Billy Tubbs gave Oklahoma great memories

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Billy Tubbs gave Oklahoma great memories

Wed, 11/11/2020 - 13:54
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There are many reasons for us to dislike the year 2020. Of course, the big thing is that COVID-19 has rudely interjected itself in our midst and has disrupted normal ways of living worldwide. Putting that and all its implications aside, the year 2020 hasn’t been a kind one to the sports world. During this time we have lost too many big names.

One of the latest made his impact in the state of Oklahoma--Billy Tubbs, who died Nov. 1, at the age of 85, in his home in Norman. Tubbs grew up in Tulsa and later was the head basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma among other places. When he retired, he had achieved more than 600 wins, good for 28th highest among college coaches.

Tubbs employed a high scoring offense and a fullcourt pressure defense in his coaching strategy. Many times his teams surpassed 100 points in a game, a result of the offensive strategy in force.

I never had the opportunity to meet Coach Tubbs in person, but did talk to him on the phone once when he was the athletic director at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. I was trying to arrange for an interview with Jenna Plumley, the Frontier High School whiz who played college ball at OU and then transferred to Lamar. Protocol in such cases is to get permission with the head coach who would arrange for a phone call interview. I called the number listed for the coach at the time, Larry Tidwell. I got an answer at the first ring. I identified myself and started with my spiel about wanting to have an interview approved. The person at the other end kept peppering me with questions about Oklahoma. “What’s the weather like there today?” “How long have you lived in Oklahoma?” “Are you an OU or OSU fan?” things like that. I wondered about the questions but pressed on with my request. Finally the voice at the other end said “This is Billy Tubbs. I used to live in Oklahoma. Coach Tidwell isn’t in today. May I have him call you?” He then began asking questions about Ponca City, Red Rock and other area towns. We had a nice conversation. I guess the athletic director business wasn’t too busy that day.

Even though I didn’t have a connection with Coach Tubbs except for that one phone conversation, I had admired his coaching skills for a long time. As I have recounted many, many times in this space my Oklahoma ties go back years before I moved here in 2001. My Dad was a native Oklahoman and he had a soft spot in his heart for athletic teams that came from the Sooner State. I inherited that soft spot and after Kansas teams, of course, I always followed the fortunes of OU and OSU from afar. I liked it when Mr. Tubbs made the Sooners a winning program. I liked the style of basketball OU played. It was interesting to follow their pursuits from game to game.

OU was consistently one of the better teams in the Big 8 (how the conference was known during Tubbs’ tenure). In the years 1980 to 1994, OU won four Big 8 titles under his leadership. The Sooners won two Big 12 Tournaments in that time. On numerous occasions they were ranked in the Top 10 nationally. The 1988 team was really special, being ranked No. 1 for much of the year and then advancing to the NCAA Tournament finals against Big 12 opponent Kansas. OU was heavily favored over the Jayhawks, who had lost 11 games prior to the NCAA finals. But it was KU’s year as the team known as Danny and the Miracles eventually went home with the championship trophy. Danny, of course, was Danny Manning, who almost singlehandedly led the Jayhawks to the title.

On that 1988 team were Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock, all of whom ended up in the NBA. That bunch averaged 102.9 points per game. They averaged 13 steals a game and outscored opponents by an average of 23 points. Before the year was over, OU had won 35 times. The national title would have been just icing on the cake. No one can deny it was a great, great team.

Tubbs was known as a baiter of game officials. He was a frequent recipient of technical fouls because of his debating skills. One great story is told about the coach that concerns an event during a game in which the unruly Norman crowd started booing and throwing things on the floor. Tubbs took the microphone and addressed the crowd--”I have been asked to announce that no matter how terrible the officiating is, please don’t throw things on the floor.” It didn’t take long for head referee Ed Hightower to “T” up Mr. Tubbs after that statement.

Billy Tubbs attended Central High School in Tulsa, and then played basketball at Lon Morris (Junior) College and Lamar Tech. He served as an assistant at Lamar for 11 years and then became head coach at Southwestern in Texas. From there he was an assistant at North Texas, head coach at Lamar and then came his 14-year stint at OU. From Norman he went to Fort Worth where he was head coach at TCU for eight years. He returned to Lamar for three years as head coach 2003 to 2006. He retired in 2011 as Lamar’s athletic director. His 333 wins at Oklahoma are the most in school history.

As I said earlier, 2020 has been rough on the world of sports for many reasons. Hope 2021 is much better.