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James D. "Dave" Rader
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Two things have always been important to Dave Rader (BS ’80): community and football. That’s why he knew The University of Tulsa was the right school for him.
“Our house was 2 miles from campus, so TU was always there. It was 1966, and my dad asked, ‘You want to go to a TU game?’ I thought it was a great idea! So we went,” he said. The young Rader was hooked.
While at TU, Rader was a quarterback and part of the 1976 Independence Bowl team. He was the starting QB in 1977 but was injured in the third game. For the 1978 season, he started all 11 games for a 9-2 record. He was named TU’s head football coach in 1988 at age 31 – the youngest head coach in NCAA Division 1 at that time. Rader served as head coach until 1999, coaching the most games in TU history.
“One of the best things about coaching is that there comes a time where almost every student-athlete changes and becomes more responsible and more mature. From that point, they value their education more, and they recognize more fully the value of being a responsible person and making a positive difference,” Rader said fondly.
Following stints as a coach at Alabama and Mississippi, Rader turned to the private sector and served as vice president of marketing at Pacer Energy Marketing and director of marketing and business development at Excellence Engineering.
In 2008, Rader received the Merve Johnson Integrity in Coaching Award. In 2011, his book Missing Page from the Playbook – Fundamentals Behind the Physical, Mental, and Emotional Elements of Commitment was published.
In 2016, he was elected to serve in the Oklahoma Senate, representing District 39, and was re-elected in 2020. He chairs the Senate Republican Caucus and Finance Committee and sits on the Energy and Education Committees, as well as the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations. Rader was named 2019 Oklahoma Legislator Award by the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association and 2022 Oklahoma Legislator of the Year by the Oklahoma State Medical Association.
“TU provides a foundation that allows students a chance – an opportunity – to many who might not have that opportunity at a higher education through an activity like athletics,” he said. “TU, in my opinion, is the best in this state and one of the best in the country. We haven’t lost that. I still see graduates around town making a difference.”