Tulsa World: Tisdale honored with posthumous award

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Tisdale honored with posthumous award
The athlete and musician was one of seven inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday.

This year's Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductees are Newkirk trucking firm operator Marlin "Ike" Glass (from left); football great Lee Roy Selmon; Oklahoma City community activist Polly Nichols; Altus banker C. Kendric Fergeson; the late Wayman Tisdale, represented by his widow, Regina Tisdale; Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven W. Taylor; and Oklahoma State University President V. Burns Hargis. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Published: 11/13/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 11/13/2009 10:01 AM

The Oklahoma Hall of Fame does not induct many members posthumously. Those it does are true legends.

The last posthumous inductee was Woody Guthrie in 2006. Before that it was Wiley Post in 2004.

This year it was Wayman Tisdale.

The Tulsa native, who died earlier this year at 44, was among seven new Hall of Famers inducted by the Oklahoma Heritage Association on Thursday night at the Renaissance Hotel.

Tisdale's widow, Regina Tisdale, accepted the award for him.

"This is bittersweet for me," Regina Tisdale said Thursday afternoon. "I would be much happier as the wife sitting out in the audience."

Tisdale was a local celebrity by the time he was in the ninth grade, both for his skill as a basketball player and his demeanor on the court. His fame as a player and person grew through his days at Booker T. Washington High School and the University of Oklahoma. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1984 and played 12 years in the National Basketball Association.

A talented guitarist as well, he was known for playing the bass left-handed, upside down and backward — a signature his friend Toby Keith wrote into a song about Tisdale's death.

"He did so many things," said Greg Price, the longtime OU basketball supporter who served as Tisdale's presenter. "There aren't many out there walking around like Wayman."

The man who drove Tisdale's family to the BOK Center for Tisdale's funeral, Regina said, told her, "I sent my boys to his basketball camp. I told him, 'Mr. Tisdale, I can only afford to send one.' He said, 'Bring them both. We'll take care of it.' "

Also inducted Thursday night was OU football great Lee Roy Selmon. The former defensive end, now looking more like a svelte defensive back, has for the past 12 years worked at developing the University of South Florida's football program.

"There's no place like home," he said Thursday afternoon. "My wife is from Oklahoma City. I'm from Eufaula. Most of our families are here, so we've never really been disconnected from Oklahoma."

Other Thursday inductees were Altus banker C. Kendric Fergeson, Newkirk trucking firm operator Marlin "Ike" Glass, Oklahoma State University President V. Burns Hargis, Oklahoma City community activist Polly Nichols and Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven W. Taylor.

Fergeson is majority owner of Altus' NBC Bank and serves on the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Schools of Science and Mathematics Foundation, and has been an enthusiastic supporter of arts and arts education.

Glass is in his second stint as a member of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. He has been active in transportation organizations and is past president of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association and the past chairman of the State Chamber of Commerce.

Hargis had a long career in politics and banking before becoming OSU president in 2007. A former Republican candidate for governor, Hargis often teams with Democratic former state Attorney General Mike Turpin on television and in person. The two, in fact, have often emceed the Hall of Fame ceremonies.

Nichols, a native of McAlester, has been involved in more than 20 civic organizations in Oklahoma City, including the drive to build the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

Taylor began his legal career in the U.S. Marine Corps during the 1970s, and in 1982 became the youngest person ever elected mayor of McAlester. As an Oklahoma District Court judge for 21 years, he presided over more than 500 jury trials, including the one that convicted Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols. Taylor was named to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2004.

Thursday's program was emceed by Turpin and former Miss America Jane Jayroe Gamble and featured soprano and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Leona Mitchell.

Randy Krehbiel 581-8365
randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Seven inducted into Oklahoma Hall of Fame," which was published on 11/12/2009.

	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/13/2009 12:28:21 AM) Tisdale definitely deserved this honor. I agree with his wife, too bad she couldn't have been in the audience. Wish she could have seen Wayman Tisdale receive this award.
	Report Comment fld11, (11/13/2009 3:27:57 PM) How is a football player worthy of the hall of fame? It's not like he discovered electricity, or did any great humanitarian deeds. OK puts way too much emphasis on sports and good old boys folks.
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (11/13/2009 5:01:06 PM) Wow

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