2026 Tennis Creates Gala Honoree

Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Few people embody the values of tennis — discipline, resilience, sportsmanship, and community — quite like Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (Ret.).

It all started at age seven, when his parents first put a racquet in his hands. That early introduction to the game planted a seed that would grow alongside one of the most distinguished careers in American naval history.

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Sean Buck made his way to Annapolis, Maryland, where he competed as a Division I tennis athlete and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983. Those years on the courts of the Chesapeake Bay region forged a deep connection to the Mid-Atlantic that never faded. When he was named the 63rd Superintendent of the Naval Academy, it brought him back to Annapolis and to the tennis courts he knew well. He applied his competitive instincts to collegiate athletics leadership, serving on the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the American Athletic Conference.

Over a distinguished naval career, Vice Admiral Buck accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours as a Naval Flight Officer, commanded at six levels from squadron to fleet, and served at the highest levels of the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He holds a Master of Arts in International Security Policy from George Washington University, completed a fellowship at MIT Seminar XXI: Foreign Politics, International Relations, and the National Interest, and has completed executive programs at Harvard’s Kennedy School and Graduate School of Education, among others.

His connection to the Mid-Atlantic remains strong, rooted in a belief that tennis has the power to change lives. He has served on the Foundation’s Advisory Group working to bring the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation Tennis Campus to life, a regional hub that will make the sport he loves accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. His commitment to expanding access to tennis reflects the Foundation’s core pillars of Community, Character, and Well-Being. 

When asked what he does to recharge, his answer is simple: he plays tennis. We are proud to present Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck with the 2026 Tennis Creates Impact Award at the Tennis Creates Gala, recognizing him as a leader, a champion, and a true ambassador for the transformative power of tennis.