Buddy Brothers
John Orville "Buddy" Brothers (May 29, 1909 – December 25, 1991) was an American college football coach. He played at Texas Tech from 1928 to 1930 and later coached Tulsa. He started at Tulsa as the backfield coach from 1941 to 1945 and then served as head coach from 1946 to 1952. In seven seasons at Tulsa, he posted a 45–25–4 record (.635) and won four Missouri Valley Conference titles (1946–1947, 1950–1951). He was named MVC Coach of the Year twice (1950, 1951) and remains the ninth-winningest Tulsa coach in school history.
In 1946, his team went 9–1, with notable wins over Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and conference co-champions Arkansas and Kansas; Tulsa defeated Kansas 56–0, while the only loss came to Detroit. The 1949 season was 5–5–1, but Tulsa pulled off one of the season’s biggest upsets by beating undefeated Villanova 21–19. After the game, Brothers commented on the team’s long-awaited win.
In 1951, after a game against Marquette, opponent Lisle Blackbourn accused Tulsa of “flagrantly illegal tactics.” Brothers called the charges unfair and unsportsmanlike, and the dispute helped fuel tensions that led to the cancellation of Tulsa’s 1952 game with Marquette. After leaving Tulsa, Brothers coached high school football at Norman High School (1956–1957) and Lubbock High School.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:42 (CET).