John Tatum OU football player and great friend

[Oklabama]

Probably none of you have known about John Tatum. He was an OU player during Bub’s last years ‘59 - ‘63. He played center and linebacker. He was the assistant coach that Joe Don Looney got into a fuss with that ended Looney’s time with OU. He was my high school assistant coach at Star Spencer when we played Bob Warmack and Ada for the state championship. We lost. John Tatum passed away yesterday. He was my last high school coach to die. I hate losing great friends and Sooners. This is just a sad post in his honor. His obituary photo is his senior Sooner football photo. Always a Sooner.

 

[Plainosooner]

Sorry for your loss. Great coaches always have an impact on our lives.

 

[ShreveportSooner]

Tatum was from Heavener, OK, and graduated with my Mom.

When I was in HS one of my coaches was originally from Spiro. He had a great Goose (High School nickname) story. He was playing running back for Spiro and broke through the line. Thought he has several yards of open field until a blur moving at light speed hit him so fast and so hard he was all of a sudden on the ground looking up. Looking back down at him was Tatum … who just simply told him “every time you come near me today you are going to lose some damn teeth”. Spiro never scored a point.

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

Tatum was from Heavener, OK, and graduated with my Mom.

When I was in HS one of my coaches was originally from Spiro. He has a great Goose (High School nickname) story. He was playing running back for Spiro and broke through the line. Thought he has several yards of open field until a blur moving at light speed hit him so fast and so hard he was all of a sudden on the ground looking up. Looking back down at him was Tatum … who just simply told him “every time you come near me today you are going to lose some damn teeth”. Spiro never scored a point.

Thanks brother. 👍

 

[Oklabama]

Tatum was from Heavener, OK, and graduated with my Mom.

When I was in HS one of my coaches was originally from Spiro. He had a great Goose (High School nickname) story. He was playing running back for Spiro and broke through the line. Thought he has several yards of open field until a blur moving at light speed hit him so fast and so hard he was all of a sudden on the ground looking up. Looking back down at him was Tatum … who just simply told him “every time you come near me today you are going to lose some damn teeth”. Spiro never scored a point.

That’s the John Tatum I remember.

 

[Oklabama]

John wrote a couple of books. My favorite is Sooner Football Old School (and other stories) by John E, Tatum. He wasn’t the greatest novelist but if you take the time to read it, you will see his heart is in it. A lot of personal history about his time as a Sooner player mixed in with OU’s glory days. It’s still out there in paperback.