Daryl Hunt: An OU football star of substance
When someone dies, you generally hear nice things about the person, whether it’s true or not. I’ve written a little about Daryl Hunt this week, after his untimely death Friday at the age of 53. He was a very impressive man when I met him two months ago, but here’s a story that bears out what everyone has been saying.
Hunt was an all-American linebacker at OU in 1977 and 1978. This story comes from a reader, John, who was in school at OU during the 1970s.
“My third year in law school, ’77-78, one night, leaving one of my haunts, ‘The Blue Onion,’ I found Daryl in the parking lot with his car out of gas. Even in the dark, I recognized him as one of OU’s linebackers and, likely, under 21 years of age.
“I asked him if he had a problem as I knew the Norman PD frequented the lot looking for public drunk busts. He said he had responded to a phone call from another player who needed a ride back to the dorm as he was too inebriated to drive, but had gone when he (Hunt) got there. So Daryl was exposed to a problem because he obliged to keep his teammate out of hot water.
“He told me he was out of gas and had no money on him but would pay me if I would spot him $5 for gas. So we went across the street to the old Texaco station on the corner of Lindsey and, I believe, 24th Avenue, got $5 worth of gas (it bought a lot of gas in those days). I gave him a business card I had from my Dad’s biz in Oklahoma City and told him he could always reach me there.
“I forgot about it thinking it was just something I had donated. About a week later, Daryl and George Cumby dropped in at my Dad’s biz looking for me. He was pretty surprised, of course, these OU grid stars were looking for me, but they gave my Dad an envelope with my name on it with ‘Thanks for the help — Daryl Hunt.’ My Dad did not open it, but when I got to the office at 5 p.m. to supervise the night shift, he gave me the envelope and I opened it with a full group of folks in the office who were all there to see what the contents were.
“Inside was $5 and two Texas tickets….wow! We had two already, but I wanted to take a girlfriend and my Dad wanted to take a WII friend, so the Dallas game in 1977, even though an Earl Campbell win after 6 straight OU wins and a tie, was a great weekend.
“Since then, I have always helped someone in need if I could. If you don’t ask, sometimes good things just happen.”
I love this story from John for a couple of reasons. One, it includes George Cumby, too, and if you’ve read much about my Waco trip, you’ll know I was really high on Cumby, too. Doesn’t surprise me a bit that Hunt and Cumby were hanging out. Quality attracts quality.
Also, the Blue Onion. I never went in there, but I remember it. Back near the Red Coat, behind what is now my mechanic, Ron’s Automotive (great guys; I recommend them). Thirty something years have passed, but some of the landmarks of my hometown remain.
And finally, the interest that Hunt paid — repaying a $5 debt with $5 AND Texas tickets. That’s how we should live our lives. That’s apparently how Daryl Hunt lived his.
-------------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. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
It is very refreshing to hear about the goodness of people in the world of sports. Daryl really sounds like he was a very solid and great man.
I wasn’t around in those days but my dad has always told me the best linebacker tandem in OU history was Daryll Hunt and George Cumby. Second best was Rod Shoat and Gary Gibbs
Daryl and I grew up together in Odessa. At the time I thought I was much older than he. After college and my first year teaching at Permian, I taught Daryl typing his junior year. Later we ended up being good friends. He rarely missed visiting me when he came home. He was just sweet, down-to-earth Daryl. He ended up being one of my good buds.
I wonder how guys like Daryl Hunt felt when Barry Switzer got a reputation for recruiting thugs? Why don’t fans clamor for books about guys like George Cumby and Daryl Hunt, and isn’t it about time Barry got credit for recruiting them to the University of Oklahoma?
Great story!!!!