Sports » Latest News
Bruins
Posted: Apr 09, 2020 3:06 PMUpdated: Apr 10, 2020 7:01 AM
Ripley Deserving of BSC Hall of Fame Nod
Thirteen classes have been inducted into the Bartlesville Sports Commission Hall of Fame previously. The 14th class was announced earlier this month with longtime BHS football coach Mickey Ripley getting selected. Few have accomplished more than Ripley in the local sports world and even fewer have made a bigger impact on the Bartlesville community.
Ripley became the first Bartlesville High football coach after the Sooner and College high merger in 1982. He would go onto to win over 60 games in his tenure with the Bruins. Ripley led the Bruins to the state semifinals in 1988. Tim Bart BSC Hall of Fame Committee Chairman talks about Ripley.
Ripley played sparingly during his time at Oklahoma but was put into the spotlight in the 1968 Astro-Blue Bonnet Bowl against SMU. When starter Bob Warmack tore his ACL Ripley came in and helped the Sooners lead a masterful comeback. Ripley’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Barr put OU down just one in the final minutes. It was his only career TD. However, Ripley would be stopped short on the subsequent two-point conversion on an attempt to win. He went on to a long coaching career after his playing days ended.
Ripley died in March 2019 at 72. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015. He will be posthumously inducted into the BSC Hall of Fame on November 7.
« Back to Sports
