The Bill Haisten podcast

In this week’s Bill Haisten Podcast, there is a little talk about OU’s need for better and more physical blocking as it prepares for its move to the SEC. There is a brief look at this weekend’s start of the Big 12 basketball schedule. The star of this podcast, however, is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Through the first 33 games of the NBA season, the Thunder occupies second place in the Western Confe...

In advance of Saturday’s Oklahoma State-Texas clash in the Big 12 Championship game, Bill Haisten talks with longtime media associate/friend Shawn Clynch. Before returning to his hometown of Austin for a television job and coverage of Texas football, Clynch covered several of Mike Gundy’s OSU teams for an Oklahoma City TV station. Subscribe to this podcast on:  Apple  |  Google  |  Spotify Related...

This week's Bill Haisten Podcast guest is former University of Tulsa All-American Jerry Ostroski, who spent nine seasons on the Buffalo Bills' offensive line and now is the father of TU defensive end Owen Ostroski. Jerry and Bill discuss their picks on Person of the Year in the NFL and in college football. Also discussed: TU freshman QB Kirk Francis' stunning, 345-yard passing performance. Subscri...

This week’s Bill Haisten Podcast centers on two huge football games – Bixby-Jenks and Bedlam in Stillwater. Haisten explains why he’s predicting a 38-34 OU victory. Related Bill Haisten: OU has an undeniable edge on luck, and the pick is 38-34 Sooners Bill Haisten: Bedlam defined by heroes like Josh Fields and Adrian Peterson Bill Haisten: A disgustingly damaging and avoidable setback for the Soon...

Tulsa World columnist Bill Haisten discusses last week’s OU-Texas classic and contends that it was the Sooner program’s first real statement win since the 2017 flag-plant victory at Ohio State. Related Oklahoma 34, Texas 30: See our complete coverage OU football midseason report card: Dillon Gabriel, Sooners' receivers and defense receive high marks Daniel Akinkunmi, 3-star offensive lineman from...

On Saturday, Tulsa World sports columnist Bill Haisten is at the Cotton Bowl for his 20th OU-Texas football game. Haisten reflects on his personal history of having covered or attended 19 chapters of one of college football's classic rivalries. Related Bill Haisten: OU-Texas never fails to deliver OU football: Brent Venables gets A-plus for restoring belief  Will stingy defenses equal defensive sl...

It's been a difficult season so far for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. But Mike Gundy's future is secure. Bill Haisten explains why in this week's episode. Even if things get worse this season, Gundy will be back for a 20th season at OSU in 2024, if he wants to return, Bill says. Interesting fact: At 56, Gundy is the same age as Bob Stoops when Stoops stepped down as OU's coach. The timing is bad for...

After 36 years in the Tulsa Police Department, and after having become a central figure in A&E’s “First 48” series on real-life homicide investigations, Dave Walker retired in 2018. A St. Louis native and former three-sport high school athlete who loves baseball and the Cardinals, Walker reflects on a lifetime in law enforcement. Related Tulsan of the Year Dave Walker attempts to crack one mor...

Booker T. Washington football coach Jonathan Brown reflects on an unsettling opening-night experience and his time at Tennessee with Peyton Manning. Also, Brown looks ahead at OU’s switch to the Southeastern Conference.  Related Bill Haisten: How Hudson Ball, a soon-to-be hot football recruit, wound up at Jenks BTW-Del City game moved up after last Friday's gun incidents Bill Haisten: For wholesom...

When high school teams are matched in a college stadium, it’s a big-event game or a championship game. During Thursday's Battle of the 'Burbs, in a rematch of the 2022 Class 6AI title contest, Bill Blankenship’s third-ranked Owasso Rams clash with the top-ranked, defending champion Bixby Spartans. For the 16th time, and in the opener of his 40th season of coaching, Blankenship is involved in a hig...

This Bill Haisten Podcast centers on Oklahoma State and the inability in recent years of four signature sports – wrestling, baseball, men’s golf and men’s basketball – to consistently flourish at a national level. Underachievement in those programs coincides with a university attempt to raise more than $300 million for new facilities, and it doubles the pressure on Cowboy football to remain a winn...

The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten and Barry Lewis take a look at the extraordinary high school football culture in the Tulsa area. Also: a quick review of LIV golf and a little Thunder talk. Related Click here to buy tickets to the 2023 All-World Awards banquet Bill Haisten: Pillars of strength in Owasso — Blake Cherry, Ryker Haff and the O-line Collinsville 'out for blood' after last year's early pl...

Combining his Jenks varsity seasons (1996-98) with the four seasons he played at OU (2000-03), Matt McCoy’s record was 87-9 with three Class 6A titles, two Big 12 titles and the 2000 national championship. Related From December 1996: Matt McCoy's tackle sparked Jenks in title game From December 1998: Three-year Jenks starter learned perseverance From January 1999: Jenks receiver/defensive back Mat...

Tulsa native Rick Dickson was a Bishop Kelley and University of Tulsa athlete, the TU athletic director in 1990-94 and the TU athletic director again since 2020. In advance of a big weekend of events for the Golden Hurricane athletic department – the Hall of Fame Weekend – Dickson discusses the state of college athletics and reflects on his personal Hurricane Katrina experience. Related Bill Haist...

As the longtime public-address announcer for the Cowboy football and basketball teams, Larry Reece was courtside for the Eddie Sutton era of greatness at Gallagher-Iba Arena. From his seat in the press box, he witnessed the transformation of Boone Pickens Stadium and OSU football. Related Bill Haisten: OSU’s new standard — 75 consecutive football games of 50,000 tickets sold From August 2015: Canc...

Tournament director and longtime Cedar Ridge Country Club member Frank Billings says the May 12-14 LIV event will be a high-energy, great-golf experience for patrons.  Included in the field is Phil Mickelson, who hadn’t played very impressively since joining the LIV tour but last week finished second in the Masters. Related Bill Haisten: Here’s hoping Phil Mickelson brings this level of play to Br...

This week’s Bill Haisten Podcast guests are Jenks coach Keith Riggs and the Tulsa World’s Barry Lewis. Riggs revisits all aspects of the  unforgettably historic Jenks-Bixby football game, played on Nov. 3 and televised on ESPN. The Trojans prevailed 38-35, ending Bixby’s state-record winning streak at 58 games. Related Bill Haisten: With guts and a 357-yard run game, Jenks shocks Bixby and ends th...

For the second time in a month, the Oral Roberts head basketball coach is the Bill Haisten Podcast guest. Paul Mills was in that position on March 3. As Mills last week accepted the head-coaching position at Wichita State, his top ORU assistant – Russell Springmann – was promoted to the top job at ORU. Springmann reflects on ORU’s two recent runs to the NCAA Tournament, on the greatness of Mills a...

This week’s Bill Haisten Podcast guest is Eric Coley – the best player on the best team in University of Tulsa basketball history. In 2000, Coley and the 32-win Golden Hurricane advanced to the Elite Eight level of the NCAA Tournament. With a chance to roll to the Final Four, TU was beaten 59-55 by the Tar Heels. If Coley hadn’t been in foul trouble, Bill Self’s final Tulsa team probably would hav...

"This speaks to the resiliency of the kids": Owasso had a 3-6 start to this season, with a difficult holiday season with illness, but now have a berth in the 6A state tournament. In this week's episode, Bill Haisten hosts Rams basketball coach Brian Montonati and his freshman son, Jalen Montonati. The two talk about the season's turnaround; the son-father dynamic; which programs are recruiting Jal...

In this week's episode, Bill and Dean Ruhl discuss OSU's master facilities plan, at a cost of $325 million, that includes a new softball stadium, an indoor track facility and Gallagher-Iba expansions and more. Subscribe to this podcast on:  Apple  |  Google  |  Spotify Related Bill Haisten: The Oklahoma State plan – ‘unrivaled’ facilities and no debt OSU announces $325 million athletics master pla...

OSU beat writer Dean Ruhl joins Bill this week to talk OSU football. The Cowboys were hit hard by the transfer portal, but also gained some talented players from the portal. Now that the portal has been closed a while, what does the Cowboys' roster look like? Subscribe to this podcast on:  Apple  |  Google  |  Spotify Related Bill Haisten: Holgorsen, Knowles, Monken and Wickline – and, ultimately,...

"I like my guys. I enjoy being around them, and we want to stretch this out as long as possible." Hard to believe it is Paul Mills' sixth year as ORU's head men's basketball coach. Could the Golden Eagles top their 2021 Sweet Sixteen season? ORU is currently No. 37 in NET rankings. Coach Mills looks ahead to the Summit League tournament; his deep knowledge of both bible verses and rap lyrics; Max...

Last week, the Broken Arrow Tigers improved to 15-0 overall and 7-0 in the Frontier — after defeating Bixby 64-57. In this week's episode, Bill talks to Broken Arrow basketball coach Beau Wallace about how he approaches coaching his undefeated team; 6-5 standout sophomore DJ Howell; memories of the 1997 season and tournament; the potential to win a state title as a player and coach at Broken Arrow...

"I don't feel 102 starts; I feel playing football from the age of being in seventh grade all the way until I was 32." In this week's episode, Bill talks to former TU All-American and Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Jerry Ostroski. He talks about the NFL postseason; the difference from playing in the pros now and then (and how he dealt with injuries); remembering the 10-win TU season in 1991 (the o...