Carl Junior Scott

Carl Scott, innovative hall of fame basketball coach, died November 21, 2025 in Tulsa at the age of 93. He was a high school basketball trendsetter and carried that expertise into the college ranks. He first made his mark at Okmulgee High School, where his inspired full-court pressure defense was the cornerstone of back-to-back state championship teams. He blended members of his Okmulgee team with newcomers from recently closed Okmulgee Dunbar and impressively swept to Class 3A championships (in the state’s second largest classification) in 1970 and 1971. His teams were dominant, delivering suffocating defense that complimented a disciplined and calculated offense. His full court defensive tactics elevated Carl Scott into an elite plateau. Carl was an in-demand clinic speaker. High school coaches sought his insight. College coaches sought his athletes. Carl himself was quickly recruited and signed by Connors State College following Okmulgee’s 1971 title run to take over a lackluster program. He was an immediate success at the junior college level. In his debut season, he guided Connors to a conference championship, the school’s first in 21 years. It was just the beginning. There was more to come. He drove Connors to eight conference championships in his nine-year stint in Warner, all while serving as Director of Athletics. His teams earned national recognition and reached the national junior college championship tournament. Eventually, Carl moved on to head coaching assignments at Cameron University in Lawton, Bacone College in Muskogee, and a one-year stint as an assistant at Oklahoma City University. He also returned to Okmulgee High School for a short stint. Carl retired from coaching with a record 624 victories and 206 defeats. His was a career replete with ample reward. He coached in high school all-star games, including the Oklahoma All-State game and the Faith 7 games against Texas, and he received numerous coaching awards from statewide periodicals and college conferences. Carl Scott was enshrined in a distinguished alignment of Halls of Fame: *Oklahoma Coaches Association (1986) * Northeastern State University Athletics (1995) *Oklahoma’s Tournament of Champions (1999) *Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association (2003) *Connors State College (2014) *Bacone College (2016) *Tahlequah High School (2017) Tonkawa High School, where its hall of fame is known as the Basketball All-Star Showcase. Tonkawa is where Carl launched his coaching career in 1957. Carl was born in Tahlequah in 1932 and graduated from high school there in 1950. At Northeastern State, he played football and basketball, graduating in 1955. He is survived by his wife, Mary Beth; son Carl Lee and wife Sonja of Bella Vista, Arkansas. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Peyton Crane and husband Justin, Jaren Scott, Morgan Stepp and husband Jack, Gabbi Scott and Jacob Curtis; along with Mary Beth’s daughters, Kim Duffy and husband Jim, Pam Case and husband Chuck, all of Tulsa; and grandsons, James Duffy and Charlie Case and wife Rylie. Carl’s life will be remembered at 2pm, Thursday, January 22, 2026 at Cornerstone Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Dylan Ward officiating. Carl’s ashes will be buried in the Tahlequah City Cemetery at a later date.

Carl Junior Scott

April 3, 1932 - November 21, 2025