OU-Missouri Memory: Tubbs Takes the Mic

NORMAN — With the Oklahoma men's basketball team renewing its rivalry with former conference foe Missouri on Friday night at Lloyd Noble Center, we take a look back at the most famous plea in OU history, which came against the Tigers on Feb. 9, 1989. A request from former OU head coach Billy Tubbs was made to the LNC fans, but the surprise delivery seemed to impact his players more than anyone in the stands.

With his fifth-ranked Sooners trailing third-ranked Missouri 21-8 five minutes into a Thursday night ESPN game and the home crowd upset about the early officiating, Tubbs was asked by referee Ed Hightower to make a public address announcement to discourage the record crowd of 11,734 from throwing objects onto the court. Tubbs sort of cooperated.

"The referees request," began the quick-witted Tubbs as he clutched the microphone in his right hand, "that regardless of how terrible the officiating is, do not throw stuff on the floor."

The stunt drew an immediate standing ovation from those in attendance but also earned Tubbs his second technical foul in less than a minute. The other immediate — and most prominent — effect was the inspiration the outburst had on Tubbs' squad as it battled to claim first place in the Big Eight Conference race.

After Byron Irvin's two technical free throws put the Tigers ahead by a stunning 23-8 count, the Sooners ambushed Missouri for a 28-9 run and a 36-32 lead. Seniors Mookie Blaylock (nine) and Tyrone Jones (eight) netted a combined 17 of the team's 28 points during the comeback.

The quick turnaround did anything but seal the game for OU, however, as the contest was tied 53-53 at halftime and went down to the wire.

I didn't know I was going to get a technical. If I had to do it all over again, I would say some things differently.
Billy Tubbs

With no team gaining more than a four-point second-half advantage, OU found itself ahead 103-101 when Skeeter Henry went to the line for a one-and-one opportunity with a minute remaining. The junior's first attempt was true but his second was off the mark. Senior Stacey King grabbed the board but failed to score on his putback. Sticking with the play, the smooth left-handed center grabbed his own miss and gave the Sooners a four-point possession when he made the shot, was fouled and made the free throw.

Just like that, OU's two-point margin grew to six and Tubbs' Sooners held on for a breathtaking 112-105 victory.

"It doesn't matter about how big you are, it's how much heart you have," said King about the battle under the basket during OU's late four-point possession. "On Skeeter's free throw, I just tried to push Doug Smith under the basket. I don't like to lose."

King finished with game highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Jones netted 26 points with the help of 4-for-8 3-point shooting.

The Sooners took over first place in the league standings, moving to 20-3 overall and 7-1 in conference. Missouri dropped to 20-4 and 6-1.

After the game, Tubbs commented about his microphone address.

"I didn't know I was going to get a technical," he said. "If I had to do it all over again, I would say some things differently."

Tubbs added, "With all that went on today, it kind of makes this game immaterial considering what Norm's going through."

Tubbs was referring to Missouri head coach Norm Stewart, who blacked out on the flight to Oklahoma and missed the game as he was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer. Assistant Rich Daly served as Stewart's replacement.

Said Daly about the game's first five minutes, "Everything we threw up was going in. If you think that's going to happen for 40 minutes, it's just not true."

Irvin, one of six Mizzou players who scored in double figures, finished with a team-high 22 points. Smith and Gary Leonard registered 18 apiece while Anthony Peeler added 17.

OU went on to beat No. 1-ranked Arizona three days later (82-80) to claim the nation's top ranking.

Tubbs Reflects 26 Years Later

Asked this week to recount the events surrounding the microphone incident, Tubbs had this to say:

"As best I can remember, Hightower was like, 'They're throwing stuff on the floor and you need to go tell them not to.' And I'm like, 'No. That's not my job.' And he motioned like he was about to give me a technical.

I never saw anything thrown on the floor. And you've got to remember that we had played at Kansas State a few games before, and I'm telling you, they were raining stuff on the floor. I went to the officials probably three different times and said, 'Hey, that's a technical foul. You've got to call a technical foul.' Lonnie (Kruger) was their head coach and they went and had Lonnie take the mic and tell the fans not to throw stuff on the floor. But I was mad because it it took a bunch of times before they did that. I even talked to the refs at halftime about it.

"When they sent me to the mic against Missouri, I just said what the fans were thinking. I said, 'Regardless of how terrible the officiating, don't throw stuff on the floor.' Actually, that was a true statement. I just went up there and told the truth, right? That's why they were throwing stuff on the floor. The only other possibility is we were playing so badly that they were throwing stuff at us, but I'm pretty sure that was not the case.

"There had been what I thought were some shaky calls. The combination of some bad calls to start with and that we had just come off of that situation at K-State, and now they wanted me to talk to the crowd? But I did a good job because nobody threw anything else on the floor after I said that.

"As I think back on it, I probably could have made it better by saying, 'Regardless of how terrible YOU think the officiating is, don't throw stuff on the floor.' But it was just automatic. I just said what I was thinking. And you shouldn't get a technical for what you're thinking."

— By Mike Houck

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU-Missouri Memory: Tubbs Takes the Mic

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