TULANE TALK

June 1, 2004

Good Morning:

I am writing you this morning to acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of Green Wave Tennis standout Michael Kogan, the first Tulane player to advance to the NCAA singles championship match since 1955.

While Michael fell just short of winning the title yesterday, anyone who knows him on or off the court will attest to the fact that he is a true champion. A native of the Soviet Union who emigrated with his family to Israel at the age of 12, Michael was a four-time Conference USA Player of the Year and a five-time All-American. With his help the Green Wave won three C-USA titles, hosted an NCAA regional and established itself as one of the premier tennis programs in the country.

Michael, an accounting and finance double major who graduated two weeks ago, was also named Tulane’s 2004 Male Student-Athlete of the Year for his outstanding achievements in the classroom. Whatever the future holds for Michael we are certain he will be a success and will continue to make all of us proud.

Michael’s accomplishments are among the highlights of a great year for our athletics program. Our men’s and women’s tennis teams and women’s golf team all won C-USA Championships this season and our nationally-ranked baseball team is the No. 3 seed at this week’s NCAA Regional in Oxford, Miss. Moreover, our student-athletes continue to post some of the highest graduation rates in the country.

Congratulations to Athletics Director Rick Dickson, his coaches, staff, and, most importantly, our student-athletes for continuing to represent the very best of Tulane University.