Just got an email from my church that "Coach" David Bales has passed away this morning at Hillcrest. He had been having ongoing complications for some time. Rest in Peace my friend. You will be missed by TU.
Coach
- Thread starter TUTigerCane
- Start date
RIP coach. He was worth the price of admission. I once told my buddy I would like to spend 30 minutes in his head just to understand.
Thanks for sharing. He was an icon for sure. I have lots of fond memories watching and interacting with Coach from the student section.
I would love it if the school would do something small in his memory. Even a moment of silence or something.
I agree, he always made the game interesting. I had baseline seats at the convention center and spent many a game watching him pace the baseline encouraging the team.
RIP Coach!!!
This one is for you coach..... :nukem: NUKE uta
This one is for you coach..... :nukem: NUKE uta
RIP COACH. Even when the team was not at the level we had come to know, we could always rely on Coach and Mad Dog at TU games. Games will simply not be the same
Coach was truly part of what made Tulsa basketball special. I hope the university does something to honor him. Maybe name one of the sections after him?
Man, what a loss. I remember him at the Convention Center. He and Mad Dog were such a uniquely crazy Tulsa thing. He really came into his own in the Reynolds Center and probably won us a couple of games getting the crowd revved up. Rest In Peace.
Tulsa World wrote an article about him. Man this hurts, he was so iconic and seemed incredibly kind when I briefly talked to him while I was a student. I hope there a multiple “Coach” cutouts in the stands all season.
Have a randomly chosen walk up sale fan of the game and call it the Coach David Bales fan of the game and reseat them in his seats in the corner.
He upset a lot of the game day operations folks towards the end. This is a wonderful idea, but I doubt they do it. A small brass plaque on the seats would be a good idea for sure and cost pennies.
I knew David and his family personally. He accompanied my family on several NCAA Tournament games and to the Liberty Bowl as our guest. He was a kind and gentle soul. My wife died in January 2013. David was at the funeral mass, at the graveside and the luncheon afterwards. I did not know he was going to be there. Of course, I am happy that he was. He sat with my youngest son and helped him through the funeral. I was saddened by news of his passing. I went home today at lunchtime and showed my son the article about David's death. He was also saddened. For TU David was a Super Fan, for my family he was a Super Friend. May David rest in peace and let perpetual light shine upon him and for all the souls of the faithfully departed.
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Thanks for sharing this. I know many of us interacted in a really superficial way with "Coach" while fans at a game. It is nice to hear from individuals who had a closer, more meaningful relationship with him. It sort of helps us understand a little more about who he was outside of just being a TU fan.
David's older sister once said if he didn't have his disability he would be in politics or sales. He was kind, gentle and was always nice to the fans from the other teams, no matter where we went with him. Some of the opponents fans also knew him. I have a lot of amusing stories about our travels with Coach David. I have not cried in many yea4rs I have lost my parents, my wife, two adult children and several other people I was close to. I did not cry when they died. I confess my eyes misted a little when I learned of David's death.
I'm sorry for your losses now, and over the years.
TU should take a lot of lessons from the outpouring of love and affection for Coach the last few days. You get so many unplanned, organic traditions that tie you to the community. Coach was one of those.
I feel like we struggle with that very issue. We try to replace that with piped in music that is too loud, stupid gimmicky changes (“reign cane”), and a bunch of other things that just cost us money and don’t move the needle. You need a watchful eye to pick up on things like coach.
In fairness, there were numerous articles about Coach over the years and I don’t think they could have done much more. That’s not my point. We need to embrace these types of unique moments and look for others like this.
I feel like we struggle with that very issue. We try to replace that with piped in music that is too loud, stupid gimmicky changes (“reign cane”), and a bunch of other things that just cost us money and don’t move the needle. You need a watchful eye to pick up on things like coach.
In fairness, there were numerous articles about Coach over the years and I don’t think they could have done much more. That’s not my point. We need to embrace these types of unique moments and look for others like this.
Tulsa Says Farewell to Coach Davey
TULSA, Okla. –– TU Super Fan, David Bales, more notably known as “Coach Davey” died last Thursday, Dec. 3, at the age of 56.
The funeral service for “Coach Davey” will take place at 2:00 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 10, at Holy Family Cathedral (820 South Boulder Ave.).
Bales was known for his avid and enthusiastic attendance at Tulsa Golden Hurricane basketball and football games and earned the nickname “Coach”. He was a fixture at TU basketball games, storming the baseline and cheering on the Hurricane, and could be seen roaming the west stands during football season.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent In Memory of David Bales to:
Special Olympics Oklahoma
6835 South Canton Ave.
Tulsa, Okla. 74136
OR
Bishop Kelley High School, Inc.
3905 South Hudson Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74135
If fans care to send a sympathy card to the family, send to:
Athletic Communications
The University of Tulsa
c/o David Bales Family
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
TULSA, Okla. –– TU Super Fan, David Bales, more notably known as “Coach Davey” died last Thursday, Dec. 3, at the age of 56.
The funeral service for “Coach Davey” will take place at 2:00 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 10, at Holy Family Cathedral (820 South Boulder Ave.).
Bales was known for his avid and enthusiastic attendance at Tulsa Golden Hurricane basketball and football games and earned the nickname “Coach”. He was a fixture at TU basketball games, storming the baseline and cheering on the Hurricane, and could be seen roaming the west stands during football season.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent In Memory of David Bales to:
Special Olympics Oklahoma
6835 South Canton Ave.
Tulsa, Okla. 74136
OR
Bishop Kelley High School, Inc.
3905 South Hudson Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74135
If fans care to send a sympathy card to the family, send to:
Athletic Communications
The University of Tulsa
c/o David Bales Family
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104-3189
I really think we need to start a fund to honor David at the University. As a long time fan I have been shocked at how many friends that just occasionally show interest in the TU sports, have called or mentioned his passing. I just do not think TU understands or embraces tradition.
I think it is a fantastic idea to have the "Coach" David Bales seats.
I think it is a fantastic idea to have the "Coach" David Bales seats.
How much do we think the University would want for that???
Let me think of how to put this nicely, actually no not nicely.
Those people and their ilk are a problem, not coach and not Maddog.
I stg we go out of our way to wreck the relationships of people who love this university, sometime unconditionally and it pisses me off to no end. We mess up on the most basic of stuff smh.
I will put it like this, that man loved this university and showed it essentially his entire life, the people who run the building are temporarily employees who get paid to show up. One of these matter and the others are just passing through and really should have no say in this.
So who do we need to contact about this to get it fixed up and that man properly honored, because I am over stupidity and it's hard for me to think of a better fan we have ever had.
Getting all upset over problems you know nothing about. He could have caused problems which were valid issues for the staff. Not knowing what those issues were, it's best not to speak from an uninformed position.
Yeah sure. That would have been very unusual. I was watching and attending Tulsa games in high school, before the Reynolds Center. Coach was attending games, as in before the building existed these employees now work at. While he was always getting riled up Coach was in many respects a little kid like, any "problem" he caused was solvable.
Coach attended so much TU stuff and was such a TU fan, the Tulsa World wrote articles and the media covered him and including about his passing.
You literally run your mouth about a school you know so little about, to people you are clueless about. I dealt with Coach before while working for the AD department, some opposing teams complained about him and Maddog on the sidelines, etc. This is when the Reynolds center was rocking and we were regularly voted place opposing teams least wanted to come to in the conference. Trust me when I say he was never difficult to deal with or malicious, whether I watched him from the stands or had to remind him of things as an AD employee.
I am confident that this issue isn't with the 30 plus year fan here, but what would I know?
You would know jack about this issue, because you have not heard any of the details from those involved. You get way too emo about Coach.
I've been a fan and a student of TU longer than you ever thought about it. I know mad dog very well. Have given him rides 4 or 5 times, and talk to him every time I see him. I've seen him and Coach since the Convention center downtown where I played in the band for basketball games for TU. I have followed TU from 1980 on, and was a freshman in 1987.
So quit bragging about how long you have been anything at TU. You don't know who I know, and think your view of TU sports is way more than it is. You have weird thoughts about TU sports. You brag about being a fan for 30 years when I was a freshman there 33 years ago, and have been a fan for 40 years.
U get riled up about something you know nothing about, and try to jack with me every time I call you on something. U fail every time.
Pretty sure that whoever threw the pizza box on the court got us a technical foul. We don’t complain about their fandom. Heck, there are coaches who cheated for years, cost their school millions, and who have their names on stadiums / buildings at programs across the country. Few of any Tulsa fans know about the qualms that the staff might have had with Coach or Mad Dog, but they know that Coach and Mad Dog were at every game rain or shine and that they were two of Tulsa’s few super fans. Those types of guys don’t come around every day. A seat reserved for Coach would be a nice gesture that would be marketable for things like TV later.
I know lots about Mad Dog that aren't too fun to deal with and are problematic in dealing with him. He still deserves love for his fandom. You ignore those things in the name of tradition, and what he has done for the program.
Lol I know you're full of ****, and if you have given maddog rides home good for you. I have dealt with that man far more than you can ever imagine, enough that I know a group of people who essentially watch out for the man and make sure certain expenses are covered for him.
I knew Coach from multiple interactions over the years. I realize this board and trailing behind me because you have some obsessive compulsion, is pretty much all you have on the internets but you really need to figure out something else to do.
By the way, Tulsa made a public announcement on its social media honoring coach including a cut out specifically for him. You might want to read some of the comments just to check your ego.
In the meantime you can get put on ignore with Ashton, I have waited over a year for you to add anything to this board besides your need to follow me. It's obvious you have nothing to add but your whining and lack of knowledge. Enjoy your life.
I don't follow you. I just comment when you say something wacky.(which is moderately often)
Try composing a sentence that makes sense...
"...I realize this board and trailing behind me because you have some obsessive compulsion, is pretty much all you have on the internets but you really need to figure out something else to do."
I do what I feel like doing, if you don't like it then go elsewhere.
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