Honorary Chair Dan Drvaric Helps Return Event to Top Tier Status

The Milwaukee Tennis Classic over nearly a half century has faced multiple challenges and opportunities. MTC was founded in 1975 and created the only indoor men’s and women’s national intercollegiate tennis tournament in the U.S. Preliminary matches were initially held at area indoor tennis facilities, the semi-finals at the Marquette University Helfaer Tennis Stadium and the finals in the Milwaukee Auditorium in downtown Milwaukee.

Because MTC was the only college tennis tournament at this time of the year, many of the top ten men and women competed. The 3,500 seat Auditorium, with built-in boxes for sponsors, was the ideal site for the finals for 29 years. Enthusiastic receptions were held before the finals in the Soloman Juneau Room. Crowds for the finals averaged about 1,500 people with a one-year peak of 3,300. It was the perfect setting.

Conversion of the Auditorium to the Milwaukee Theater was a real blow to the MTC. The perfect venue was gone forever. MTC struggled and hosted the finals at Helfaer, but the facility and atmosphere were not the same. There were no receptions and no boxes to secure sponsors. On July 11, 2005, a Milwaukee Journal article proclaimed the MTC was “Barely holding serve.” The article concluded, “If the Milwaukee Tennis Classic is not dead, then it’s certainly on life support.”

That year, MTC abandoned the national intercollegiate individual men’s and women’s event, and reinvented itself to create a venue of four men’s and four women’s teams competing in an outdoor fall venue. The University of Wisconsin and Marquette University co-hosted the MTC team event with schools coming, with some exceptions, primarily from the Midwest. MTC lost its national status and became a regional tournament for 11 years.

The team event was successful during that period and the tournament was presented at the exceptional facilities of Western Racquet Club, The Town Club, The Wisconsin Club and Milwaukee Country Club. Each of those clubs were great partners.

MTC used the 11 years to regroup and develop a plan to restore the premier national intercollegiate tennis status. The above referenced clubs supported and provided assistance in the restoration.

In 2017, MTC commenced its comeback as a premier, individual men’s and women’s national intercollegiate tennis tournament. Restoration required significant people and financial resources.

An enterprising young attorney, Cody Hallowell, agreed to chair the event and recruit the players. Chas Mulcahy had several meetings with the president of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Tim Russell, in Tempe, Arizona, to discuss and secure an ITA Gold Level Sponsorship including providing wild cards to the men’s and women’s MTC singles champions to the ITA end-of-year national championships.

One of the key challenges was to return operation of the tournament to a premier level. This required securing a tournament referee and team of umpires to provide immediate credibility.

A highly respected, talented and dedicated ITA umpire, Dan Drvaric, was recruited as referee with the mission of bringing nationally prominent umpires to Milwaukee for the restored individual MTC commencing in September 2017. This was no easy task but Drvaric was up to the challenge.

Dan Dvaric (third from left) with his family.

Drvaric had the vision, credentials, reputation and ability. He previously served as a chair/roving umpire for the MTC team tournament from 2011-2016. He was the chair umpire through the semi-finals of the 2016 NCAA Women’s Team Indoor National Championship. His pedigree also included serving as chair umpire of multiple other college and USTA tournaments.

The cornerstone for rebuilding MTC became the team of referee and national umpires. The college coaches needed to be confident, from the start, that the referees were ready on day one.

Drvaric started making calls and recruiting those prominent national umpires. He formed a talented and enthusiastic umpire team committed from day one to providing a well-run, top quality national intercollegiate tennis tournament. Drvaric did everything to make this happen including recruiting the umpires and then providing them everything they needed to make coming to the MTC unique and special.

Drvaric initiated a special private dinner for the umpires on the evening before the MTC at the historic Town Club which had previously hosted the USTA National Men’s and Women’s Clay Courts in the mid-1960s. Arthur Ashe was one of the participants!

Drvaric created an aura and atmosphere which the coaches and players recognized and appreciated. The MTC was enjoyable and well run. In one year, Drvaric brought the MTC to premier national status.

Dan Dvaric as an MTC umpire.

Drvaric continued as MTC Referee from 2017 to 2024 when he retired and became the MTC advisor on tournament officials. Since 2017, MTC has continued to develop and enhance its recruiting of players, organizational structure, media coverage, community outreach (including its scholarship program) and financial stability.

None of this would have been possible without the vision, leadership, credentials and capabilities of Dan Drvaric. MTC was pleased to honor Dan Drvaric as the Honorary Chair of the 2024 tournament!