Legendary hoops coach put Oklahoma onmap
Billy Tubbs, the colorful coach with the high-octane system known as Billy Ball who brought Oklahoma basketball to prominence in the 1980s, died Sunday. He was 85.
Tubbs’ family said in a statement that he battled a form of leukemia since being diagnosed in 2015. The statement said he died peacefully surrounded by family. A news release from the University of Oklahoma said Tubbs died in Norman.
“Though his passing represents a tremendous loss for everyone close to him, our family is comforted by the knowledge he lived an extremely spirited life full of outstanding accomplishment in and out of sports,” the statement said.
Tubbs took over a struggling Oklahoma program in 1980. The Sooners reached the NCAA Tournament just once — for most of those years, only the Big 8 championwent to the tournament — over the 32 seasons prior to Tubbs’ arrival and held a combined winning percentage of .471 from1950to 1980.
His fast-pacedoffensesand relentless full-court pressure defenses led to lots of scoring, excitement and wins. His 1987-88 team, featuring future NBA players Mookie Blaylock, Harvey Grant and Stacey King, was upset by Kansas in the NCAA title game. Tubbs also coached Wayman Tisdale, a threetime AP All-American and Olympic gold medalist.
Tubbshada 333-132 record in 14 seasons at Oklahoma and was four time Big Eight Coach of the Year. In three seasons, the Sooners averaged more than 100 points per game.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Billy Tubbs,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. “Billy is one of the most successful, popular and colorful figures in the history of OU Athletics. His passion and vision of the game defined an era of Sooner basketball and forever changed the trajectory of our hoops program.”
Tubbs coached at TCU from 1995-2002 and got the previously struggling program to the NCAA Tournament in 1998. He had two coaching stints at his alma mater, Lamar, and was athletic director there from2002 to 2011.
In 2011, Lamar dedicated the basketball floor at the Montagne Event Center as “Billy & Pat Tubbs Court,” namedin honor of the coach and his wife.
Overall, Tubbs had a 609317 (.658) record as a Division I head coach. He was inducted into the Oklahoma SportsHall of Fame in 2006.
Tubbs was head coach at Lamarfrom1976 to 1980 and led the Cardinals to their first twoNCAATournaments. He was Southland Conference Coach of theYear in1978 and 1980, and his team reached the Sweet 16 in 1980.
Perhaps his most famous moment of all came on Feb. 9, 1989, while hewas coaching Oklahoma.
The Sooners fell behind Missouri early, and fanswho disagreedwith a traveling call against Blaylock had thrown debrisonthe court. Thepublic-address announcer told the crowd the Sooners could be assessed a technical if the activity continued.
Tubbsthentookthemicrophone and said: “The referees request that regardless of how terrible the officiating is, do not throwstuff on the floor.”
He earned a technical from official Ed Hightower and a standing ovation from the home crowd.
He stood by his words. “Actually, that was a true statement,” Tubbs told the Kansas City Star years later. “I justwentupthere and told the truth, right? That’swhy theywere throwing stuff on the floor.”