Education
University of Tulsa.
University of Tulsa.
He was the head coach of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane from 2011 through 2014. Before entering the college ranks, Blankenship was a successful high school coach for over 20 years and was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009. Blankenship played for the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane beginning in 1975 and served two stints as starting quarterback, 1977 and 1979.
While there, Blankenship played in the 1976 Independence Bowl.
Blankenship"s high school coaching career included stints at Edmond Memorial High School, Spiro High School, Sapulpa High School, and Eastwood Christian School. Union High School
Blankenship served as the coach of Tulsa"s Union High School for 14 years until 2005.
There he compiled an overall 154-26 record. Union also amassed an unbroken home winning streak of 56 straight wins between the years 1997 and 2005.
University of Tulsa
In 2005 Blankenship decided that he wanted to pursue seriously his goal of coaching at the college level
Days after winning his third state title in four years, he resigned as Union"s head coach (and, later, as its athletic director). At the time, Blankenship said that he was resigning, in part, because otherwise potential employers would not believe he would be willing to leave his successful position at Union. He spent the following year out of coaching, and then accepted Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coach Todd Graham"s offer to become receivers coach at Tulsa.
After the 2010 season, Graham left Tulsa to become the head coach at Pitt.
After a brief search, Blankenship was named Tulsa"s new head coach on January 14, 2011. Blankenship"s first two seasons as head coach were marked by success, including a conference championship and Liberty Bowl victory in 2012.