Bruce Drake (December 5, 1905 – December 4, 1983) was a college men's basketball coach. The Gentry, Texas native was head coach at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

between 1938 and 1955, compiling a 200–181 record. He also coached the Air Force team to a 34–14 record in 1956. Prior to coaching, he was also a star for Hugh McDermott's Oklahoma team. He was a 1928–29 Helms Foundation

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. As a coach, Drake led the

Sooners Sooners is the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889. The Unassigned Lands were a part of Indian Territory that, after a lobbying campaig ...

to two Final Fours–the first one in 1939, here they lost to Oregon 55–37; the second in 1947, where he lost in the Championship Game to Holy Cross 58–47. He made only one additional NCAA tournament appearance, in 1943. However, he coached at a time when only eight teams made the tournament. He won or shared six ( Big Six/Big Seven conference titles. At the time of his retirement, he was the winningest coach in OU history, but is now third behind

Billy Tubbs Billy Duane Tubbs (March 5, 1935 – November 1, 2020) was an American men's college basketball coach. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native was the head coach of his alma mater Lamar University (1976–1980, 2003–2006), the University of Oklahoma (1980– ...

and

Kelvin Sampson Kelvin Dale Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the American Athletic Conference. Early life Sampson was born in the Lumbee Native American community of ...

. He coached 5

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

(

Wayne Glasgow Victor Wayne Glasgow (January 17, 1926 – December 31, 2000) was an American basketball player. He played in college for Oklahoma University where he was a two time All- Big Seven selection. Glasgow passes playing in the NBA to play for the Ph ...

and Marcus Freiberger of

, 1952;

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Ron Tomsic Ronald Paul Tomsic (born April 3, 1933) is an American former basketball player. Tomsic, a guard born in Oakland, California, played college basketball at Stanford University from 1951–1955. A three-time All-PCC selection, he scored 1,416 po ...

and Gib Ford of Air Force team, 1956) and three

ns (

Jimmy McNatt James Carlos McNatt (December 19, 1918 – December 23, 2000)http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/ector/obits/odessa/2000/obit/122900.txt was an All-American basketball player for the Oklahoma Sooners and the AAU's Phillips 66ers. At Oklahoma, McNat ...

, 1940;

Gerald Tucker Gerald Tucker (March 14, 1922 – May 29, 1979) was the head coach on the Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics, 1956 USA Men's Basketball Gold Medal Olympic Team. He was the coach of Bartlesville Phillips 66ers for four seasons from 1954 to ...

, 1943, 1947;

Allie Paine Alva Leon Paine (July 22, 1919 – March 21, 2008) was an American college basketball standout at the University of Oklahoma who was named a consensus first-team All-American in 1944. In high school, Paine earned varsity letters in football, bask ...

, 1944) Drake was selected as the assistant coach for the 1956 USA Men's Basketball Gold Medal Olympic Team In 1958 he coached the Wichita Vickers in the

National Industrial Basketball League The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) be ...

getting 30–21 record tying him for first with his old player

who was coaching the

Bartlesville Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an ...

. One of the lasting contributions Drake developed is the shuffle offense. He helped make goaltending illegal. Drake was the Chairman of the NCAA Rules Committee from 1951–55. He made the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Bruce 1905 births 1983 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Texas College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball coaches Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players People from Potter County, Texas Phillips 66ers players

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links