Dave Rader

Dave is extremely honored to serve District 39 as he has resided within the boundaries of the district for 47 of his 63 years. From his elementary school years at Benjamin Franklin, through Woodrow Wilson Junior High, and then graduating from Will Rogers High School (where he met his wife, Janet), Dave has always been proud to call himself a Tulsan.

Dave’s grandfather and grandmother are on the rolls of establishing Felt Public Schools in Felt, Oklahoma. His mother and father were both children of sharecroppers. His dad graduated from high school in Arkansas, while his mom was always proud to be a Preston Pirate.

Even after graduating from high school, Dave continued to stay in Tulsa to attend the University of Tulsa. There, he majored in mechanical engineering and played football as a quarterback. After a brief stint in the NFL, he started his engineering career, first in New York City and then back in Tulsa.  

Still having the urge to be involved in football, Dave began coaching college football in 1983 and continued for 22 seasons over the span of four decades. Dave is best known for his 12 seasons as head coach of the University of Tulsa. Other stops included the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University, and the University of Mississippi.

Dave was recognized as one of the Young Oklahomans of the Year in 1989 and was awarded the NCAA District Coach of the Year honor in 1991 after his Freedom Bowl Champion University of Tulsa team finished 22nd in the national polls.
He was appointed to the American Football Coaches Association Ethics Committee and served as the representative of Independent Universities to the now-defunct College Football Association. His Tulsa teams consistently graduated at a higher rate than the University body in general.

Outside of coaching, Dave has worked and now works in the energy industry, mainly in the midstream sector. Previous fields encountered were the IT industry, submersible pump, and transportation.

Dave is a graduate of the University of Tulsa with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Presently, Dave sits on the boards of John 3:16 Mission, Tulsa Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame, Will Rogers High School Community Foundation, First Baptist Church of Tulsa Deacon, and Secretary of Oklahoma Former NFL Players Association. In 2008, Dave was awarded the Merv Johnson Integrity in Coaching Award by The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Oklahoma Chapter.

Dave is honored to be a member of four Halls of Fame

-  Will Rogers High School

-  Independence Bowl

-  University of Tulsa Athletic (1991 Team)

-  Tulsa Public Schools Athletic 


Dave was first elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in November of 2016 and re-elected in November 2020. He presently serves as Chair of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and is Chair to the Senate Republican Caucus. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Select Committee on Redistricting. He sits on the Finance, Public Safety, and Energy committees. In addition, Dave is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services as well as the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations.

Dave is a member of the Energy Council for the 2025-2026 year. He is also the recipient of Oklahoma Appleseed's 2025 Good Apple Award for Legislator of the Year.

Dave is self-employed and lives in Tulsa with his wife of 42 years, Janet. They have 3 children, and 6 grandsons and 2 granddaughters; Daniel (former Navy lieutenant with 3 deployments to the Arabian Gulf and now with L3 Harris as a Mechanical Engineer), married to Deidra (Head Volleyball Coach at Lincoln Christian School – 3X State Champions) and sons Jett, Jax, and Knox; Jordan (Nuclear Engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory), married to Emily(Chemical Engineer at Nalco) and son J.D., daughter AnnaBelle, and son Xavier; and Kendal (SLP), married to Michael McMahon (Worship Pastor at Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church, Knoxville, TN), son Meyers and daughter Lively.

Dave is an author and his book, Missing Playbook Page - Fundamentals Behind the Physical, Mental, and Emotional Elements of Commitment, was released in Fall 2011.