inspiration to how college students may impact tennis and society, including giving back to our sport.
“Mike Case embodies everything the ITA Chairman’s award stands for,” proclaimed ITA Chairman of the Board, Jon Vegosen. “He richly deserves to be recognized for his extraordinary support of college tennis and its constituents. But Mike’s vision, passion for, and generosity in supporting our sport, college athletics in general, and tennis in particular, would not be the mainstays they have become at The University of Tulsa and in the greater Tulsa community. By recognizing Mike, the ITA not only honors him, but also shines a light on his inspiring example of excellence, philanthropy, and humility.
As one of the most influential individuals in the growth and development of Tulsa Athletics this century, Case has continuously invested in college tennis and the developmental opportunities provided to student-athletes through collegiate athletics.
Growing up as a multi-sport athlete, Case earned a football scholarship to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M after a successful prep school career at Pea Ridge High School in Arkansas.
Just before Case’s high school graduation, his father died of a sudden heart attack, leaving seven children and a widowed mother. This immediately changed Case’s direction. He made the tough and selfless decision to put aside his academic and athletic ventures to help support his family and take care of his newly wedded wife. Moving to Tulsa, Case went to work as a real estate developer, and he flourished mightily.
Case started at the bottom, working for a multifamily real estate developer, and worked his way up to executive vice president at that firm. He used the knowledge he gained from his 14 years of work in real estate to open up his own firm, Case & Associates, in 1983. Case now owns and operates properties in 14 cities across the country.
Managing over 30,000 multifamily units across six states, Case & Associates has always set out to provide superior customer service to each property it owns and manages and to respect family values. This generous approach toward improving the lives of the people Case & Associates serves has stayed true for the firm for the past 40 years. It also has been Case’s guiding principle in the Tulsa community, especially in his tremendous support of The University of Tulsa.
Knowing Case’s interest in tennis, Ben Abney, a Tulsa alum and attorney for Case & Associates, introduced Case to Tulsa men’s tennis coach Vince Westbrook. Case and Westbrook built a fortuitous and fervent friendship that has benefited not only The University of Tulsa but also the greater Tulsa and the wider college tennis community.
After hearing of Westbrook’s dream to build a world-class tennis venue on Tulsa’s campus, Case immediately stepped up to support the project. He raised over $13 million for the construction of the 69,000 square feet, 2,000 person capacity facility which has become a world-renowned destination for tennis enthusiasts across the globe.
Earning many distinctions, including being named the 2003 Most Outstanding Collegiate Tennis Center by the USTA, the Michael D. Case Tennis Center welcomes thousands of student-athletes and coaches each year. It has hosted NCAA Championships, conference championships, and the ITA Men’s All-American Championships, the latter of which is still held in Tulsa to this day.
As the longest active host site of an ITA Championship, the Michael D. Case Tennis Center has welcomed the top men’s student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level for the past 18 seasons. It will continue to do so in 2024 when the ITA Men’s All-American Championships are held in Tulsa from September 21-29.
Since his initial step into collegiate athletics, Case has gone on to support many other initiatives at The University of Tulsa. These include helping fund the Case Athletic Complex and the Pat Case Dining Center and creating the Mike and Pat Case Tulsa Talent Initiative Scholarship Fund. That fund has benefited 225 students enrolled at Tulsa and helped them secure a quality education.
In recognition of Case’s success in real estate and his generosity as a community leader, Case was awarded an honorary degree as a Doctor of Business from the University of Tulsa in 2005.
About the ITA: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. Comprised of 1,260 colleges and universities, 20,000 student-athletes, 1,700 varsity programs, 3,000 coaches, and 1,350 college tennis officials, the ITA empowers college tennis coaches at all levels to deliver vibrant tennis programs that are vital to their college communities and transformational to their student-athletes. Follow the college tennis season on the ITA website and ITA social channels on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
