Today was a sad day as former Pacer great Wayman Tisdale was announced dead. Tisdale was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma, played twelve seasons in the NBA, and  after retirement even found success as a famous jazz musician.

He died Friday morning at the St. John Medical Center in Tulsa.  Tisdale was just 44 years old.

After three stellar years at Oklahoma, the 6′9″ forward went on to play twelve seasons in the NBA with the Pacers, Kings, and Suns. He had a big smile, soft hands, and a decent NBA career, in which he averaged 15.3 points per game. Tisdale also played on the 1984 U.S. Basketball Team that went on to win the gold medal.

After playing basketball, Tisdale ventured into jazz, where he became a very popular, award winning musician. Several of his albums even climbed to Billboard’s Top Ten.

“I don’t know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale,” said Billy Tubbs, who coached Tisdale with the Sooners. “He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive.”

Current Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said that Tisdale, “had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special.”

His death was announced at the Oklahoma Senate floor on Friday.

“Whether you’re a Cowboy or a Sooner, Oklahoma has lost a great ambassador,” Oklahoma Senate Majority Leader Todd Lamb said.  “He was a gifted musician, a gifted athlete and he just wore that well wherever he went.”

Tisdale battled hard in his two-year bout with cancer, but he just couldn’t get through it.

Oklahoma retired Tisdale’s number 23 in 1997, making him the first Oklahoma Sooner in any sport to have that distinction.  He was inducted into the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame just last month, and is survived by his wife and four children.

A great athlete, Tisdale was an even better person.  He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

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