Wayman Tisdale: A Giant Among Us

May 17, 2009

Wayman Tisdale’s electric smile is no longer a part of our world and we’re all the lesser for it.

Tisdale was a college and professional basketball player, who after his retirement from the sport became a best selling jazz musician. He lost his two-year fight on Friday, May 14^th, to bone cancer. He was only 44 years old and left behind a devoted wife, three daughters and a son.

In spite of all his accomplishments, 1984 Olympic Gold Medal winner, first college basketball player to be named all-American for all three years he played before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers into the NBA at the end of his junior year, a career that put Oklahoma basketball on the map, and then his success as a bass-guitarist with several top selling jazz albums, it never changed the modest man from Tulsa, Oklahoma with the infectious smile.

Tisdale’s life came crashing down in 2007, literally, one early morning when he left his bedroom to head down the stairs to get his wife a glass of water. Halfway down the steps his right leg simply snapped in half. Up to that point he had no idea that there was a malignant cyst growing just below his leg. The cancer had simply eaten away at the bone revealing its destructive path only when the leg snapped.

After surgical removal of the cyst and a ten-week regimen of chemotherapy the doctors were hopeful that they had stopped the spread of the disease. But they had not. So in August of 2008 they amputated Tisdale’s leg above the right knee and fitted him with a prosthetic.

Tisdale, true to his never quit mentality, was soon photographed at MD Anderson Cancer Institute in Houston walking up and down the halls on his new leg cheering up other patients.

Not yet out of the hospital, Tisdale started a campaign to raise money for other patients who needed a prosthetic limb, but could not afford it.

Throughout his illness Wayman Tisdale was the one who kept bolstering the spirits of fans, friends, and family. Just a month before he died he appeared at a special tribute held by the NBA team the Oklahoma Thunder. There he was far thinner and appeared to be considerably older than his forty-four years.

To players and fans alike his electric smile seemed to defy logic. But defying logic was something that Tisdale did with seeming ease all his life.

His first love was music. Teaching himself to play guitar, he seemed to have little interest in basketball. But then between his sophomore and junior high school years he shot up an incredible 24-inches to stand 6 foot 9. Suddenly basketball moved to the center of his life. When in his senior year 150 different colleges and universities pursued him, he asked his father, the pastor Louis Tisdale what school he should play for. His father said simply, “Go to Oklahoma and make them great.” And that’s exactly what he did becoming the first Sooner player in any sport to have his number retired.

Sundays have become the day of the week that we like to share an inspiring story. We can think of none more inspiring this week than the life and death of Wayman Tisdale. When he stopped thrilling us on the court, he thrilled us with his music, and when he could no longer play his music he amazed us with his courage and grace in the face of a relentless disease.

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For more information on recharging techniques, the subject is fully covered in two of John Gray’s best selling books: Practical Miracles for Mars & Venus, and How to Get What You Want, and Want What You Have.

Posted in Inspiration