Wayman Tisdale
2002 Legacy Tribute Award, 2009 Inductee
Wayman was a star basketball player at the University of Oklahoma from 1983-85, and played on the gold-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic Team followed by twelve years in the NBA as a center and power forward. He also married his Tulsa sweetheart Regina and started a family.
In 1995 Wayman decided to take his musical talents to a higher level and began to play and record professionally. Though without any formal training, he gained the respect of jazz musicians and audiences alike with his unique bass style, winning personality and hard work. His eight jazz albums, beginning with 1995's "Power Forward" and including the Billboard #1 selling 2001 contemporary jazz release "Face to Face" won him fans all over the world. He felt that funk was a big influence on his style and it was coming more to the fore of his playing by the late 2000's. Wayman was as "Way Up" as the title of his 2006 disc said, but his greatest trial was just around the corner.
In February, 2007, Wayman was discovered to have bone cancer after a fall at his home. He underwent knee surgery followed by several rounds of chemotherapy. He continued to work, including completing 2008's "Rebound"album, but had to have part of his right leg amputated in August of that year. His courage in battling disease and learning to walk again inspired many, and also led to his establishment of the Wayman Tisdale Foundation to aid those facing cancer and prosthetic challenges. Wayman passed away on May 15, 2009 in Tulsa and was memorialized with one of the largest funerals in the history of the city at the BOK Center and by a special concert at the Jazz Hall. Among the many tributes to Wayman was the documentary on his life Brian Schodorf's "The Wayman Tisdale Story" that was premiered at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame to mark the first anniversary of his passing. See Wayman's music at its best on the Youtube video from 2006 "Let's Do It Again" and at CMT see his friend Toby Keith's moving tribute "Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)".
