Danny Manning Introduced as Tulsa Basketball Coach
The University of Tulsa Director of Athletics Ross Parmley introduced Kansas’ Danny Manning as the school’s 29th head basketball coach today at a 2:30 pm news conference at the ONEOK Club on the TU campus.
Manning, 45, completed his coaching tenure as a University of Kansas assistant coach this past week with an appearance in the Final Four. The Jayhawks defeated Ohio State in a semifinal game before dropping a nine-point decision against No. 1-ranked Kentucky in the championship game.
“We are extremely excited to have Danny join The University of Tulsa as our new Head Basketball Coach. He epitomizes everything our university stands for. His impact on young people will extend far beyond the TU basketball program and reach well into our campus and community,” said Parmley. “His 15 years in the combined with the last nine years under one of the best coaches in the country, have helped mold him into a great teacher and coach of basketball. He most definitely brings the excitement, the style of basketball, and character that we were looking for in our head coach.”
“I’m excited about becoming the head basketball coach at The University of Tulsa. I want to thank President Upham, Ross (Parmley) and the search committee for allowing me this tremendous opportunity to coach at a University with a fine basketball tradition,” said Manning. “I’d also like to thank Kansas Coach (Bill) Self for giving me the chance to be a part of his staff for the past nine years. I have learned a tremendous amount about the game and the profession from him and all of the members of his staff.
One of the greatest players in University of Kansas and college basketball history, Manning spent nine seasons on the KU men’s basketball staff. In March 2007, he was named assistant coach for the Jayhawks.
During his time on staff at Kansas, Manning was a part of one national title, two Final Fours, five Elite Eight appearances, eight Big 12 regular season conference titles, five Big 12 tournament championships and 268 career victories. As an assistant coach for the past five seasons, KU has compiled an overall 163-23 mark for an .876 winning percentage. As an assistant coach in 2008 and player in 1988, Manning was on the floor for KU’s last two national championships.
This past season, Manning helped lead the Jayhawks back to the Final Four with an overall 31-6 record and a Big 12 Conference regular season championship.
In his role as assistant coach, Manning worked with KU’s big men. Eight Jayhawk bigs were selected in the Draft during his tenure on staff, including Wayne Simien, Julian Wright, Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Cole Aldrich and twins Marcus and Markieff Morris. Manning recruited 2010 first-round draft pick and Oklahoman Xavier Henry to Kansas.
From 2003 until 2007, Manning served as the Director of Student-Athlete Development/Team Manager at KU. In that position, Manning was the team travel coordinator, oversaw equipment ordering and distribution and organized and assisted in the youth holiday clinic and summer camp program. In 2004-05, Manning also took on many director of operations duties for Kansas.
“Danny Manning is one of the most accomplished, humble people you’ll ever meet. He’s done more in his life through the athletic world than just about anybody, but you would never know it in visiting with him as he never ever talks about himself. His focus on deciding to be a basketball coach was to try to share some of his knowledge and make others better. He’s certainly done that at a very high level with us here at Kansas. He’s been around basketball his whole life, played for so many coaches, been able to steal from everybody and has developed a vast knowledge that will certainly play a huge role in his success as a head coach. Although 46 years old, he’s well beyond those in basketball years as far as experience. The University of Tulsa has not only hired a great person and a great ambassador, but also a man that will lead Tulsa to great heights athletically and be competing for championships in a very short amount of time,” said Kansas Head Basketball Coach Bill Self, a former head coach at Tulsa from 1997-2000.
Self added, “who wouldn’t want their son to be mentored by a guy who has everything you want your son to be? Think about it: he graduated, won a national championship, and was the No. 1 pick in the draft, an Olympian, two-time all-star, family man, has his priorities straight. Who wouldn’t want their son mentored by a guy like that on a daily basis?”
A Jayhawk legend, Manning is Kansas’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder, racking up 2,951 points and 1,187 boards in his illustrious four-year career. Manning, the eighth all-time leading scorer in history, was named a consensus first-team All-America selection in 1987 and 1988, the consensus College Player of the Year in 1988 and a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1986, 1987 and 1988).
Manning was named the 1988 Final Four Most Outstanding Player en route to leading the Jayhawks to an 83-79 victory over Oklahoma for the 1988 national championship. He was also named the of the Midwest Regional in 1986 and 1988. The 1986 KU?squad finished 35-4 and advanced to the Final Four in Dallas.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Manning played for seven different professional teams — the Clippers, Hawks, Suns, Bucks, Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons. He boasts averages of 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during his career, spanning 883 total games. Manning was a two-time All-Star (1993 and 1994), and won the league’s Sixth Man Award in 1998. During his playing days, Manning was a representative for the Players Association.
In 2005, Manning became part of a 20-person committee to help select the U.S. Olympic basketball team and its coaches. Additionally, Manning has been an ambassador for the Governor’s Council on Fitness for the state of Kansas and a guest lecturer with university classes and other KU?athletic teams.
Manning was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on November 23, 2008.
In addition to his College Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement, in June 2008 Manning was named to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame for his early high school career at Page High School in North Carolina. He is also a member of the Lawrence (Kan.) High School Hall of Fame.
Manning earned his degree in Communication from Kansas in 1988. He and his wife, Julie, have two children — daughter, Taylor, a sophomore at KU on the volleyball team, and son, Evan.
Updated 04-05-2012
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