Longtime state hoops coach Doyle Parrack dies

From Staff Reports

Published: September 6, 2008

Doyle Parrack, who coached basketball at Oklahoma City University, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, died Friday in Perkins. He was 86.

Born in Cotton County, Parrack graduated from Union Valley School and OSU (then Oklahoma A&M). He was a starter on A&M's 1945 NCAA championship basketball team.

Parrack played for the Chicago Stags, the NBA predecessor to the Chicago Bulls, in 1946-47. He began his college coaching career at OCU, where he also was athletic director. He led OCU from a club team without a gym or scholarship to NCAA membership and four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

After eight years coaching OCU, Parrack was named coach at OU in 1955. He moved to OSU in 1962, to assist his longtime mentor, coach Henry Iba until Iba retired in 1980.

Parrack also coached the Israeli national basketball team and the OU women's team. He retired from coaching in 1980.

He has been inducted into the OCU Sports Hall of Fame, OSU Athletics Hall of Fame and OSU College of Education Hall of Fame. Last year, the clock tower at OCU's Meinders School of Business was named in his honor.

Parrack is survived by his wife of 56 years, Charlotte; daughter Diane Mombani of Oklahoma City; son David of Tulsa; daughter Linda Livingstone of Malibu, Calif.; son Jim of Oklahoma City; and brothers Al of Henderson, Nev.,of Travis of Waurika

Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Perkins First United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Doyle K. Parrack Coaching Scholarship through the OSU Foundation or to the Athletics Scholarship funds at OCU or OU.

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