Travis Ford, OSU men’s basketball coach (via ESPN): “I just found out and there are so many unanswered questions. I just saw him. We talked every single day. He came to my shootarounds. It just doesn’t seem real. It just doesn’t seem real. It just doesn’t seem real.
“Everyone I was calling didn’t even know yet. The news just hit. It happened yesterday, but obviously they waited to (inform) the team. They told them this morning. I was there in the office when it came across the ticker and I went right to (Budke’s) house. I just left his wife and children. I’m stunned. I’m saddened. I’m pissed. It’s crazy. I just, I just can’t believe it.”
OSU football Coach Mike Gundy: "We are very sad to learn of the death of Coach Budke and Coach Serna. We are a tight family at OSU. Our coaches are very close, and we pull for each other. They both always had encouraging words and were excited about our season. Our prayers go out to the families and team."
Megan Byford, former OSU player and now a graduate assistant at Pittsburg State: “Coach Budke always told us that in our program and his life it was God first, family second and basketball third. … I know I came out of his program a better person and I know a lot of other girls did, too. He touched so many lives, not just at Oklahoma State but at all the former places he coached at. …
“Coach Serna had a heart of gold and probably was one of the sweetest women I’d ever met on the face of the planet. She would do anything she possibly could for you to help you out. She was that spark and energy you could feed off of in practice. When you were having a bad day, she could pick you up. She was always excited about life.”
Sherri Coale, Oklahoma women’s basketball coach: "I am devastated by the tragic news of the deaths of Kurt and Miranda. Kurt was a fantastic basketball coach and he was a tremendous competitor. More importantly, though, he was a devoted father and husband, and a humble but courageous leader of young people. Our hearts and prayers go out to Kurt’s wife, Shelley, and their children, and to Miranda’s family, and the families of the other victims as well. Additionally, we are praying for the entire Oklahoma State women’s basketball family.”
David Boren, OU president: “All of us at the University of Oklahoma extend our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of Coaches Budke and Serna and those who lost their lives in the plane crash. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We are sadden by this tragic loss for the entire OSU community.”
More reaction: Oklahomans talk about the OSU plane crash from Nov. 17, 2011 More reaction: Former OSU guard Andrea Riley remembers coaches