Oklahoma State University Athletics
Former Cowboy Gerald Stockton Passes
August 13, 2013 | Cowboy Basketball
Aug 13, 2013
Dr. Gerald E. Stockton, a member of the Oklahoma A&M basketball team that advanced to the 1951 Final Four, passed away on Monday at the age of 81.
Gerald was born Jan. 21, 1932, in Peckham, Okla., to R.W. and Ada Stockton. He graduated from El Reno High School in 1949 as co-captain of the All American Basketball Team and was recruited to play basketball at Oklahoma A&M by coach Henry Iba. He started three years at Oklahoma State under Mr. Iba and was an All-Missouri Valley Conference selection during his senior season. The Aggies were 71-21 during his three-year career.
While in college, he met and married the love of his life, Virginia Brown. They were married Dec. 21, 1951. Gerald received his bachelor's degree from OAMC and his Master's of science degree from OSU in 1959. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 1970.
Stockton's coaching career began in 1953 at Duncan High School in Duncan, Okla. He coached at five universities during his career before finding his true home at Midwestern State in 1970 where he served as head basketball coach and athletic director for 24 years.
His love of basketball and ability to teach led MSU's teams to 493 wins, which included 15 20-win seasons, eight trips to the NAIA National Tournament, three Final Four appearances and a national runner-up finish. He presided over numerous milestones during his tenure at MSU, including a pair of 30-win campaigns in 1973-74 and 1974-75 which fueled a 70-game winning streak on the D.L. Ligon Coliseum floor which is now known as Dr. Gerald Stockton Court.
Gerald was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1993 and gained induction into the organization's Hall of Fame in 1995. He was inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame as an athletic director in 2013. Gerald was a member of Mt. Scott Masonic Lodge #540, Scottish Rite and Maskat Temple.
Gerald was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Delmer Stockton, his twin sisters, Anita Lawless and Bonita Ratzlaff, as well as a granddaughter, Amy Plummer.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia, daughter Sherry Parker and her husband Bob, daughter Teresa Stockton, and son Greg Stockton and his wife Cathy. His grandchildren are: Jeff Geis, Josh Parker, Sydney Stockton, Mathew Stockton, and Cole McWhorter and his wife Stephanie. Stockton is also survived by two great-grandsons, Jakob and Ethan Plummer.
A Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 14, at 2 pm on the Coach Gerald Stockton Court in the Midwestern State University Coliseum. The family will be at the funeral home Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m., for visitation.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Midwestern State Athletics, Hospice of Wichita Falls, or the Maskat Temple Transportation Fund. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.lunnscolonial.com.
