User:Nmajdan/OU Football text

The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The program began in 1895 and is the most successful program of the modern era (post World War II) with 524 wins and a winning percentage of .761 since 1945.[1][2] The program has seven national championships, 40 conference championships, 142 All-Americans, and four Heisman Trophy winners. In addition, the school has had five coaches and 17 players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame[3] and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I-FBS history with 47 straight victories. The team is currently coached by Bob Stoops and home games are played at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-Owen era (1895-1904)

The football program at the University of Oklahoma is the most famous aspect of Sooner athletics. 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. The team was organized by John A. Harts, a student from Winfield, Kansas who had played the game in his home state.[4] That first team was composed of mostly non-students, such as a local fireman. 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). The first game was played on a field of low prairie grass just northwest of the current site of Holmberg Hall. 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 prospect for gold in the Arctic.[5]

The team got its first real coach in 1897 when the new modern language professor, Vernon Louis Parrington, was drafted as head coach (they played two games in 1896 with no coach). Parrington played some football at Harvard and was more exposed to football being from the east coast. In his four years as head coach (1897-1900), Parrington's teams racked up 9 wins, to one loss and two ties.[6] 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. Oklahoma vs. Arkansas City (Kansas) Town Team in 1899 with Vernon Parrington as coach. Oklahoma vs. Arkansas City (Kansas) Town Team in 1899 with Vernon Parrington as coach. Statue that stands at the site of the original Bedlam game in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Statue that stands at the site of the original Bedlam game in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

The Sooners had three 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 from 1902 and 1903, and Fred Ewing recorded a 4–3–1 record in 1904.[6] The most notable event of those four years came in 1904 when Oklahoma had its first match against its instate rival, Oklahoma A&M. The game was played on November 6, 1904 at a park in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma team soundly defeated the Oklahoma Aggies 75–0, but it was an unusual touchdown that is remembered most of that game. “ 	The day was bitterly cold with blustery winds out of the north. The boundaries were vaguely defined. And one of the oddest touchdowns ever recorded in football history occurred when an Aggie punt was carried backward by the wind until it bounced into Cottonwood Creek. Players from both teams pursued the evasive football into the deeper, chilly waters of the creek, but it was a Rough Rider who prevailed and climbed ashore with the football. Incidentally, every player on the Oklahoma squad scored that day, soundly defeating the Aggies 75-0. ”

—Taken from statue in Guthrie, Oklahoma. See photo.

Bedlam football, the athletic rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, was born that day. [edit] Owen era (1905-1946) The undefeated team of 1915. The undefeated team of 1915.

After ten years of football, the program began to get serious and started looking for a permanent coach, Bennie Owen. Owen was a quarterback on the undefeated Kansas team of 1899 led by famous coach Fielding Yost. 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 in the budget enough funds to keep him there all year around. The early years of Owen's tenure were tough for budget reasons. Due to a low travel budget, his teams would regularly have to play as many as three games in one trek.[4] 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. In Owen's first year, 1905, he gave Oklahoma its first victory over rival Texas, defeating them 2–0. Owen's first dominant team came in 1908 when they went 8–1–1, losing only to the powerful Kansas team. His 1908 team used hand-offs directly to large runners as the forward pass was just becoming common. His 1911 team, on the other hand, had several small and fast players that the quarterback would pass directly to. That team went 8–0. Owen had two more undefeated seasons in 1915 and 1918. 1920 was also Oklahoma's first season in the stronger Missouri Valley Conference. In the new conference, they went 6–0–1 tying only Kansas State University. During Owen's 22 year career at Oklahoma, he went 122–54–16, a 67.7% winning percentage.[6] In 1951, he became the first person from Oklahoma to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. It was the inaugural year for the Hall of Fame and Owen was inducted along with many of the biggest names of the game including Walter Camp, Knute Rockne and Fielding Yost. A page from the 1916 Sooner Yearbook showing images from the 1915 OU-Texas game. The Sooners won 14-13. A page from the 1916 Sooner Yearbook showing images from the 1915 OU-Texas game. The Sooners won 14-13.

The next two coaches that came after Owen, Adrian Lindsey and Lewie Hardage, amounted to little, going a combined 30–31–10 over eight seasons. The next coach, Lawrence "Biff" Jones, went 9–6–3 in his two seasons at the helm, but he is credited for reigning 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.[4] Jones was a "blunt-spoken, hard-nosed military man" who graduated from West Point in 1917.[7] Jones coached Army from 1926 to 1929 and then was the head coach of Louisiana State University. He was fired from LSU after refusing then-governor Huey Long's request to address the team during halftime of a game.[8] His tenure at Oklahoma came during the Dust Bowl. The dust storms were so thick it would block the sun and the players would be covered in dust at the end of practice.[7] In 1954, Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1937, Tom Stidham became the coach. Stidham took the solid footing put in place by Jones and stood on it. In his four seasons, Stidham's team went 27–8–3 for a winning percentage of 75%.[6] When he left in 1941, his assistant coach, Dewey Luster succeeded him. After Luster's first season, a 6–3 season, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. As was the case with schools all over the country, many players left the team to join the military.[4]

Luster stepped down after the 1945 season due to ill health. The OU Board of Regents interviewed several candidates for the new head coaching job and one of those men was Jim Tatum. With him, he brought another coach, Bud Wilkinson, who would be his assistant coach. 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.[9] In the end, they decided to hire Tatum and his assistant over several other coaches including Paul "Bear" Bryant. Tatum had a relatively successful season finishing with an 8–3 record including a 73–12 win over Oklahoma A&M. When Tatum left for Maryland after the 1946 season, Wilkinson stepped up.

[edit] Wilkinson era (1947-1963)

Bud Wilkinson was a quarterback for the University of Minnesota and won three national championships in the 1930s. His coaching career began at Syracuse University and then at his alma mater Minnesota. After his service in the U.S. Navy in World War II, he began coaching at a naval academy in Iowa with Jim Tatum. When Tatum came to Oklahoma, he brought Wilkinson with him. Wilkinson went 7–2–1 in his first year and shared the conference title with Kansas for the second year in a row.

Wilkinson won the school its first national championship in 1950 despite the fact they lost their last game against Bear Bryant's Kentucky team. That loss was the Sooner's first loss since a season opener loss to Santa Clara University in 1948, 31 games earlier. In 1952, Oklahoma had its first Heisman Trophy winner in halfback Billy Vessels, a local player from Cleveland, Oklahoma. In 1953, the Sooners opened with a loss to Notre Dame and tied Pittsburgh the next week. The Sooners would not lose another game for more than three years when they faced Notre Dame in November 1957, losing 7–0. Wilkinson and his Sooners set a record with 47 consecutive wins, a record that, as of the end of the 2006 season, has only been seriously threatened twice--by Miami and the University of Southern California, both in the current decade. During this streak, the Sooners won the national championship in 1955 and 1956. Additionally, the Sooners won or shared 14 straight conference titles from 1946 to 1959, one under Tatum and 13 under Wilkinson. The closest any team in the Big 8/Big 12 alone has come to matching it is the Sooners' run of eight straight titles (two of them shared) from 1973 to 1980. The Sooners also went undefeated in conference play from November 23, 1946 season through Halloween 1959; their record was only blemished by two ties. This record has never been seriously threatened by any team in what is now the Football Bowl Subdivision; in the Big 8/Big 12 alone, no team since has gone undefeated in conference play more than three years in a row.

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%. Wilkinson left Oklahoma after the 1963 season with a record of 145–29–4, 14 conference titles and 123 straight games without being shutout.

During Wilkinson's tenure, another first would be recorded, just not in the record books. Prentice Gautt would become the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma. Gautt had been a superior student at an Oklahoma City high school. He was a member of the National Honor Society and president of his senior class. During his junior and senior years of high school, he helped his team amass a 31 game win streak. He was also the first black player to participate in the state all-star game.[10] Gautt was not the first black player to try out for the team, three others had two years earlier. Two could not afford to continue and dropped out, and one was injured. Because of Gautt's academic success in high school, he was supported financially by a group of local black doctors and pharmacists. A couple months into his freshman year, Gautt was placed on athletic scholarship and the money was returned to the investors. Unfortunately, members of Gautt's team were not as excited to play with him and he was with them. One player even left Oklahoma because he refused to play with an African American.[10] However, Gautt's attitude eventually grew on them. After a freshman game in Tulsa, Gautt was refused service in the restaurant where the team was scheduled to eat. His teammates abruptly left and found an eating establishment that would also serve him.[10] Oklahoma also had to stay at a different hotel during Gautt's eligibility in Fort Worth, Texas because their normal hotel did not permit blacks.[10] Gautt broke out as a player in 1958. In 1959, he was named the Orange Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Wilkinson's assistant coach, Gomer Jones, took over as head coach in 1964, a move Wilkinson engineered himself. His first year would prove to be a sharp contrast from Wilkinson's early years as the Sooners went 6–4–1.[11] The season saw them start 1-3 with three consecutive losses to Southern California, Texas and Kansas. But the hardest loss came in the Gator Bowl to Florida State. Prior to the game, it was found that four of the better players had signed professional football contracts before their college eligibility had expired. Those four were dismissed from the team prior to the bowl game.[12] Oklahoma lost this 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 when he was head coach.

Following Jones's 9–11–1 record, Oklahoma brought in a young coach from the University of Arkansas named Jim Mackenzie. He wanted discipline for his team so he set a curfew for his players and required them to enroll in physical education class.[13] His season saw an improvement from the previous, but it still did not meet the expectations of Sooner football that Wilkinson had set. The 1966 team went 6–4 with a win in the Red River Shootout over rival Texas coached by former Oklahoma running back Darrell Royal, their first win over Texas since 1957. They also beat the number four team in the land, 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.

After the 1964 season, Chuck Fairbanks, an assistant coach at the University of 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 he 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.[14] 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.[14] 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. His first season, in 1967, his squad went 10–1. They entered their sixth game with a 5–1 record (their only loss was a two point loss coming to rival Texas) and unranked[15] 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 the number two team in the country Tennessee 26–24 in the Orange Bowl. They finished the season ranked number three in the country. Statue commemorating Oklahoma's 2nd Heisman winner Steve Owens. Statue commemorating Oklahoma's 2nd Heisman winner Steve Owens.

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' program. One of those players was Steve Owens. Owens was born in Gore, Oklahoma in 1947. After an impressive year in 1969, despite Oklahoma's record, Owens was named the Sooner's second Heisman Trophy winner. Many believe that Owens saved Fairbank's career by helping defeat rival Oklahoma State.[7]

It did not take long for Fairbanks to return the team to form. His 1970 team tied Bear Bryant's Alabama team in the Bluebonnet Bowl to finish as the number 20 team in the country. They began the 1971 season ranked number ten. In consecutive weeks, they beat number 17 Southern California, number three Texas, and number six Colorado.

This early season wins propelled them to a number two national ranking and set the stage for one of the great college football games of the century against top-ranked Nebraska.[16] Oklahoma was led by quarterback Jack Mildren and running back Greg Pruitt. The team was a scoring machine, averaging 44.5 points per game, the second highest in team history.[17] Equally impressive that season was Pruitt's nine yards per carry (for comparison, Heisman Trophy winning running back Barry Sanders averaged 7.64 yards per carry his record breaking 1988 season in which he had 2,628 rushing yards). On November 25, 1971, Nebraska edged Oklahoma, 35–31 in what was to be the only loss of the season for either team. Oklahoma went on to beat Oklahoma State number five 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. Following this season, Fairbanks accepted a position with the NFL's New England Patriots. He left behind a mess for the new head coach, Fairbank's offensive coordinator, Barry Switzer.

[edit] Switzer era (1973-1989)

Soon after Barry Switzer took the reign of the program, the NCAA forced Oklahoma to forfeit nine games from the 1972 season due to violations involving the alteration of transcripts. 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.[18] They finished the season ranked number three after beating seven teams ranked in the top 20. He showed no signs of slowing down the next season either. Switzer's team finished 11–0 and won the national championship. This was the Sooner's first undefeated season and national championship since 1956. That team was another high scoring team averaging 43 points per game[17] and was anchored 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.[19] In 1978, Oklahoma would get its 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. He currently stands at number three in yards per attempt that year with 7.41, behind fellow Sooners Greg Pruitt and Marcus Dupree.[20] Sims also hold the record at Oklahoma for most rushing yards in a career with 4,118.[21] He finished second in the Heisman race the following year, 1979.[22]

The early 1980s saw the Sooners begin to slip under Switzer. They lost four games 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 around in 1984 when they went 9–2–1 and were ranked number six at the end of the season. The 1984 team featured Buster Rhymes at wide receiver, Spencer Tillman at running back and Tony Casillas. Over the next three years, the team continued to grow and went 11–1 each of those three years (with all three losses coming to Miami), including a national championship in 1985 (they finished ranked number three in 1986 and 1987).[23] 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.

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, 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.[24] The three year probation included a two-year ban on TV and bowl appearances and a reduction in scholarships from 25 to 18.[25]

Succeeding Switzer was his defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs. Gibbs found it hard to please the boosters and administrators with an 8-3 year. All in all, Gibbs went 44–23–2 but it was his record against Oklahoma's rivals that did him in. Gibbs went 2-15-1 against Texas, Nebraska and Colorado. In addition to his record, many feel Gibbs was not comfortable around alumni, the media, or with being a head coach in general.[25]

To replace Gibbs, Oklahoma looked towards the seasoned Howard Schnellenberger, then 61 years old. Schnellenberger had won a national championship at Miami and turned around the 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."[25] Ultimately, his 1995 team went 5–5–1 and he was done. Many feel he was doomed from the beginning because of his lack of interest in the history of Oklahoma football; neither its coaches or its players, a fact he was not shy about. He ordered numerous old files to be thrown out, instead, they were archived without his knowledge.[25]

For the 1996 season, Oklahoma hired former player John Blake. Blake was the favorite to succeed Schnellenberger and was backed by Barry Switzer, Steve Owens, and former Oklahoma president George Lynn Cross.[25] However, many were skeptical of Oklahoma's choice for the new coach. He coaching experience was very limited, especially compared to his predecessor. Blake was an assistant coach for three years in the NFL, a wide receivers coach for one year at Tulsa, and a defensive assistant at Oklahoma for four years. The skeptics were proven right. In Blake's first season, he went 3–8. It was the worst record, percentage wise, Oklahoma had experienced since 1895 and is tied for the most losses in one year (along with Blake's 1997 squad) to this very day. In his three years at Oklahoma, Blake went 3–8, 4–8, and 5–6. It was the first time since 1922-1924 that Oklahoma had three consecutive losing seasons. Blake's largest contribution to the team was his recruiting. He set the stage by recruiting several players that would excel under the next coach, including J.T. Thatcher, Josh Norman, Roy Williams and Rocky Calmus.

[edit] Stoops era (1999-present) Players before the OU-Texas game in 2003. NFL players Dan Cody and Tommie Harris are easily visible in this photo. Players before the OU-Texas game in 2003. NFL players Dan Cody and Tommie Harris are easily visible in this photo.

The university looked at many candidates to replace Blake. Reportedly, some of those included Barry Alvarez, Jim Donnan, Bob Toledo, Dennis Franchione, Tommy Bowden, Gary Barnett, and Mike Bellotti.[26] However, Oklahoma decided on a 38 year old defensive coordinator from Florida, Bob Stoops. Stoops was a defensive back at Iowa under coach Hayden Fry and was his team captain and MVP.[27] Stoops built on the foundation that had been left to him, however weak it was. He brought in junior college quarterback Josh Heupel to run his offense. His first team went 7–5, 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.

In 2000, the Sooners opened the season ranked number 19,[28] the first time they opened the season ranked in five years. The Sooners opened 4–0, cruising over its early opponents by a combined score of 176–51. They entered the annual Red River Rivalry ranked number 10 while Texas was ranked number 11 with a record of 3–1. The Sooners beat the Longhorns in what was then the most lopsided upset in the history of the rivalry with a score of 63–14. Quentin Griffin set the Oklahoma record for most touchdowns in a game with six. They narrowly beat the number two ranked Kansas State 41–31 and then went on to beat the number one ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 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."[29] The Sooners narrowly escaped a loss at the hands of Texas A&M but they pulled out a victory, winning 35-31. They finished the season with a win over Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game and claimed the Sears Trophy. At the end of the season, quarterback Josh Heupel had the top two spots on the list of Oklahoma's season passing records. In 1999, he threw for 3,850 yards and in 2000, he threw for 3,606 yards.[30] 2004 Sugar Bowl, Louisiana State vs. Oklahoma; January 4, 2004 2004 Sugar Bowl, Louisiana State vs. Oklahoma; January 4, 2004

Stoops' teams continued to excel. He brought his 2003 team and 2004 team back to the BCS title game, but both contests ended in a loss. His 2003 team was the highest scoring team in Oklahoma's history, scoring 601 points compared to 214 by the opponents. This season included seven games of 50 points or more, a 77–0 beating of Texas A&M and a 65-13 beating of Texas, both schools' biggest loss. The team was upset in the Big 12 Championship Game and eventually lost to LSU in the BCS title game. That year, Jason White became Oklahoma's fourth Heisman Trophy winner.

In 2005, Stoops finished the season with an 8-4 record, his worst season record since his inaugural season. That year, redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar beat out Jason White's backup quarterback, Paul Thompson, for the starting job. Paul Thompson was moved to the wide receiver slot for the rest of the season. They lost their opening game against TCU and went to open the season 2–3 with additional losses against UCLA (at UCLA) and against Texas. The team started to improve as the season progressed, especially the young Bomar. The next loss came against Texas Tech and was a controversial loss. Texas Tech's Taurean Henderson scored on the final play of the game when he was tackled before he reached the end zone but the refs ruled that he was able to stretch the ball over the goal line before being officially down. The play was reviewed by replay officials, but video replays were deemed inconclusive.[31] 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 instate rival Oklahoma State in Norman by a final score of 42–14. The Sooners finished third in the Big 12 behind the 2005 Texas Longhorns (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 is placed over Oklahoma). The unranked Sooners would represent the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl and they would play the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks. Oklahoma went on to beat the Ducks, 17-14; Bomar was named the Bowl MVP and the Sooners finished the season ranked #22.[15] 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 thereby giving the Sooners an official 2005 record of 0–4.[32] The NCAA's decision is currently under appeal.

2006 was a very tumultuous year for the Sooners. 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 the University of Oregon for the third time in three years. The Sooners lost this game 33–34. During the game a controversy arose when game officials awarded an onside kick to the Ducks when it should have been Oklahoma's ball.[33][34] Following the game, all officials were suspended for one game but replay official Gordon Riese said he would take the year off;[33] later in the year, he would quit completely.[35] Gordon Riese later acknowledged that he knew Oklahoma recovered the onside kick but replay rules prevented him from correcting the on-field officials.[36] 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[37] but by the end of the regular season, they were ranked 17th.[38] 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 was tripped up while sprinting into the end zone. 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 ranked opponents including 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. The Sooners lost in overtime, on a two point conversion play by a score of 43–42 to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The football program remains the primary breadwinner for the Oklahoma athletic program. It accounts for 70% of the Athletic Department's income but just 30% of its expenses.[39]

Stoops' career records are the subject of a pending appeal by the University of Oklahoma regarding a July 11, 2007 decision by the NCAA Committee on Infractions concerning eligibility violations by ex-players Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn. Among other things, this decision stipulates that the Sooners' eight wins in the 2005 football season should be vacated. All proposed penalties in the decision are stayed pending the appeal.[40]. Accordingly, current numbers reflect Stoops' record without any such vacated wins.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been a dominant program in every conference they have participated in, from the Southwest Conference to the Big 12 Conference. Below is a list of all 40 conference titles, including 14 in a row between 1946-59, and the seven national championships. In addition to these seven acknowledged national championships there are also nine additional years in which the NCAA's official record book recognizes the Sooners as national champions: 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2003.[41] However, unlike several other historically successful college football programs, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma fanbase, rarely, if ever, acknowledge these additional "championships", as they were not awarded by either the Associated Press, United Press International (UPI), USA Today Coaches Poll, or the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

On July 15, 2007 Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman (celebrating 100 years of Oklahoma statehood) named the 2000 Oklahoma national title victory against the Florida State Seminoles as the greatest sports event in state history.[42]

The Sooners play their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. 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 US$50 million).[43] 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.[44] 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 most of its existence. The only time it had an artificial turf was from 1970 to 1994.[44] 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 current capacity is 82,112 which makes it the 14th largest college stadium in the U.S. and second largest in the Big 12 Conference.[44] Despite the official capacity, the Sooners average 84,561 in attendance for the 2006 season, nearly 2,500 over capacity.[45]

[edit] Pageantry

[edit] School colors

Oklahoma's official school colors are crimson and cream.[46] 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.[47] After her decision, the colors were brought in front of the student body who enthusiastically approved of her selections. In recent years, red and white have sometimes replaced crimson and cream.

[edit] Mascots

Oklahoma has had several mascots. The first was a Boston terrier named Mex. Mex was a stray dog found in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution by Mott Keys, an army hospital medic.[48] 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.[48] 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.[49] Mex was found later by two Oklahoma graduates. Mex died of old age on April 30, 1928. The campus was closed and classes were cancelled on the day of his funeral. He was buried in a casket somewhere under the stadium.[48] The Sooner Schooner on the field during a football game. 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 portrayed by Randy Palmer.[48] In April 1970, Little Red was banished by Oklahoma president J. Herbet Hollomon. The student court issued a temporary restraining order to keep Little Red from appearing at Sooner games.[48] 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.[48]

The current mascot for Oklahoma is the Sooner Schooner, a conestoga wagon similar to the primary method of transportation used by early settlers in Oklahoma. 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.

Every year, several publications release lists of the 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.[61] 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.[61] Oklahoma has had 142 All-Americans (63 consensus) in its history.[62][63]