Oklahoma Sooners football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oklahoma Sooners football
2022 Oklahoma Sooners football team
Oklahoma Sooners logo.svg
First season1895
Athletic directorJoe Castiglione
Head coachBrent Venables
1st season, 0–0 (–)
StadiumGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
(capacity: 80,126)
FieldOwen Field
Field surfaceGrass
LocationNorman, Oklahoma
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Southeastern Conference (Beginning July 1, 2025)
Past conferencesIndependent (1895–1914)
Southwest (1915–1919)
Big Eight (1920–1995)
All-time record928–331–53 (.728)
Bowl record31–23–1 (.573)
Playoff appearances4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Playoff record0–4 (.000)
Claimed national titles7 (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000)
Unclaimed national titles11 (1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2003, 2008)
Conference titles50[1]
RivalriesMissouri (rivalry)
Nebraska (rivalry)
Oklahoma State (rivalry)
Texas (rivalry)
Heisman winners7
Consensus All-Americans82
Current uniform
Big12-Uniform-Oklahoma.png
ColorsCrimson and cream[2]
   
Fight songBoomer Sooner
MascotSooner Schooner
Marching bandThe Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
OutfitterJordan
Websitesoonersports.com

The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The program began in 1895 and is one of the most successful programs of the modern era, with the most wins (606) and the highest winning percentage (.762) since 1945.[3][4]

The program claims 7 national championships, 50 conference championships, 162 First Team All-Americans (82 consensus),[5][6] and seven Heisman Trophy winners. In addition, the school has had 23 members (five coaches and 18 players) inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame[7] and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories. Oklahoma is also the only program that has had four coaches with 100+ wins. They became the sixth NCAA FBS team to win 900 games when they defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders on September 28, 2019.

The Sooners play their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Brent Venables is the head coach and has served since 2022.

On July 26, 2021, while showing interest in joining the Southeastern Conference (SEC) the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas sent a joint letter of intent to the Big 12 Conference stating that they do not intend to extend their media contracts with that conference, which is set to expire following the 2024–25 season. However, Oklahoma and Texas could join the SEC as early as the 2022 season, potentially incurring a nearly $80 million early termination fee from each school for terminating their contracts with the Big 12 conference prior to the contract expiration.

History[]

Early history (1895–1905)[]

Football at Oklahoma made its start in September 1895, 12 years before statehood and one year after the first organized football game in Oklahoma Territory.[8] The team was organized by John A. Harts, a student from Winfield, Kansas who had played the game in his home state.[9][10] That first team was composed of mostly non-students, including a local fireman.[10] That first "season" saw the team go 0–1, being blanked 0–34 by a more experienced Oklahoma City Town Team (the Sooners could not even muster a first down).[10] The first game was played on a field of low prairie grass just northwest of the current site of Holmberg Hall.[11] Several members of the Oklahoma team were injured, including Coach Harts, and by the end of the game, the Oklahoma team was borrowing members from the opposing squad so they would have a full lineup. After that year, Harts left Oklahoma to become a gold prospector.[12]

The team got its first real coach in 1897 when the new modern language professor, Vernon Louis Parrington, was named head coach (they played two games in 1896 with no coach).[13] Parrington played some football at Harvard and was more exposed to football coming from the East coast. In his four years as head coach (1897–1900), Parrington's teams racked up nine wins, two losses, and one tie.[13][14] After the 1900 season, football began interfering with Parrington's teaching, his real passion. He stepped down as head coach shortly thereafter and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1928 at the University of Washington.[13]

Oklahoma vs. Arkansas City (Kansas) Town Team in 1899 with Vernon Parrington as coach.

The Sooners had three more coaches over the next four seasons. Fred Roberts led the Sooners to a 3–2 season in 1901, Mark McMahon recorded an 11–7–3 record in his two years as coach in 1902 and 1903,[15] and Fred Ewing recorded a 4–3–1 record in 1904.[14] The most notable event of those four years came in 1904 when Oklahoma had its first match against its in-state rival, Oklahoma A&M.[16] The game was played on November 6, 1904, at Mineral Wells Park in Guthrie, Oklahoma.[16] The Oklahoma team soundly defeated the Oklahoma Aggies 75–0, but it was an unusual touchdown that is remembered most of that game. Bedlam football, the athletic rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, was born that day.[17]

Bennie Owen era (1905–1926)[]

After ten years of football, the program began to get serious and started looking for a permanent head coach. They found Bennie Owen,[18] a former quarterback of the undefeated Kansas team of 1899 led by famous coach Fielding H. Yost.

The undefeated team of 1915.

Owen's previous team beat Oklahoma twice in 1903 and 1904, so the Sooners were familiar with his ability. Owen's first two years at Oklahoma were spent between Norman and Arkansas City as Oklahoma did not have a big enough budget to keep him there all year.[19] The early years of Owen's tenure were tough because of budget issues. Due to a low travel budget, his teams would regularly have to play as many as three games in one trek.[9][18] For instance, in 1905, his squad played three teams in three Kansas cities in five days and again in 1909 when they played three games in Missouri and Texas in six days.[19] In Owen's first year, 1905, he gave Oklahoma its first victory over rival Texas, defeating them 2–0.[20] Owen's first dominant team came in 1908 when they went 8–1–1, losing only to the powerful Kansas team.[21] His 1908 team used hand-offs directly to large runners as the forward pass was just becoming common.[22] His 1911 team, on the other hand, had several small and fast players that the quarterback would pass directly to.[19] That team went 8–0.[23] Owen had two more undefeated seasons in 1915[24] and 1918.[25] 1920 was also Oklahoma's first season in the stronger Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association after three seasons in the Southwest Conference of which it was a founding member.[26] In the new conference, they went 6–0–1 tying only Kansas State.[27] Owen retired after the 1926 season.[18] During Owen's 22-year career at Oklahoma, he went 122–54–16, a 67.7% winning percentage, and four undefeated seasons.[14][21] In 1951, he became the first person from Oklahoma to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in its inaugural year.[18]

Between Owen and Wilkinson (1927–1947)[]

In 1927, OU hired Adrian Lindsey to coach the football team.[28] Before arriving in Norman, Lindsey arrived from his alma mater Kansas, where he served as an assistant.[29] Lindsey is remembered as the coach who resigned quietly after failing to produce a winning team.[29] Lindsey finished his tenure in Norman with a 19–19–6 record.[30] OU's teams of that era often suffered from being undermanned and undersized against their opponents.[31] Lindsey's 1929 Sooners team defeated Nebraska, 20–7, Nebraska's worst loss against a conference opponent in 20 years.[28] In 1931, Oklahoma became the first program from the Big Six to travel to Honolulu, Hawaii and play the Hawaii Warriors. Oklahoma won the contest 7–0.[32] This game marked the first time a university located in the central continental United States was asked to play in the islands.[28] Lindsey resigned as head coach after the 1931 season.[28]

In 1932 following Lindsey's resignation Oklahoma hired Vanderbilt running backs coach Lewie Hardage as head coach.[33] After being hired, he emphasized speed by fabricating new lighter uniforms and trimming the grass on Owen Field.[28] For much of his tenure at OU, Hardage suffered from a sickness that resulted from accidentally swallowing a poison tablet he mistook for a headache tablet.[34] After a 3–0 start to the 1932 campaign, the Sooners began to struggle after running back suffered a season ending knee injury.[35][28] Hardage was fired as head coach of the Sooners after the 1934 season. His final record at OU was 11–12–4.[36]

Coach Biff Jones

The next head coach, Lawrence "Biff" Jones, went 9–6–3 in his two seasons at the helm,[37] but he is credited for reining in the athletic department's administration, finances, and methods. The whole football program was placed on a solid footing necessary for success in modern times.[9] Jones was a "blunt-spoken, hard-nosed military man" who graduated from West Point in 1917.[38] Jones coached Army from 1926 to 1929 and then was the head coach of LSU.[37] His tenure at Oklahoma came during the Dust Bowl.[39] The dust storms were so thick it would block the sun and the players would be covered in dust at the end of practice.[38] In 1954, Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[40]

In 1935, Biff Jones hired Tom Stidham to become an assistant coach.[41] When Jones left in 1937, Stidham became the head coach.[41] As Oklahoma's 10th football coach, Stidham has a Sooner record .750 winning percentage in the Red River Showdown.[42] In 1938, Stidham led the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and to their first Orange Bowl, where they lost to Tennessee.[43][44][45][46]

When Stidham left in 1941, his assistant coach, Dewey Luster, succeeded him.[47] After Luster's first season, a 6–3 campaign,[48] the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.[49] As was the case with schools all over the country, many players left the team to join the military.[9] Luster stepped down after the 1945 season due to ill health.[50] He attained a 27–18–3 record in his four seasons at OU,[51] and his team never finished below second place in the Big Six.[52] After Luster's resignation, the OU Board of Regents interviewed several candidates for the head football coaching job, among them North Carolina native Jim Tatum.[53] With him, he brought another coach, Bud Wilkinson, who would be his assistant coach.[53] The Board was so impressed with Wilkinson that they considered hiring him for the head coaching position but decided against it as it would be unethical.[54] In the end, they decided to hire Tatum and his assistant over several other coaches including Paul "Bear" Bryant.[53] The Sooners had a relatively successful season in 1946, finishing with an 8–3 record[55] including a 73–12 win over archrival Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State).[56] Tatum left OU after one season to accept the head coaching position at Maryland.[57]

Bud Wilkinson era (1947–1963)[]

Coach Wilkinson with President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1961

When Tatum left for Maryland after the 1946 season,[58] Bud Wilkinson got the promotion to head coach.[59] In 1947, his first year as a head coach, Bud Wilkinson's Sooners went 7–2–1[60] and shared the conference title with Kansas for the second year in a row. In 1949, the Sooners went undefeated, defeating LSU 35–0 in the Sugar Bowl.[61][60] However, the game is best known for the "spy incident", where former LSU player was caught spying on the Sooners' practices.[62] Despite going undefeated and winning their bowl game, the Sooners were denied a national championship, which was awarded to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, though they did not play in a bowl game.[63] The following year, Wilkinson went on to guide the Sooners to their first national championship, though they lost in the Sugar Bowl to Bear Bryant's Kentucky team.[59] That loss was the Sooners' first loss since a season opener loss to Santa Clara in 1948, 31 games earlier.[59] It was in 1951, while seeking funding to improve the university, that OU president George Lynn Cross said to the Oklahoma legislature that he "would like to build a university of which the football team would be proud."[64]

In 1952, Oklahoma had its first Heisman Trophy winner in halfback Billy Vessels, a local player from Cleveland, Oklahoma.[65] In 1953, the Sooners opened with a loss to Notre Dame[66] and tied Pittsburgh the next week.[66] The Sooners would not lose or tie another game until losing to Notre Dame in November 1957, a streak of more than three years.[59][67] This record of 47 consecutive wins has never been seriously threatened.[59][60] During this streak, the Sooners won the national championship in 1955 and '56.[59][60] Additionally, the Sooners won 14 straight conference titles from 1946 to 1959, one under Jim Tatum and 13 under Wilkinson.[68] The Sooners also went undefeated in conference play from November 23, 1946, to October 31, 1959; their record was only blemished by two ties.[59]

Wilkinson's best teams came during the first eleven years of his tenure. In that time, he recorded winning streaks of 31 and 47 games and went 114–10–3, a winning percentage of 90.9%.[59][60] Wilkinson left Oklahoma after the 1963 season with a record of 145–29–4, 14 conference titles and 123 straight games without being shut out.[59][60] During Wilkinson's tenure, another first would be recorded. Prentice Gautt would become the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma.[59] Gautt had been a superior student at his Oklahoma City high school.[69] He was a member of the National Honor Society and president of his senior class.[69] During his junior and senior years of high school, he helped his team amass a 31-game win streak.[69] He was also the first black player to participate in the Oklahoma state all-star game.[70][71] Because of Gautt's academic success in high school, he was supported financially by a group of local black doctors and pharmacists.[70][69] A couple months into his freshman year, Gautt was placed on athletic scholarship and the money was returned to the investors.[69] Unfortunately, some members of Gautt's team did not want to play with him.[70] One player even left Oklahoma because he refused to play with an African American.[71] However, most of the team had his support. After a freshman game in Tulsa, Gautt was refused service in the restaurant where the team was scheduled to eat.[70] His teammates abruptly left and found an eating establishment that would also serve him.[71] As a player, Gautt broke out in 1958. In 1959, he was named the Orange Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.[72]

Jones, MacKenzie, Fairbanks and the Wishbone (1964–1972)[]

Coach Gomer Jones

Wilkinson's assistant coach, Gomer Jones, took over as head coach in 1964, a move Wilkinson engineered himself.[73] His first year would prove to be a sharp contrast from Wilkinson's early years as the Sooners went 6–4–1.[74] They started the season 1–3 with three consecutive losses to Southern California, Texas and Kansas. The final loss came in the Gator Bowl to Florida State.[75] Prior to the game, it was found that four of Oklahoma's starters had signed professional football contracts before their college eligibility had expired. Those four were dismissed from the team prior to the bowl game,[76] ultimately causing Oklahoma to lose the game 36–19. The next season's team fared no better, going 3–7, Oklahoma's worst record, percentage-wise, since it went 0–1 its inaugural season in 1895. This brought the Jones era to a quick close, although he did remain at Oklahoma as the athletic director, a role he also held while he was head coach.[77]

Following Jones's 9–11–1 record, Oklahoma brought in a young assistant coach from Arkansas named Jim Mackenzie.[78] He wanted discipline for his players, so he set a curfew and required them to enroll in physical education class.[79] His first season was an improvement from the previous. The 1966 team went 6–4[80] with a win in the Red River Shootout over rival Texas coached by former Oklahoma defensive back Darrell Royal, their first win over Texas since 1957. They also beat the number four team in the nation, rival Nebraska, by a score of 10–9.

The 1966 season showed promise for the young coach, but, on April 28, 1967, at the age of 37, Mackenzie died of a heart attack.[81]

After the 1964 season, Chuck Fairbanks, an assistant coach at Houston, was offered a job at Tennessee. He wanted to accept, but it was the middle of the summer and unusually late for a coaching move, so he decided to stay loyal to Houston and remained there. After the next season, he was offered a position as an assistant on Mackenzie's staff at Oklahoma, a position he felt was a better job than the Tennessee position.[82] Immediately after the 1965 season, Fairbanks was offered a job at Missouri with the promise that he would be the head coach within four years.[82] He declined and stayed at Oklahoma. Four months later, Coach Mackenzie died and Fairbanks was named head coach. It did not take long for Fairbanks to turn the team around. In his first season in 1967, his squad went 10–1.[83] They entered their sixth game with a 5–1 record (their only loss was a two-point loss to rival Texas) and unranked[84] and beat ninth-ranked Colorado, 23–0. This propelled Fairbanks's team to a number eight ranking. They continued their romp through the season and beat No. 2 Tennessee 26–24 in the Orange Bowl.[83] They finished the season ranked number three in the country.

Fairbanks lost four games in each of the next three seasons. Despite the relatively mediocre record of those years, several great players came through Fairbanks's program. One of those players was Steve Owens. After an impressive year in 1969, despite Oklahoma's 6–4 record, Owens was named the Sooners' second Heisman Trophy winner. It did not take long for Fairbanks to return the team to form. He and his offensive co-ordinator Barry Switzer helped implement the use of the wishbone offense. Fairbanks' 1970 team tied Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide in the Bluebonnet Bowl to finish the season ranked No. 20. They began the 1971 season ranked number ten. In consecutive weeks, they beat No. 17 USC, No. 3 Texas and No. 6 Colorado. These early-season wins propelled them to a No. 2 national ranking and set the stage for one of the great college football games of the century against top-ranked Nebraska.[85] Led by quarterback Jack Mildren and running back Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma was a scoring machine, averaging 44.5 points per game, the second-highest in team history.[86] The offense set the all-time NCAA single-season rushing record at 472.4 yards per game, a record which still stands to this day.[87] Equally impressive that season was Pruitt's nine yards per carry, and Mildren is often referred to as "the Godfather of the wishbone" by University of Oklahoma football fans.[88] On November 25, 1971, Nebraska edged Oklahoma, 35–31 in the Game of the Century what was to be the only loss of the season for Oklahoma. Oklahoma went on to beat Oklahoma State and fifth-ranked Auburn to finish the season ranked number two. Fairbanks closed out his career at Oklahoma the following year with a win in the Sugar Bowl over Penn State after having lost once all season, to Colorado.[83] Following this season, Fairbanks accepted a position with the NFL's New England Patriots.[89]

Barry Switzer era (1973–1988)[]

Coach Switzer

Soon after Barry Switzer, who previously served as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator, took the reins of the program, Oklahoma forfeited eight games from the 1972 season due to violations involving the alteration of transcripts.[90][91] Fairbanks denied any knowledge of this. As a punishment, the Sooners could not play in a bowl game for two years. This setback did not stop Switzer's Sooners. His 1973 team finished 10–0–1 with only a tie to the number one ranked USC team.[92] They finished the season ranked No. 3 after beating six teams who spent time in the top 20. The next year, Switzer's Sooners finished 11–0 and won the national championship. This was the Sooners' first undefeated season and national championship since 1956. That team was another high-scoring team averaging 43 points per game.[86] They were led by Steve Davis at quarterback, Joe Washington at running back and the Selmon brothers (Lee Roy, Lucious, and Dewey) on defense.

Switzer's teams in the 1970s went a combined 73–7–2 in seven years.[93] In 1978, Oklahoma would get their third Heisman Trophy winner in running back Billy Sims. That year, he set the Oklahoma record for most rushing yards in a season with 1,896, a record that would stand for 26 years. His 1978 season ranks third in team history in yards per attempt with 7.41, behind fellow Sooners Greg Pruitt and Marcus Dupree.[94] Sims also held the record at Oklahoma for most rushing yards in a career with 4,118 until it was broken by Samaje Perine in 2017.[95] He finished second in the Heisman race the following year, 1979.[96]

The early 1980s saw the Sooners begin to slip under Switzer. They lost four games each in 1981, 1982, and 1983. It was the first time they lost four games in a season since 1970 under Coach Fairbanks. However, eight of those twelve losses came to the likes of USC, Texas, Nebraska and Ohio State. They began to turn things around in 1984 when they went 9–2–1 and finished the season at No. 6. The 1984 team featured Buster Rhymes at wide receiver, Spencer Tillman at running back and Tony Casillas at defensive tackle. Over the next three years, the team continued to grow and went 11–1 each year (with all three losses coming to Miami), including a national championship in 1985 (they finished ranked number three in 1986 and 1987).[97] Many great Sooner athletes came through the program during these years, including two-time Butkus Award winner Brian Bosworth, tight end Keith Jackson and quarterback Jamelle Holieway. While Switzer was not able to match Wilkinson's unimaginable string of 13 consecutive conference championships, he was able to rack up 12 of his own during his career at Oklahoma.

Suddenly, in 1988, it all came crashing down for 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.[98] 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.[99] The three-year probation included a two-year ban on TV and bowl appearances and a reduction in scholarships from 25 to 18.[100] 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 stands to this day.[101] After the season, Switzer resigned as head coach.[102]

Gibbs, Schnellenberger and Blake (1989–1998)[]

Switzer was succeeded by his longtime defensive coordinator, Gary Gibbs.[102] Gibbs appeared to be a solid choice, having spent the first two decades of his adult life at OU as a player and assistant coach. He largely succeeded in his primary task—cleaning up the program's image. However, even though his rosters were smaller than normal due to the scholarship reductions, Gibbs found it hard to please boosters and administrators with an 8–3 year.

Gibbs' squads struggled to build success off two moderately successful seasons, 1991 and 1993. In 1991, OU went 9–3, finished the season ranked No. 16 in the nation by the Associated Press, and soundly defeated Virginia in the Gator Bowl. In the 1992 follow-up campaign, however, OU finished 5–4–2, unranked and did not earn an invitation to a post-season bowl. Further, OU dropped games to rivals Nebraska and Texas and tied Oklahoma State. The draw with the Cowboys marked the first time since 1976 OU did not beat OSU in the annual Bedlam game. Gibbs' Sooners rebounded with a 9–3 record, a No. 17 finish in the final Associated Press poll and a Sun Bowl victory in 1993. En route, OU beat then-fifth-ranked Texas A&M, 44–14, and recorded its only victory against Texas under Gibbs. In the 1994 season the Sooners finished 6–6. Gibbs announced his resignation prior to OU's losses to Nebraska in the regular-season finale and Brigham Young University in the Copper Bowl.[103] Ultimately, it was his record against Oklahoma's major rivals that did him in. Gibbs went 2–15–1 against Texas, Nebraska and Colorado. In addition to his record, he was thought to be uncomfortable around alumni and the media, and with being a head coach in general.[100] Gibbs' final record as head coach at OU was 44–23–2.[104]

To replace Gibbs, Oklahoma looked towards the seasoned Howard Schnellenberger, then 61 years old.[105] Schnellenberger had a well-established reputation for turning teams around. He had built Miami from an also-ran to a national champion in 1983, and turned around a once-moribund Louisville program. In the end, he was almost too sure of himself. He was quoted as saying, "They will write books and make movies about my time here."[100][106] His 1995 team started out well, reaching the top 10 after a 3–0 start. However, an embarrassing loss to Colorado on national television started a downward spiral. The Sooners ultimately finished 5–5–1,[107] including only their second losing conference record since World War II. Schnellenberger resigned a month after the season ended.[106] To this day, Schnellenberger is not held in high esteem by Sooner fans, in part because he made no secret of his lack of interest in the program's history.[106] For instance, he vowed to make "Sooner Nation" forget about Wilkinson and Switzer—a boast considered to be almost heretical by the fan base. He ordered numerous old files to be thrown out; instead, they were archived without his knowledge.[100]

For the 1996 season, Oklahoma hired former player John Blake as head coach. Blake was the favorite to succeed Schnellenberger and was backed by Barry Switzer, Steve Owens, and former Oklahoma president George Lynn Cross.[100] However, many were skeptical of the decision. His coaching experience was very limited, especially compared to Schnellenberger. In his seven-year coaching career (four years at OU, three years with the Dallas Cowboys and one year at Tulsa), he had never been more than a position coach. The skeptics were proven right. In Blake's first season, he went 3–8.[108] It was the worst record, percentage-wise, Oklahoma had experienced since 1895. The eight losses. which were repeated in 1997, were also the most Oklahoma had ever suffered in a season. In his three years at Oklahoma, Blake went 3–8, 4–8, and 5–6 for a final record of 12–22.[108] It was the first time since 1922–1924 that Oklahoma had three consecutive losing seasons. However, Blake's lasting contribution proved to be his recruiting. He recruited several players that would help lead the program's resurgence, including J.T. Thatcher, Josh Norman, Roy Williams and Rocky Calmus. Many of them got a chance to play fairly quickly, since Blake's teams were often out of games early. Blake was fired after the 1998 season.[109]

Bob Stoops era (1999–2016)[]

1999–2002: Return to glory[]

Coach Stoops

The university looked at many candidates to replace Blake. Many big-time college coaches were considered for the post. However, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione decided to hire a 38-year-old defensive coordinator from Florida, Bob Stoops.[110] Stoops quickly began to build his new program with the promise to help the program regain its former position as a perennial college football powerhouse. On his arrival to campus he would find that for all his predecessor's failings as a head football coach, John Blake had been an excellent recruiter and many of his players were potential stars.[111] Despite the obvious talent already on-campus, no quarterback suitable for the "spread" offense was on the team roster. Stoops would remedy this by signing a little-known junior college quarterback, Josh Heupel, to run his offense. In his first year as head coach, the Sooners showed marked improvement; starting the season with three wins over non-conference opponents amassing 132 points to their opponents' 31. They lost the next two games, which included a 34–30 loss against Notre Dame at South Bend and finished the season with an overall record of 7–5.[112] After the season, offensive coordinator Mike Leach left OU to take the head coaching position at Texas Tech.[113] This success was a breath of fresh air for a program that had fallen from perennial powerhouse to league doormat and those surrounding the Sooner football program expected great things from their new head coach. They would not be disappointed.

In 2000, the Sooners opened the season with a new offensive coordinator, Mark Mangino, and ranked number 19,[114] the first time they opened the season ranked in five years. The Sooners opened 4–0, dominating their early-season opponents by a combined score of 176–51. The annual Red River Shootout against arch-rival Texas would prove to be the first signature victory of the Bob Stoops era. The Sooners dominated the Longhorns by a score of 63–14 in what was then the most lopsided upset in the history of the rivalry. Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin smashed the Oklahoma record for most touchdowns in a game with six scores. The Sooners were now officially back in the hunt for a national title. In the following weeks the team narrowly beat the number two ranked Kansas State 41–31 in Manhattan and the following week went on to beat number one ranked Nebraska 31–14. ESPN's Brent Musburger said that, "The Sooners' October run of burying Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska is one of the greatest 30-day stretches in college football history."[115] The Sooners narrowly escaped a loss at the hands of Texas A&M in College Station but they pulled out a victory, winning 35–31 on an interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Torrance Marshall. The team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats for the second time that season in the Big 12 Championship, a victory which propelled the program to its first national title berth since 1985. The Sooners finished the season with a stunning 13–2 win over a heavily favored Florida State team in the Orange Bowl and claimed the Sears Trophy.[112] At the end of the season, quarterback Josh Heupel had the top two spots on the list of Oklahoma's season passing records. The championship was the Sooners' 7th national title and their first since Barry Switzer's departure. The team had finally regained its status as a power in the college football world. The stoic coach from Ohio had resurrected a football giant, bringing the once great program back to the pinnacle of college athletics. The Sooners and their fans were hungry for more success and Coach Stoops would deliver. After the 2001 season, Mark Mangino stepped down as OU offensive coordinator to accept the head football coach position at Kansas.[116] OU promoted Chuck Long from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator for the 2002 season. The Sooners had continued success in the 2002 season, going to the 2003 Rose Bowl after a season which saw the 2nd loss in so many years to Oklahoma State, and an upset loss to Texas A&M 30–26.

Back to back BCS championship appearances (2003–2004)[]

Jason White

The team's national success reemerged in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The 2003 team was the highest-scoring squad (at the time) in Oklahoma's storied history, scoring 601 points to their opponents 214. The season included seven games of 50 points or more with the highlights including a 77–0 drubbing of Texas A&M and a 65–13 defeat of Texas. The team, led by Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, was billed as one of "the greatest college football teams of all time." This assumption was short-lived as the Sooners were upset in the Big 12 Championship Game by Kansas State. Prior to the Big 12 Title Game, the Sooners Defensive Coordinator, Mike Stoops, accepted the head coaching position at Arizona, becoming the third Sooners coordinator to take a head coaching job during the Stoops era.[117] Due to their impressive strength of schedule, the Sooners were able to retain their position in the polls and their chance for the title. On a warm night in New Orleans, the Sooners were handed their second consecutive defeat and their first title loss; this time to LSU squad by a score of 21–14. The heartbreaking defeats shocked the "Sooner Nation" while conversely establishing the team as a perennial title contender. In 2004, the Sooners were able to reach the Orange Bowl undefeated, along with USC. Although the Sooners lost in the title game 55–19, USC later vacated the win due to NCAA infractions.

Adrian Peterson (2005–2006)[]

Adrian Peterson

In 2005, Stoops finished the season with an 8–4 record, his worst season record since his inaugural season.[112] Jason White's backup, Paul Thompson, was named starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, but was replaced by redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar after a season-opening loss to TCU. Paul Thompson was moved to the wide receiver slot for the rest of the season. They started the season 2–3 with additional losses at UCLA and against eventual national champion Texas. The team started to improve as the season progressed, especially the young Bomar. The next loss came against Texas Tech, coached by former OU offensive coordinator Mike Leach, and was a controversial loss. Texas Tech's Taurean Henderson scored on the final play of the game. The play was reviewed by replay officials, but video replays were deemed inconclusive.[118] The touchdown gave the Red Raiders the win, 23–21. It was a setback for the Sooners but they moved on and were able to soundly defeat their in-state rival Oklahoma State in Norman by a final score of 42–14. The Sooners finished third in the Big 12 South behind Texas (who went on to win the 2005 BCS National Championship) and the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Oklahoma and Texas Tech both had conference records of 6–2, but Texas Tech won the heads up match and thus was placed over Oklahoma). The unranked Sooners would represent the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl and they would play the sixth-ranked Oregon. Oklahoma went on to beat the Ducks, 17–14; Bomar was named the Bowl MVP and the Sooners finished the season ranked No. 22.[84] On July 11, 2007, the NCAA announced that the Sooners would have to vacate all victories from the 2005 season, including the bowl game, due to NCAA violations related to three former players, including Bomar, thereby giving the Sooners an official 2005 record of 0–4.[119] However, on February 22, 2008, the NCAA reversed the decision and reinstated the vacated wins.[120] Following the season, Sooners offensive coordinator Chuck Long left to become the head coach at San Diego State, becoming the third Stoops offensive coordinator to become a head coach and fourth coordinator overall.[121]

2006 was a very tumultuous year for the Sooners. In the offseason, OU made Kevin Wilson the new offensive coordinator. One day before fall practice began, returning quarterback Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn, a projected starter on the offensive line, were kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules when they received payment for work they did not do. Paul Thompson, who had played wide receiver in 2005 and had not practiced in the quarterback role for nearly a year, was asked to move back to quarterback which he did. In mid-September, Oklahoma played Oregon for the third time in three years. The Sooners lost this game 34–33. During the game a controversy arose when game officials awarded an onside kick to the Ducks when it should have been Oklahoma's ball.[122][123] Following the game, all officials were suspended for one game but replay official Gordon Riese said he would take the year off;[122] later in the year, he would quit completely.[124] Gordon Riese later acknowledged that he knew Oklahoma recovered the onside kick but replay rules prevented him from correcting the on-field officials.[125] A few weeks later, Oklahoma lost to rival Texas. Following these setbacks, the team regrouped and the defense vastly improved. Following the Oregon game, the defense was ranked 97th nationally[126] but by the end of the regular season, they were ranked 17th.[127] Following the Texas game, Oklahoma played Iowa State and soundly defeated them 34–9. However, on the final touchdown drive for the Sooners, star running back Adrian Peterson suffered a broken collar bone when he attempted to dive into the end zone to finish a tough touchdown run.[128] The Sooners would turn to two untested running back to replace the Heisman-hopeful Peterson, Allen Patrick, a junior, and Chris Brown, a freshman. The Sooners did not miss a step. The team went on a seven-game winning streak to finish Big 12 conference play 11–2. This streak included road wins over a couple of ranked opponents, Texas A&M and Missouri. The defending national champions Texas Longhorns were favored to win the Big 12 but they suffered two losses to finish their regular season which sent Oklahoma to the Big 12 Championship game against a former rival, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Sooners defeated the 19th ranked Cornhuskers 21–7 to win the Big 12 title for the fourth time under Bob Stoops, automatically sending them to the Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners lost the wild, thrilling game in overtime, on a trick two-point conversion play by a score of 43–42 to Boise State.[129]

Sam Bradford and resurgence (2007–2008)[]

The 2007 Oklahoma team opened up with a home game against North Texas and soundly beat them 79–10. The 79 points scored by OU was the most in the country for Week 1. In Week 2, the Sooners played a much tougher opponent in Miami. However, the results seemed to show a mismatch, as OU easily defeated the Hurricanes 51–13. In Week 3, the Sooners got the best of Utah State with a 54–3 thrashing. Week 4 matched OU up with an in-state foe, Tulsa. Just as it had been all season (except for the Sep 29 loss at unranked Colorado), the Sooners put up another dominant performance with a 62–21 victory. In Week 5 (September 29, 2007), the No. 4 Sooners saw their National Championship hopes take a hit as they lost to 2–2 unranked Colorado in Boulder 27–24 after leading in the second half by a score of 24–7. The Sooners only had 234 net yards compared to Colorado's 379 net yards. The 2007 match-up between Oklahoma and Texas on Oct. 2007 was predicted to be the No. 3 game to watch in 2007 by SI.com's "Top 20 Games To Watch In 2007" list. The Oklahoma football team proved itself worthy of the top ten rankings when it defeated Texas 28–21 at the Red River Rivalry. The Texas Longhorns played up to their potential when they answered almost every point during the October 6 game. In the end Colt McCoy along with Jermichael Finley and the Longhorns could not withstand the adamant pressing of Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray and the Sooners.[130] Oklahoma would go on to lose to an unranked Texas Tech team in an upset, although this was not enough to keep them from the Big 12 championship. They would go on to defeat Missouri in the Big 12 championship game and win the Big 12's automatic BCS berth, playing West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. For the second consecutive year Oklahoma would lose to an underdog opponent in a BCS bowl game, although this game was not as close as the previous year.[131] Oklahoma was down 14 points at halftime and never pulled close than 20–15, eventually losing 48–28.[131] After the 2007 season ended, offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin resigned to accept the head football coach position at Houston, becoming the fourth Sooners offensive coordinator under Stoops to take a head coaching job and the fifth coordinator overall.[132]

The Sooners opened 2008 ranked fourth in both the Associated Press Poll and the USA Today Coaches' Poll. Opening with back to back home victories against Chattanooga and Cincinnati and scoring over 50 points against both opponents would vault Oklahoma to number two in both polls, coupled with, then number three, Ohio State's loss and a lackluster victory by, then number two, Georgia over South Carolina. A road victory at Washington where the Sooners again scored more than 50 points, a home victory over then-undefeated and 24th-ranked Texas Christian University, and a road win at Baylor resulted in Oklahoma being ranked number one in both polls after then-ranked number one USC tumbled after a defeat at Oregon State. The Sooners had defeated each of their first five opponents by 25 points or more before facing then-number five Texas. In a see-saw battle where Oklahoma would take their last lead at 35–30, Texas would come from behind with 15 unanswered points to upset the Sooners at a neutral field by a final score of 45–35. The Sooners could muster up only 48 rushing yards while giving up 161. Also of note, the Sooners failed to convert on three fourth-down attempts and Bradford threw two interceptions. Oklahoma would fall to number four in the AP Poll and number six in the USA Today Poll, while the Longhorns would be the new number one team in both polls. The game would result in controversy later in the season. Oklahoma would rebound by defeating No. 16 ranked Kansas at home and a road win at Kansas State. By the Week 8 rankings, Oklahoma would be ranked fourth in the AP Poll, fifth in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, and debut at fourth in the BCS behind undefeated Texas, Alabama, and Penn State. The Sooners would then go on to defeat their next three opponents by more than 30 points each, scoring 60 or more points. A home victory over Nebraska, a road win at Texas A&M and another home win over No. 2 ranked Texas Tech would result in some controversy. Along with an upset of Texas at the hands of Texas Tech and a previous loss by Penn State against Iowa, Oklahoma was ranked 3 in the Associated Press Poll and number 2 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll ahead of Texas. However, Texas would be number two in the BCS followed by Oklahoma at number three. Alabama would hold number one in all polls with an undefeated record. Closing out the season with a win against Oklahoma State and Alabama's loss to Florida would leave the Sooners at number two in the Associated Press poll, and number one in both the USA Today Coaches' Poll and the BCS. The result of the three-way tie between Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech in the Big 12 South standings, where each team suffered one loss at the hands of the other, would be the cause for many fans, particularly Texas fans, to cry foul. The Big 12 tie-breaker in this scenario was for the team with the highest BCS ranking to go on to play for the Big 12 Title.[133] Beating 19th ranked Missouri in Kansas City assured Oklahoma of a number one ranking in both the USA Today Coaches' Poll and the BCS, despite a number two ranking in the Associated Press Poll. Texas would finish number three in all polls, rendering them ineligible to play in the title game. Additionally, quarterback Sam Bradford would win the Heisman Trophy and be named the Associated Press Player of the Year for the 2008 season.[134] 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.[135] This was the fourth time that the Sooners were playing for the National Championship under Coach Stoops.

Landry Jones takes the snaps (2009–2012)[]

The 2009 season was a challenge for the Sooners. After losing star quarterback Sam Bradford in the first game, and eventually for the whole season, freshman quarterback Landry Jones had to take over. The Sooners ended up with a total of 15 injuries at the end of the season. The season ended in an 8–5 record.[112] The Sooners went on to beat Stanford in the El Paso Sun Bowl 31–27, setting them up for a title run in the 2010 season.

The 2010 season turned out to be much more successful than the 2009 campaign. The Sooners ended the season with a record of 12–2[112] and became the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl champions by defeating Connecticut by a score of 48–20 in Glendale, Arizona.[136] This was the first BCS bowl game victory for Bob Stoops and the Sooners since the 2003 Rose Bowl.[112][136] Marquee victories for the Sooners in 2010 were against Florida State, Texas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The Bedlam match-up between the Sooners and Cowboys proved to be the decisive game in who would represent the Big 12 South in the conference championship game. The Sooners defeated the Cowboys in a high-scoring affair 47–41. The Sooners went on to win the Big 12 Championship game 23–20, the final match between conference rival Nebraska. After the 2010 season, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson left OU to become head coach at Indiana, becoming the fifth Sooners offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops to become a head coach and the sixth coordinator overall.[137]

With star players, Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles, and Travis Lewis coming back for the 2011 season, there were high expectations for Bob Stoops and his Sooner football team. Stoops hired former Sooners quarterback Josh Heupel as offensive coordinator to replace the departed Wilson. OU began the season ranked No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls. The Sooners became the first teams to reach the top ranking in the Associated Press poll 100 times since the poll began in 1936.[138] Under Stoops, OU has been ranked No. 1 more weeks than they have not been ranked in the top 25. They were able to accomplish this feat without even stepping foot on the field, as they had their bye week this weekend. Their early season match-up with fellow top-five team Florida State proved to test the Sooners, as they looked to prove that their No. 1 ranking was warranted. As the Sooners played well the first few weeks the Sooners were thought to be out of the National Title race with a heartbreaking loss to the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders snapping a school-record 39 game home win streak. However, the Sooners bounced back the following. few weeks to become ranked fifth in the country despite losing star receiver Ryan Broyles only to lose to Baylor for the first time in school history. They stayed in the hunt for a share of the conference title and a Fiesta Bowl appearance until losing to in-state rival Oklahoma State in the last game of the season. They finished the regular season 9–3 and went on to defeat Iowa 31–14 in the Insight Bowl.[112]

Late Stoops era (2013–2014)[]

The 2013 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2013 college football season, the 119th season of Sooner football. Conference play began at home on September 7 with a win against the West Virginia Mountaineers and ended in the annual Bedlam Series on December 7 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater with the Sooners upsetting the Cowboys 33–24. With the victory over the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, head coach Bob Stoops got his 158th career win to move past Barry Switzer for the most wins in program history. After finishing the regular season with a record of 10–2 (7–2 in Big 12 play), finishing in a tie for second place in the conference. The Sooners received an at-large bid to participate in the Sugar Bowl, where they defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, the previous year's national champions, with a final score of 45–31. Trevor Knight was named Sugar Bowl MVP.

In 2014, the Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in their 120th season and the inaugural season for the College Football Playoff. Knight was the starting quarterback for the season. The Sooners opened the season ranked 4th and quickly jumped to a 4–0 record. The Sooners then lost their 5th game to TCU.[139] They then slid past their old rival Texas but suffered a loss to Kansas State, 31–30 at home. The Sooners closed the regular season with an 8–4 record after losing to in-state rival Oklahoma State in overtime. The Sooners got one more chance to redeem themselves as they faced the 18th-ranked Clemson Tigers in the Russell Athletic Bowl (Orlando, Florida), but instead suffered one of the worst bowl losses in Sooner history as they lost, 40–6.

Baker Mayfield

First College Football Playoff appearance and Back-to-Back Big 12 Conference Titles (2015–2016)[]

The Sooners regained national prominence during the 2015 season, despite a preseason AP ranking of No. 19. Baker Mayfield took over as the starting quarterback at the start of the season and led the Sooners to a 11-1 regular-season record with the help of his high-powered offense, including wide receiver Sterling Shepard and running back Samaje Perine. The non-conference schedule included a dramatic double-overtime win on September 12 at Tennessee, as Mayfield led the Sooners from a 17–3 deficit with eight minutes left in regulation.[140] The Sooners captured the Big 12 conference title for the first time since 2010. Oklahoma earned the fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoff, and Mayfield finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. The stage was set for a rematch against Clemson in the 2015 Orange Bowl. They lost, once again, to Clemson by a score of 37–17, even though they led at halftime 17–16. Shepard declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.

The 2016 season was a continuation of the success the Sooners had the year before. Mayfield was granted the season of eligibility that he had lost due to Big 12 Conference transfer restrictions, and Dede Westbrook and the controversial, oft-suspended Joe Mixon had breakthrough years. The Sooners were unable to make the College Football Playoff this time around, as they lost 2 of their first 3 games, in Week 1 vs. Houston and Week 3 vs. Ohio State. They still enjoyed a successful season, defeating Oklahoma State 38–20 to win their second Big 12 Conference Title in a row, and having two Heisman Trophy finalists (Mayfield and Westbrook). They defeated the Auburn Tigers in the 2017 Sugar Bowl, 35–19. During the game, Perine became the school's career rushing yards leader with 4,122, and later forewent his senior year to declare for the 2017 NFL Draft.

On June 7, 2017, it was confirmed that Stoops would retire effective immediately after 18 seasons as the Sooners head football coach.[141]

Lincoln Riley era (2017–2021)[]

Baker Mayfield's Heisman Season (2017)[]

After Stoops' retirement, OU promoted offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to head coach.[142]

In his first season, Riley led the Sooners to a 12–1 regular-season record, beating the 10 win record held by Barry Switzer and Chuck Fairbanks for most wins by a first-year coach in program history.[143] In his second-ever game as a head coach, he led the fifth-ranked Sooners to a 31–16 win at No. 2 Ohio State, avenging the previous season's home loss.[144] Riley and the Sooners beat TCU 41–17 in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on December 2, 2017, and were crowned Big 12 Conference champions for the third consecutive season. Mayfield finally won the Heisman Trophy in 2017, his fifth-year senior season, and later became the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Riley and the Sooners played the Georgia Bulldogs on January 1, 2018, at the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The game was the first matchup between the two teams in program history. Oklahoma lost in double overtime 54–48.[145]

Kyler Murray Takes Over at QB and Wins the Heisman (2018)[]

With Mayfield leaving for the NFL, Kyler Murray took over the reins as the starting quarterback for the 2018 season. He immediately picked up where Mayfield left off, with help from star wide receivers Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb, a strong offensive line that featured four NFL draft picks, and future NFL kicker Austin Seibert. In his only season as a Sooner starter, Murray led the team to a 12-2 finish, a fourth consecutive Big 12 championship, and a repeat College Football Playoff appearance, winning the Heisman Trophy for his efforts. He was the second straight OU quarterback to win the award, and in the 2019 NFL Draft, also the second straight drafted #1 overall. Brown was selected #25 overall.

While the Sooner offense was potent, the defense continued a years-long struggle, and amid clear failures on the field and mounting criticism, Riley fired defensive coordinator Mike Stoops after a 48–45 loss to rival Texas in the Red River Showdown.[146] Though they avenged the loss to Texas by defeating them in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game, the Sooners lost 45–34 to Alabama in the 2018 Orange Bowl as part of the CFP semifinals.

Jalen Hurts leads 3rd straight CFP berth (2019)[]

Riley hired new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch away from Ohio State in January 2019. To replace Kyler Murray, he turned to yet another experienced transfer, ex-Alabama starter Jalen Hurts. A talented former SEC Offensive Player of the Year, Hurts kept the Sooner offense strong, with a receiving corps led by returning star CeeDee Lamb. Despite a midseason stumble at Kansas State, the Sooners once again finished 12–2, winning a fifth consecutive Big 12 championship, and appearing in the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive time. The season was highlighted by a pair of dramatic comeback wins against Baylor, the second in the 2019 Big 12 Championship Game. The defense improved from 101st in team defense during 2018 to 64th in 2019.[147] However, the Sooners were badly beaten, 63–28, by eventual national champion LSU in their CFP semifinal match in the 2019 Peach Bowl. Jalen Hurts finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, behind LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. After the season, Lamb was drafted #17 overall and linebacker Kenneth Murray #23 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

COVID-19, "Name, Image, and Likeness" (NIL), and Lincoln Riley's Final Year (2020-2021)[]

In March 2020, former U.S. President Donald J. Trump closed the U.S. border to European travel due to the spread of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2).[148] Officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020,[149] COVID-19 sent shockwaves through the world resulting in mandatory shelter-in-place orders, suspension of in-person work and schooling, and other quarantine measures that reshaped modern socio-economic norms. While the COVID-19 pandemic placed an ominous cloud over the 2020 NCAA College Football season, for FBS schools the NCAA left the decision to play largely up to the conferences and individual schools. Though some conferences (e.g., Big Ten Conference) quickly elected to suspend their 2020 college football season,[150] ultimately a groundswell of player, fan, and coach support for playing the season combined with several conferences opting to play led to participation by FBS conferences, albeit in various truncated forms. As protocols and understanding of COVID-19 evolved daily, athletic departments were forced to implement strict measures to ensure player safety.

Despite the medical and administrative upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sooners were able to play a truncated season that included an out-of-conference game against FCS Western Carolina and a 9-game conference schedule. Leaning on redshirt freshman QB Spencer Rattler, Riley led the Sooners to their first 1-2 start since 2016 and only the Sooners' third since 2000. This was also the Sooners first 0-2 (losses to Kansas State and Iowa State) start in conference play since 1998, the final year of the John Blake era. Nevertheless, with return of some key talent on both sides of the ball in the annual rivalry game against Texas, Riley and the Sooners took back control of their season with a win. The Sooners would not lose another game until November 2021. The Sooners finished the 2020 regular season with a 7-2 record (the game against West Virginia was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues with their team) and a shot to win their sixth straight conference championship in the 2020 Big 12 Championship Game. Winning that game, the Sooners earned a bid to the 2020 Cotton Bowl Classic where they defeated the Florida Gators 55–20.

In the context of collegiate sports, 2021 will forever be marked as the year that NIL and the 1-Time Transfer Exception hit full stride. Following a loss to Oklahoma State in the 2021 Bedlam Rivalry, Riley announced his departure to become the head coach of USC. Bob Stoops was named interim head coach for the team's post-season Alamo Bowl game appearance.

Brent Venables era (2022–present)[]

On December 5, 2021, Brent Venables was named the 23rd head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Venables previously served as the associate head coach (2018–2021), defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2012–2021) at Clemson University. Venables also previously served as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma Sooners under former head coach Bob Stoops from 1999 to 2011.

Conference affiliations[]

Oklahoma has been independent and a member of three conferences.[151]

  • Independent (1895–1914)
  • Southwest Conference (1915–1919)
  • Big Eight Conference (1920–1995)
  • Big 12 Conference (1996–present)
  • Southeastern Conference (pending)

Championships[]

National championships[]

Oklahoma claims seven consensus national championships won by selection in the major college football polls.[152]: 13  In addition, in ten years other than those seven championship seasons, Oklahoma has appeared atop lists by selectors designated by the NCAA as "major", primarily using math rating formulas.[153][154]: 108–115 

Claimed national championships[]

Season Coach Selector(s) Record Bowl Opponent Result Final AP Final Coaches'
1950 Bud Wilkinson AP, Berryman, Helms, Litkenhous, UPI Coaches, Williamson[154]: 112  10–1 Sugar Bowl Kentucky L 7–13 No. 1 No. 1
1955 AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, FW, Helms, INS, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI coaches, Williamson[154]: 113  11–0 Orange Bowl Maryland W 20–6
1956 AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, FW, Helms, INS, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, UPI coaches, Williamson[154]: 113  10–0
1974 Barry Switzer AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, FB News, Football Research, Helms*, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation*, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess)[154]: 114  11–0
1975 AP, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT*, FB News, Football Research, FW, Helms*, National Championship Foundation*, NFF, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), UPI Coaches[154]: 114  11–1 Orange Bowl Michigan W 14–6 No. 1
1985 AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, FB News, Football Research, FW, National Championship Foundation, NFF, NY Times, Sagarin*, Sporting News, UPI, USA/CNN coaches[154]: 114  11–1 Orange Bowl Penn State W 25–10
2000 Bob Stoops AP, Berryman, BCS, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Eck, FACT, FB News, FW, Massey, Matthews, National Championship Foundation, NFF, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Seattle Times, Sporting News, USA/ESPN[154]: 115  13–0 Orange Bowl (BCS National Championship Game) Florida State W 13–2

Unclaimed national championships[]

Season Coach Selector(s) Record Bowl Opponent Result
1915 Bennie Owen Billingsley MOV[154]: 111  10–0
1949 Bud Wilkinson Football Research[154]: 112  11–0 Sugar Bowl LSU W 35–0
1953 Berryman, Football Research[154]: 113  9–1–1 Orange Bowl Maryland W 7–0
1957 Berryman[154]: 113  10–1 Orange Bowl Duke W 48–21
1967 Chuck Fairbanks Poling[154]: 113  10–1 Orange Bowl Tennessee W 26–24
1973 Barry Switzer DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Sagarin[154]: 113–114  10–0–1
1978 DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, Helms, Litkenhous, Matthews, Poling, Sagarin[154]: 114  11–1 Orange Bowl Nebraska W 31–24
1980 Dunkel, Matthews[154]: 114  10–2 Orange Bowl Florida State W 18–17
1986 Berryman, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, NY Times, Sagarin[154]: 114  11–1 Orange Bowl Arkansas W 42-8
2003 Bob Stoops Berryman[154]: 115  12–2 BCS Nat'l Championship Game LSU L 14–21

In general, math formula rankings are not recognized as national championships.[155] For years other than the seven in which Oklahoma was selected by a major poll as national champion, the following created math rating systems that selected Oklahoma:

Richard Billingsley: 1915*
Clyde P. Berryman: 1953*, 1957*, 1986*, 2003
Richard Poling: 1967, 1978
Richard C. Dunkel, Sr.: 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986
Harry DeVold: 1973, 1978, 1986
Jeff Sagarin: 1973*, 1978, 1986
David Rothman: 1978
Edward Litkenhous: 1978
Herman Matthews: 1978, 1980
The New York Times: 1986

Others:

own selection: Bill Schroeder[156][157] 1978
member polling: College Football Researchers Association 1949* 1953*, 1973*, 1986
* retrospective selection

Conference championships[]

The team has captured 50 conference titles, including 14 in a row from 1946 to 1959.

# Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1 1915 Southwest Bennie Owen 10–0 3–0
2 1918 6–0 2–0
3 1920 MVIAA 6–0–1 4–0–1
4 1938 Big 6 Tom Stidham 10–1 5–0
5 1943 Dewey Luster 7–2 5–0
6 1944 6–3–1 4–0–1
7 1946 Jim Tatum 8–3 4–1
8 1947 Bud Wilkinson 7–2–1 4–0–1
9 1948 Big 7 10–1 5–0
10 1949 11–0 5–0
11 1950 10–1 6–0
12 1951 8–2 6–0
13 1952 8–1–1 5–0
14 1953 9–1–1 6–0
15 1954 10–0 6–0
16 1955 11–0 6–0
17 1956 10–0 6–0
18 1957 10–1 6–0
19 1958 Big 8 10–1 6–0
20 1959 7–3 5–1
21 1962 8–3 7–0
22 1967 Chuck Fairbanks 10–1 7–0
23 1968 7–4 6–1
24 1972 11–1 6–1
25 1973 Barry Switzer 10–0–1 7–0
26 1974 11–0 7–0
27 1975 11–1 6–1
28 1976 9–2–1 6–1
29 1977 10–2 7–0
30 1978 11–1 6–0
31 1979 11–1 7–0
32 1980 10–2 7–0
33 1984 9–2–1 6–1
34 1985 11–1 7–0
35 1986 11–1 7–0
36 1987 11–1 7–0
37 2000 Big 12 Bob Stoops 13–0 8–0
38 2002 12–2 6–2
39 2004 12–1 8–0
40 2006 11–3 7–1
41 2007 11–3 6–2
42 2008 12–2 7–1
43 2010 12–2 6–2
44 2012 10–3 8–1
45 2015 11–2 8–1
46 2016 11–2 9–0
47 2017 Lincoln Riley 12–2 8–1
48 2018 12–2 8–1
49 2019 12–2 8–1
50 2020 9–2 6–2

† Co-championship

‡ Both Nebraska [158] and Oklahoma[152]: 6  claim the 1972 championship, despite Oklahoma in early 1973 forfeiting eight games from the 1972 season and the Big 8 crown.[90][91][159]

Division championships[]

The Sooners have been a member of only one division, the Big 12 South, in their entire history. They were members from 1996 until 2010, after which the Big 12 ceased divisional play.

Season Division Coach Overall Record Conference Record Opponent CG result
2000 Big 12 South Bob Stoops 13–0 8–0 Kansas State W 27–24
2002 12–2 6–2 Colorado W 29–7
2003 12–2 8–0 Kansas State L 7–35
2004 12–1 8–0 Colorado W 42–3
2006 11–3 7–1 Nebraska W 21–7
2007 11–3 6–2 Missouri W 38–17
2008 12–2 7–1 Missouri W 62–21
2010 12–2 6–2 Nebraska W 23–20

† Co-championship

Head coaches[]

The team has had 23 head coaches, with the current head coach being Brent Venables who was hired on December 5, 2021.[160] Oklahoma started organized football with the nickname Sooners in 1895.[161] The Sooners have played in more than 1,100 games in a total of 96 seasons.[161] In those seasons, nine coaches have led the Sooners to postseason bowl games: Tom Stidham, Jim Tatum, Bud Wilkinson, Gomer Jones, Chuck Fairbanks, Barry Switzer, Gary Gibbs, Bob Stoops, and Lincoln Riley. Nine coaches have won conference championships with the Sooners: Bennie Owen, Stidham, Dewey Luster, Tatum, Wilkinson, Fairbanks, Switzer, Stoops, and Riley. Owen is the all-time leader in games coached and years coached, while Switzer is the all-time leader in winning percentage. Bob Stoops is the leader in wins. John Harts is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Sooners have had; he lost the only game he coached, giving him a .000 winning percentage. John Blake has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game with .353.[160]

Of the 23 Sooner coaches, Owen, Lawrence Jones, Tatum, Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have been inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame.[162] Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have each received National Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization.[163]

Stadium[]

Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

The Sooners play their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium also known as The Palace on the Prairie. The stadium was formerly called Oklahoma Memorial Stadium but the administration decided to add 'Gaylord Family' to recognize the contributions made by Edward K. Gaylord and his family over the years (estimated at over $50 million).[164] 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.[165] In 1925, 16,000 seats were added and 16,000 more seats were added in 1929 bringing the total capacity to 32,000. The stadium has had a natural grass playing surface for the majority of its existence. The stadium had an artificial turf from 1970 to 1994.[165] The stadium had a major renovation in 2003 when a new upper deck was added to the east side of the stadium, adding over 8,400 new seats. The official seating capacity of the stadium, following renovations in 2015, is 83,489. which makes it the 15th largest college stadium in the U.S. and second largest in the Big 12 Conference.[165] Despite the official capacity, the Sooners routinely average well above capacity, most recently 86,735 for the 2018 season. The largest crowd ever was 88,308 on November 11, 2017, against TCU.[166]

Rivalries[]

Nebraska[]

Oklahoma's rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers historically had national championship implications, with the winner usually advancing to the Orange Bowl. The teams often met on Thanksgiving.[167] For the majority of the 20th century Oklahoma and Nebraska competed as part of the Big Eight Conference where from 1907 to 1995 the programs won a combined 77 conference titles. The teams are noted for playing in the Game of the Century, in 1971 which OU lost 35–31. In 1996, the teams joined the Big XII Conference when Nebraska joined the North Division, and Oklahoma joined the South Division, thus ending the annual match-ups between the programs in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 the series resumed with Nebraska and Oklahoma being ranked number one and two in the BCS rankings. OU won 31–14. Oklahoma leads the series 46–38–3 with the latest game being on September 18, 2021, which was won by Oklahoma 23–16. The two programs are scheduled to play in 2022.[168]

Oklahoma State[]

Oklahoma leads the series 90–19–7 through the 2021 season.[169]

Texas[]

The Red River Showdown or the OU–Texas Game is the annual matchup in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas between Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns. Since 1929, the game has been played annually at the Cotton Bowl, halfway between Norman and Austin.[170] For the majority of the 20th century the game was a non-conference match-up. Texas competed in the Southwest Conference. In 1996, the two programs became part of the Big XII Conference South division. That year Oklahoma won the first overtime game of the series, after a tie the previous year.[171] The stadium is split along the 50-yard line with Oklahoma fans occupying the south half of the field. Texas leads the series 62–50–5 through the 2021 season.[172]

Missouri[]

Oklahoma leads the inactive series 67–24–5 as of 2021 with the last game played in 2011.[173]

Pageantry[]

School colors[]

   
Crimson Cream

Oklahoma's official school colors are crimson and cream.[174] These colors were picked in 1895 by May Overstreet, the only female faculty member at the time. The colors were her own personal choice and she decided on them after viewing many color samples and materials.[175] After her decision, the colors were brought in front of the student body who enthusiastically approved of her selections. In recent years,[when?] red and white have sometimes replaced crimson and cream.

Mascot[]

Oklahoma has had several mascots. The first was a stray dog named Mex. Mex was found in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution by Mott Keys, an army hospital medic.[176] Keys' company adopted the dog and Keys took the dog back to Hollis, Oklahoma when he completed his duty. When Keys was enrolled in the university, he took Mex with him to Norman. With his experience as an army medic, Keys landed a job with the football team and a residence at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house.[176] Mex's main duty during games was to keep stray dogs from roaming the field. He wore a red sweater with a big "O" letter on the side. Mex received national attention in October 1924 when the Oklahoma football team lost a game against Drake University. Mex was lost when the team boarded a train in Arkansas City, Kansas. The media blamed the loss on the field on the loss of their mascot.[177] Mex was found later by two Oklahoma graduates. Mex died of old age on April 30, 1928. The campus was closed and classes were canceled on the day of his funeral. He was buried in a casket somewhere under the stadium.[176]

The Sooner Schooner on the field during a football game.

Never an official mascot, Little Red began appearing at games in 1953. He was an Indian who wore red tights, breech cloth and a war bonnet and was last portrayed by Randy Palmer.[176] In April 1970, Little Red was banished by Oklahoma president John Herbert Hollomon, Jr. The student court issued a temporary restraining order to keep Little Red from appearing at Sooner games.[176] Despite this order, Palmer showed up as Little Red for the 1970 season opener where he was met with cheers from the crowd. When Palmer was drafted after the 1971 season, no one showed up for try-outs to replace him.[176]

The mascot for Oklahoma is the Sooner Schooner, a conestoga wagon similar to the primary method of transportation used by early settlers in Oklahoma.[177] The Schooner is driven by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner. In 2005, the university also introduced two costumed mascots also named Boomer and Sooner to serve as mascots for football games and events that do not permit a covered wagon.[177]

Music[]

The official fight song of the Sooners is "Boomer Sooner." This song is played frequently at football games and is played by the band after touchdowns, field goals, after significant plays, and when the team or crowd need a boost of energy. "OK Oklahoma" is another school song that is played after an extra point and when the Sooner Schooner rolls onto the field. The official Alma Mater song is the "OU Chant", which is sung by OU fans before sporting events and at ceremonial occasions. Other tunes frequently heard at OU football games include the state song "Oklahoma" and "Fight for OKU."

The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band is a nationally renowned ensemble founded in 1904. The largest student organization on campus, the band performs at all home games and frequently travels to other games. The band holds a game ball from the Bedlam Series game in 1983, the day "the Pride" won.[178]

Awards[]

Heisman Trophy[]

The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player. Seven Oklahoma players have won the Heisman Trophy, six more finished runner-up. Kyler Murray is the most recent winner having won the 2018 Heisman Trophy.[179]

Year Player Position Points Notes
1952 Billy Vessels HB 525 [179]
1954 Kurt Burris C 838 [179]
1969 Steve Owens RB 1,488 [179]
1972 Greg Pruitt RB 966 [179]
1978 Billy Sims RB 827 [179]
1979 Billy Sims RB 773 [179]
2000 Josh Heupel QB 1,552 [179]
2003 Jason White QB 1,481 [180]
2004 Adrian Peterson RB 997 [181]
2008 Sam Bradford QB 1,726 [182]
2017 Baker Mayfield QB 2,398 [183]
2018 Kyler Murray QB 2,167 [184]
2019 Jalen Hurts QB 762 [185]

Other awards[]

Outland Trophy[186]
Best college football interior lineman
1951 Jim WeatherallT
1953 J.D. RobertsG
1975 Lee Roy SelmonDT
1978 Greg RobertsG
2004 Jammal BrownOT
Sporting News College Football
Player of the Year
[187]
Player of the year
1952 Billy Vessels – HB
1956 Tommy McDonaldHB
1969 Steve Owens – HB
1978 Billy Sims – HB
2003 Jason White – QB
2008 Sam Bradford – QB
2015 Baker Mayfield – QB
Maxwell Award[188]
Best all-around college football player
1956 Tommy McDonald – HB
2004 Jason White – QB
2017 Baker Mayfield – QB
Walter Camp Award[189]
Collegiate football player of the year
1969 Steve Owens – HB
1978 Billy Sims – HB
2000 Josh Heupel – QB
2017 Baker Mayfield – QB
Lombardi Award[190]
Best lineman or linebacker (1970-2016)
Best college football player (2017-present)
1975 Lee Roy Selmon – DT
1985 Tony CasillasNG
2003 Tommie HarrisDT
Dick Butkus Award[191]
Top linebacker
1985 Brian Bosworth
1986 Brian Bosworth
2001 Rocky Calmus
2003 Teddy Lehman
Jim Thorpe Award[192]
Top defensive back
1987 Rickey Dixon[193]DB
2000 Roy WilliamsS
2003 Derrick StraitCB
Associated Press College Football
Player of the Year Award
[194]
Most outstanding collegiate football player
2000 Josh Heupel – QB
2003 Jason White – QB
2008 Sam Bradford – QB
2017 Baker Mayfield – QB
2018 Kyler Murray – QB
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[195]
Best defensive player
2001 Roy Williams – S
2003 Derrick Strait – CB
Chuck Bednarik Award[196]
Best defensive player
2003 Teddy Lehman – LB
Davey O'Brien Award[197]
Best quarterback
2003 Jason White
2004 Jason White
2008 Sam Bradford
2017 Baker Mayfield
2018 Kyler Murray
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[198]
Outstanding senior quarterback
2004 Jason White
Burlsworth Trophy[199]
Most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on
2015 Baker Mayfield – QB
2016 Baker Mayfield – QB
Fred Biletnikoff Award[200]
Outstanding receiver
2016 Dede Westbrook
John Mackey Award[201]
Most outstanding tight end
2017 Mark Andrews

All-Americans[]

Claude Reeds – Oklahoma's first All American.

Every year, several publications release lists of their ideal "team." The athletes on these lists are referred to as All-Americans. The NCAA recognizes five All-American lists. They are the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[202] Some of these also have levels such as a first-team All-American, or second team, or third team. A consensus All-American is determined using a point system; three points if the player was selected for the first team, two points for the second team, and one point for the third team.[202] Oklahoma has had 162 First Team All-Americans[203] (80 consensus) in its history.

College Football Hall of Fame[]

Oklahoma has 29 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame. The first was coach Bennie Owen who was inducted as part of the inaugural class in 1951. The most recent is Rickey Dixon inducted in 2019.[204]

Name Position Tenure Inducted
Brian Bosworth LB 1984–1986 2015
Tom Brahaney C 1970–1972 2007
Kurt Burris C 1951–1954 2000
Tony Casillas DL 1982–1985 2004
Rickey Dixon CB 1984–1987 2019
Forest Geyer FB 1913–1915 1973
Keith Jackson TE 1984–1987 2001
Biff Jones Coach 1934–1936 1954
Tommy McDonald WR 1954–1956 1985
Bennie Owen Coach 1905–1926 1951
Steve Owens RB 1967–1969 1991
Jim Owens TE 1946–1949 1982
Greg Pruitt RB 1970–1972 1999
Claude Reeds FB 1910–1912 1961
J. D. Roberts OG 1951–1953 1993
Rod Shoate LB 1972–1974 2013
Barry Switzer Coach 1973–1988 2001
Lee Roy Selmon DE 1972–1975 1988
Billy Sims RB 1975–1978 1995
Bob Stoops Coach 1999-2016 2021
Jim Tatum Coach 1946 1984
Clendon Thomas RB/DB 1955–1957 2011
Jerry Tubbs C/LB 1954–1956 1996
Billy Vessels RB 1950–1952 1974
Jim Weatherall OT 1949–1951 1992
Joe Washington RB 1972–1975 2005
Bud Wilkinson Coach 1947–1963 1969
Roy Williams DB 1999-2001 2022
Waddy Young End 1936–1938 1986

Future non-conference opponents[]

Announced non-conference schedules as of December 27, 2019.[205]

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
UTEP Illinois State (FCS) Temple Michigan UTEP LSU
Kent State Georgia at Tennessee at Temple at Michigan
at Nebraska at Tulsa Tulane New Mexico
2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033
Temple Nebraska Tulsa at Georgia Alabama Tulsa
at LSU at Nebraska at Alabama
2034 2035 2036
at Clemson Clemson

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Sports/Football/FootballChampionships". bigeightsports.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  2. ^ "Colors – OU Brand Guide". April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Cripe, Chadd (December 17, 2006). "Football is a way of life for OU and its fans". Idaho Statesman. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2006.
  4. ^ "OU No. 1 Program of the Modern Era". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  5. ^ "Oklahoma All National Championships". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  6. ^ "SoonerSports.com – Official Site of the Oklahoma Sooners". University of Oklahoma Athletics Department. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  7. ^ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2006.
  8. ^ "Football Myths" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. 1936. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d Keith, Harold (September 1942). "Football Ups and Downs" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 12–13, 54.
  10. ^ a b c "OU football: TALE OF THE TAPE". newsok.com. January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  11. ^ "STADIUM HISTORY OU Football History & Tradition". University of Oklahoma Athletics. 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  12. ^ Burr, Carol (Fall 1998). "If you think football is just a kids' game, you didn't attend the University of Oklahoma" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. p. Inside front cover.
  13. ^ a b c Running Dog. "Vernon Louis Parrington: America's Greatest Historian by Bruce Brown". astonisher.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  14. ^ a b c "Football Coaches". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
  15. ^ "Mark McMahon Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  16. ^ a b Dozier, Ray (September 29, 2017). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781582616995 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ "A Century-Old Battle, OU, OSU fans memorialize Bedlam's beginning". NewsOK.com. October 30, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  18. ^ a b c d "Sooners Legends: Bennie Owen | Bleacher Report". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p12-13,54_1942v15n1_OCR.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  20. ^ "Maisel: The top 100 in 100 years of Texas-Oklahoma". ESPN.com. October 7, 2005.
  21. ^ a b "Bennie Owen Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  22. ^ King, Gary (April 20, 2015). Oklahoma's Bennie Owen: Man for All Seasons. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625854742 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ "1911 OU Football Season Schedule – SoonerStats – Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats". www.soonerstats.com.
  24. ^ "1915 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  25. ^ "1918 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  26. ^ "History lessons: Big 12, Big 8, SWC". June 10, 2010.
  27. ^ "1920 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  28. ^ a b c d e f "sports_m-footbl_archive_head_coaches – Oklahoma Sooners". soonersports.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  29. ^ a b https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p263-265,282-286_1932v4n8_OCR.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  30. ^ "Adrian Lindsey Coaching Record &No. 124; College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  31. ^ Provine, Jeff (September 17, 2013). Campus Ghosts of Norman, Oklahoma. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625846884 – via Google Books.
  32. ^ Dozier, Ray (September 29, 2017). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 9781582616995 – via Google Books.
  33. ^ Traughber, Bill (September 8, 2011). Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625842312 – via Google Books.
  34. ^ "Lewie Hardage has accident". Herald-Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  35. ^ "sports_m-footbl_archive_head_coaches".
  36. ^ "Lewie Hardage Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  37. ^ a b "Biff Jones Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  38. ^ a b Clark, J. Brent (1995). Sooner Century: 100 Glorious Years of Oklahoma Football. Quality Sports Publications. ISBN 1-885758-04-9.
  39. ^ Switzer, Barry; Upchurch, Jay (October 1, 2011). Tales from the Oklahoma Sooner Sideline: A Collection of the Greatest Sooner Stories Ever Told. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781613215760 – via Google Books.
  40. ^ "Lawrence "Biff" Jones". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  41. ^ a b https://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p83,%2092_1937v9n4_OCR.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  42. ^ "The list: OU-Texas coaching rivalries". October 6, 2007.
  43. ^ "1938 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  44. ^ "1939 – Orange Bowl". game.orangebowl.org.
  45. ^ "1939 Orange Bowl Tennessee vs Oklahoma". August 8, 2014.
  46. ^ "OU goes 'home' to the Orange Bowl". January 1, 2001.
  47. ^ "Dewey Luster is Oklahoma Mentor". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  48. ^ "1941 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  49. ^ "Pearl Harbor bombed - Dec 07, 1941 - HISTORY.com".
  50. ^ "Dewey Luster Quits Oklahoma Coaching". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  51. ^ "Snorter Luster Coaching Record". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  52. ^ "Snorter Luster Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  53. ^ a b c WTE Solutions: G Dickinson. "The Legend & Reality of "Sunny Jim" Tatum – BobLee Says". bobleesays.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  54. ^ Cross, George Lynn (September 1977). Presidents Can't Punt: The OU Football Tradition. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1419-3.
  55. ^ "1946 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  56. ^ "Tatum: OU's vain attraction They called the big guy Coach... among other things". The Oklahoman. August 21, 2001.
  57. ^ Rudeen, Kenneth. "THE GHOST OF JIM TATUM". Sports Illustrated.
  58. ^ Slappey, Sterling (December 28, 1951). "Jim Tatum Rushes Maryland into Sugar Bowl Preparations". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "ESPN Classic – Wilkinson created Sooners dynasty". espn.go.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  60. ^ a b c d e f "Bud Wilkinson Coaching Record &No. 124; College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  61. ^ "Oklahoma football: A look at the Sooners' Sugar Bowl history". December 27, 2013.
  62. ^ Wilkinson, Jay (January 1994). Bud Wilkinson: An Intimate Portrait of an American Legend – Jay Wilkinson, Gretchen S. Hirsch – Google Books. ISBN 9781571670014. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  63. ^ "Welcome to www.appollarchive.com!". Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  64. ^ Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, LLC. p. 83. ISBN 1-58261-699-X.
  65. ^ "Heisman Trophy". heisman.com.
  66. ^ a b "Examining the complete history of the OU-Notre Dame series". September 23, 2013.
  67. ^ "OU football tradition – 47 game winning streak". OU. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  68. ^ "Conference Titles".
  69. ^ a b c d e "ESPN Classic – Gautt was first African-American to play at OU". www.espn.com.
  70. ^ a b c d "Celebrating College Football's Racial Pioneers: Prentice Gautt – Football Matters". February 11, 2016.
  71. ^ a b c Burr, Carol (Spring 1987). "Prentice Gautt: A Sooner's Story" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 10–15.
  72. ^ "College Hall of Fame to honor running back – College Football – ESPN". sports.espn.go.com. May 5, 2005. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  73. ^ "Gomer Jones Only Known OU Candidate". St. Petersburg Times. January 17, 1964. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  74. ^ "1964 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  75. ^ "1964 Oklahoma vs. Florida State Game Recap – SoonerStats.com – Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball Scores, Records, and Stats". soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  76. ^ Hockman, Ned (January 1965). "Bowled over by a mouthful" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 22–25. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  77. ^ Trammel, Berry (September 4, 2017). "Gomer Jones was an Ohio State Football Star". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  78. ^ "That is Middle Guard Granville Liggins' colorful – 11.13.67 – SI Vault". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  79. ^ McDade, Larry (March 1966). "Mackenzie Begins" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 4–7. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  80. ^ "Jim MacKenzie Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  81. ^ "Sooner Coach, Jim McKenzie Dies of Heart Attack". Herald-Journal. April 27, 1967. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  82. ^ a b Connors, Bill (September 1967). "Destiny and Charles Fairbanks" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 4–7. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  83. ^ a b c "Chuck Fairbanks Coaching Record &No. 124; College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  84. ^ a b All rankings post 1950 are based on the AP Poll.
  85. ^ Cook, Beano. "The greatest game ever played". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
  86. ^ a b "Season Points Scored Records". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  87. ^ "All-Time Database". www.nationalchamps.net. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  88. ^ "Sooner Legend Jack Mildren Passes Away". May 22, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  89. ^ "The New England Patriots". archive.patriots.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  90. ^ a b White, Gordon S., Jr. (April 19, 1973). "OKLAHOMA AGREES TO FORFEIT GAMES Gives Up Eight Victories in Football in Case Involving Player's Altered Record". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  91. ^ a b Gems, Gerald R.; Pfister, Gertrud (2017). Touchdown: An American Obsession. Berkshire Publishing Group. p. 74. ISBN 9781614728238. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  92. ^ "1973 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  93. ^ "Football Seasons – 1970s". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  94. ^ "Season Rushing Records". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  95. ^ "Career Rushing Records". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  96. ^ "The Winning Margin: Year By Year". Heisman.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2006.
  97. ^ "Football Seasons – 1980s". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  98. ^ "Invincible No More: Nigel Clay Planned to be in the NFL, but Now is Playing in a Correctional Center". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 1992. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  99. ^ Switzer, Barry; Bud Shrake (August 1990). Bootlegger's Boy. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-09384-1.
  100. ^ a b c d e Dorsey, Stan (August 19, 1996). "Wanting your children to grow up to be … Sooners". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  101. ^ "2009 Division I Football Records Book: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 24. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  102. ^ a b "Sooners Promote Gibbs To Head-coaching Job – Philly.com". articles.philly.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  103. ^ "Wounded but Standing, Gibbs Exits Oklahoma". The New York Times. November 25, 1994. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  104. ^ "Gary Gibbs Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  105. ^ "Oklahoma Hires Schnellenberger – Orlando Sentinel". articles.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  106. ^ a b c "Howard Schnellenberger Came To Oklahoma With Big Dreams And A Reputation To Back It Up. He Left As The Most Hated Man In The State. – Sun Sentinel". articles.sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  107. ^ "Coaches with Last Names Starting with S | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  108. ^ a b "John Blake Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  109. ^ "Blake Fired As Oklahoma Football Coach – Chicago Tribune". articles.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  110. ^ "Oklahoma hit a homer in hiring Bob Stoops – Tulsa World: OU Sports". tulsaworld.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  111. ^ Kerr, Kelly (July 29, 2001). "Stooop's OU title wasn't inherited". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  112. ^ a b c d e f g "Bob Stoops Coaching Record | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  113. ^ "Texas Tech Hires New Coach". Daily News. December 10, 1999. Retrieved May 7, 2014 – via Google News Archive Search.
  114. ^ "2000 Football Season". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  115. ^ "A remarkable season". BCSFootball.com. Retrieved August 7, 2006.
  116. ^ "CNNSI.com – College Football – Kansas hires Sooners' Mangino as head coach – Wednesday December 05, 2001 12:58 AM". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  117. ^ "Arizona Hires Mike Stoops – Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  118. ^ "Tech scores on 2-yard TD as time expires, avoids upset". ESPN.com. November 19, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  119. ^ "OU must vacate '05 victories. However, Oklahoma will still recognize those eight victories including the Holiday Bowl victory. Bob Stoops' record still stands at 86–18". The Dallas Morning News. July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  120. ^ "NCAA gives OU back its wins for 2005 season". The Oklahoman. February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  121. ^ "San Diego State hires Chuck Long as head coach | Gainesville.com". gainesville.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  122. ^ a b "Pac-10 suspends officials for errors that cost Oklahoma". ESPN.com. September 19, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  123. ^ "Suspension, apology leaves Stoops unsatisfied". NewsOK.com. September 19, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  124. ^ Schroeder, George (November 23, 2006). "Gordon Riese's replay revelation". NewsOK.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  125. ^ "Replay official also knew OU recovered kick". MSNBC.com. November 23, 2006. Archived from the original on November 26, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  126. ^ Griffin, Tim (November 30, 2006). "Football: Sooners' defense regains its swagger". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  127. ^ "Ranking Summary". NCAA. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
  128. ^ "Oklahoma's Peterson returns to practice". Associated Press. December 8, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  129. ^ "Boise State shocks Oklahoma with dramatic play calls in OT at Fiesta Bowl – USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  130. ^ "Top 20 Games To Watch In 2007". SI.com. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  131. ^ a b "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Oklahoma Sooners – Recap – January 02, 2008 – ESPN". scores.espn.go.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  132. ^ "Source: Houston hires Sumlin, eighth minority coach in FBS – College Football – ESPN". sports.espn.go.com. December 13, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  133. ^ "2008 Big 12 Championship". RivalsYahoo.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  134. ^ "Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford wins Heisman Trophy – ESPN". sports.espn.go.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  135. ^ "Florida beats Oklahoma 24-14 to win BCS national championship | NOLA.com". blog.nola.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  136. ^ a b "Connecticut Huskies vs. Oklahoma Sooners – Recap – January 01, 2011 – ESPN". scores.espn.go.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  137. ^ "Kevin Wilson given 7-year deal to coach Indiana Hoosiers – ESPN". sports.espn.go.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  138. ^ "AP ranks Sooners No.1 for 100th time". espn.go.com. September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  139. ^ "2014 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule – OU". Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  140. ^ "Sooners surge from 17 points down to edge Tennessee in double overtime". ESPN. September 12, 2015.
  141. ^ "Sooners' Stoops steps down after 18 seasons". June 7, 2017.
  142. ^ "Lincoln Riley, 33, takes over as Oklahoma's football coach". June 8, 2017.
  143. ^ "Lincoln Riley sets win record for 1st year Oklahoma Head Coach". November 25, 2017.
  144. ^ "Oklahoma plants its flag in payback win at Ohio State". ESPN. September 9, 2017.
  145. ^ "Georgia VS Oklahoma". 2017.
  146. ^ "BREAKING: Mike Stoops out as defensive coordinator". 247sports.com. OUInsider. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  147. ^ "2019 Team Defense". Sports Reference.
  148. ^ Allyn, Bobby; Romo, Vanessa (March 11, 2020). "Trump Suspends All Travel From Europe For 30 Days To Combat COVID-19". NPR. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  149. ^ "Archived: WHO Timeline - COVID-19". www.who.int. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  150. ^ "Big Ten Statement on 2020-21 Fall Season". bigten.org. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  151. ^ "Oklahoma Sooners School History". Sports Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  152. ^ a b "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). soonersports.com. Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  153. ^ Christopher J. Walsh (2007). Who's #1?: 100-Plus Years of Controversial National Champions in College Football. Taylor Trade Pub. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-58979-337-8.
  154. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  155. ^ Vautravers, James. "Math-Based Rating". Retrieved June 9, 2019. For modern (post-WWII) years, however, no one recognizes math formulas as national championships. If they did, just using the systems listed in the NCAA Records Book, we would have an additional 42 so-called national champions between 1970 and the present (many of whom lost to the legitimate national champion).
  156. ^ Jenkins, Dan (September 11, 1967), "This Year The Fight Will Be in the Open", Sports Illustrated, Chicago, IL: Time Inc., 27 (11): 30–33, retrieved March 16, 2016
  157. ^ Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  158. ^ "2018 Football Media Guide" (PDF). huskers.com. Husker Athletics. p. 206. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  159. ^ Dozier, Ray (2013). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia: 2nd Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781613216200.
  160. ^ a b OU Athletic Department. "Head Coaches". Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  161. ^ a b OU Athletic Department. "Football Year by year season results". Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  162. ^ OU Athletic Department. "Hall of Famers". Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  163. ^ OU Athletic Department. "Bob Stoop Biography". Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  164. ^ Shimko, Justin Noel (September 22, 2002). "OU Regents OK Stadium Name Change". OU Daily. Retrieved January 8, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  165. ^ a b c "Oklahoma Memorial Stadium History". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  166. ^ "Football Game Attendance Records – Home". SoonerStats. Summer 2017.
  167. ^ "Why We Wish Nebraska's Real Thanksgiving Rivalries Would Come Back". Bleacher Report. November 25, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  168. ^ Trotter, Jake (November 29, 2012). "Nebraska-Oklahoma to resume series". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  169. ^ "Winsipedia - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys football series history". Winsipedia.
  170. ^ Trammel, Berry (June 10, 2014). "OU-Texas: Much to celebrate about Cotton Bowl Commitment". The Oklahoman. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  171. ^ Copp, Martha (October 8, 2011). "Oklahoma vs Texas 10 greatest Red River Rivalry Games". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  172. ^ "Winsipedia - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns football series history".
  173. ^ "Winsipedia - Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri Tigers football series history". Winsipedia.
  174. ^ "Oklahoma Traditions: Crimson & Cream". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma. Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  175. ^ The Origin of the University Yell and Colors. Sooner Yearbook. 1916. p. 326.
  176. ^ a b c d e f Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1-58261-699-X.
  177. ^ a b c "Sooner Schooner & Mascots". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  178. ^ Cooter, Terri (2004). 100 Years of Pride 1904–2004: A Documented History of the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band. Norman: Terri Cooter. pp. 173–175.
  179. ^ a b c d e f g h Bailey, Eric (December 9, 2017). "OU football: A look at the Sooners' Heisman Trophy winners and runners-up". Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  180. ^ Schroeder, George (December 14, 2003). "Sooner Jason White wins Heisman trophy". newsok.com. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  181. ^ "Peterson, '04 Heisman runner-up, to enter NFL draft". January 16, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  182. ^ "Oklahoma quarterback Bradford wins Heisman". espn.com. December 14, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  183. ^ "Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield wins 2017 Heisman Trophy". usatoday.com. December 9, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  184. ^ "2018 Heisman Trophy winner: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray takes home prestigious award". cbssports.com. December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  185. ^ Bromberg, Nick (December 14, 2019). "LSU QB Joe Burrow wins 2019 Heisman Trophy in record-breaking landslide". Yahoo. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  186. ^ "ALL-TIME OUTLAND TROPHY WINNERS". Football Writers Association of America. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  187. ^ Bradley, Ken (December 16, 2014). "Sporting News all-time College Football Players of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  188. ^ "The Maxwell Award: Collegiate Player of the Year – Past Recipients". Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  189. ^ Alder, James. "Walter Camp Award Winners". About.com. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  190. ^ Alder, James. "Lombardi Award". About.com. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  191. ^ Alder, James. "Butkus Award Winners". About.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  192. ^ "The Jim Thorpe Award – Past Winners". The Jim Thorpe Association. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  193. ^ Tied with Bennie Blades of Miami.
  194. ^ "AP College Football Player of the Year Award". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  195. ^ "Past Winners of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy". The Touchdown Club. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  196. ^ "Chuck Bednarik Award: College Defensive Player of the Year – Past Recipients". Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  197. ^ "Previous Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Winners". Davey O'Brien Foundation. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  198. ^ "Past Winners". Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on December 18, 2006. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
  199. ^ "Previous Winners—Burlsworth Trophy". Springdale, Arkansas Rotary Club. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  200. ^ "Biletnikoff Award Past Winners in Action". Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  201. ^ Stacy, Kelli (December 7, 2017). "Oklahoma football: Mark Andrews wins John Mackey". OU Daily. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  202. ^ a b "2006 All-American Team announced". NCAA.org. January 12, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  203. ^ "143 Oklahoma Football All-Americans". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  204. ^ "College Football Hall of Fame". Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  205. ^ "Oklahoma Sooners Future Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.

Further reading[]

  • Athlon Sports (August 2006). Game Day Oklahoma Football: The Greatest Games, Players, Coaches, And Teams in the Glorious Tradition of Sooner Football. Foreword by Jason White. Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-883-5.
  • Bosworth, Brian (August 1, 1988). The Boz. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-24747-8.
  • Bruns, Bill (1974). "Sooner": A season as lived and played by Tinker Owens. Josten's Publications. ASIN B0006CE382.
  • Brush, Daniel J.; David Horne; Marc C. B. Maxwell (2007). University of Oklahoma Football: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports. Savas Beatie. ISBN 978-1-932714-33-3.
  • Clark, J. Brent (October 1995). Sooner Century: 100 Glorious Years of Oklahoma Football. Quality Sports Publications. ISBN 1-885758-04-9.
  • Corcoran, Mike (September 28, 2004). The Game of the Century: Nebraska Vs Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-3621-1.
  • Cromartie, Bill (March 1982). Annual Madness: A Game by Game History of the Texas-Oklahoma Football Rivalry, 1900–1980. Gridiron Pub. ISBN 0-932520-05-7.
  • Cross, George Lynn (September 1977). Presidents Can't Punt: The OU Football Tradition. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1419-3.
  • Dent, Jim (September 24, 2002). The Undefeated: The Oklahoma Sooners and the Greatest Winning Streak in College Football. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-30326-2.
  • Dozier, Ray (August 1, 2005). Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Pub. ISBN 1-58261-699-X.
  • Hartley, Danny (1982). Oklahoma football, the winningest team of the seventies. Western Heritage Books. ISBN 0-86546-036-1.
  • Heard, Robert (June 1980). Oklahoma Vs Texas: When Football Becomes War. Honey Hill Pub. ISBN 0-937642-00-2.
  • Heupel, Josh (March 26, 2001). The Road to Glory. Contributions by Bob Schaller. Cross Training Publishing. ISBN 1-929478-25-9.
  • Keith, Harold (August 2003). Forty-Seven Straight: The Wilkinson Era at Oklahoma. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3569-7.
  • Keith, Harold (July 1978). Oklahoma Kickoff: An Informal History of the First 25 Years of Football at the University of Oklahoma, and of the Amusing Hardships That Attended It. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1485-1.
  • King, Gary T. (July 24, 2006). An Autumn Remembered: Bud Wilkinson's Legendary '56 Sooners. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3786-X.
  • McKenzie, Mike; Jay Upchurch (August 2003). Tales from the Sooner Sidelines: Oklahoma Football Legacy and Legends. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-320-6.
  • Meece, Volney (January 1, 1960). Thirteen years of winning Oklahoma football under Bud Wilkinson. Bryan. ASIN B0007EUM84.
  • Shropshire, Mike (August 1, 2006). Runnin' with the Big Dogs: The True, Unvarnished Story of the Texas-Oklahoma Football Wars. William Morrow. ISBN 0-06-085277-1.
  • Smith, Jay; William James Willis (August 2003). Prelude to Greatness: Sooner Football in the 1990s. Foreword by David Boren. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3520-4.
  • Snook, Jeff (September 2005). What It Means To Be A Sooner: Barry Switzer, Bob Stoops And Oklahoma's Greatest Players. Forewords by Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer. Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-759-6.
  • Stallard, Mark (August 25, 2007). Echoes of Oklahoma Football: The Greatest Stories Ever Told. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-874-3.
  • Switzer, Barry; Bud Shrake (August 1990). Bootlegger's Boy. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0-688-09384-1.
  • Towle, Mike (August 1, 2002). I Remember Bud Wilkinson: Personal Memories and Anecdotes About an Oklahoma Sooners Legend As Told by the People and Players Who Knew Him. Cumberland House Publishing. ISBN 1-58182-301-0.
  • Upchurch, Jay (September 2007). Game of My Life: Oklahoma Football. Sports Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58261-765-7.
  • Weeks, Jim (June 1982). The Sooners: A Story of Oklahoma Football. Strode Publications. ISBN 0-87397-220-1.
  • Wilkinson, Jay; Gretchen Hirsch (August 1, 1994). Bud Wilkinson: An Intimate Portrait of an American Legend. Sagamore Publishing. ISBN 1-57167-001-7.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""