2018 Oklahoma Football Overview: Going into the 2018 college football season, Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley had a tough act to follow.
Last season, which was his first at the helm of the Sooners, Riley led Oklahoma to the Big 12 Championship and a spot in the four-team College Football Playoffs. For good measure, his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, won the Heisman Trophy.
Well, the honeymoon officially is over for Riley. He and OU lost the 2018 Red River Showdown to Texas last Saturday, October 6. A 40-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker with nine seconds remaining in the game gave the Longhorns a 48-45 victory.
It was Oklahoma's first loss of the season, however, somebody had to take the blame, especially since the 48 points were the most points ever scored by Texas in the Red River Showdown. Since the Sooners' defense had been suspect all season, the axe fell on defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, the brother of Bob Stoops, the long-time Oklahoma head coach for whom Riley took over last season.
The Sooners' interim defensive coordinator is Ruffin McNeil, who had been the assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach. McNeil, who has been coaching college football for 38 years, joined the Oklahoma staff in 2017. For the 2016 season, he had been the assistant head coach and defensive line coach at the University of Virginia 2016 From 2010 through the 2015 season, McNeil was head coach of East Carolina, his alama mater. From 2000 to 2009, McNeil held various coaching positions at Texas Tech, including assistant head coach from 2003 to 2009.
Prior to being named head coach of the Sooners shortly before the beginning of the 2017 season, Riley had been Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, a position he had held since January 2015. Prior to moving to Norman Riley served five seasons (2010-2015) as offensive coordinator at East Carolina under McNeill.
Last season, which was his first at the helm of the Sooners, Riley led Oklahoma to the Big 12 Championship and a spot in the four-team College Football Playoffs. For good measure, his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, won the Heisman Trophy.
Well, the honeymoon officially is over for Riley. He and OU lost the 2018 Red River Showdown to Texas last Saturday, October 6. A 40-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker with nine seconds remaining in the game gave the Longhorns a 48-45 victory.
It was Oklahoma's first loss of the season, however, somebody had to take the blame, especially since the 48 points were the most points ever scored by Texas in the Red River Showdown. Since the Sooners' defense had been suspect all season, the axe fell on defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, the brother of Bob Stoops, the long-time Oklahoma head coach for whom Riley took over last season.
The Sooners' interim defensive coordinator is Ruffin McNeil, who had been the assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach. McNeil, who has been coaching college football for 38 years, joined the Oklahoma staff in 2017. For the 2016 season, he had been the assistant head coach and defensive line coach at the University of Virginia 2016 From 2010 through the 2015 season, McNeil was head coach of East Carolina, his alama mater. From 2000 to 2009, McNeil held various coaching positions at Texas Tech, including assistant head coach from 2003 to 2009.
Prior to being named head coach of the Sooners shortly before the beginning of the 2017 season, Riley had been Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, a position he had held since January 2015. Prior to moving to Norman Riley served five seasons (2010-2015) as offensive coordinator at East Carolina under McNeill.
Riley again has the Sooners' offense humming and again he has a capable athlete running the show at the quarterback position. In fact, he has a first-rounder playing quarterback. It's just that Kyler Murray (#1) is a Major League Baseball first-rounder.
Murray is from Allen, Texas, where he was 42-0 as a starting quarterback for a team that won three straight state championships. He also starred as a baseball player. As the 2014 Gatorade Football Player of the Year, he committed to Texas A&M, where he played sporadically during the 2015 season as a freshman. He left A&M in December of 2015 and transferred to Oklahoma. He sat out the 2016 season due to transfer rules.
In the 2017 season, Murray was a backup quarterback to Mayfield. He now is the Sooners' starting quaterback, despite having been selected by the Oakland Athletics with the ninth overall selection of hte 2018 MLB draft. Murray signed a contract with the Athletics that included a $4.66-million signing bonus. Murray will report to spring training in 2019 to begin his professional baseball career.
In the meantime, Murray, 5-10, 195 pounds, is performing admirably on the gridiron. The Sooners, 5-1, 2-1 Big 12, are the 10th-ranked team in the country. Their offense is averaging 48 points a game and nearly 525 yards per game; 316 yards per game through the air and 208.8 yards per game on the ground. OU has scored 38 touchdowns; 22 through the air and 16 on the ground.
Murray has completed 96 of 135 pass attempts, for 1,764 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is averaging 294 passing yards a game and has thrown only three interceptions. On the ground, the elusive Murray is averaging 6.6 yards per run. He has carried the ball 57 times for 377 yards. he has rushed for five touchdowns and has a long run of 67 yards.
Two other OU quarterbacks have seen limited action. Redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall (#10) has completed nine of 13 pass attempts for 94 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Tanner Mordecai (#15) has thrown four passes. He has completed two of them for 37 yards.
Oklahoma's leading receiver is junior Marquise Brown (#5), 5-10, 168 pounds. He has 33 catches for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. He is averaging 112.5 receiving yards per game and a long reception of 77 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (#2), 6-2, 189 pounds, has 25 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns, with a long reception of 86 yards. Sophomore tight end Grant Calcaterra (#80), 6-4, 221 pounds, has nine catches for 147 yards and one touchdown, with a long reception of 33 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver Lee Morris (384), 6-2, 212 pounds, has four touchdowns on only eight receptions, with a long catch of 65 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver A.D. Miller(#12), 6-3, 1923 pounds, has six catches and two touchdowns. Redshirt senior Myles Tease (#87), 5-9, 171 pounds, has four receptions and one touchdown.
On the ground, sophomore running back Trey Sermon (#4), 6-foot, 224 pounds, has rambled for 356 yards on 64 carriers. He has three touchdowns and a long run of 22 yards. Against Army, he ran for 119 yards. Redshirt freshman running back Kennedy Brooks (#26), 5-11, 205 pounds, has 195 yards rushing on 15 carries. He has three touchdowns and a long run of 49 yards.
Last year's leading rusher for the Sooners, Rodney Anderson (#24), 6-1, 220 pounds, is out for the season. He suffered a knee injury in OU's second game of the season, against UCLA. His loss is huge blow for Oklahoma. In 2017, Anderson rushed for 1,161 yards. Before being injured this year, he had carried the ball 11 times for 119 yards and three yards, with a long run of 65 yards.
OU has fumbled the football four times in 2018, losing three of them. The have given up eight sacks of their quarterbacks.
Defensively, the Sooners are giving up an average of 27.3 points per game. They have allowed 941 rushing yards and 1,586 passing yards, for a total of 2,527 yards, or 421.2 per game (156.8 rushing, 264.4 passing). OU has allowed 13 rushing touchdowns and eight passing touchdowns.
Opposing quarterbacks have completed 128 of 203 pass attempts against Oklahoma. The Sooners have recorded four interceptions and 16 sacks. They have forced three fumbles, recovering one.
Redshirt senior linebacker Curtis Bolton (#18), 6-0, 218 pounds, leads OU with 75 tackles. Five of the tackles have been for lost yardage and he has 2.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Kennth Murray (#9), 6-2, 238 pounds, has 74 tackles, six of them for lost yardage. He also has three sacks. Against Army earlier in the season, he was credited with 28 tackles. Senior safety Kahlil Haughton (#8), 6-1, 197 pounds, have 41 tackles, 15 of them for losses. Freshman defensive end Ronnie Perkins (#7), 6-3, 254 pounds, has three sacks. Junior defensive lineman Mark Jackson, Jr. (#42), 6-1, 239 pounds, has 2.5 sacks. Junior linebacker Caleb Kelly (#19), 6-3, 231 pounds, has two sacks. Sophomore cornerback Tre Brown (#6), redshirt junior defensive lineman Neville Gallimore (#90), and sophomore cornerback Tre Norwood each have one sack.
Junior cornerback Parnell Motley (#11), 6-foot, 177 pounds, has two interceptions. Sophomore safety Robert Barnes (#20) and redshirt junior defensive lineman Kenneth Mann (#55) each have one interception.
Senior Austin Seibert (#43), 5-9, 214 pounds, is the Sooners' kicker/punter. He has made five of seven field goal attempts, with a long field goal of 42 yards. He has punted for an average of 43.2 yards per punt, with a long punt of 54 yards.
Oklahoma 2018 Football Schedule: September 1, versus Florida Atlantic, won, 63-14; September 8, versus UCLA, won, 49-21; September 15, at Iowa State, won, 37-27; September 22, versus Army, won, 28-21 (OT); September 29, versus Baylor, won, 63-33; October 6, versus Texas (Cotton Bowl, Dallas), lost, 48-45; October 20, at TCU; October 27, versus Kansas State; November 3, at Texas Tech; November 10, versus Oklahoma State; November 17, versus Kansas; November 23, at West Virginia.
Oklahoma 2018 Football Guide: here
Oklahoma 2018 Football Video: here
Oklahoma 2017 Football Results: beat UTEP 56-7; beat Ohio State, 31-16; beat Tulane, 56-14; beat Baylor, 49-41; lost to Iowa State, 38-31; beat Texas, 29-24; beat Kansas State, 42-35; beat Texas Tech, 49-27; beat Oklahoma State, 62-52; beat TCU, 38-20; beat Kansas, 41-3; beat West Virginia, 59-31; beat TCU, 41-17 (Big 12 Championship game); lost to Georgia in the Rose Bowl, in a College Football Playoff Semifinal game, 54-48 (2 OT).
Murray is from Allen, Texas, where he was 42-0 as a starting quarterback for a team that won three straight state championships. He also starred as a baseball player. As the 2014 Gatorade Football Player of the Year, he committed to Texas A&M, where he played sporadically during the 2015 season as a freshman. He left A&M in December of 2015 and transferred to Oklahoma. He sat out the 2016 season due to transfer rules.
In the 2017 season, Murray was a backup quarterback to Mayfield. He now is the Sooners' starting quaterback, despite having been selected by the Oakland Athletics with the ninth overall selection of hte 2018 MLB draft. Murray signed a contract with the Athletics that included a $4.66-million signing bonus. Murray will report to spring training in 2019 to begin his professional baseball career.
In the meantime, Murray, 5-10, 195 pounds, is performing admirably on the gridiron. The Sooners, 5-1, 2-1 Big 12, are the 10th-ranked team in the country. Their offense is averaging 48 points a game and nearly 525 yards per game; 316 yards per game through the air and 208.8 yards per game on the ground. OU has scored 38 touchdowns; 22 through the air and 16 on the ground.
Murray has completed 96 of 135 pass attempts, for 1,764 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is averaging 294 passing yards a game and has thrown only three interceptions. On the ground, the elusive Murray is averaging 6.6 yards per run. He has carried the ball 57 times for 377 yards. he has rushed for five touchdowns and has a long run of 67 yards.
Two other OU quarterbacks have seen limited action. Redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall (#10) has completed nine of 13 pass attempts for 94 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Tanner Mordecai (#15) has thrown four passes. He has completed two of them for 37 yards.
Oklahoma's leading receiver is junior Marquise Brown (#5), 5-10, 168 pounds. He has 33 catches for 675 yards and seven touchdowns. He is averaging 112.5 receiving yards per game and a long reception of 77 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (#2), 6-2, 189 pounds, has 25 receptions for 423 yards and six touchdowns, with a long reception of 86 yards. Sophomore tight end Grant Calcaterra (#80), 6-4, 221 pounds, has nine catches for 147 yards and one touchdown, with a long reception of 33 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver Lee Morris (384), 6-2, 212 pounds, has four touchdowns on only eight receptions, with a long catch of 65 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver A.D. Miller(#12), 6-3, 1923 pounds, has six catches and two touchdowns. Redshirt senior Myles Tease (#87), 5-9, 171 pounds, has four receptions and one touchdown.
On the ground, sophomore running back Trey Sermon (#4), 6-foot, 224 pounds, has rambled for 356 yards on 64 carriers. He has three touchdowns and a long run of 22 yards. Against Army, he ran for 119 yards. Redshirt freshman running back Kennedy Brooks (#26), 5-11, 205 pounds, has 195 yards rushing on 15 carries. He has three touchdowns and a long run of 49 yards.
Last year's leading rusher for the Sooners, Rodney Anderson (#24), 6-1, 220 pounds, is out for the season. He suffered a knee injury in OU's second game of the season, against UCLA. His loss is huge blow for Oklahoma. In 2017, Anderson rushed for 1,161 yards. Before being injured this year, he had carried the ball 11 times for 119 yards and three yards, with a long run of 65 yards.
OU has fumbled the football four times in 2018, losing three of them. The have given up eight sacks of their quarterbacks.
Defensively, the Sooners are giving up an average of 27.3 points per game. They have allowed 941 rushing yards and 1,586 passing yards, for a total of 2,527 yards, or 421.2 per game (156.8 rushing, 264.4 passing). OU has allowed 13 rushing touchdowns and eight passing touchdowns.
Opposing quarterbacks have completed 128 of 203 pass attempts against Oklahoma. The Sooners have recorded four interceptions and 16 sacks. They have forced three fumbles, recovering one.
Redshirt senior linebacker Curtis Bolton (#18), 6-0, 218 pounds, leads OU with 75 tackles. Five of the tackles have been for lost yardage and he has 2.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Kennth Murray (#9), 6-2, 238 pounds, has 74 tackles, six of them for lost yardage. He also has three sacks. Against Army earlier in the season, he was credited with 28 tackles. Senior safety Kahlil Haughton (#8), 6-1, 197 pounds, have 41 tackles, 15 of them for losses. Freshman defensive end Ronnie Perkins (#7), 6-3, 254 pounds, has three sacks. Junior defensive lineman Mark Jackson, Jr. (#42), 6-1, 239 pounds, has 2.5 sacks. Junior linebacker Caleb Kelly (#19), 6-3, 231 pounds, has two sacks. Sophomore cornerback Tre Brown (#6), redshirt junior defensive lineman Neville Gallimore (#90), and sophomore cornerback Tre Norwood each have one sack.
Junior cornerback Parnell Motley (#11), 6-foot, 177 pounds, has two interceptions. Sophomore safety Robert Barnes (#20) and redshirt junior defensive lineman Kenneth Mann (#55) each have one interception.
Senior Austin Seibert (#43), 5-9, 214 pounds, is the Sooners' kicker/punter. He has made five of seven field goal attempts, with a long field goal of 42 yards. He has punted for an average of 43.2 yards per punt, with a long punt of 54 yards.
Oklahoma 2018 Football Schedule: September 1, versus Florida Atlantic, won, 63-14; September 8, versus UCLA, won, 49-21; September 15, at Iowa State, won, 37-27; September 22, versus Army, won, 28-21 (OT); September 29, versus Baylor, won, 63-33; October 6, versus Texas (Cotton Bowl, Dallas), lost, 48-45; October 20, at TCU; October 27, versus Kansas State; November 3, at Texas Tech; November 10, versus Oklahoma State; November 17, versus Kansas; November 23, at West Virginia.
Oklahoma 2018 Football Guide: here
Oklahoma 2018 Football Video: here
Oklahoma 2017 Football Results: beat UTEP 56-7; beat Ohio State, 31-16; beat Tulane, 56-14; beat Baylor, 49-41; lost to Iowa State, 38-31; beat Texas, 29-24; beat Kansas State, 42-35; beat Texas Tech, 49-27; beat Oklahoma State, 62-52; beat TCU, 38-20; beat Kansas, 41-3; beat West Virginia, 59-31; beat TCU, 41-17 (Big 12 Championship game); lost to Georgia in the Rose Bowl, in a College Football Playoff Semifinal game, 54-48 (2 OT).
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| Bud Wilkinson statue on the Oklahoma Campus |
Oklahoma Football Historical Overview: Oklahoma is the three-time defending Big 12 conference champion, having won the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Big 12 Conference championships. Oklahoma beat TCU, 41-17, to win the 2017 Big 12 Conference Championship, in Lincoln Riley's first year as OU's head football coach. The Sooners then were beaten, 54-48, in double overtime, by Georgia, in a College Football Playoff Semifinal game.
The Oklahoma football program began in 1895. The head coach is Lincoln Riley, who is in his first year as the program's leader. Riley took over when Bob Stoops retired shortly before the beginning of the 2017 season, after 17 years of leading the Sooners.
Oklahoma has had one of the most successful football programs since World War II. The Sooners have the most wins and the highest winning percentage since 1945. The program has seven national championships: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985 and 2000. In addition, the NCAA recognizes 10 additional national titles for Oklahoma in the 1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986 and 2003 seasons, for a total of 17 national titles in football.
Oklahoma has won 46 conference championships, including 14 in a row between 1946 and 1959. Since 2000, OU has won outright or shared the Big 12 Conference championship 11 times.
The Sooners have had 154 All-Americans and five Heisman-Trophy winners (Billy Vessels in 1952, Steve Owens in 1969, Billy Sims in 1978, Jason White in 2003 and Sam Bradford in 2008). The school has had 23 members (five coaches and 18 players) inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories between 1953 and 1957. Oklahoma is the only program that has had four coaches with 100 or more wins, including Stoops, whose record is 180-48. The Sooners became the sixth NCAA FBS team to win 850 games when they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks on November 22, 2014. OU also was the only school to participate in both the football and basketball national championships in the same year (1988), until the 2006 season, when Ohio State and Florida were in each, with Florida winning both national championships.
The University of Oklahoma has had a long and bitter rivalry with the University of Texas since 1900. It is known as the Red River Shootout or Red River Rivalry and is played on the second weekend of the Texas State Fair, in the Cotton Bowl. The rivalry has been rated the third-best in college football, behind Michigan-Ohio State and Army-Navy. Texas leads the series, 62-46-5. Texas won the 2018 game, 48-45, on October 6.
There are three Red River Shootout Trophies that are exchanged based on the outcome of the game. The best known is the Golden Hat, which is, appropriately, a gold 10-gallon hat. The trophy is kept by the winning school's athletic department until the next year. A newer trophy, the Red River Rivalry trophy, has been exchanged between the two student governments since 2003. The governor of Texas and the governor of Oklahoma also exchange the Governors' trophy.
Another annual tradition is the running of game balls by the schools' Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs. Each school's ROTC program uses a relay running system to run one game ball all the way from their respective campus to Dallas. Once there, they participate against each other in a football scrimmage, with the winner taking home a rivalry trophy and bragging rights.
Oklahoma also has a long-standing rivalry with Oklahoma State. Known as the Bedlam Series, it encompasses all the athletic contests between the two universities with the winner receiving the Bedlam Bell. Another major historic rival is the University of Nebraska, which was part of the Big Eight Conference with Oklahoma and later joined with Oklahoma and other schools in the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
Oklahoma has had 22 head coaches in its 96-year football history that has encompassed more than 1,100 games. Bennie Owen is the all-time leader in games coaches. Barry Switzer is the all-time leader in winning percentage. Stoops is the leader in wins.
Bud Wilkinson coached Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963. In 1950, Wilkinson guided the Sooners to their first national championship. In 1953, The Sooners opened the season with a loss to Notre Dame, then tied Pittsburgh. The Sooners would not lose or tie another game until losing to Notre Dame in November 1957, a steak of 47 consecutive wins over three years. During the streak, the Sooners won national championships in 1955 and 1956. The Sooners won 14 straight conference titles from 1946 to 1959, one under Jim Tatum and 13 under Wilkinson. The Sooners also went undefeated in conference play from November 23, 1946, to October 31, 1959. Their record only was blemished by two ties.
During Wilkinson's tenure, in 1956, Pentice Gautt became the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma. In 1959, Gautt was named the Orange Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Chuck Fairbanks was coach of the Sooners from 1967 to 1972. In 1971, Fairbanks' team was ranked #2 when they played top-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers edged Oklahoma, 35-31, in what is referred to as one of the greatest college football games of the century. After the 1972 season, Fairbanks left the university for a position with the NFL's New England Patriots.
The Oklahoma football program began in 1895. The head coach is Lincoln Riley, who is in his first year as the program's leader. Riley took over when Bob Stoops retired shortly before the beginning of the 2017 season, after 17 years of leading the Sooners.
Oklahoma has had one of the most successful football programs since World War II. The Sooners have the most wins and the highest winning percentage since 1945. The program has seven national championships: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985 and 2000. In addition, the NCAA recognizes 10 additional national titles for Oklahoma in the 1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986 and 2003 seasons, for a total of 17 national titles in football.
Oklahoma has won 46 conference championships, including 14 in a row between 1946 and 1959. Since 2000, OU has won outright or shared the Big 12 Conference championship 11 times.
The Sooners have had 154 All-Americans and five Heisman-Trophy winners (Billy Vessels in 1952, Steve Owens in 1969, Billy Sims in 1978, Jason White in 2003 and Sam Bradford in 2008). The school has had 23 members (five coaches and 18 players) inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories between 1953 and 1957. Oklahoma is the only program that has had four coaches with 100 or more wins, including Stoops, whose record is 180-48. The Sooners became the sixth NCAA FBS team to win 850 games when they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks on November 22, 2014. OU also was the only school to participate in both the football and basketball national championships in the same year (1988), until the 2006 season, when Ohio State and Florida were in each, with Florida winning both national championships.
The University of Oklahoma has had a long and bitter rivalry with the University of Texas since 1900. It is known as the Red River Shootout or Red River Rivalry and is played on the second weekend of the Texas State Fair, in the Cotton Bowl. The rivalry has been rated the third-best in college football, behind Michigan-Ohio State and Army-Navy. Texas leads the series, 62-46-5. Texas won the 2018 game, 48-45, on October 6.
There are three Red River Shootout Trophies that are exchanged based on the outcome of the game. The best known is the Golden Hat, which is, appropriately, a gold 10-gallon hat. The trophy is kept by the winning school's athletic department until the next year. A newer trophy, the Red River Rivalry trophy, has been exchanged between the two student governments since 2003. The governor of Texas and the governor of Oklahoma also exchange the Governors' trophy.
Another annual tradition is the running of game balls by the schools' Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs. Each school's ROTC program uses a relay running system to run one game ball all the way from their respective campus to Dallas. Once there, they participate against each other in a football scrimmage, with the winner taking home a rivalry trophy and bragging rights.
Oklahoma also has a long-standing rivalry with Oklahoma State. Known as the Bedlam Series, it encompasses all the athletic contests between the two universities with the winner receiving the Bedlam Bell. Another major historic rival is the University of Nebraska, which was part of the Big Eight Conference with Oklahoma and later joined with Oklahoma and other schools in the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
Oklahoma has had 22 head coaches in its 96-year football history that has encompassed more than 1,100 games. Bennie Owen is the all-time leader in games coaches. Barry Switzer is the all-time leader in winning percentage. Stoops is the leader in wins.
Bud Wilkinson coached Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963. In 1950, Wilkinson guided the Sooners to their first national championship. In 1953, The Sooners opened the season with a loss to Notre Dame, then tied Pittsburgh. The Sooners would not lose or tie another game until losing to Notre Dame in November 1957, a steak of 47 consecutive wins over three years. During the streak, the Sooners won national championships in 1955 and 1956. The Sooners won 14 straight conference titles from 1946 to 1959, one under Jim Tatum and 13 under Wilkinson. The Sooners also went undefeated in conference play from November 23, 1946, to October 31, 1959. Their record only was blemished by two ties.
During Wilkinson's tenure, in 1956, Pentice Gautt became the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma. In 1959, Gautt was named the Orange Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Chuck Fairbanks was coach of the Sooners from 1967 to 1972. In 1971, Fairbanks' team was ranked #2 when they played top-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers edged Oklahoma, 35-31, in what is referred to as one of the greatest college football games of the century. After the 1972 season, Fairbanks left the university for a position with the NFL's New England Patriots.
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| Barry Switzer statue on Oklahoma Campus |
Barry Switzer coached Oklahoma from 1973 to 1988, after having been the Sooners' offensive coordinator. In 1974, Switzer's Sooners finished 11-0 and won the national championship. This was the Sooners' first undefeated season and national championship since 1956. The Sooners won another national championship in 1975. Switzer's teams in the 1970s went a combined 73–7–2 in seven years. Switzer won his third national championship with the Sooners in 1985.
In 1988, it all came crashing down for Slimy Switzer. His team was placed on probation by the NCAA for violating several rules. In a six-month time frame, there was a shooting and a rape in the athletic dorm on Oklahoma's campus. Switzer's house was robbed with the help of one of his athletes, and an athlete was caught attempting to sell drugs to an undercover agent. The three-year probation included a two-year ban on TV and bowl appearances and a reduction in scholarships from 25 to 18. Nonetheless, the 1988 team established the NCAA Division I single-game record of 768 yards rushing against Kansas State on October 15, 1988, a record that still stands. After the 1988 season, Switzer resigned as head coach.
Bob Stoops, who was 38 at the time, joined the Sooners in 1999, coming from the University of Florida where he was defensive coordinator. In 2000, he led the Sooners to a national championship, with Mark Mangino as his offensive coordinator. After the 2001 season, Mangino left OU to become head coach at Kansas. On January 8, 2009, the Sooners were defeated by the Florida Gators for the BCS Championship at Dolphin Stadium in Miami by a score of 24-14. This was the fourth time that the Sooners were playing for the National Championship under Stoops.
In 1988, it all came crashing down for Slimy Switzer. His team was placed on probation by the NCAA for violating several rules. In a six-month time frame, there was a shooting and a rape in the athletic dorm on Oklahoma's campus. Switzer's house was robbed with the help of one of his athletes, and an athlete was caught attempting to sell drugs to an undercover agent. The three-year probation included a two-year ban on TV and bowl appearances and a reduction in scholarships from 25 to 18. Nonetheless, the 1988 team established the NCAA Division I single-game record of 768 yards rushing against Kansas State on October 15, 1988, a record that still stands. After the 1988 season, Switzer resigned as head coach.
Bob Stoops, who was 38 at the time, joined the Sooners in 1999, coming from the University of Florida where he was defensive coordinator. In 2000, he led the Sooners to a national championship, with Mark Mangino as his offensive coordinator. After the 2001 season, Mangino left OU to become head coach at Kansas. On January 8, 2009, the Sooners were defeated by the Florida Gators for the BCS Championship at Dolphin Stadium in Miami by a score of 24-14. This was the fourth time that the Sooners were playing for the National Championship under Stoops.
Oklahoma Football Stadium: Oklahoma plays football on campus in Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Adjacent to the stadium is the Barry Switzer Center, a museum highlighting the historical success of Oklahoma athletics, as well as a comprehensive training facility for Oklahoma athletes.
The stadium was formerly called Oklahoma Memorial Stadium but the administration decided to add "Gaylord Family" to recognize the contributions (estimated at over $50 million) made by Edward K. Gaylord and his family over the years. The playing surface is called Owen Field after Bennie Owen, Oklahoma's coach from 1905 to 1926.
The stadium was built in 1923 with an original capacity of 500. The stadium has had a natural grass playing surface for the majority of its existence. The stadium had artificial trust from 1970 to 1994.
In 2016, Owen Field was completely surrounded by seats for the first time in history, due to a major renovation of the south end zone. The $160-million project added 1,800 club seats, 66 loge boxes, 20 regular suites and two party suites. The south end zone enclosure increased the stadium's capacity from 82,112 to 83,489, which makes it one of the country's largest college stadiums and the second largest in the Big 12 Conference.
The seating bowl features an expanded concourse, additional restrooms and concessions and other amenities. Among the most unique features is a pair of open-air fan plazas, one each in the southwest and southeast corners. They each feature a view directly to the game field.
In addition to enclosing the stadium, the south end zone project features a multi-story building that includes a new locker room, coaches' offices, meeting rooms, a massive weight room, a nutrition center, a 70-yard turfed speed and agility area, plus a 24,394-square-foot training room that's nearly triple the size of the previous one. The third floor of the building houses the football offices and the team's video department.
A new video board in the south end zone is approximately 50 feet high and 170 feet wide and has 30 amplifiers, 24 subwoofers and 424,500 watts of power. The arrays are 47 feet tall and stand approximately 130 feet above the field. The video scoreboard sound system is similar to the one at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50.
The stadium was formerly called Oklahoma Memorial Stadium but the administration decided to add "Gaylord Family" to recognize the contributions (estimated at over $50 million) made by Edward K. Gaylord and his family over the years. The playing surface is called Owen Field after Bennie Owen, Oklahoma's coach from 1905 to 1926.
The stadium was built in 1923 with an original capacity of 500. The stadium has had a natural grass playing surface for the majority of its existence. The stadium had artificial trust from 1970 to 1994.
In 2016, Owen Field was completely surrounded by seats for the first time in history, due to a major renovation of the south end zone. The $160-million project added 1,800 club seats, 66 loge boxes, 20 regular suites and two party suites. The south end zone enclosure increased the stadium's capacity from 82,112 to 83,489, which makes it one of the country's largest college stadiums and the second largest in the Big 12 Conference.
The seating bowl features an expanded concourse, additional restrooms and concessions and other amenities. Among the most unique features is a pair of open-air fan plazas, one each in the southwest and southeast corners. They each feature a view directly to the game field.
In addition to enclosing the stadium, the south end zone project features a multi-story building that includes a new locker room, coaches' offices, meeting rooms, a massive weight room, a nutrition center, a 70-yard turfed speed and agility area, plus a 24,394-square-foot training room that's nearly triple the size of the previous one. The third floor of the building houses the football offices and the team's video department.
A new video board in the south end zone is approximately 50 feet high and 170 feet wide and has 30 amplifiers, 24 subwoofers and 424,500 watts of power. The arrays are 47 feet tall and stand approximately 130 feet above the field. The video scoreboard sound system is similar to the one at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers and Super Bowl 50.
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