Jay C. Upchurch
5/15/2009, 03:50 PM
Here are quotes from several members of the OU family on the passing of Wayman Tisdale:
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"Wayman Tisdale is one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special. His basketball talent and accomplishments pale in comparison to the impact he had on the lives that he influenced by the way he lived his life, and the tremendous character he displayed in his fight with cancer. Throughout it all, he always had that infectious smile. This is an incredibly sad day as we have lost not only one of the greatest Sooners ever, but one of the all-time best people to walk the face of this earth."
Jeff Capel, Oklahoma men's basketball head coach
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"Wayman, through this fight of his, was the most courageous person that I've ever seen. He was so positive he almost made you feel he was okay when you knew he wasn't. It's a shock. I don't know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale. He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive. This is a really hard loss and makes any loss in basketball or any other sport insignificant. He was a great human being. I'll miss everything about him."
Billy Tubbs, former Oklahoma men's basketball head coach
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"Wayman Tisdale was not only a great athlete and musician, he was above all a great person. He constantly demonstrated his care and concern for others and was a worthy role model for all of us young and old. The University of Oklahoma will always be proud of his association with the university."
David L. Boren, University of Oklahoma president
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"This is obviously a sad day, not just for Sooner fans but for anybody who knows Wayman, knows the kind of person he is, the joy he brings into people’s lives and the example he is to everybody. I was privileged to get to know him over the two years I was at OU. I spoke with him pretty frequently this past season and he helped me in ways he probably doesn't even know. He's touched so many lives. I'm just happy he's going to a better place."
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma forward (2008-09)
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"Wayman's one of the biggest reasons why I chose Oklahoma. I wanted to be part of something special and it made logical sense to go to OU because I wanted to pattern my game after him. I wanted to be like him. People used to talk about 'Be like Mike (Michael Jordan),' but I wanted to be like Wayman. We've lost a special person. I don't think there will ever be another Wayman Tisdale."
Stacey King, Oklahoma center (1986-89)
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"He was my man. I played with him pretty much all my life, going back to AAU. He was the reason I wanted to go to OU. I wanted to play with one of the greatest players to ever come out of Oklahoma. He was a great person. He was always positive, he never let the negative bring us down as a unit. He always smiled and kept us together. I'll miss him. He was one of my brothers."
Darryl "Choo" Kennedy, Oklahoma forward (1984-87)
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OU SID Report
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"Wayman Tisdale is one of the best people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. He had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special. His basketball talent and accomplishments pale in comparison to the impact he had on the lives that he influenced by the way he lived his life, and the tremendous character he displayed in his fight with cancer. Throughout it all, he always had that infectious smile. This is an incredibly sad day as we have lost not only one of the greatest Sooners ever, but one of the all-time best people to walk the face of this earth."
Jeff Capel, Oklahoma men's basketball head coach
----------
"Wayman, through this fight of his, was the most courageous person that I've ever seen. He was so positive he almost made you feel he was okay when you knew he wasn't. It's a shock. I don't know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale. He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive. This is a really hard loss and makes any loss in basketball or any other sport insignificant. He was a great human being. I'll miss everything about him."
Billy Tubbs, former Oklahoma men's basketball head coach
----------
"Wayman Tisdale was not only a great athlete and musician, he was above all a great person. He constantly demonstrated his care and concern for others and was a worthy role model for all of us young and old. The University of Oklahoma will always be proud of his association with the university."
David L. Boren, University of Oklahoma president
----------
"This is obviously a sad day, not just for Sooner fans but for anybody who knows Wayman, knows the kind of person he is, the joy he brings into people’s lives and the example he is to everybody. I was privileged to get to know him over the two years I was at OU. I spoke with him pretty frequently this past season and he helped me in ways he probably doesn't even know. He's touched so many lives. I'm just happy he's going to a better place."
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma forward (2008-09)
----------
"Wayman's one of the biggest reasons why I chose Oklahoma. I wanted to be part of something special and it made logical sense to go to OU because I wanted to pattern my game after him. I wanted to be like him. People used to talk about 'Be like Mike (Michael Jordan),' but I wanted to be like Wayman. We've lost a special person. I don't think there will ever be another Wayman Tisdale."
Stacey King, Oklahoma center (1986-89)
----------
"He was my man. I played with him pretty much all my life, going back to AAU. He was the reason I wanted to go to OU. I wanted to play with one of the greatest players to ever come out of Oklahoma. He was a great person. He was always positive, he never let the negative bring us down as a unit. He always smiled and kept us together. I'll miss him. He was one of my brothers."
Darryl "Choo" Kennedy, Oklahoma forward (1984-87)
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OU SID Report