University of Oklahoma Athletics
I-44 to Norman
October 05, 2009 | Athletics
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| Wayman Tisdale |
Tulsa area natives Rick Bryan and Wayman Tisdale both made the trek down I-44 to suit up in the Crimson and Cream in the 1980s. In the process, they forever cemented their status in the lore of OU athletics. With their untimely deaths this summer, it seems appropriate to celebrate the indelible marks they made on the Sooner football and basketball programs, respectively, and their contributions to the OU legacy that will remain forever in the annals of Sooner sports.
A tight end and linebacker out of Coweta High School, Bryan signed with OU in 1980 and made the starting lineup as a sophomore at defensive tackle.
"I knew nothing about the defensive line," Bryan once told the Tulsa World. "But (then-OU defensive assistant) Rex Norris told me during freshman two-a-days I could be a two-time All-American. That made me feel good, that a coach of that caliber had that much confidence in me."
While two-a-days, regular season practices and game days took their toll on his body, Bryan would prove Norris' prediction accurate, as Bryan became a two-time consensus All-American. He also collected All-Big Eight honors three times and today still holds the record for most tackles by a Sooner lineman with 365.
"No one outworked him," Barry Switzer told the World. "I remember the Atlanta Falcons' line coach telling me that 'he would take a truckload of Ricky Bryans and go play against anybody.' As good a player as you could ever hope for. A tremendous leader on the field. Practiced the game the way you wanted it practiced. Played the game you wanted it played. Other than that, never said a word.
"A great, great player," added Switzer. "I just wish he had played on a national championship team. He had it all."
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Considered the greatest player in OU men's basketball history, Tisdale would leave OU as the all-time leader in points and rebounds despite playing just three seasons. His impact on the Sooner program is reflected in the fact that he was the first Sooner athlete in any sport to have his jersey retired.
"On the basketball court, he was the kind of player who transcends time," said Joe Castiglione, OU vice president and director of athletics. "He was legendary the day he slipped on an Oklahoma Sooners uniform and he left a legacy almost impossible to emulate."
Tisdale transformed the collegiate game, leaving as large of a stamp on the national scene as he did on the Oklahoma program. The Booker T. Washington High School product became the first player in collegiate history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons (1983-85).
"He had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special," said OU head coach Jeff Capel. "His basketball talent and accomplishments pale in comparison to the impact he had on the lives that he influenced by the way he lived his life, and the tremendous character he displayed in his fight with cancer. Throughout it all, he always had that infectious smile."
The three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year boasted career averages of 25.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, as well as a .578 field goal percentage (second best in school history). He finished his collegiate career with 2,661 points and 1,048 rebounds, including a school-record 61-point scoring outburst against Texas-San Antonio as a sophomore, a record that still stands.
The centerpiece of a rejuvenation effort in Sooner basketball, a freshman Tisdale and his OU brethren began a string of NCAA appearances that stretched to eight consecutive and 21 in the next 24 seasons -- not bad for a program that had only produced four NCAA Tournament teams in the previous 75 years.
The pair's hard-nosed Oklahoma upbringing would shine bright even in their professional days. The Tulsa tandem went on to stellar pro careers after their time in Norman, characterized by a pure love-of-the-game mentality to the adoration of fans nationwide.
"I don't know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale," said Billy Tubbs, Tisdale's coach at OU. "He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive."
Tisdale's time in the NBA included stints with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Known for his graceful left-handed touch on the court, Tisdale averaged 15.3 points for his career and was a member of the 1984 Olympics gold medal-winning U.S. squad.
"Of any of the kids I coached, he was one of the most enthusiastic for playing basketball and toward his teammates," said 1984 Olympic team coach Bobby Knight to ESPN. "He was great player on that team because he wanted the best for everybody. The phrase team spirit cannot apply to anybody more than Wayman Tisdale. He was simply one of the most enjoyable kids I have ever had the opportunity to coach."
Bryan was the ninth overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft by Atlanta, and played with the Falcons all nine years of his pro career, finishing with 29 sacks. Bryan started in 19 of his final 34 games after being advised to retire three years earlier after he was diagnosed with a spinal nerve injury.
"It's amazing to see how one person can withstand and endure so much pain and discomfort and still perform the way Rick Bryan does," then-OU trainer Dan Pickett told the Oklahoman in 1983. "I've never seen anyone else like him. I really haven't. As trainers, we've scratched our heads a time or two."
Gone but certainly not forgotten, OU fans will forever be indebted to the Oklahoma duo who found their way to Norman down I-44 and truly exemplified what it means to be a Sooner.
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Story by Phillip Rogers | OU Athletics Media Relations
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