To say Rick Dickson's imminent departure as TU's athletic director is the end of an era is an understatement. When he retires, this time for good, as Tulsa's AD at the end of June at age 70, it will be 50 years since he first came to TU as a football player from Bishop Kelley.


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I read this on an Al McGuire website. I didn’t realize the last game he called was Tulsa and College of Charleston.

“I worked with Al McGuire his last year of the tournament (1999). And Coach McGuire was never known for the depth of his preparation. As in, ‘I’ll react to what’s going on.’ And that Thursday or Friday is the longest day in broadcast television. It is. It’s a grind. I can still tell you the teams. We were in Charlotte. We lead off with Delaware and Tennessee. Get that done. Then we’ve got Southwest Missouri State and Wisconsin in what I would still argue is one of the worst college basketball games I’ve ever done. Like, 42-31, and that was at the end of the game. So now we get a short break. My pile (of papers) is going down. You take half of it and throw it away. The evening game was Mississippi Valley State and Duke, and Duke was a 48-point favorite, and they covered. So the last game of the night is College of Charleston and Tulsa. We’re taking a break and I said, ‘Coach, anything I can do for you in this last game?’ And he said, ‘No, no.’ We get back and sit down. He doesn’t have a note. He doesn’t have a roster. And I said, ‘Is there anything I can do to help you out?’ He said, ‘No, no—they’ll take their warmups off and I’ll get the names and numbers, and I’ll listen to you for the first five minutes, and I’ll pick things up and I’ll be fine.’ Charleston comes out and they have maroon warmups. They take them off and they have no names, just numbers. Tulsa, with Bill Self as the coach, comes out in blue—no names. McGuire looked at me and said, ‘Son, you might have to help me—I think I’m screwed.’”

--- Verne Lundquist

Check out Dallas cowboys com for a picture of Cowboys new 1st round pick, Guyton, about to block Ben Kopenski last year at HA Chapman. Guyton likely to start next to another Tyler, Smith, in 2024.

To say Rick Dickson's imminent departure as TU's athletic director is the end of an era is an understatement. When he retires, this time for good, as Tulsa's AD at the end of June at age 70, it will be 50 years since he first came to TU as a football player from Bishop Kelley.

On the latest Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, an interview with HOF MBB player Gary Collier:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

2025 Dallas (TX) Lake Highlands safety Ayden Webb has seen his recruitment heat up over the past two months. Tulsa was one of the first programs to extend an offer, and Webb was on the TU campus last month to watch spring practice.

Join the Tulsa Chapter of the TU Alumni Association for a baseball game

and buffet lunch on Sunday, April 28! Bring your family and friends along

to connect with the True Blue community at the Tulsa Drillers,

all ages are welcome!

Don Tomkalski, the longest tenured employee in the athletic department, is retiring after 40 years. He’s pretty much at every game and getting stats and records to the media. A Tulsa legend.

Just in, Angie Nelp's contract has been extended through 2030 by the University of Tulsa. Well, if anyone wants her they're going to have to pony up for her. Good for TU!

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, TU held a press conference about Angie Nelp's extension, and the retirement of AD Rick Dickson:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

TU getting a lot of love for this!

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I found the information interesting.
Didn't realize the numbers for younger players entering the draft are down.

Entering NFL Draft, Chiefs + other teams are learning it can pay to stay in school
Entering NFL Draft, Chiefs + other teams are learning it can pay to stay in school
BY BLAIR KERKHOFF
BKERKHOFF@KCSTAR.COM
10 hours ago
This week’s NFL Draft marks a shift in the age of prospects. There are 58 early entrants, the fewest the league has seen since 2011.

From 2016-2022, more than 100 early entrants — players three years removed from their high school graduating class — had entered the draft.

Brett Veach knows why.

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“This is just the NIL effect,” the Chiefs general manager said.

Colleges athletes can profit from their name, image and likeness. Those numbers aren’t public. The NFL minimum salary for a rookie in 2024 is $795,000. An NIL deal might not approach that figure, but it could be good enough for the player to remain in school and perhaps improve his draft stock.

This is making the 2024 draft “older” than previous editions over the past decade. To Veach, that will be especially evident in the middle to late rounds.

“Typically when you’re working through the fourth, fifth and six rounds,” he noted, “there’s always interesting prospects and small-school guys.”

But now the Chiefs and other NFL teams are seeing those candidates as older players.

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“They have the opportunity to stay in school,” Veach said. “So we have to work a little bit harder to find some young guys with upside that you really like.”

NIL became policy with a Supreme Court ruling in 2021. In the ensuing NFL Draft, held in April 2022, 100 underclassmen entered the draft, 28 fewer than the previous year. The number dropped to 82 in 2023.

Among the underclassmen in this year’s draft, which begins on Thursday, are Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, Jr. and Kansas edge Austin Booker.

Also affecting the profile of this year’s draft is the extra year of eligibility granted to college players because of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. It’s paid, figuratively and literally, for athletes to stay in school.

The Chiefs have found great value in the later rounds of recent drafts, especially on defense. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, a standout who was assigned to the opponent’s top receiver, was taken in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Louisiana Tech. Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans last month for a third-round pick next season and a swap of seventh-round picks this year.

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Joshua Williams was a 2022 fourth-round selection from Fayetteville State. In the same draft, the Chiefs selected Jaylen Watson in the seventh round from Washington State. Both were part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-champion defensive rotation the past two years.

They weren’t early entrants. But they were part of a deeper draft pool .... which, according to Veach, improved the overall quality of the draft class in which they each was selected.

“When you have a ton of underclassmen putting their name in and decide to (leave college) that makes every draft deeper,” Veach said. “When guys are staying in (college), it’s going to make the draft a little tougher to work with on the back end.”

Kansas State.

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Tulsa extended a scholarship offer to Mansfield (TX) Summit defensive end Travis Buhake back in January, and he’s racked up several more offers since then. The 2025 prospect attended a junior day at TU last month and came away impressed.

Sherman (TX) athlete Kane Bowen plays both running back and linebacker, and he’s garnered recruiting interest from Tulsa and others. TU coaches offered the 6-foot-2 and 220-pounder back in December, and Bowen attended a Tulsa junior day in March.

Sherman (TX) athlete Kane Bowen plays both running back and linebacker, and he’s garnered recruiting interest from Tulsa and others. TU coaches offered the 6-foot-2 and 220-pounder back in December, and Bowen attended a Tulsa junior day in March.


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Starting a new thread about the upcoming Fall season. Schedule is on the web site as well as the roster. TU has added some interesting pieces to the mix for this season, a lot of international flair (German and Spanish). Biggest ? will be can Richnow and Bottenburg replace Fazio in the middle and who will be the 6 replacing Sach? I think the 6 role might come down to Luke Jeffus or Sergio Baena although I think Baena is better suited to the attacking MF roles in the favored 4-3-3 TU plays. I know last year Dalby played in that role a little but his game lacks some of the speed, vision, and physicality Sach brought to it.

TU will obviously be missing Mitchell Cashion and his ability to be a dynamic player from a fullback spot. I do think TU will be able to score plenty of goals this season. MHS is back along with Taka Wyett.

Season starts vs UMKC on August 11th in an exhibition match. Will be a good test for TU and a chance to get some players looks. 1st regular game is August 24th vs Louisville. Creighton comes in for a midweek match on Sept. 19th. We also play UNLV, Drake, & Missouri State in non-conference games.

TU will have its hands full in the AAC as I expect the conference to be even better than it was last season.

I couldn’t go and can’t find a score or video. Anyone there at TU who can update? Thanks

Tulsa extended a scholarship offer to Mansfield (TX) Summit defensive end Travis Buhake back in January, and he’s racked up several more offers since then. The 2025 prospect attended a junior day at TU last month and came away impressed.


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Friday night will be fun!

https://tulsahurricane.com/news/202...etic-hall-of-fame-weekend-set-for-april-26-27

Friday night will be fun!

https://tulsahurricane.com/news/202...etic-hall-of-fame-weekend-set-for-april-26-27