BILLY TUBBS IN HOSPICE
Billy Tubbs, the oneof-a-kind coach who led Oklahoma to the 1988 NCAA men's basketball final, entered hospice care this week
Billy Tubbs, the oneof-a-kind coach who led Oklahoma to the 1988 NCAA men's basketball final, entered hospice care this week near Lake Texoma, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported Friday.
Tubbs, 85, was hired 40 years ago to lead the Sooners and he quickly turned them into one of the nation' s most exciting teams, playing at a breakneck pace and often scoring 100-plus points a game.
In 14 season sat OU, Tubbs' teams won five Big Eight championships, went to nine NCAA tournaments and posted an overall record of 333-132. His 1987-88 team — led by four future NBA players Stacey King, Harvey Grant, Mookie Blaylock and Ricky Grace — won 35 games before falling to Kansas in the NCAA championship game.
Tubbs left OU for TCU in the spring of 1994 and went 155-96 in eight seasons before returning to his alma mater, Lamar, for a second stint as head coach to closeout his career.
In 29 seasons as a Division I head coach, Tubbs posted a 609317 record. A graduate of Tulsa Central High School, Tubbs was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
OKLAHOMA STATE: The OSU men's cross country team captured the Big 12 Cross Country Championship in
Lawrence, Kan., Friday, edging Iowa State in the event's first-ever tiebreaker. Both the Cowboys and Cyclones earned 31 points, but OSU won the tiebreaker based on head-to-head matchups of top finishers. It was the Cowboys' 10th cross country conference title. Junior Isai Rodriguez finished second overall for the Cowboys. The Cowgirls finished fourth as a team as Taylor Roe placed second overall.