Tulsa to Induct Three Former Athletes and Bluebonnet Bowl Team into Athletic Hall of Fame

Banquet for honorees is set for Friday, October 3

Sept. 23, 2003

Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa's Bluebonnet Bowl team and three former Golden Hurricane student-athletes will be inducted into The University of Tulsa's Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, October 3, 2004, at 6:30 p.m., in ceremonies at the Allen Chapman Activity Center on the TU campus, it was announced today.

The list of inductees include former football stars David Alexander (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Rueben Morris "Rube" Leekley (Arkansas City, Ark.) and soccer standout Kevin King (Tulsa, Okla.) The 1964 Hurricane football team registered a 9-2 overall record and defeated Mississippi in the Bluebonnet Bowl to culminate a record-breaking season.

Considered to be one of TU's best all-around athletes, "Rube" Leekley (Football, 1915-16), participated in track, football, and basketball when TU was still Henry Kendall College. Leekley was an aggressive lineman on the undefeated 10-0 Kendall College team that also won the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference in 1916. Leekley was voted to the all-time University of Tulsa Football Team in 1945. As an alumnus of the University, he later served as the first president of the Hurricane Club.

As a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter, David Alexander (Football, 1982-86) was a two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference and honorable mention All-America selection with the Golden Hurricane. He played offensive tackle in his first two years, before making the switch to guard for his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he was selected as the ESPN Offensive Lineman of the Year for the network's Thursday night broadcasts, in which Tulsa defeated Fullerton State 20-10. Alexander went on to a successful professional career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Known as one of the savviest and skilled defensive soccer players in TU history, Kevin King (Soccer, 1988-91) helped Tulsa win the school's only conference soccer title and make the school's only NCAA post-season tournament appearance in 1991. Despite playing the defender position, King still ranks ninth in school history for career points with 67 and holds the school record for most consecutive games with an assist (4). In his four seasons, King scored 23 goals and had 21 assists. He earned all-Midwest Region accolades three times in his career. He was a first-team selection as a sophomore and senior, and received second-team merits his junior season. He was also selected to the first-team all-MVC squad as a senior in 1991. King also participated in two Olympic Festivals and played in the USAir College Indoor Soccer Showcase.

The Bluebonnet Bowl team of 1964 revolutionized the game of college football. In previous years, passing was rarely used except for third down situations. The Tulsa team, however, changed the college football landscape with their record-breaking passing season. Steering this Golden Hurricane team was legendary coach Glenn Dobbs, a former Hurricane All-American in the 1940's. The Hurricane ranked first nationally in three NCAA team statistical categories including passing (317.9), total offense (461.8), scoring (38.4), outscored the opposition 398 to 140 points and established 27 new NCAA team and individual records. Seven players earned All-America honors and 22 players earned Missouri Valley Conference accolades. Tulsa players ranked among the top-25 in eight statistical categories in the final NCAA statistics

Two key figures in this potent offensive attack were senior quarterback Jerry Rhome and junior split end Howard Twilley. The defense wasn't bad either as the Hurricane held six opponents to single digit points. Tulsa compiled a 9-2 overall record and concluded the season with a 14-7 win over Mississippi in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

During the 1964 season, Tulsa's two narrow losses came against Arkansas and Cincinnati. Tulsa's offense was too much to handle for most teams, averaging 461.8 yards per game. Rhome was voted as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, as he completed 244 passes for 2,870 yards and 32 touchdowns on the year. Twilley also had a standout season and broke NCAA records for receptions and yards with 95 catches for 1,178 yards.

Bluebonnet Bowl team members were: Billy Guy Anderson, Bob Breitenstein, Joe Brooks, Charlie Brown, Jim Brown, Bob Buoniconti, Dwight Claxton, Dennis Corr, Bob Daugherty, Glenn Dobbs III, Eddie Dukes, Eddie Fletcher, Mike Gibbons, Bill Goods, Charlie Hardt, Jeff Jordan, Mark Maddox, Carl Martin, Tom McGuire, Mike Minnig, Sheldon Moomaw, John Osmond, Dan Pavlak, Bill Pennington, Randy Phillips, Garry Porterfield, John Poyas, Ken Rader, Jerry Rhome, Ernie Riera, Tom Riley, Brent Roberts, Jim Roth, Scott Schuhmann, Mike Shaughnessy, Terry Stoepel, Jack Suggs, Willie Townes, Howard Twilley, Richard Tyson, Bill Van Burkleo, Wallace Willard, Larry Williams and Darrell Wolff. Coaches were: Head Coach Glenn Dobbs and Assistant Coaches Sammy Baugh, Benny Davis, F.A. Dry and Bob Griffin.

The three inductees and honor team will be presented their awards at the Hall of Fame banquet on Friday, October 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Allen Chapman Activity Center Great Hall. Cost for the banquet is $25.00 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the Golden Hurricane Club at (918) 631-2570. RSVPs are required by Friday, September 26. The honorees will also be introduced at halftime of the Tulsa-Hawaii football game on Saturday, October 4.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA 2003 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

DAVID ALEXANDER * Football, 1982-86

David Alexander was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter on the offensive line for the Hurricane football team. He played tackle as a freshman and sophomore, and guard his final two seasons. After redshirting in 1982, he suffered an injury in 1983 that sidelined him for the season. He was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection in 1984 and '85. Alexander was also named to the Academic All-MVC team in 1985. He earned honorable mention All-America honors as a junior and senior, and was selected as the ESPN Offensive Lineman of the Year for their Thursday night broadcasts in 1986. Following his senior season, he played in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. Alexander went on to a long and successful NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, and completed his professional career with the New York Jets.

REUBEN "RUBE" LEEKLEY * Football, 1915-16

Rube Leekley was a member of Henry Kendall College's undefeated 10-0 team and champions of the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference in 1916, and in two seasons helped Kendall post a 16-1-1 record. He was a lineman on the football team and also starred on the track and basketball teams. Leekley was named to the all-time University of Tulsa football team in 1945 as announced by the Tulsa World and selected by the fans. In track, he earned honors in the 16-pound shot put, discus, high jump, javelin and 220-yard dash. Leekley served as the first president of the Hurricane Club in 1930.

KEVIN KING * Soccer, 1988-91

He was known as one of the savviest and skilled defensive players in school history. Kevin King helped lead Tulsa to the school's first conference soccer title and first NCAA post-season tournament appearance in 1991. Despite playing from his defender position, he completed his career with 67 points on 23 goals and 21 assists. King had his best scoring season as a sophomore with nine goals and four assists for 22 points. He set the school record for consecutive games for recording an assist with four. King was a three-time all-Midwest Region selection, twice on the first team and once on the second team. He earned first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1991, the first season that Tulsa was a member of a conference. King competed in the Olympic Sports Festival twice and also played in the USAir College Indoor Soccer Showcase.

2003 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME HONOR TEAM

1964 BLUEBONNET BOWL TEAM

Legendary coach Glenn Dobbs led the Golden Hurricane to a 9-2 overall record and an appearance in the Bluebonnet Bowl in the 1964 season. Tulsa finished in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 3-1 record. En route to its nine wins, the Hurricane had one of the school's finest wins ever with a 61-14 win over Oklahoma State on a day that Tulsa passed for nearly 500 yards. TU finished the season with a win over Mississippi in the Bluebonnet Bowl by a score of 14-7. The Hurricane led the nation in total offense with 461.8 yards per game and revolutionized the way football looked at passing while leading the nation in passing with a 317.9 average per game. Tulsa was the first school in history to pass for more than 300 yards in a season. The Hurricane outscored the opposition 398 to 140 points and established 27 new NCAA team and individual records. Seven players earned All-America honors and 22 players earned Missouri Valley Conference accolades. Tulsa players ranked among the top-25 in eight statistical categories in the final NCAA statistics. Quarterback Jerry Rhome was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy that year after completing 244 passes for 2,870 yards and 32 touchdowns. Split end Howard Twilley also broke the NCAA records for receptions and yards with 95 catches and 1,178 yards.