A CAREER OF EXCELLENCE: MIKE TUPA POSTHUMOUSLY HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS RAY SOLDAN AWARD
Mike Tupa has been posthumously honored with the Ray Soldan Award, which is given annually by the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association to media members who demonstrate excellence in covering high school basketball in Oklahoma. Tupa is pictured being inducted into the 2019 Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame.
Courtesy photo
By Becky Burch
April 15, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
Late sportswriter Mike Tupa, a fixture of northeast Oklahoma high school athletics coverage for three decades, has been posthumously honored with the Ray Soldan Award, according to Dewey High School basketball head coach Lance Knight.
The Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association (OBCA) selected Tupa for the honor during its spring meeting on Sunday.
Tupa, who served as the sports editor for the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise for nearly 30 years and co-founded the Bartlesville Area Sports website to ensure local athletes received the recognition they deserved, died April 7 at the age of 69.
The award, named after legendary Oklahoman writer and historian Ray Soldan, is given annually by the OBCA to media members who demonstrate excellence in covering high school basketball in Oklahoma. Tupa joins a prestigious list of recipients from Northeast Oklahoma, including three-time winner Barry Lewis and veteran reporter Mike Brown, both longtime voices for the Tulsa World, as well as 2024 honoree Steve Marshall.
Knight, who maintained a long-term working relationship with Tupa, submitted the nomination for the veteran reporter.
“It was an easy nomination to make,” Knight said. “The award goes to a top sports media personality in the state of Oklahoma. That describes Mr. Tupa perfectly.”
The Ray Soldan Award adds to a long list of accolades Tupa earned over his career. He was inducted into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 and received a unanimous proclamation of honor from the Oklahoma Legislature. Additionally, he was nominated by the National Sports Media Association as the 2023 Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year.
Tupa was widely recognized for his extensive work in the Bartlesville area, known for his dedication to profiling student-athletes and providing consistent local coverage throughout his career.
“He went above and beyond to cover local athletes and sports in the area for 30 years,” Knight said. “He deserves this award and all other praise in my opinion.”
The OBCA will formally present the award during the annual OBCA All-Star weekend on June 6 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
Funeral services for Tupa will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. in the chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1501 Swan Drive, Bartlesville. A viewing will begin at 2 p.m. in the Relief Society Room for those who wish to pay their respects.
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Editor’s Note: As the co-founder of Bartlesville Area Sports alongside Mike, I am incredibly proud of his legacy and this well-deserved recognition. Our mission was always to spotlight the athletes who deserve to be seen, and Mike lived that mission every day. I am deeply thankful to Coach Knight for nominating him and ensuring Mike’s impact on Oklahoma sports continues to be celebrated.
— Becky Burch, Co-Founder, Bartlesville Area Sports