Oldham came to
Western Kentucky University in 1942 after earning All-State honors at
Hartford High School. In 1943 he left college to serve in the
United States Navy during World War II. He returned to the college in 1946, graduating in 1949. The teams he played on at Western were nationally ranked, participated in three
National Invitation Tournaments, including a 3rd-place finish in 1948, won three
KIAC titles, one
SIAA championship, and the first
Ohio Valley Conference title. He was a United Press and Associated Press
All-American in 1949. After college, he played for the
Fort Wayne Pistons of the
National Basketball Association. In 1952 he began his coaching career at College High School in Bowling Green, KY. In his first year as coach, he led the boys' basketball team to the state tournament. Oldham was hired to coach
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball in 1955. He led the school to three conference championships and its first two appearances in the NCAA tournament. Oldham returned to coach his alma mater, the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, in 1964, taking over for his former coach
Edgar Diddle who retired after 42 years at the school. In seven seasons, he finished 146–41 with a 78% winning percentage, leading them to four NCAA tournaments and an NIT berth while winning five
Ohio Valley Conference championships. Their third-place finish was later vacated by the NCAA due to allegations that one of their players,
Jim McDaniels, had signed a professional contract prior to the end of the season. He was named
Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year four times. In 1971 Oldham was named athletic director for WKU, and served in that position until his retirement in 1986. During his tenure as AD, WKU won six OVC All-Sports Championships and one
Sun Belt Conference All-Sports Championship. He oversaw the football program upgrading from NCAA Division 2 to Division 1AA in 1978, the school leaving the OVC and joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1982, and the
Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team becoming one of the top programs in the country. He also hired the school's first African American Head Coach,
Clem Haskins as men's basketball coach, in 1980. He has been inducted into the Lions Club Kentucky High School Hall of Fame (1969), Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame (1986), Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame (1989), Kentucky High School Hall of Fame (1990), Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and WKU Athletic Hall of Fame (1991). Oldham died at Bowling Green on November 23, 2020, at the age of 97. He was due to be buried in the city's Fairview Cemetery with military honours on November 30. ==Cultural impact==