Last week, two local sports icons who were affectionately known simply as “Coach,” passed away. One, David Bales, was not really a coach, and the other, Rod Replogle, was more than just a coach.

I first met Bales in November 1988, when I was performing as the mascot “Bubby Breaker” for the Tulsa FastBreakers games. He was a huge sports fan, and loved supporting most of the local teams, especially University of Tulsa basketball and football.

If you ever attended a sports event in Tulsa, you couldn’t miss spotting Bales; a large man, about 6’7” with a belly and a personality that made you think he might be the real Santa Claus. If you ever saw Bales in person, you probably watched with amazement at this tall gentleman, dressed with a sports coat and tie, pacing the end line and yelling out instructions and encouragement to the players in the game. He would pump his fist in an effort to stir the fans to cheer, or he would take off his sports coat and throw it on the floor if he disagreed with a call by the referee. Thus, the nickname “Coach.”

In fact, it was probably 10 years before I knew his real name, because even after asking several guys in the sports media what his name was, nobody knew. We just all knew him as “Coach.”

When “Bubby Breaker” came out of the locker room and entered the court, I was always greeted by Bales huge smile, a high-five, and a “Let’s go get ‘em Bubby!” It was no different when I was out of the costume and saw Bales around town at other events, he always greeted me with that same big smile and either a hand-shake or a high-five.

Bales sister found him unresponsive in bed on Thursday morning. Medical personnel attempted to revive him before transporting him to Hillcrest Hospital where he later died. He was my age, 56, and that hurts; he was way too young to die.

Bales was not only a fan of local sports teams, but also of local sports media members. He may have gravitated toward me because of my work on radio or television over the years, but he was genuine in his love of the game and those that covered it. I think I can speak for most of us in the Tulsa sports media when I say, we all loved David more than he could imagine, and he made everyone of us feel loved and appreciated. For that, I will always be grateful and will never forget this gentle giant. “Go get ‘em Coach!”

Replogle passes at 79

Rod “Rep” Replogle, one of the seven founding members of the Oklahoma Athletic Trainers’ Association, died on Wednesday. He was not only a Hall of Fame athletic trainer, but also a member of the Oklahoma Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.

The McAlester native, attended OSU on a football scholarship where he played until graduating in 1963 with a BS in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He later received his Masters at NSU in Tahlequah.

In the fall of 1963, he began his athletic training, teaching and coaching career in Henryetta. He continued to dabble as a player and coach for many years, including a stint as a linebacker on the Tulsa Thunderbirds semi-pro football team in 1967.

In 1979, Replogle was hired by Owasso Public Schools as their full-time athletic trainer.  He covered all high school and junior high school athletic events; taught science and coached. Rod retired from Owasso in 1992, after 13 years of service. Over the years, he was also one of the trainers for the annual All-State games.

Replogle was an athletic trainer for the Sooner Stampede, a team of high school football players that traveled internationally in the summers. They played exhibition football games in Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Nevada, on three separate trips; 1989, 1991, and 1992.

I first met “Rep” in 1990, through our association with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes adult chapter. There was hardly ever an FCA event that Replogle missed. When I was the Baseball Chapel representative for the Tulsa Drillers, I had “Rep” speak to the team several times, and over the years we had the opportunity to play golf with each other many times.

To me, he was “Rep” but to the hundreds of the players that played for him over the years, they still called him “Coach.”

“Rep” loved God, his family and life. He will be greatly missed.