Report: OU legend Billy Tubbs enters hospice
Former Oklahoma basketball coach Billy Tubbs has entered hospice care, according to a report in Friday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tubbs, 85, was the the architect of “BillyBall” — one of the most exciting brands of basketball the college game has ever seen with high-pressure defense, lots of shots and an endless supply of points — guided the Sooners from 1980-94 and posted 333 wins and a .716 winning percentage — best in program history.
Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel reported that Tubbs’ son, Tommy, told the staff at TCU about his dad’s condition and that he was in a facility near Lake Texoma.
Tubbs turned the Sooners around almost immediately, but OU’s fortunes really took off when he brought in three-time All-American Wayman Tisdale from Tulsa in 1982.
In 1988, Tubbs guided Mookie Blaylock, Stacey King and the Sooners to the national championship game, where they lost to Larry Brown, Danny Manning and the Kansas Jayhawks.
Tubbs, who was born in St. Louis and grew up in Tulsa (he attended Tulsa Central High School), left OU after going 15-13 in 1993-94. He coached TCU to 156 wins from 1994-2002, and he finished his Division I career with three seasons at the same school he started it — at his alma mater, Lamar (2003-04), where he was head coach and athletic director. Tubbs also coached the Cardinals from 1976-80.
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