Remembering Ricky Bryan
Ricky Bryan died Saturday night, a star-crossed OU football star.
Bryan was plagued by timing. He was a great Sooner who played in a not-so-great period: 1981-83. Other Sooners have suffered the same fate. Carl McAdams, the great linebacker from the early 1960s. Demond Parker, the 1990s halfback phenom. Indian Jack Jacobs, the quarterback extraordinare from the early 1940s.
In fact, of OU’s 35 two-time all-Americans, only three never won a conference title: McAdams, Ralph Neely (1963-64) and Bryan.
Bryan came to OU as a tight end out of Coweta and left as a two-time consensus all-American defensive tackle who ranks just below, but in the same discussion, with Tony Casillas and Lee Roy Selmon. Bryan’s statistics actual outshine those two epic players’, and his pro career was equal to Casillas’, just behind the Hall of Fame standard of Selmon.
In Barry Switzer’s first 13 years as the Sooner coach, he had Selmon, Bryan or Casillas manning the defensive interior in eight seasons. And when Switzer didn’t have those epic players, he had the likes of Reggie Kinlaw or John Goodman or Richard Turner or Keith Gary. I would argue that defensive lineman was OU’s greatest position of the Switzer era, better even than halfback.
Ex-OU recruiting chief Scott Hill told me a story once about Proposition 48, the landmark NCAA legislation that established entrance requirements for scholarship players. Prop 48 was enacted in 1983. Hill said that if the rule had been in effect when Bryan came out of Coweta, he would have been ineligible. Yet Bryan became a two-time all-Big Eight academic selection.
Bryan’s brothers, Steve and Mitch, also played at OU. Steve was a starting DT on the 1985 national title team. The list is short of Sooner brothers more decorated: the Selmons, the Burrises, the Owenses.
When left the NFL after 10 years, he returned to Coweta and raised a family on his 1,000-acre ranch and farm. He was a big ol’ country boy who could play football and play it well.
How well? Rick Bryan can be mentioned in the same breath as Lee Roy Selmon and Tony Casillas, which in Sooner lore is as high of praise as can be offered.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
I played against Ricky Bryan in high school, when he was a middle linebacker at Coweta and I was a center at Checotah. Terrific athlete, great competitor at all levels. He will be missed.
Ricky had many accomplishments and passed away too soon.
I want to aknowledge that Ricky gave back to Coweta by giving his time to Coweta High School Football Team.
Until recently I lived around the corner from the Bryan’s in Coweta. Ricky married his High School sweetheart, Shelby, and had three wonderful kids. They are a great family and are loved in the community.
His loss is far reaching.
I’ll just say this rick bryan was one of the best people i have ever met. I am so glad to of known him he was and inspiration to so many people including myself. We shared some common threads fishing,hunting,the love of outdoors and last but not least the Oklahoma Sooners. I know sometimes he was in some pain because he played football at the highest level and so did I and many of his friends. But the one thing I admired about Ricky was he was doing exactly what he wanted to do. Live in his home town,raise his kids, love his wife and family and work the farm. WE WILL MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ricky was my favorite player as a kid! I used to love making a #80 out of masking tape on my red OU shirt and playing backyard ball with friends. Over the years I heard stories of what a great man my childhood on the field hero had become. I never got a chance to meet Mr. Bryan but last year I spoke with Brian Bozworth about Ricky and Steve. Brian said you couldn’t meet a nicer set of guys than those two and that I should go on up to Coweta and say hi. He said both were very cordial and wouldn’t mind a fan showing up out of the blue. I never got the chance to do so but I’m sure I’ll get to meet Ricky in that big endzone in the sky. May God Bless the friends and family of this fantastic hero to many!
Ricky was a great man as all the Bryan men are. We lived by him in Coweta until my dads work moved us to Georgia and what do you know, we lived by Ricky again! Then as we moved back to Coweta 7 yrs later Ricky, Shelby, and the kids moved to the neighborhood across the street from us. He will be missed not only as a Family man and football star, but also as a friend~
I did not know Ricky but went to high school with his younger brother, Kenmore. The family lived down the street from me in Coweta. I so admired Ricky in his career at OU and in the NFL. I am sorry for his passing so young but does not diminish his legacy here on earth. Blessings to his family.
Old School Buddy, Coweta Tigerette,
Valene Bartmess (Bigpond)
I had the good fortune of playing at both ou and Atlanta with ricky. Spent the better part of 11 or 12 years looking across the huddle from one of the greatest competitors I ever played with. Ricky was a country gentleman that was doing what he wanted to do where he wanted to do it. The little town of Coweta was his life. My heart goes out to Shelby and the kids. I hope God heals your pain quickly. A great man lost to soon!
Scott Case