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Kragthorpe Deserves a lot of Credit
Published: 1/11/2007 9:35 AM
Last Modified: 1/11/2007 9:35 AM

There are often multiple reasons when the fortunes of an athletic team turnaround, such as what happened at Tulsa football over the last four years.
For starters, relaxing of the strict academic rules that virtually choked the life out of football was very important.
Dave Rader, after the Freedom Bowl in 1991, was recruiting with one hand behind his back because of all the restrictions.
Easing those restrictions, allowing more recruits into the talent pool for TU, was a big factor.
So was the increased commitment to football. First, there were renovations to locker rooms at the stadium and a deluxe weight room in the Reynolds Center.
Football got more space for offices as coaches were moved out of the Mabee Buiilding into new facilities around campus (basketball, volleyball, tennis, track, softball, etc.).
Still, the biggest factor had to be the hiring of Steve Kragthorpe.
There was hope that a coach could turnaround the program at TU but most figured it was a longterm thing.
Instead, Kragthorpe got it going the first year, going to a bowl. He led TU to three bowls in four years.
Kudos to Kragthorpe. He did something few thought possible. Wish him the best at Louisville and hope the next guy has just as much energy to create excitment for Tulsa football.



Reader Comments 4 Total
Bill (6 years ago)
Thank you, John, that was a nice piece. I think the "relaxed academic standards", however, is a bit of a straw dog.

What TU did is open up a few more classes to make the academics more appropriate to the likely interests of athletes. They also, I believe, allowed a certain (low) number of exceptions to TU's academic requirements for entry ... which are more strict than those of the NCAA. To say that these "relaxed" the high standards at TU is a stretch, though.

Coach K is a remarkable man who did a remarkable job while here. He is a man of utmost integrity and values. This was a very difficult decision for him to make because he and his family love Tulsa and had truly found a home here.

He deserves our gratitude and best wishes.
Van Nakagawara (6 years ago)
When my daughter started attending Tulsa University, I became an immediate fan of TU football. Coach Steve Kragthorpe did a wonderful job at TU, and I wish him the very best of luck at Louisville. He richly deserves this opportunity.

Since my daughter graduated from TU, I know how intense the academic requirements are for students. I believe the TU football program has outstanding student-athletes, and it is most apparent to me when these young men are interviewed by the media. They are articulate, mature, and obviously intelligent. TU is not only making fine football players, it is making future doctors, lawyers, and professionals that will be a credit to Oklahoma and the nation.
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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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