Tulsa to Induct Three Into Athletics Hall of Fame

Shea Seals, Mike Sember and John Cooper will be inducted with a ceremony in February.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:08 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa to Induct Three Into Athletics Hall of Fame

Originally Published: Jan 9, 2011 5:19 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Oklahoma – The University of Tulsa announced Sunday that Shea Seals, Mike Sember and John Cooper will be members of its 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame.

Seals was an All-American basketball player for Tulsa in the ‘90s who has since had his jersey No. 21 retired by the school. Seals led the Golden Hurricane to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school’s first Sweet 16 in 1994.

Seals finished his college career as TU’s all-time leading scorer with 2,288 points and also ended his career among the top five in school history in rebounding, assists and steals.

Mike Sember came to Tulsa on a football scholarship in 1970, but instead wound up being one of the school’s best baseball players. He played shortstop on three Missouri Valley Conference Championship teams and helped lead the Hurricane to appearances in the NCAA District 5 Playoffs all three years.

Sember finished his TU career with a .352 batting average with 22 home runs and 100 RBIs while earning all-Missouri Valley Conference honors for three straight years. The Chicago Cubs drafted Sember with the 31st overall pick in the 1974 draft and went on to play two years in Major League Baseball.

John Cooper coached the Tulsa football team from 1977-84 and led the Hurricane to an overall record of 57-31 while also serving as the school’s athletic director. His teams won five consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships and had seven winning seasons.

Cooper started slow, with a 3-8 mark in his first seasons. But he turned things around with a 9-2 showing the next year and finished his TU career with three straight seasons of undefeated conference play.

Cooper moved on to coach Arizona State – which he led to one Pac-10 championship – and Ohio State –which he led to three Big 10 titles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Hall of Fame Awards Dinner will take place at 5 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on the TU campus. Tickets for the Awards dinner are $35.00 per person. Reservations only accepted and must be made by calling the Golden Hurricane Club at 918-631-2570. The deadline to RSVP is Jan. 28th.