Dr. Prentice Gautt, the Big 12 Conference special assistant to the commissioner, died at a Lawrence, Kansas hospital on March 17 after being admitted with flu-like symptoms earlier in the week.
Gautt was the one of the sports pioneers of the then-Big Eight Conference as the first African-American football player at Oklahoma University under Hall of Fame coach Bud Wilkinson in 1956.
“We are all shocked and saddened by the news,” said Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg. “We have lost a wonderful friend, mentor and colleague. Prentice contributed so much to our conference and to college athletics as a whole. He was a true pioneer in college sports.
Gautt was a two time All-Big Eight selection and an All-American selection during his career at OU. Gautt led the Sooners in rushing in 1958 and 1959. He paved the way for future Oklahoma great running backs such as Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington, Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, Kenny King and countless others who made Oklahoma a national power for decades.
He played professionally with the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961-67. Gautt also worked a stint with the University of Missouri as an assistant football coach during the 1970s. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Missouri.
After his playing and coaching days, Gautt was the associate commissioner of the Big Eight before becoming one of the original members of the Big 12 staff, working with its member institutions.
In 1999, the Prentice Gautt Academic Center was dedicated at the University of Oklahoma for his contributions to college athletics.