The late Glenn Dobbs, Jr. remains a football legend at The University of Tulsa. He was a remarkable player (BS ’43), NCAA star, inspiring coach (1961-1968), and talented athletic director (1955-1970) for the Golden Hurricane Football Program in a career that spanned four decades.
Dobbs was considered one of college football’s all-time greatest triple-threat talents as TU’s leader in passing, punting and interceptions while playing both offense and defense. During three seasons at TU (1940-42), he led the Golden Hurricane to a 25-6 record and two bowl games. In 1942, Dobbs became the first TU football player to be named to the All-American squad and was a first-round draft choice in 1943, selected by the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals. He later played for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-American Football Conference and was MVP of that league in 1946. Dobbs finished his pro football career in Canada, and returned to TU to serve as athletic director in 1955. From 1961-1968, he doubled as head coach of the Golden Hurricane and became a key figure in developing football’s passing offense.
Glenn Dobbs was named a TU Distinguished Alumnus (1991), TU’s Mr. Homecoming (1969), and was inducted into the TU Athletic Hall of Fame (1982), the College Football Hall of Fame (1982), the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (1988), and the Saskatchewan Roughriders Hall of Fame (1988). The University of Tulsa retired his number, 45, and erected a statue of him just outside H. A. Chapman Stadium on Glenn Dobbs Drive. This football legend passed away in 2002 at the age of 82.
In 1990, Dr. Wm. Ben Johnson (BA ’66), a TU football letterman and respected Tulsa endodontist, established the GLENN DOBBS ATHLETIC FUND in honor of his former coach. “I can’t think of a better way to honor Coach Dobbs than to give other athletes the same opportunities I had,” said Johnson as he established the endowment fund.
Ben Johnson played offensive guard and linebacker for the Golden Hurricane from 1962-65. After graduating from TU, he went on to receive his D.D.S. and endodontic certificate from Baylor University Dental School in 1969. An endodontist in private practice in Tulsa since 1973, Dr. Johnson developed the Thermafil® Endodontic Obturators, which allow the dentist to close root canals in a single step. Dr. Johnson founded Tulsa Dental Products, Ltd. to market the invention. Most recently, Dr. Johnson has directed his efforts toward designing instruments for improved cleaning and shaping of the root canal system. Collaboration with other endodontists has led to the introduction of a number of revolutionary endodontic innovations such as the ProTaper® line of instruments, which are designed to instrument difficult, highly calcified, and severely curved root canals, and BioPure™ MTAD® Root Canal Cleanser.
Dr. Johnson was recognized for his outstanding career achievements and service to TU, his profession and the community in 1996, when he was awarded The University of Tulsa’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
He is an active member of numerous local and national endodontic associations and is past president of the Oklahoma Association of Endodontists and the Southwest Society of Endodontists. Dr. Johnson received the Oklahoma Inventor of the Year award in 1994. The American Association of Endodontists named him the 1996 Philanthropist of the Year. Dr. Johnson has published several articles and is an internationally recognized lecturer in the field of endodontics.
