TU coach Danny Manning expected to be Iba Awards' keynote speaker
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
5/30/12 at 3:33 AM
The Rotary Club of Tulsa is expected to announce Wednesday that new University of Tulsa basketball coach Danny Manning will be the keynote speaker at the 19th annual Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards, scheduled June 18 at the Renaissance Hotel.
The Iba Awards are named in memory of former Oklahoma State and U.S. Olympic basketball coach Henry Iba, who died in 1993.
The Iba Awards were launched the following year to shine a spotlight on sports figures who make headlines for the right reasons.
The awards are presented annually to male and female athletes who excel in competition and who show, by their actions, a desire to help others.
"I think whenever you look at different awards and the criteria for those awards, there are a lot of great awards out there," Manning said.
"But this is one that definitely ranks at the top in terms of excelling in your sport and in terms of being a role model and helping other people. That gets lost in the shuffle in today's society."
Manning said he feels fortunate and blessed to be a part of an awards dinner in which athletes are recognized for making a positive impact on and off the field of competition.
"I definitely feel like this is a great opportunity for me to be a part of the Iba Awards," he said.
"Coach Iba was a great coach and a wonderful citizen and a leader. And for this award to be created after him, (it shows) his legacy is something that is very special."
Manning will join a fraternity of Iba Awards speakers that includes his former boss. Kansas coach and former TU coach Bill Self spoke at the 2008 Iba Awards a few months after leading KU to a national championship.
Other former Iba Awards speakers are Mike Krzyzewski, Lou Holtz, Dick Vitale, Tommy Lasorda, Bill Bradley, Tom Osborne, Paul Tagliabue, Rick Reilly, Tubby Smith, Roy Williams, Tim Brando, Steve Rushin, Archie Manning, J.C. Watts, Jeff Capel, Scott Brooks and Bob Knight.
Manning was hired as the 29th head coach in TU hoops history on March 29. His introductory press conference was delayed until April 4 because he was busy helping Kansas to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament.
"The University of Tulsa has not only hired a great person and a great ambassador, but also a man that will lead Tulsa to great heights athletically and be competing for championships in a very short amount of time," Self said after Manning accepted the job.
Manning spent nine years working for Self on the Kansas staff. Manning is one of the most revered players in KU history because he carried the Jayhawks to a national title in 1988.
Although Manning was only 4 years old when Iba retired from coaching, the new Golden Hurricane coach is aware of Iba's body of work.
"I'm a basketball guy," Manning said. "Coach Iba's name is one of the first coach's names that rolls off your tongue when you talk about the game of basketball and how it has evolved and the different things that he helped make a reality in the sport of basketball.
"He has coached and been successful at different phases and different eras. He is someone that made it easier for me to be in this position, as well as all the other head coaches."
Original Print Headline: Manning to speak at Iba Awards
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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