READ TODAY'S STORIES AND E-EDITION SUBSCRIBE |  CONTACT US |  SIGN IN
Sports Extra!



SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

FOR THE RECORD
LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA


Print story only Print story with comments Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest
Former assist man Gottlieb dishes out laughs, too
Published: 6/16/2010 10:48 AM
Last Modified: 6/16/2010 2:53 PM

I wrote a 46-inch story on ESPN personality and former Oklahoma State assist king Doug Gottlieb prior to his appearance at the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards (read it here). That’s long for a newspaper story, especially if you happen to be one of those media analysts who falsely conclude that people only want tiny stories because their attention spans are short.

The focal point of the story was that Gottlieb is willing to give an honest opinion about anything for the sake of a good show. That’s why he’s good at his job. But what wasn’t mentioned in the story is this: Gottlieb has a heck of a sense of humor and that separates him from the venom-spewers of the broadcast world.

Gottlieb came armed with fresh material when he emceed the Iba Awards and -- as former ESPN sparring partner Tom Brennan predicted -- was laugh-out-loud funny.

Gottlieb said Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett was going to buy the University of Seattle and move it to Oklahoma City to help repopulate the Big 12.

He joked about cutting out the middleman in the Tiny Gallon situation, saying that the money should have been wired directly to a restaurant where the not-so-tiny Gallon eats.

He joked about a former hairstyle of Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks, back when Brooks was playing for the Houston Rockets. Gottlieb said Brooks was born to be an Okie because he had a mullet.

He joked about his wife’s hometown of Drumright. That particular joke will not be repeated in this blog.

Gottlieb didn’t exclude himself. He told this story: When he was dating the girl who would become his wife, she told parents she was bringing a basketball player to meet them. When they first saw Gottlieb, they allegedly said, “Where’s the basketball player?”

People who know Gottlieb and listen to his daily ESPN radio show are aware that he’s not all fangs. People who attended the Iba Awards learned that also.

“He does everything with a dose of humor and I think people appreciate that,” said his brother, Cal basketball assistant coach Gregg Gottlieb.

If Gottlieb is ever ready for a career change, stand-up comedy might not be his choice. Brennan said there is no doubt in his mind that Gottlieb -- blessed with smarts and a reputed photographic memory -- has the right stuff to be a basketball coach.

“Could he do it? Sure he could do it,” Brennan, a former Vermont coach, said. “How successful he would be, who knows?”

Know who else suggested that Gottlieb coach coach? Former OSU coach Eddie Sutton.

“One time Doug thought about wanting to be a coach -- and this was after he had a little bit of taste of being in the media,” Sutton said.

“I said ‘Doug, I think you could really be a good coach with your knowledge and your way of presenting things and I think you could communicate well with players. But I think you’re on the verge of being a big-timer in the media.’

“Basketball is not as easy to coach as it once was and you have to get a break to coach at a high level of college basketball. So I kind of encouraged him to stay in the media. But I always thought he could have been a very good coach because his dad (Bob, a former Sutton assistant at Creighton) was a good coach.” Doug, he’s a big-timer now and has certainly done well. He has done a very good job of climbing the ladder of success as far as being a big-time sportscaster.”


Reader Comments 3 Total
DwayneDavis (3 years ago)
Great job as usually buddy!
Ignatz (3 years ago)
Jeez, lots of man-love for an obnoxious twit!
G-Block (3 years ago)
I enjoyed your entire article in print, from start to finish, Jimmie. You certainly held my attention, and I laughed aloud a few times while reading it. I appreciate the in depth, behind-the-scenes view of the movers and shakers of the programs we love. Thank you.
3 comments displayed


To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.


Games People Play

Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

Follow Jimmie Tramel on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog


Archive

 
Jimmie Tramel's Blog Archive:

2/2013  1/2013  12/2012  11/2012  10/2012  9/2012  
8/2012  7/2012  6/2012  5/2012  4/2012  3/2012  
2/2012  1/2012  12/2011  11/2011  10/2011  9/2011  
8/2011  7/2011  6/2011  5/2011  4/2011  3/2011  
2/2011  1/2011  12/2010  11/2010  10/2010  9/2010  
8/2010  7/2010  6/2010  5/2010  4/2010  3/2010  
2/2010  1/2010  12/2009  11/2009  10/2009  9/2009  
8/2009  7/2009  6/2009  5/2009  4/2009  3/2009  
2/2009  1/2009  12/2008  11/2008  10/2008  9/2008  
8/2008  7/2008  6/2008  5/2008  4/2008  3/2008  
2/2008  1/2008  12/2007  11/2007  10/2007  9/2007  
8/2007  7/2007  6/2007  5/2007  4/2007  3/2007  
2/2007  1/2007  12/2006  11/2006  10/2006  9/2006  
8/2006  





Home | Contact Us | Search | Subscribe | Customer Service | About | Advertise
Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.