Bill Blankenship Named Head Coach at University of Tulsa
COACHING GURU: Bill Blankenship, the former state championship coach of Union High School and University of Tulsa quarterback, is the new head coach of his alma mater.
Photo: WALT BEAZLEY, University of Tulsa
Bill Blankenship, who was the senior associate head coach under former coach Todd Graham has been named head coach for the University of Tulsa football program.
A 2 p.m. press conference has been called to introduce the new coach.
Below is Blankenship’s bio from the 2010 Tulsa Football Media Guide (updated to include the 2010 season):
BLANKENSHIP
Alma Mater: Tulsa `79
Birthdate: December 12, 1956
Hometown: Spiro, Okla.
College Coaching Experience: 4 years (2007-10). Entering his fifth year at Tulsa.
Playing Experience: Three-year letterwinner at Tulsa (1975-79). Was the starting quarterback in 1977 and 1979.
Bowl Games as a Player
1976Independence Bowl (Tulsa)
Bowl Games as a Coach
2008 Bowl (Tulsa)
2009 Bowl (Tulsa)
2010 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Tulsa)
Bill Blankenship just completed his fourth year at The University of Tulsa, finishing his first season as senior associate head coach and second as running backs coach. Blankenship is also completed his third season serving as the special teams coordinator.
Blankenship, a former Tulsa quarterback, returned to his alma mater in January 2007 and coached the Hurricane wide receivers in 2007 and the running backs last year. Under his guidance as special teams coordinator, Tulsa ranked eighth nationally in kickoff return yardage in 2008 and was the eighth-best team for punt returns last season.
After the 2008 campaign, Blankenship was recognized by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame with the “Merv Johnson Integrity in College Coaching Award.”
Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Blankenship spent 22 years as an Oklahoma High School coach. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in July 2009.
Blankenship resigned as the head football coach at Tulsa’s Union High School in December 2005 after leading his team to a second consecutive state championship at the Oklahoma Class 6A school.
As a head coach on the prep level, Blankenship compiled a 205-68 record, including a 10-win average per season for his last 20 years, appeared in the state championship game eight times and won three state titles.
He spent 14 years as the head football coach and athletic director at Union High School, where he registered a record of 154-26. His teams qualified for the state playoffs 14 times, reached the quarterfinals 10 times and the semifinals in nine seasons. Blankenship’s teams made the state championship game seven times.
He guided his Union team to Oklahoma Class 6A state titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Blankenship’s teams at Union won eight straight District championships and had a 56-game home winning streak from 1997 through 2005.
Blankenship had more than 100 student-athletes receive college scholarships in his 14 seasons at Union High School.
Before moving to Union, Blankenship coached two seasons at Edmond Memorial High School and before that posted a 34-17 mark in four seasons at Spiro High School. He also coached at Sapulpa High School and Eastwood Christian School.
Blankenship was a three-year letterman and quarterback at Tulsa during the 1975-79 seasons, starting in 1977 and ’79. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1979, and received a master’s degree from Northeastern State in 1985.
He and his wife, Angie, have three sons, all three of whom played college football. His oldest son, Josh, played quarterback at Tulsa before earning All-America honors at Eastern Washington University. Caleb was an all-conference tight end at Tulsa, while his youngest son, Adam, played at Illinois State.
Updated 01-14-2011
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