OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 28, 2020) – Max Dobson, one of the early pillars of Oklahoma Christian University's athletic department and a well-known teacher of physical education for special-needs students, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 81.

Dobson, a graduate of Pioneer High School in northwestern Oklahoma and Phillips University in Enid (where he starred in baseball and basketball), began teaching at OC in 1966. He spent time as OC's baseball coach, women's basketball coach and athletic director, in addition to his duties as a professor and chairman of OC's physical education department.

"Dr. Max Dobson is one of OC's finest," OC President John deSteiguer said. "He was a great coach and great administrator for sure, but his spiritual influence and impact on individuals – students, co-workers, community members – is unsurpassed. He cared about people - and every person that knew him, knew he cared about them. Max made OC better. And he made lots of us better."

OC's current athletic director, David Lynn, called Dobson "an Oklahoma Christian legend" who personified servant leadership.

"I was fortunate enough to take the majority of my physical education classes from him at OC as a student," Lynn said. "After graduating I was lucky enough to be mentored by him as a young coach. You didn't need to listen to him tell you how to do it, because he was a shining example of how to treat people every day.

"He truly embodied the OC spirit. He was fiercely competitive as a coach, extremely gifted as a teacher and humble as a man in a position to help others better themselves. He will truly be missed."

Dobson shined as both a coach and administrator in OC's young athletic department. As the baseball coach from 1967 to 1980, Dobson posted a record of 280-194. He guided the Eagles to the NAIA District 9 and Area III titles and a third-place finish at the NAIA World Series in 1972. His .591 winning percentage is the highest by any coach in OC baseball history.

He went 173-80 – a .683 winning percentage – in eight seasons (1977-78 to 1984-85) as OC's women's basketball coach, building that program from scratch before handing the reins to current coach Stephanie Findley. His teams won two Sooner Athletic Conference titles as well as the 1980 Oklahoma Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Division II championship.

As the athletic director from 1983 to 1994, his hires included Findley (one of his former players and assistant coaches) and now-retired men's basketball coach Dan Hays, who have won more games at an Oklahoma university in women's and men's hoops, respectively, than any other coaches in state history. He also successfully recruited Sherri (Buben) Coale as a player and she went on to build a Hall of Fame coaching career with the University of Oklahoma's women's basketball team.

He also served for many years on the NAIA District 9 executive committee, an indication of the respect those outside OC had for him.

"Coach Dobson was a treasure," Findley said. "His wit and wisdom were so refreshing, as was his attitude toward coaching. Winning games was never his first concern. He was more concerned with the success of each individual player on and off the court. He was truly a good man with a good heart, selfless, a man of principle and values – things not easily found in athletics today. Not to mention, I owe Max so much for the opportunity he gave me to coach here!"

Like Findley, Hays said Dobson served as a mentor after Hays arrived at OC in 1983.

"Max and the great Stafford North set the bar so high that my transition became easy," Hays said. "You see, I had never been around a Christian school during my entire playing and coaching career. … Max Dobson showed me how to do things by being the greatest example a young coach and teacher could have. I watched him at church, on the playing fields, in the office, the classroom, etc. He set the bar so high and made it look easy. Max Dobson was simply someone I tried to emulate. I love coach Max Dobson."

Even with all of Dobson's coaching and administrative success, his most influential work came with special-needs children. In 1976, he began a class called "Teaching the Exceptional Child" after a parent of a special-needs child, who was searching for opportunities for the child to interact with college students, asked Dobson if OC had such a program.

Dobson created the program and initially recruited his baseball players to play with the students. He worked to raise funds for the program, much of which came from the OC Women's Association and OC alumni. He has estimated that at least 3,000 OC students have taken the class through the years and assisted in his efforts to aid special-needs children.

"I've said many times he was the most Christ-like man that I have ever met," said Curtis Janz, now the athletic director at Arkansas-Fort Smith after spending more than 30 years at OC, first as an assistant basketball coach and later as the athletic director. "His legacy will live on for many, many years at Oklahoma Christian and in OC athletics, but also in the hearts of thousands of special-needs men and women and their families. We will be measured by how we treat those who can do nothing for us and Max was a giant in that area."

Dobson's work with special-needs students was recognized by numerous groups. On New Year's Eve in 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder presented Dobson with its "Devon Community Hero" award and in April 2013 – shortly before his retirement from OC – Edmond Public Schools also honored Dobson.

"Many lives have been changed because of Dr. Dobson's influence," Nancy Goosen, the director of special services for Edmond Public Schools, said at that time. "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Dr. Dobson spent 47 years at Oklahoma Christian University and dedicated a total of 52 years to teaching students.

"As Helen Keller once stated, 'The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt in the heart.' Dr. Dobson, thank you for your many years of selfless service to our students with disabilities, to our Edmond Public Schools personnel and to the college students at OC. You have touched all of our hearts with your hugs, your smile and your love."

Dobson said in 2012 that the special-needs classes positively affected not only the children who participated, but also those of the college students who assisted.

"I have read hundreds of evaluations on the courses and I keep hearing 'this course has changed my life.' l have seen it and their lives have been changed and that is what OC is supposed to be all about," Dobson said. "God truly has blessed my life by giving me this opportunity to touch the lives of hundreds of children and I could not have done it without the support of these wonderful college students."

In 1995, he was inducted into the OC Athletic Hall of Fame, and the next year, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. OC again recognized Dobson in 2008 when it named its rebuilt baseball facility as "Max and Ramona Dobson Field." Dobson was a strong advocate to revive OC's baseball program, which had been suspended in 2001, and current OC coach Lonny Cobble said Dobson served as a valuable resource for him.

"Since day one here at OC, coach Dobson was a mentor and taught me the ins and outs of OC baseball," Cobble said. "I was very blessed to be around such a wonderful man! His legacy extends way beyond the OC community."

Dobson married Ramona (Vanderwork) Dobson in 1958 and they served together until her death in 2001. In 2002, he married Marilyn (Forrester) Dobson, who survives him, along with his son, Todd Dobson, his daughters, Teri Meuller and Tami Robbins, and their spouses.

Max Dobson obituary

Max Dobson memorial service (Nov. 2, 2020)