DA1 16 vol.9no.3
D i s t i n g u i s h e d A l u m n u s JimWilburn There was no reason <strong>to</strong> believe Jim Wilburn (BS ’74) would be<strong>com</strong>e a Tulsa media mogul. He had no pedigree, no connections and no money. What he did possess in abundance, however, was a preternatural drive <strong>to</strong> succeed that more than made up for any deficits in his <strong>back</strong>ground. Today, that extraordinary drive has taken him <strong>to</strong> the <strong>to</strong>p of the sports broadcasting industry, making Winner<strong>com</strong>m, the <strong>com</strong>pany he co-founded more than a quarter century ago, one of the largest independent television sports production <strong>com</strong>panies in the nation. Born the eldest of four children <strong>to</strong> blind parents, Wilburn and his siblings knew intimately the sting of poverty. His father worked in a broom fac<strong>to</strong>ry, his low wages barely enough <strong>to</strong> pay the bills for their tiny West Tulsa home. From an early age, Wilburn was thrust in<strong>to</strong> the role of family caretaker, protec<strong>to</strong>r and eventual breadwinner. “I had <strong>to</strong> grow up fast,” he recalls. “I <strong>to</strong>ok on a lot of responsibility at a very young age. From the time I was five or six, I had one parent on each arm.” Wilburn detested welfare and the sense of inadequacy it engendered in him. When well-meaning people would drop by <strong>to</strong> deliver free groceries, he would run and hide, <strong>to</strong>o embarrassed <strong>to</strong> answer the door. His upbringing gave him a “burning desire <strong>to</strong> succeed,” he says. “I <strong>to</strong>ld’em I’d show’em all.” From that point on, Wilburn became a young man in a hurry. He washed dishes <strong>to</strong> help pay his way through Bishop Kelley High School before gaining admission <strong>to</strong> The University of Tulsa in 1971. When Wilburn arrived on campus, he had no clue what he would study. But one thing was certain: He would work hard, holding down jobs as a bus driver for Bishop Kelley, a shoe salesman at Kinney’s and an office aide in <strong>TU</strong>’s Work Study program. Eventually deciding on a major in <strong>com</strong>munication, Wilburn was indefatigable during his term at <strong>TU</strong>, and in 1973 he earned the coveted “ugliest man on campus” prize for various fundraising stunts on behalf of the Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity. It was a valuable lesson in philanthropy for the hardcharging young man. “It was the first taste I had of helping others and giving something <strong>back</strong>,” Wilburn says. “I loved it.” Another encounter at <strong>TU</strong> also helped shape Wilburn’s stellar future. His off-campus landlord, Bill Pitcock (BA ’70), happened <strong>to</strong> be a local television news anchor. Always straight <strong>to</strong> the point, Wilburn asked him, “How do I make a lot of money in this business?” Pitcock’s answer was unequivocal: sales. “That was it. That’s when I decided <strong>to</strong> be a salesman,” Wilburn says. That summer, he secured an internship with K<strong>TU</strong>L Channel 8 and wasted no time fast tracking <strong>to</strong>ward graduation in just three years. “I was on the three-year plan,” he jokes. “I was so busy with work and studying that I didn’t have time <strong>to</strong> get in<strong>to</strong> any trouble. I just was sick and tired of being poor.” Wilburn dived in<strong>to</strong> his television advertising sales career with gus<strong>to</strong>, quickly be<strong>com</strong>ing the <strong>to</strong>p salesman at the station. By age 23, he already was earning six figures in salary and <strong>com</strong>mission. After years of hustling TV ads, he was poor no more. But that was not enough. Teaming up with then-Channel 8 sports anchor, Chris Lincoln, Wilburn decided <strong>to</strong> turn his passion for horse racing and his knowledge of broadcasting in<strong>to</strong> a going concern of his own. The pair founded Winner Communications, which produced thoroughbred racing events for television. After surviving a financial near-death experience in the mid-1980s, Wilburn’s venture re-emerged a stronger <strong>com</strong>pany, landing key contracts with an up-and-<strong>com</strong>ing cable broadcasting <strong>com</strong>pany known as ESPN. The relationship between Winner<strong>com</strong>m (a moniker adopted in 2002) and ESPN flourishes <strong>to</strong> this day, with the Tulsa-based <strong>com</strong>pany producing 1,000 broadcast hours annually of everything from soccer, bowling, softball, rodeo, golf and fishing <strong>to</strong> hunting, lacrosse and, of course, horse racing. Today, Winner<strong>com</strong>m employs 200 people full time and has 2,000 subcontrac<strong>to</strong>rs. For his part, Wilburn, 53, is both surprised and honored <strong>to</strong> be selected as a <strong>TU</strong> Distinguished Alumnus. “I was shocked,” he says. “The first thing I thought was there are people more deserving. I thought I needed <strong>to</strong> be about 15 years older. But I love <strong>TU</strong> and <strong>to</strong> be picked is very humbling, I can tell you.” A member of the University’s Board of Trustees and the <strong>TU</strong> Circle Society, Wilburn has supported <strong>TU</strong> for years, particularly its athletic programs and facilities. Winner<strong>com</strong>m has also provided television production services <strong>to</strong>uting the University and its programs. “I’m proud of this school,” he says. “It helped give me the opportunity <strong>to</strong> be who I am <strong>to</strong>day.” Not <strong>to</strong> mention perhaps the most vital, though intangible qualification of all: drive. And for Wilburn, that has made all the difference. home<strong>com</strong>ing2006 17