Longtime Oklahoma Baseball Coach Resigns
NORMAN, Okla. - Longtime Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell resigned Sunday, five days after using a racial slur during off-camera interviews with ESPN.
Cochell submitted a letter of resignation to school president David Boren, who had met hours earlier with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community.
"A good and caring man has made a terrible mistake for which he must assume responsibility," Boren said in a statement.
ESPN said Friday that Cochell, who is white, used a slur after praising a freshman outfielder, who is black, during two pre-broadcast interviews Tuesday.
Assistant coach Sunny Golloway was named interim coach.
Cochell, who had been head coach since 1991 and led the Sooners to the CollegeWorld Series title in 1994, apologized Friday and in his resignation letter.
"As I have said in a public statement, I deeply regret that I carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university," Cochell said in the letter released by the school. "Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people. ... I do not want to be the cause of any person having a mistaken impression about our university."
ESPN reported Friday that before a Tuesday telecast of the Oklahoma-Wichita State game, Cochell, in describing a freshman outfielder, said "There's no n----- in him." It also reported that he said in a separate interview, "There are honkies and white people and there are n------ and black people. (My player) is a good black kid."
Both interviews, held with separate announcers who were preparing for the broadcast, were off-camera.
Cochell, who coached the Sooners for 14 years, submitted a letter of resignation Sunday to school president David Boren, who had met with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community.
"As I have said in a public statement, I deeply regret that I carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university," Cochell said in his resignation letter. "Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people."
On campus Monday, students criticized the coach's use of the word.
"There are some things you just don't say and that's one of them," said sophomore Jesse Greadington III.
Robert Chamberlain, a junior, said it was disturbing that Cochell would repeat the epithet in two interviews. "It wasn't a one-time thing. He said it twice. It makes you wonder what he'd say when he was just around his peers."
NORMAN, Okla. - Longtime Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell resigned Sunday, five days after using a racial slur during off-camera interviews with ESPN.
Cochell submitted a letter of resignation to school president David Boren, who had met hours earlier with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community.
"A good and caring man has made a terrible mistake for which he must assume responsibility," Boren said in a statement.
ESPN said Friday that Cochell, who is white, used a slur after praising a freshman outfielder, who is black, during two pre-broadcast interviews Tuesday.
Assistant coach Sunny Golloway was named interim coach.
Cochell, who had been head coach since 1991 and led the Sooners to the CollegeWorld Series title in 1994, apologized Friday and in his resignation letter.
"As I have said in a public statement, I deeply regret that I carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university," Cochell said in the letter released by the school. "Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people. ... I do not want to be the cause of any person having a mistaken impression about our university."
ESPN reported Friday that before a Tuesday telecast of the Oklahoma-Wichita State game, Cochell, in describing a freshman outfielder, said "There's no n----- in him." It also reported that he said in a separate interview, "There are honkies and white people and there are n------ and black people. (My player) is a good black kid."
Both interviews, held with separate announcers who were preparing for the broadcast, were off-camera.
Cochell, who coached the Sooners for 14 years, submitted a letter of resignation Sunday to school president David Boren, who had met with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community.
"As I have said in a public statement, I deeply regret that I carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university," Cochell said in his resignation letter. "Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people."
On campus Monday, students criticized the coach's use of the word.
"There are some things you just don't say and that's one of them," said sophomore Jesse Greadington III.
Robert Chamberlain, a junior, said it was disturbing that Cochell would repeat the epithet in two interviews. "It wasn't a one-time thing. He said it twice. It makes you wonder what he'd say when he was just around his peers."