Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 2:28 am
I wanted him to go, but not like this :( This only guarantees us Galloway :(
Were fucked!!! We might as well become softball fans atleast there is hope for them :(4/30/05
By John Shinn
Transcript Sports Writer
Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell was not in his L. Dale Mitchell Park dugout Friday night for the middle game of OU's three-game series against Nebraska after it was reported he made racial remarks prior to OU's Tuesday night game at Wichita State.
ESPN, on its 5 p.m. "SportsCenter" broadcast Friday, reported Cochell used racially-insensitive remarks twice off-camera when asked about freshman left fielder Joe Dunigan, who is black.
The first came while Cochell was talking to play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne. Thorne said Cochell called Dunigan over to praise him for staying in school. When Dunigan returned to the field, Thorne said the Sooner coach said: "'There's no n_____ in him.'"
ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson said he remembered Cochell saying, "'There are honkies and white people and n_____ and black people. Dunigan is a good black kid.'"
Cochell did not deny making the statements and issued an apology Friday night.
"I profoundly apologize for my remarks," Cochell said. "I am deeply sorry for any pain or embarrassment I have caused for any individual or the university.
"Our university family is totally committed to equality and mutual respect. I personally hold those values and will always regret that my careless use of language did not reflect my own values, and it certainly did not reflect the values of the University of Oklahoma."
Cochell did not answer calls to his cell phone Friday night.
Dunigan and center fielder Chuckie Caufield are the only African-Americans on the Sooners' roster.
Dunigan has platooned with Aaron Ivey in left field this season and usually starts when the Sooners face right-handed pitchers. Dunigan started Thursday night's game and went 1-for-3 with an RBI double. He's batting .278 for the season with one home run.
Nebraska started left-hander Zach Kroenke Friday and Dunigan did not play.
He declined to comment after the game.
The Wichita State game aired on ESPN2 and OU's Thursday night game with Nebraska was televised by ESPN.
ESPNU aired Friday's game and will broadcast today's 1 p.m. contest. Thorne and Peterson were in the booth for the three previous games and are scheduled to do today's game.
Thorne and Peterson were asked following Friday's game why the statements didn't come to light until just prior to the game.
"Until (Thursday), neither of us knew the other had had the conversation," Thorne said. "It was only when we were walking up the hill (Thursday) coming into the ballpark. It was two different occasions we were talking to him.
Once we realized the same thing had virtually been said to both of us, we just felt … Maybe each of us, maybe, would have gone separately.
But once we heard both of us were involved and it wasn't isolated, we felt we had to say something."
Representatives from OU's athletic department were informed of the comments at 4 p.m. Friday.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said assistant coach Sunny Golloway will serve as interim head coach until the matter is resolved.
The team did not find out about situation until minutes before Friday's game.
"We had a meeting about 15 or 20 minutes before the game and then we tried come out and get loose at the last minute and go," Golloway said.
Castiglione was at L. Dale Mitchell Park when Friday's game started, but would not comment to reporters. He did release at statement Friday night.
"It is widely known that one of the most important values of the University of Oklahoma and its leadership is to celebrate diversity as a strength," the statement read. "This university is a place where everyone is respected. Clearly, if these comments were made they run contrary to the core values of this institution and we will treat them very seriously."
Cochell, who has been OU's coach since 1991, has gone 553-345-1 with the Sooners and has a 1,330-812-3 record over his 39-year career as a college coach.
Cochell has guided the Sooners to nine NCAA regional appearances, three College World Series appearances and the 1994 national championship.
Golloway was an assistant coach with the Sooners from 1992-95 and returned to the program last season after spending eight seasons as baseball coach at Oral Roberts University.
He declined to speculate on what Cochell was going through, but was asked if he'd ever heard Cochell make statements similar to the ones ESPN reported.
"No," Golloway said. "That's a simple no."
Senior catcher Matt Bose backed up Golloway's statement.
"You guys all know me. I have been here for four years and I've never heard anything like that come out of his mouth," Bose said.
