Bill Blankenship Named Tulsa Head Football Coach

The University of Tulsa announced Friday that the Golden Hurricane assistant will take over the head coaching spot.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:09 pm

By: News On 6

Bill Blankenship Named Tulsa Head Football Coach

Originally Published: Jan 14, 2011 1:37 PM CDT

See the Full Introductory Press Conference

Layna Dewell
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma—The University of Tulsa has hired Bill Blankenship as the new head football coach of the Golden Hurricane.

In a press conference held Friday afternoon, TU athletic director Bubba Cunningham announced Blankenship’s hiring at the head coaching position.

Cunningham said Tulsa Union High School, where Blankenship coached, did not look the same when Blankenship arrived as when he left.

"He knows how to build an organization and move it from good to great," Cunningham said. "Blankenship has the fundamental core values and principles to lead this team like he has done his entire life."

Blankenship said the football staff will be rapidly put into place going forward and that he is greatly impressed in the work of the coaches already in place. He also said the specific area that he will coach depends on the other coaches that are put in place.

Blankenship fills the head coaching vacancy left from Todd Graham’s departure on Tuesday Jan. 11 to take the same position at Pittsburgh.

He said that Graham took the program to another level, and he will try to continue to build on that.

“There is no anticipation, no expectation of trying to keep up with that," Blankenship said. "We are going to try to take it to another level.”

Blankenship, a 1979 Tulsa graduate, already has four years of coaching experience at TU under his belt. He was hired in January 2007 to coach the wide receivers and also coached the running backs during 2009.

Cunningham said Blankenship has had the chance to prove himself in his time already with the Golden Hurricane.

"For the past four years, he has been a loyal, dedicated college assistant coach," Cunningham said. "And he is a leader, a proven winner, he knows this community, he knows the university, he knows the football team."

The 2010 season was Blankenship’s first season as a senior associate head coach and his third season as the special teams coordinator.

Blankenship was a three year letter-winning quarterback for the Golden Hurricane from 1975-1979. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology in 1979, and received a master's degree from Northeastern State in 1985.

Before returning to his alma mater, Blankenship spent 22 years as an Oklahoma high school coach and was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame in July 2009.

He spent 14 years as the head coach and athletic director at Union High School where he compiled a 154-26 overall record and three state championship titles. While at Union his teams qualified for the state playoffs 14 times, reached the quarterfinals 10 times and made the state championship game seven times.

Tulsa finished the season with an impressive Hawaii Bowl victory and ranked No. 24 in the country in the AP Poll.

Blankenship said the momentum from this season should carry over into his first as a college head coach.

"We have a tremendous schedule next year, everybody is aware of that," he said. "I spoke to the players this afternoon and we are excited about that challenge and looking forward to that challenge to see how the current team, that’s ranked in the Top 25, will fare starting next year."