OWASSO, Okla. — After a season away, Bill Blankenship will return as head coach for Owasso High School football.
At the end of the 2023 season, Blankenship announced his retirement after 40 years of coaching at the University of Tulsa, Union High School and Owasso High School.
Here is his 2023 retirement announcement:
Blankenship's return is still pending approval from the Owasso Board of Education. It also comes after head coach Antonio Graham's resignation to fill a head coach vacancy at another district.
“Coach Blankenship has been a friend and mentor of mine for nearly 25 years and it’s an honor to be able to bring him back to Owasso,” Executive Director of Athletics Zach Duffield said. “He has helped transform our program into what it is today and he has done so with dignity, grace and class. How often does an Athletics Director have the opportunity to hire a Hall of Fame coach of his caliber, let alone do it twice? How lucky am I, and how lucky are we in Owasso? More than anything, I am excited to once again watch Coach Blankenship positively impact the next generation of Rams student-athletes in the way he has done with countless other athletes before.”
Blankenship said he's excited about his return:
“I want to first express my gratitude to Superintendent Dr. Margaret Coates and Athletics Director Zach Duffield for trusting me with this amazing opportunity. I also want to thank my family, especially Angie, for their support of my return to coaching. Eight years ago, I came to Owasso because of many long-term personal relationships and because it was clear that this community is special. Those are still factors that lead me to accept this opportunity today. While I certainly enjoyed my first effort at retirement, I missed the day-to-day involvement with our student-athletes and seeing them develop as young men. I’m excited to be home once again and I can’t wait to get started.”
Antonio Graham will be the next Head Football Coach at Union.
Graham was a member of the Union football team, coached by Bill Blankenship, where he was a four-year letter winner and an All-State linebacker in 2005. Coach Graham was also on staff with Coach Blankenship at the University of Tulsa and was Owasso's Defensive Coordinator. Graham took over the Head Coaching duties at Owasso in 2024 when Blakenshop retired.
We will livestream the announcement here.
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