David Rader
- Former Head Coach for University of Tulsa
- Held Coaching Positions at University of Alabama & Mississippi
- Coached many players who now play for the NFL
David is best known for being the Head Football Coach of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane for 12 seasons (1988-1999). David was known to 'do more with less' due to operating with the lowest budget of NCAA Division 1-A programs at the time. Three of his quarterbacks went on to play professional football with
read the restDavid is best known for being the Head Football Coach of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane for 12 seasons (1988-1999). During those years the Golden Hurricane upset some of college football’s most well known programs such as Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma State. David was known to ‘do more with less’ due to operating with the lowest budget of NCAA Division 1-A programs at the time. His 1991 team ended the season with 10 wins, a number 21 national ranking, Freedom Bowl Champions, and David being recognized as NCAA Coach of the Year for Region 4. Three of his quarterbacks went on to play professional football with two of the three starting in their rookie season in the NFL. Rader’s teams consistently graduated at a rate higher than the campus average.
After leaving TU, Rader entered the private sector before joining the University of Alabama football staff from 2003-2006. While at Alabama, David coordinated the offense and coached the QB’s. The 2005 Cotton Bowl Champion team finished the season at #8. Two of his quarterbacks are now with NFL teams.
This past season, David was the co-offensive coordinator at the University of Mississippi where that offense finished the season averaging 400 yards and 30 points (5th best in Ole Miss history) per game. David coached Oregon transfer Jeremiah Masoli to end the season with more than 2,000 yards passing and over 500 yards rushing.
David’s experience in athletics and private industry has allowed him to gain perspective of a cross section of society. He is convinced that some of the values learned in the game of football can be applied to the game of life – both personally and professionally. His message is mainly for men and young men, but women will connect to the message just as formidably.
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