Remembering Mike Strauss, his professionalism and humor
By Ken MacLeod
One of the great joys of recent years was learning that Mike Strauss had taken a prominent role in communications with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). This put me back in touch with one of the truly good guys in sports information/communication.
Mike, who shockingly passed away last week at age 61 of a heart attack, was the assistant Sports Information Director to Steve Buzzard at Oklahoma State when I worked at The Tulsa Tribune in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Mike was the SID for the powerhouse Cowboy golf program and I had just taken over the golf beat at the Tribune. Back then, it was not unusual for the Tribune, Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman to all send beat writers to the Big 12 Championship, NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships among other events.
Dan O’Kane was on the golf beat for the Tulsa World for most of that run and Mac Bentley and John Rohde did most of the golf writing for the Daily Oklahoman. All of us appreciated Mike’s professionalism as well as good humor. It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world dealing with OSU coach Mike Holder, who could be a little prickly at times, and the requests of the media. He understood that working for an afternoon paper I had different needs than the morning paper guys or any radio or television reporters. This meant I might need to talk to Coach Holder a few minutes longer than the others, or get different players. Sometimes it worked, but Mike always did his best for me and I appreciated everything he did.
“It breaks your heart,” O’Kane said about learning of Mike’s passing. “Mike was great at his job but he could turn on a dime and laugh at himself. He was very serious about his job, one of the best I ever worked with, but he had a great sense of humor. One time at the U.S. Olympic Festival he got into it with OU assistant SID Larry McAllister about which school did probation better. Mike told him OSU was much better at probation than OU. Just lots of little stories like that.”
“Was totally blindsided by this,” Rohde said. “Tough to find a nicer guy. He was sneaky funny. His smile and laugh always made an appearance. He and Steve Buzzard made a great SID team at OSU. We playfully called him Spanky Schwartz because there were times shortly after he arrived when football coach Pat Jones couldn’t seem to remember his first or last name. Strauss will sorely be missed. He is already.”
“I remember Mike being passionate about his job, easy to communicate with, and very good at what he was doing,” Holder said.
Bob Randquist, the former superintendent of Southern Hills, was the chief operating officer of the GCSAA during much of the time that Strauss worked there. He too was stunned by the news.
“It’s just really sad to think he won’t be with us anymore,” said Randquist, who retired in 2022. “I know he had some health issues, but this was a total shock. He was very professional and very good at his job. We had a lot of banter since I went to OU about the Sooners and Cowboys but always in good fun. He was a first-rate individual and this is really sad, a great loss for the game and obviously his family.”
Mike had survived a liver transplant and multiple bouts with cancer. Tulsa World columnist Bill Haisten, who had the OSU football beat early in his career, called Mike one of the best SIDs he ever worked with, ranking him on a par with Don Tomkalski from the University of Tulsa and Kevin Klintworth from OSU. I would agree that he is certainly one of the best I ever worked with and there have been a lot of great ones in Oklahoma.
Below is his official obituary
Mike passed at the age of 61 of a cardiac event in Breckenridge, Colorado, one of his favorite places to be. The Denver native graduated from the University of Colorado and worked in sports PR his entire career, including at Oklahoma State, Utah State, University of Kansas and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America in addition to the Lawrence Public Schools Foundation.
Mike had numerous accomplishments in his career, including publicity for Barry Sander’s Heisman Trophy season in 1988, the Oklahoma State Final Four team in 1995, several Utah State trips to the NCAA Tournament, and the Kansas Jayhawks’ Orange Bowl appearance in 2008. He also enjoyed working freelance sporting events, and was fortunate to work numerous Chiefs games, college basketball and football games, two Summer Olympics, and domestic pro beach volleyball tournaments across the country with his brother and sons.
He played basketball, football and baseball as a youth, and remained friends with many of his childhood teammates and classmates. Throughout his career he was not only a mentor to his colleagues but also a true friend. Known for his witty humor, positive attitude and caring nature, Mike brightened the lives of all who knew him. He loved playing golf (and even played Augusta the day after the 1995 Masters), watching sports, and above all spending time with family and friends.
He was married to Lisa for 35 years and is also survived by siblings Nancy (Glen) Sonnenfeld and Doug (Mimi), his sons Bradley (Madison) and Coulter (Alexandria), nephew Emmett Sonnenfeld, father-in-law Gus Brossett, and the newest joy of his life, his granddaughter Elliott.
A celebration of life will be held on June 27, 2026 at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence, Kansas from 4-6 pm. A second gathering in Colorado is being planned for July 1, 2026 with details to be confirmed. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to Donate Life America (Mike was a recipient of a liver in 2001 and was a big advocate of organ and tissue donation), or a charity of your choice.