Owasso High School head football coach Antonio Graham announced the addition of former University of Tulsa and professional quarterback Dane Evans to his coaching staff today. The hire marks the first for Graham, who was named head coach of the Rams on Dec. 7, 2023.
“I’m extremely excited to be able to add Dane to the coaching staff and the Owasso community,” Graham said. “He is someone who has competed at the highest levels and brings with him a tremendous knowledge of the game, which will be a huge asset to our students. More importantly, Dane is an outstanding person who has a passion for coaching and serving others. He will be a great role model for the young men in our program and I can’t wait to introduce him to our team.”
“I am beyond excited for this opportunity,” Evans said. “I’m excited to get to work with some of the best students in the state and continue the tradition of excellence that has come before me. I can’t thank Coach Graham and Coach Duffield enough for believing in me.”
The Graham-Evans connection began on the sidelines at the University of Tulsa, where Graham served as a graduate assistant coach for three seasons (2011-13). Evans redshirted for the Golden Hurricane in 2012 and saw his first action as the starting quarterback in 2013.
Evans would leave his mark on the TU program, where he holds career records for passing yards (11,680), completions (904), pass attempts (1,567), total offense (11,752 yards), passing touchdowns (84), 300+ yard passing games (16) and 400+ yard passing games (4). He helped lead the Golden Hurricane to the 2015 Independence Bowl and capped his career in 2016 with a 10-3 season and a victory in the Miami Beach Bowl.
That 2016 team saw Tulsa become the first team in NCAA FBS/DI history with a 3,000-yard passer (Evans), two 1,000-yard rushers (D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Josh Atkinson and Keevan Lucas) in the same year. Off the field, Evans was recognized for his exemplary community impact as he was named to the All-State AFCA Good Works Team following the campaign.
Evans began his professional football career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, before signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He made his first professional start in 2018 and led Hamilton to the Grey Cup game in 2019 and 2021. Evans spent the 2023 season with the British Columbia Lions and announced his retirement on January 1, 2024.
In all, Evans accounted for 10,177 yards (9,636 passing/541 rushing) and 59 touchdowns (49 passing/10 rushing) over five seasons in the CFL.
Evans also spent time as a graduate assistant coach in 2020 at the University of North Texas, as the CFL season was canceled due to the pandemic, and he helped guide the team to a spot in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. In addition, he served as a student teacher during the Spring 2016 semester at Centennial Middle School in Broken Arrow and Zarrow International School in Tulsa.
A native of Sanger, Texas, Evans earned degrees in Exercise & Sports Science as well as Education from the University of Tulsa in 2016
