As for Bedlam last night, I'll make the following comment:
Coach Capel is doing a fine job with this Sooner team. OSU is a MUCH better basketball team, but couldn't put away a motivated Sooner squad.
As for the Dallas coaching job, it's hard to imagine Jones being able to find a quality candidate with a lot of experience at this point in time. I just hope they don't take the leap that the Raiders took.
Bad hires: Keith Burns, Buzz Peterson, John Phillips, several softball coaches, women's golf, rowing, women's soccer and women's volleyball.
Coaches of men's soccer, men's golf and men's tennis predate her. The current women's tennis coach had been an assistant for the men's team for 12 seasons.
Wojick doesn't play because that was Upham's decision, which probably helped prompt her to leave.
Facilities were upgraded due to Lawless.
Her best play was guiding Tulsa into C-USA, but that was a recovery move after guiding Tulsa into the WAC.
Basically, she looked good by those around her.
"TU's generous donors, many with no ties to the university, brought Tulsa's facilities into the 21st century. However, a fundraising crisis, which has stalled the north end zone facility at Skelly Stadium, may be a sign all is not well.
A growing number of TU's most influential boosters are unhappy with Director of Athletics Judy MacLeod. They would like to see a more dynamic figure with the ability to raise funds and keep Tulsa a viable Division I-A football member of the NCAA." ...
"To her credit, Tulsa's facility facelift and two conference moves have been accomplished on MacLeod's watch.
Her critics would counter that the building boom was the result of donors also being forced to be fundraisers. And two conference moves in a decade aren't exactly symbols of stability." ...
"TU friends and alumni raised nearly $32 million to open the 8,355-seat Reynolds Center in 1999. Then, TU tennis coach Vince Westbrook pulled off a miracle. During tight economic times, he convinced local real estate giant Mike Case, with no ties to TU, to be the spark for a athletic department renaissance on the west campus."
Judy took over on an interim basis in '95. Tulsa entered the WAC in '96, guided by Judy.
Lawless was all about bringing sports to campus when he took over. And people quickly forget that Lawless was chair of the NCAA competition committee. Tell me that doesn't carry a lot of weight when you want to build on campus facilities.
He said:
"To end speculation here in the heart of recruiting I want to make it clear that I am not interested in any other coaching positions at this time. I am too excited about our future at Oklahoma and the program we're continuing to build."
He didn't say anything about staying at OU next year. He said he was excited. He said he was interested at this time. What happens in five days when he actually has a conversation with Jerry Jones or anything else associated with the Cowboys.
It just seems this statement leaves some wiggle room for Stoops. He didn't flat out and say something like "I am not going to coach the Dallas Cowboys" because he's seen what's happend to Saban. Maybe he is interested. Maybe he doesn't want to completely shut doors. It just seems he didn't say a lot.
