Oklahoma Baptist University Athletics

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Harry E. “Gene” Wallace found his way to Shawnee as a member of the Dodgers’ minor league baseball system. He played in the minors for a decade but returned to attend OBU in the off-season.

In 1960 he started working as assistant basketball coach, a position he held for nine seasons (204-91 during that stretch). In the fall of 1965 he joined the OBU staff full-time and added the position of head baseball coach.

He led the baseball Bison to a conference championship and to the NAIA regional playoffs in his first season. He coached baseball from 1966-75, took a three-year break, and coached from 1979-84, compiling an overall record of 303-257 and winning five Oklahoma Collegiate Conference East-Half titles and one league championship.

As head coach of the Bison basketball team from 1970-78, he compiled a record of 129-114. His teams reached the NAIA district playoffs seven times, won the district championship in 1973, and reached the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament that year.

He retired from coaching in 1984 but was asked to serve on an interim basis as coach of the Lady Bison basketball squad for two seasons. His teams were 37-27 in those two years. Altogether, Wallace’s OBU head coaching record was 469-398. He taught physical education at OBU until his retirement in 1998.

He lived in Shawnee until his passing in December 2022.