Okey won between 200 and 250 tennis tournaments between 1949 and 1999, including wins from throughout western New York State, Florida, and other regional, national, and international circuits.

Okey was also selected as a member of the Rochester Red Wings Frontier Field Walk of Fame Class of 2014.

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.

He practiced against any building or wall he could find and sometimes played against his brother at the Seneca Park tennis courts in Rochester.

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.

He is known as a smart player who rarely gave opponents balls that were easy to hit, and who made them run around the court.

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.