Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel | NewsOK.com

OU football: Bob Stoops misses Superman play

Here’s how good was Roy Williams’ Superman play against Texas 10 years ago this month. It was so spectacular, Bob Stoops let his guard down and admitted he liked that play right fine. “It’s one of my favorites,” Stoops said.

For the Tuesday Oklahoman Colleague Jenni Carlson wrote about Williams’ recollection of his sack of Chris Simms, which created an easy interception and touchdown for Teddy Lehman in OU’s 14-3 victory at the Cotton Bowl. You can read the column here.

And Stoops re-told the story Monday night that he didn’t even see the play. Texas took over at its 2-yard line late in the game, and during a TV timeout the Sooner defense huddled with the coaches. While defensive coordinator Mike Stoops conversed with Williams, Bob Stoops grabbed defensive end Cory Heinecke and gave specific instructions. Get wider. To counter Williams’ biltz, Simms would likely throw a quick pass in the flat. So Heinecke was to get in the way, get underneath the route.

“When the ball’s snapped, I’m watching Cory,” Stoops said.

Then he heard the roar. “What’s going on,” he said to himself. It took a second for Stoops to get his bearings. Then he focused on which players were celebrating. The white-clad Sooners. Not the burnt-orange Longhorns.

“Everyone’s yelling, ‘TOUCHDOWN,’” Stoops said. “I said, ‘What happened?’ They had to tell me.”

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OU football: Sooners’ clean performance vs. Tulsa a great sign

The most encouraging development of OU’s season-opening rout of Tulsa was not Dominique Whaley or Tom Wort or the offensive line. Not any unit or individual.

It was the lack of yellow on the field. The Sooners committed just two penalties, for 20 yards. A 15-yard facemask penalty against David King, and an illegal-formation penalty. One offensive penalty. That’s excellent play in a season opener. Excellent and historic.

In OU history, only twice have the Sooners had two or fewer penalties in a game. In Bob Stoops’ first game, against Indiana State in 1999, OU had one penalty. Talk about a change in culture, after the slapstick days of the John Blake era. And in 1954, against California, OU had two penalties.

Here are the game by game penalty totals of the Stoops’ openers:

Utah State 2010: seven penalties, 70 yards.

BYU 2009: 12 penalties, 93 yards.

Chattanooga 2008: five penalties, 42 yards.

North Texas 2007: nine penalties, 74 yards.

Alabama-Birmingham 2006: five penalties, 40 yards.

TCU 2005: six penalties, 46 yards.

Bowling Green 2004: seven penalties, 65 yards.

North Texas 2003: six penalties, 70 yards.

Tulsa 2002: four penalties, 40 yards.

North Carolina 2001: 10 penalties, 104 yards.

Texas-El Paso 2000: nine penalties, 70 yards.

Indiana State 1999: one penalty, 10 yards.

So Stoops’ teams haven’t incredibly sloppy in openers, with a few exceptions, but neither have they been pristine. They were pristine Saturday night against Tulsa. One turnover (Trey Franks’ fumble). No sacks. Two penalties. That’s a clean performance

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Emails in on Switzer, realignment, OU hoops

The new emails are in, and the talk is about Barry Switzer, conference realignment and the OU basketball mess.

Tony: “I’m sure others have told you this, but I hope you’re considering writing a book about the Switzer years. Your recent blog series was fantastic, yet something tells me it barely scratched the surface.”

By my last count, there were 34 books already about OU. Maybe there’s another Switzer book out there that can steer clear of Bootlegger’s Boy, but I’m hard-pressed to see it. Switzer’s got a story, literally, about every player who ever played for him, but that seems like a limited market on readership. Maybe I’m wrong.

Correna: “Just now getting back to you regarding your very touching story of Switzer’s Gang together again. I am a 73-year-old, two-time cancer survivor, trying to take care of my garden, praying all those nasty storms pass on by. You always try to bring out the good in other people’s lives. We all remember Barry Switzer when he fought his alcohol demons, but he was blessed with being a leader and inspiration for all the boys that needed a big chance in life.”

Well, I guess this offsets those letters that claim I never write anything positive. Like most everything, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Kent: “I’ve enjoyed the old Switzer stories, a lot of funny things that wouldn’t happen today. Do you think Bob Stoops knows how important it is to beat Texas? Think about this. Royal ran Bud out, Barry ran out Darrell. I thought Bob would run Mack out, but it may be the other way!”

I have to believe that Stoops knows exactly how important it is to beat Texas. And sure, Brown could run Stoops off, same as Stoops could have run off Brown. But I see Stoops and Brown more like Switzer and Osborne, or Royal and Broyles. Long-time rivals who push each other.

Bill: “Loved the Switzer stories. My family has many fond memories of the 1980s traveling to away games, staying at the team hotel. Barry, his coaching staff and his players were very engaging, willing to sit down and regale the fans with stories. And unfortunately, I think your comment on Bob Stoops in the blog post was directly on point. Bob’s not a bad guy, albeit nowhere near as personable as Switzer, but he treats interacting with the public — fans, media, I suspect everyone who doesn’t have a checkbook lined with zeros – like a prostate exam. It’s a shame, because his growing aloofness will taint what has been an era of football almost on a par with Switzer. I’d be curious to read your ruminations one of these days about the football program and its growing detachment from the public. Naïve fool that I am, I’ve always operated under the assumption that the program belonged to the public. One of these days, though, I’m growing more convinced King Robert will lock the public out of a game. It’s interesting to see this ‘Year of the Fan’ nonsense from the OU athletic department, on the heels of the Thunder’s success.

I’m not so sure it’s just a Switzer/Stoops deal. I think it’s just as much a then/now phenomenon. Times have changed. Coaches are distrustful of most everybody.

Michael: “You should write an article on expansion. The former writer for your paper who is now with ESPN thinks Texas to the SEC is a done deal. They would want to retain their rivals of OU and A&M. If the expansion happens and the SEC grows and decides to add from the Big 12 and not the ACC, do you think that they will go after Texas, Texas A&M, OU and OSU or Texas, Texas A&M, OU and Kansas? Kansas would be basically a mirror school to Kentucky (great basketball, adequate football) but with a better academic reputation. On the Kansas side, the SEC would add three American Association of Universities schools and then have a ratio of 5/16 AAU schools and not 2/12. Kansas would add the Kansas City and Wichita markets as well. They would have two major powers in basketball. OSU has a better football reputation and easier travel.”

Only trouble is, I don’t think OU can go without OSU. So if the SEC wants OU, it has to take OSU. You can certainly make the argument that Kansas is more valuable to a league than OSU would be, but you can’t make the argument that Kansas is more valuable than OU.

Roy: “True, in college football money talks loudest, but I think most commentators have missed something about Texas’ values. UT prides itself on being a great university and progressive and would not want to be associated with the ‘Old South’ in the west division of the SEC with the likes of Ole Miss and Mississippi State. They already don’t much like being in the semi-rural Big 12, I would say. So, I see the Horns headed to the Pac 10 (11), maybe or maybe not taking along A&M, OU, Kansas, Colorado to form an East division along with the Arizona schools. Texas would like to be thought of like Stanford in various ways, not like Tech and the “State” colleges of the Big 12. And they’re right. One of the things that made Notre Dame great and a national university (and rich), was and is their scheduling of games against great institutions in high-visibility venues, such as L.A., San Francisco (Berkley and Palo Alto), Seattle, Phoenix. And now Portland and Eugene are becoming ‘in’ places, more like Austin than, say, Ames. That’s why the Irish play Navy (Philadelphia or Baltimore or Washington), Rice (Houston), Boston College, Miami, and, oh yeah, USC, Stanford, Washington. OU had better play its cards right, or be left with the distinction of being the ‘Harvard’ of Hicksville.”

I don’t disagree with the general thesis that Texas would rather be aligned with the Pac-10 than the SEC. Not that UT wouldn’t go to the SEC. But I think there’s something to the cultural talk that Roy is talking about. I think Texas most of all would like to remain in a vibrant Big 12, because then the ‘Horns would be calling the shots. That wouldn’t happen in the SEC or the Pac-10. Texas turned down a Pac-10 invitation in 1994 to form the Big 12, and the Big 12 has been very, very good to UT. I don’t think Texas thinks it’s thought of like Tech and the ‘States.’

Kirby: “If only Texas would leave the Big 12, what nobody has said, it certainly would raise OU’s chances to go undefeated every year and be in the national championship game. But I don’t know how that would figure into a financial analysis.”

By that line of thinking, if OU would just join Conference USA, the Sooners would be golden. But in truth, you are defined by your opponents, Texas pushes OU the same way that OU pushes Texas, and the last thing OU wants is to be split off from the Longhorns.

Mike wrote about the OU basketball mess: “If folks cheat and the school can’t do much about it, why is it the school that gets punished the most – except in cases like Sampson? Isn’t that what ‘lack of institutional control’ is all about? Just as companies have internal auditors to review and recommend better controls, that should be part of the compliance job as well.”

Schools are hard-pressed to police outside influences (agents, etc.) or boosters or even employees. That’s why schools should be held most accountable on who they hire. Jeff Capel hired Oronde Taliaferro, so Taliaferro’s crimes are on Capel.

Larry wrote about those who think OU hoops will get off lightly: “I’m pretty sure they are way overconfident that the worst thing that will happen is the loss of scholarships. The NCAA stopped just short of Lack of Institutional Control with Sampson, and I don’t think we’ve yet heard the worst of the money and email trail between a sports agent, an OU coach, and at least one player we know of. All of this while OU is still on probation. I don’t think that the NCAA is concerned about whether Capel knew about any of it or not, is kept or fired. But I do think they are quite interested in sending a strong, painful message to OU, along with all the other schools, that NCAA institutions are responsible to keep this mess from happening over and over again.” 

That’s the problem. OU’s repeat offender status is what’s going to make any trip to Indianapolis very harrowing.

Cecil: “Interesting that your article on the OU basketball situation is coupled with an article in the same issue on the USC/Reggie Bush situation (actually more a cesspool). You and I have had polite and gentlemanly disagreements on the NCAA, but I know we both want integrity and a good environment in which to operate college athletics. Here’s where I’m fed up, and I keeping hoping the media will pursue this direction. The NCAA has a myriad of rules that unfortunately stem from lack of integrity and good environments. The unfortunate part of the NCAA system is that most of their rules carry no statutory authority; e.g. the majority of infractions are not illegal and carry no legal consequences. Generally, by the time the NCAA catches the problem, the guilty party (or parties) are long gone, and the only sanction available is to slam non-involved, innocent parties and fans. That sucks and we shouldn’t be content to let it be the status quo. As an athletic donor, I’m supposed to honor NCAA rules that preclude me from giving money, tangible goods, etc., to student athletes. But the NCAA and schools have absolutely no recourse if I do so other than refuse to sell me tickets and return my donation BECAUSE what I have done is perfectly legal. So, if I do these things, why should the university, fans, athletic employees, etc, suffer? Makes no sense at all and it isn’t the American way to punish innocent people. There must be a better way, and I’ll NEVER be an NCAA fan until they start trying to address this problem. I understand how difficult the situation is, but punishing innocent people is not right and cannot be tolerated.”

First off, USC and Reggie Bush are not a bigger cesspool than a coach involved in paying players. As far as we know on the USC deal, Bush was paid by an agent, and the charge against USC is that the Trojans should have known. In the Tiny Gallon deal, OU now DOES know and still can’t get to the bottom of it. And I still don’t buy this NCAA-bashing. The rule is solid; don’t pay players. The rule apparently was violated, by a player recruited by OU and perhaps by a coach hired by OU. How in the world should OU not be held accountable?

Charles: “It’s management’s fault. It’s always management’s fault. Capel either knew or should have known; that’s his job. It’s amazing how little money it takes to bring down a program.”

It is amazing, isn’t it? Just $3,000. Sort of like guys who hold up a liquor store.

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Switzer tales: Hochevar postscript

I know I bid farewell to the Barry Switzer series, but I received an email Thursday from Gene Hochevar, the Switzer assistant from the 1970s who accompanied us down to Waco for the impromptu reunion of those ’70s Sooners.

I never had met Hochevar, though I had read about him in the 1970s. Pouring through media guides as a kid, learning the faces of even assistant coaches, paid off that day we went to Waco. I arrived at Westheimer airport before Switzer and Elvis Peacock; I was waiting in the lobby when a man walked, saw me and said, “Hello, Berry.”

Somehow, I recognized the guy as Gene Hochevar, even though I never had met him and the last picture I saw of him was from the 1970s. Hochevar had left OU in 1979 to join Chuck Fairbanks’ Colorado staff. Hochevar is back in Oklahoma City in the oil business and was a delight to meet. You could see how he fit in well with Switzer’s great staffs.

Hochevar’s email shed some light on some of the Switzer magic from the ’70s. He also sent along a photo from Louis Oubre’s wedding, which I referenced in one of the blogs. We’ll post it with this blog, but it comes with a warning from Hochevar: “This picture is not of the Temptations.”

Here is Hochevar’s short email, which is as revealing as anything I’ve read about the Sooner salad days:

“Enjoyed all of your articles! Well written. Just think of this….that was just a very short segment of the ’70s. Can you even imagine what it would take to cover that in detail? Going to work was like going to a movie. Everyday I was filled with every emotion that you could imagine. Best damn coaching staff that ever coached a down of football and the best group of young men to ever play the game, and ‘you can write that down and put it in the light.’”

That finishing line was from Jerry Pettibone’s practice of writing down crazy things people said in the OU staff room. Pettibone is the third guy in the Temptations picture, with Switzer and Hochevar.

Consider it in the light. Consider all these Switzer memories in the light.

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Switzer tales: wrapping up the series

My vacation ends today, but I’ve stayed connected by sharing some stories from Barry Switzer’s glory days, told during my trip to Waco, Texas, with Switzer two weeks ago, when he convened with his players and coaches to honor Thomas Lott’s induction into the Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame. I guess this is as good a time as any to end the series, but here are the remnants of the stories told but not yet used:

· Recruiting both Billy Sims and Kenny King in the same class, 1975, was not easy. And it wasn’t easy even after they became OU teammates. One needed to move to fullback, and it wasn’t going to be Sims, who in my opinion remains OU’s greatest offensive player ever. Switzer told King he would like him to move to fullback, because of his speed and acceleration, and because the Sooners couldn’t afford to have to both King and Sims playing halfback. King’s response? “Why don’t you move Sims?”

· Switzer and Gene Hochevar agreed that the best new rule is the ban on feeding recruits and their families. Hochever recalled recruiting John Roush out of suburban Denver in the early 1970s. “I gained 25 pounds,” Hochevar said. “His mama and daddy and sister, they ate more than any football players.”

· 1980 all-American tackle Louis Oubre got married a few years ago in Dallas. Switzer and Hochevar were groomsmen. They wore white patent leather shoes, white tuxedos and pink vests. Switzer said he told Hochevar, “Gene, we can’t let this get north of the Red.”

· Of all the great players recruited in 1975, only two played significantly. Linebacker Daryl Hunt and tight end Victor Hicks. Hicks because OU needed a tight end. Hunt because he came from Odessa Permian. “You have to know how to practice,” Switzer said. “You have to know how to work. Daryl knew how to work.” Switzer said it’s the same today, with players from big-time high school programs having the upper hand. It’s become trite to say that players from successful high school programs are more ready to contribute, because they know how to win. Untrue. Winning has nothing to do with it. Players from Jenks and Ada and Southlake (Texas) Carroll know how to work.

· Switzer can laugh about his gun scandal while coaching the Dallas Cowboys; he was caught with a gun in his bag going through security at DFW airport. “The greatest line I ever heard about the DFW gun deal? That night, I’m in Sullivan’s (bar) in Austin. Some brothers come in, I said, ‘At least I didn’t have an uzi.’ Then some big black arms come around and I heard a voice say, ‘Coach, I always knew you were a players’ coach. You proved it to us today.’” The voice came from Earl Campbell.

· When Lott was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame a few years ago, Switzer, Hicks and Sims drove down to honor him. After the event, their car battery was dead. Hicks and Sims tried to flag down some help. No one would stop. “You guys get back,” Switzer said. “They’re not stopping for you.” Switzer flagged down a car and got a jump.

· Switzer swears he never had heard of marijuana until he got to Norman in 1966 and attended a Doobie Brothers concert at Owen Field. A bunch of lighters went on, and Switzer asked someone what the heck was happening.

· Something happened in 1978 that I thought a lot about, but I never heard anyone talk about much. Until that night in Waco. Sims has been the goat of the ’78 Nebraska game for more than 30 years, since his late fumble on the goal line. The Huskers ended up winning 17-14, But after the fumble, the OU defense was about to stop Nebraska and give the Sooners another chance. Then cornerback Basil Banks lost his cool and popped a Nebraska player, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving the Huskers a first down. OU never got the ball back. On the sidelines, Switzer said Sims had come up to him and said, “Get the ball back, and I promise I’ll score the first time I touch it.” Sims never got the ball again. “They’ve been blaming me for 30 years,” Sims said with his typical good spirit. “But what about Basil Banks. The public doesn’t ever bring that up.”

· 1978 Outland Trophy winner Greg Roberts likely is one the least heralded great Sooners ever. You can make the case that Roberts is the greatest blocker in OU history. Switzer and Gene Hochevar, who coached the offensive line, regaled the group with tales of Roberts’ prowess. “Greg got a lot of (false start) calls that weren’t right,” Switzer said. “I’d tell the head linesman, ‘Don’t watch Greg Roberts. Watch the ball.’” Hochevar gave a description of Roberts’ impact that might be the best compliment I’ve heard for an offensive lineman: “We always had a new line of scrimmage a yard down the field.”

· Hanging out with those 1970s Sooners, most of whom I had never met, I came away most impressed with linebacker George Cumby and least impressed with Roberts. Cumby is a long-time minister who has worked with inncr-city people. He is quiet, humble and completely without pretense. Switzer said that’s exactly how Cumby was as an OU player. That night in Waco, unprovoked, Roberts mocked Cumby, saying, “Should have rode down with us; I’d save your soul.” Cumby kept quiet, except to say, “I know where I’m going.” And he didn’t mean some football hall of fame. Switzer, who’s never mounted a campaign for sainthood, remained impressed with the man he recruited 35 years ago as a boy from the East Texas countryside who was raised by grandparents. “Don’t let ‘em get to you, George,” Switzer said.

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Switzer tales: 1974 defense the best?

I’ve always thought Barry Switzer’s 1973 defense was the greatest in OU history. That’s the defense that had all three Selmon brothers, plus Rod Shoate at linebacker and Randy Hughes at safety.

But Switzer might vote for 1974. No Lucious Selmon at nose guard, but the others were still around, a year older and a year better.

The ’74 defense included the greatest Sooner of them all, Lee Roy Selmon; OU’s only three-time all-American of the last 60 years, Shoate at linebacker; and cornerback Tony Peters, whom Switzer says was his best defensive back.

Switzer likes to point out that eight of the those 1974 defenders became NFL starters, if you count linebacker David Smith, who didn’t really start but spelled Gary Gibbs much of the game. “Time to get David Smith’s (butt) out there,” Switzer says he would tell his defensive staff early in the game. ” He was a man who could run 4.6, weighed 240 pounds.”

Switzer’s a little off on his NFL memory. Eight of those players indeed made the NFL, but only the Selmon brothers, Shoate, Peters, Hughes and Jimbo Elrod started NFL games, and Hughes and Elrod made just five career starts between them. Defensive backs Sidney Brown and Jerry Reese made the NFL. Smith did not.

The other starters were defensive end Ron Waters and defensive tackle Anthony Bryant.

But it was a great defense. The ’73 defense is remembered for its amazing shut down of Nebraska, beating the Huskers 27-0 and not allowing Nebraska to snap the ball in Sooner territory. The ’73 defense gave up just seven points to USC and 13 to Texas. Those Sooners didn’t allow any foe to score more than 20. Opponents averaged 12.1 points a game.

But the ’74 defense was better, statistically. It pitched three shutouts. Held Nebraska to 14 and Texas to 13. No team scored more than 14 on those Sooners, and OU allowed 8.4 points a game.

Switzer might be right. 1974 might be the greatest Sooner defense of them all.

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Switzer tales: Touting Troy Aikman

Former Texas coach David McWilliams attended the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame inductions on May 8. His Longhorn quarterback in 1989-91, Peter Gardere, was among the honorees. Gardere went on to QB for John Mackovic in 1992 and finished 4-0 against the Sooners.

The Texas contingent to support Gardere was limited mostly to McWilliams, who has worked in UT’s administration since he was fired to make way for Mackovic. In fact, a couple of hours before the banquet in Waco, Texas, McWilliams was invited to join the huge OU contingent – Barry Switzer, nine former Sooner players and former assistants Gene Hochever and Rex Norris – that had assembled to honor Thomas Lott, OU’s 1976-78 quarterback who also was inducted.

McWilliams lingered in the Hilton lounge listening to all the old stories. He chimed in only once, to say he appreciated Switzer. McWilliams said that in spring 1986, when Troy Aikman was planning to transfer from OU, Switzer called McWilliams, who had just become head coach at Texas Tech. Switzer told McWilliams he should give Aikman a call.

McWilliams said he called Aikman, and Aikman’s family was very receptive. Said Aikman was visiting UCLA that weekend, and if he didn’t jump aboard with the Bruins, he would visit Lubbock. Of course, Aikman liked UCLA and the rest is history.

Which set off Switzer to tell one of his favorite stories, of coaching the Hula Bowl all-star game in January 1986. In that game, Switzer coached Purdue’s Jim Everett, who was considered a top NFL prospect and who indeed went on to a long and productive career in the pros. That week, Switzer told the NFL scouts, “I know this; I’ve got a quarterback at Oklahoma throws the ball better than this (SOB).” The scouts “looked at me and hee-hawed.”

Guess Switzer got the last laugh.

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Emails in on Barry Switzer & conference realignment

Check out more of Barry Switzer’s Tales from the Recruiting Trail here.

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The new emails are in, and lots of talk about Barry Switzer and realignment.

Some blog readers have enjoyed the Barry Switzer series. Todd: “I, for one, will never get bored reading a daily Switzer story. Good stuff.”

Here’s the tragedy for OU fans. Thirty years from now, these kinds of stories won’t be available about the Stoops era. Different personality.

Ron: “I was born in OKC in 1969 and lived here and in Norman my entire life and graduated with my B.A. in 1992. I am passionate about OU football and have always loved Barry Switzer. For so many years, media people focused on negative aspects of his career, and it is so nice to read these wonderful stories about a uniquely wonderful man.”

Is that a true statement? That the media has focused negatively on Switzer? I’d vote no. Oh sure, some people have ripped Switzer, and he’s deserved some ripping. But I think Switzer generally has received a solid hand from the press.

Fred: “I have just found your treasure trove of columns on Barry Switzer. And I have to say that it brings back memories, painful at the time, but wonderful under the shades of time to this Husker fan. How well I remember the names – and the pain they brought in the 1970s -but always with the attached respect that found me (and most other Nebraskans) cheering them in the Red River rivalry, bowl games and subsequent careers in pro football. For all the differences between Barry Switzer and Tom Osborne, each have three of the greatest and most desirable traits among men of any era and profession. They are great leaders who inspire loyalty and trust, each fully returns that loyalty and trust, and there is no artifice in either man. Barry and Tom are who they are and always have been, making no apologies. Bravo for a great article and the wonderful memories of the best of times in college football.”

Here we go again. More OU-Nebraska lovefest, which is as good a reason as any to discuss the ramifications if the Huskers jump to the Big Ten. You know what? It could enhance the Big Red rivalry. Nebraska probably would want to play the Sooners every year. OU might have to be talked into it, but those wanting OU-NU to return to annual status, one of them leaving the conference might be the best answer.

DK: “Do you see any scenario that would get Texas and my beloved Sooners to join a 16-team Pac-10/Big 12 conference. Kind of like the eight existing coastal schools in one division and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma and maybe Oklahoma State? The championship game would be the two division winners probably held in Dallas, Arizona, Rose Bowl, San Francisco or maybe even Salt Lake City? Does this seem workable and viable? That 16 school league would have bite! You’re looking at the winner of Oklahoma-Texas playing USC, UCLA or maybe Oregon in a conference championship game in Jerry World, Phoenix, Rose Bowl, San Francisco or maybe Seattle or Salt Lake City. It sure beats freezing at Arrowhead in December. Sooner Nation needs to think big! Eventually, Texas is going to. Let’s not get left behind.”

You know, I don’t think it’s a crazy idea. I don’t think it’s close to fruition, but I don’t think it’s a crazy idea. I don’t know which six teams might work best, but let’s say OU, OSU, A&M, Texas, Kansas and either Tech or Kansas State teams with Arizona and Arizona State for the eastern division of the Pac-16. Before you get caught up on geography, remember that the Oklahoma City RedHawks play in the Pacific Coast League. The first move for such a league would be some kind of television agreement, which I don’t think is too far in the distance. If Missouri and/or Nebraska should bolt the Big 12, which I don’t think is going to happen but is possible, then this idea has some legs.

Scott: “I’m a lifelong Husker fan who grew up in Lincoln. I also spent four years in Bartlesville, so I know your work well. Today I stumbled across a link to one of your Switzer Tales and was excited to see more. Huskers have always been fascinated with Barry and the lovefest increased after both he and Dr. Tom retired. I can still recall the years OU would come to Lincoln from the mid-70s to the early ’80s. At any rate, great stuff and so glad you’re pulling out these stories to share. It’s not just OU fans that enjoy the history, and this has also given great insight into how great college football was in those days.”

Stuff likes this gets me to thinking. Is college football better now, or was it better then? I can argue pretty passionately about that question concerning baseball (better in the ’70s), the NBA (better now), the NFL (better now, but it’s close) and college basketball (better now, but not as good as the ’80s). But college football? I don’t know. I’m going to think about it. It would make a great study.

Toni: “You have written a fantastic article! Switzer is a great guy and you only proved it so. My husband and I were just a young married couple back in those glory days. We had just moved to Oklahoma. How could you not fall under the spell of OU football back then? Well, we’ve been under that spell ever since. Thanks for the wonderful memories!”

It’s like I said in the column. It’s all about memories. Our most prized possessions are our memories. Without them, we have nothing.

David: “That article certainly catches the essence of why players and fans love OU football. I remember watching Thomas Lott in the Stanford game at Stanford (when I lived in San Jose). He didn’t throw often but he threw one that my memory tells me went 80 yards. Admittedly not as accurate as Bradford, but I will swear that he could throw that ball out of the stadium. Back in those days, I taught statistics at night school through USC in San Jose. On the first exam I used to ask, ‘Which of the following players were running backs at the University of Oklahoma?’ a) Elvis Peacock, b) David Overstreet, c) Horace Ivory, or d) Joe Washington.’ It was sort of a warmup question that would get everyone a correct answer to start the exam.”

Good thing you didn’t ask which OU quarterback could throw the ball 80 yards and include Thomas Lott as one of the answers. I loved Lott as a ballplayer, but he couldn’t throw the ball 80 yards if he was standing on a cliff. That’s the thing you’ve got to be careful about memory. It can play tricks.

Joshua: “Recently, President Obama, along with all the former living presidents (Bush I & II, Clinton and Carter), got together for a photo op in the Oval Office. I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to see all of the former OU football coaches along with Stoops get together at midfield for a photo op at halftime of a future game (Stoops, Blake, Schnelly, Gibbs, Switzer, & Fairbanks). Sure these men’s egos are probably on par with the past American presidents, and they aren’t running for office, but wouldn’t it be a pretty awesome scene if these guys could put that aside for five minutes for a picture together. Thoughts on how this can happen?”

1. Hell freezes over. 2. OU schedules Florida Atlantic and doesn’t tell Schnellenberger it’s happening. Just have him wander out there with some old guys and snap the picture quickly.

Josh wrote about conference realignment: “How much revenue is really produced by the conference football championship game? If the Big 12 loses Nebraska and Missouri, I am beginning to believe the conference would be better off standing pat than expanding back to 12. Of course this would only be true if the Pac-10 alliance comes to fruition. Could the TV revenue produced from an alliance offset the loss of revenue from a championship game?”

I think you’re on to something. I can’t remember if I’ve said this before, but I think the Big 12 might be better off contracting than expanding. I’m not talking about a Pac-10 alliance. I’m talking about replacing a Missouri or Nebraska with a TCU or New Mexico. The Big 12 is better off at 10 than a weakened 12. The title game revenue is not small. But the real cash cow could be that Pac-10 TV deal.

Tom: “With all of the talk about the Big 12′s demise, it was interesting that the last Big 12 Softball Tournament was finished today. For all the talking heads in the Big 12, it seems that the administrators are really worried about costs by cancelling events. You have the location of the Women’s College World Series and you cancel the future of your conference tourney. All the while, we have the SEC Softball Tourney Championship being played on ESPN. (I am aware that the Big 10 and Pac 10 don’t play tourneys, however, the SEC, ACC and Big East do.) What is next? Maybe cancelling the Big 12 Baseball Tourney.”

I don’t think the Big 12 softball tournament cost much of anything. The league coaches didn’t want to play the thing.

David wrote about my Tiger Woods column: “Get real. Who’s he intimidating (and the notion of an intimidating golfer is slightly ludicrous to begin with)? To the extent there was any intimidation, it was against a bunch of panty-waist sissy boys whose every whim was catered to on the country club circuit once their golf talent was recognized. The biggest challenge these wimps have had in life is a flat tire on their customized golf carts when they were kids. Let’s face it, these pampered snots who didn’t crawl their way up from the streets of North Philly. Any intimidation emanating from Tiger was bogus to begin with, as he has revealed himself to be a total wuss. A little scandal breaks over his extra-curricular activities, and what does the tough guy do? He runs off to pout on his yacht for a few months, and then seeks the last refuge of all scoundrels: rehab for the non-existent malady known as ‘sex addiction.’ Name one other top flight athlete who ran and hid over something like this. I don’t recall Kobe Bryant crawling into a cave and taking time off when he was charged with rape. And Big Ben Roethlisberger seems to be clicking right along despite his indiscretions, or near crimes. Just admit it: these PGA jokers aren’t athletes. They’re barely men, as Woods himself has proved with his abject cowardice in the face of adversity. When something went slightly wrong in his perfect little life, he collapsed like a cheap card table.”

You said “get real,” but what you really meant was, man, Berry, you nailed it. Tiger’s not intimidating anymore. But here’s a better question. From where does all this anger come? I mean, if you don’t like golf, fine. If you think golfers are pampered, OK. But explain the venom in this email. I mean, I understand the passion sports fans have. Sooner fans, Cowboy fans, even the Thunder fans are starting to embrace their newfound franchise like a childhood blanket. Someone picks on those guys, them’s fightin’ words. Someone writes about a college football issue, step aside Lincoln and Douglas and let the debating begin. But golf? A sport you apparently don’t have any use for? How does a person get so worked about something they obviously don’t care about, to the point of writing a mean-spirited and obviously-well-considered dispatch? I don’t get it.

Dan was less emotional about the issue: “Tiger’s talent alone will carry him past Nicklaus, but the bloom is off the rose and he will struggle to overcome the mental issues he faces. For me, it’s the image of the perfect father/husband he tried to portray that bugs me the most. If this were John Daly, it wouldn’t even be news. Maybe not fair, but that’s the way it is.

That’s all I was saying. Tiger’s opponents thought he was one thing. Turns out he was another. So they also thought he was unbeatable. No reason why that can’t be a facade, too.

Jayne: “Really liked the Tiger article. Comparisons clever and right on. He’ll probably still catch or pass Nicklaus in majors, but it suddenly become a much more difficult goal after Thanksgiving. Maybe Elin took another club to that upper back.”

Wonder when the full Thanksgiving story will come out? You know it’s coming. We just don’t know when.

Let’s turn to some NBA talk. Tyler: “You may jump on me with the same hostility that my friends did when I proposed it to them, but I am willing to risk that in order to pick your brain. One of the main points that I constantly hear brought up in any conversation about NBA coaches is how Jerry Sloan is so underrated and how it is just crazy how he has never won the Coach of the Year award. I would argue that Jerry Sloan gets just about the right amount of credit for the job he has done. I would say that he is a very good coach, but I am not ready to consider Sloan a great coach. Heck, kudos to anyone who coaches in the same NBA city for 21 years straight. I would also argue that he is one of the classiest coaches in the NBA. But I have trouble throwing him into the discussion of the greats; 21 years in Utah, many of those with one of the best duos in the league, and no championships. Not one. Shoot, he only won two conference championships in those 21 seasons. It seems to me that year in and year out the Jazz are one of those good teams. Not really in the championship discussion, but dangerous on any night. I think that is very reflective of their coach. Good, and often dangerous, but definitely not great. When discussing players, no matter the sport, you always hear the debate over guys who never won a ring being ‘great’ or not. I think you can apply that same debate to Sloan’s career.”

I generally think that championships are way too much of a barometer over greatness. I’m not saying that Sloan is underrated or that he deserved some coach of the year awards. But I am saying I think he’s a great coach. You don’t stay this good this long without some level of greatness. This comes down to a great debate. Would you rather be a Miami Heat fan or a Phoenix Suns fan? Who has had the better ride the last 20 years? Miami fans got a title, but Phoenix fans get contention virtually every year. You can toss in Utah or Dallas or whoever in place of Phoenix if you want. I wouldn’t take Miami. Up, down, terrible, promising. Some great years. And some years when the season is over in December. Jerry Sloan gives Jazz fans compelling basketball virtually every day the gym is open. Fans can’t ask for much more than that.

Joe: “In the midst of the playoffs, I thought about how the NBA has had several player/coaches through the years. I think Bill Russell may have been a player/coach. I think there were others. Just thought that would be an interesting story.”

Here’s what would be interesting. How those guys did it. How does someone who is playing 35-40 minutes a game make substitutions and adjustments? The truth is, those player/coaches – Bill Russell, Lenny Wilkens, Dave Cowens – had on-the-bench help. Assistant coaches who in reality ran things, except they gave way to the desires of the player/coach. Which means they weren’t all that different from today’s superstars. LeBron James, Kobe, whoever else. They sort of run their own game. Kobe himself admitted he checks himself in, and he’s playing for one of the game’s greatest coaches ever. Player/coaches? We might have them now.

Josh, our resident college football monitor: “The 2011 BCS National Championship game will be played on Jan. 10! In 13 seasons, we have gone from a Jan. 1 game to this. To make things worse, the PapaJohns.com Bowl is being played on Jan. 8. In reality, conference championships and bowl games take up a third of the actual season. By 2020, the national championship will be played on a Monday, and the Super Bowl will follow the next Sunday. Thoughts?”

I think PapaJohns.com needs better marketing. I’m not sure if that’s the pizza company or not. What else is there to think about? I mean, so the Big Bowl is Jan. 10. That’s all that much worse than Jan. 4? What’s the difference between a team being off 33 days and 39 days. It’s still an unnatural break.

Greg wrote about my Mother’s Day column: “Great story on Nona Cornett. I grew up a couple of blocks from the Cornetts and was a couple years behind in school from Mayor Mick. It took some time for me to think of the Mayor as ‘Mick;’ I had always thought of him as Mickey from our days as Coronado Heights Elementary Cougars. Knowing his dad, I just assumed that he was named after Mickey Mantle. A few years back, Nona entertained me with the story of how Michael evolved into Mickey. Perhaps one of my life’s greatest regrets involves his dad. When I was a high school senior at Putnam City, Mr. Cornett had retired from the Post Office and was working at a local sporting goods store. As our football game with rival Putnam City West approached, I persuaded Mr. Cornett to print up some T-shirts that our principal found objectionable and threatened those who wore them with disciplinary action. Mr. Cornett was an honest, decent human being, who would have never agreed to print those shirts under normal circumstances. Under pressure from our principal, I wilted and gave up Mr. Cornett’s name with little in the way of resistance. Kind of makes me wonder what I might give up if someone threatened to waterboard me. I’m not aware that Mr. Cornett ever suffered any repercussions over the incident, but I remain miffed at myself for giving up his name as easily as I did; especially since I had made a tidy profit selling those T-shirts to my classmates.”

And there you have it. The reason Mick Cornett never can be president of the United States. This sordid piece of his past will come to the surface.

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Switzer tales: Port Robertson is missed

College football players today are different from those of the 1970s. Barry Switzer says he thinks the drug culture changed the fabric of society somewhere around 1980. In other words, his later players dealt with a lot more than his earlier players.

“I wouldn’t be involved in football today,” said Gene Hochevar, Switzer’s assistant coach in the 1970s. “I don’t know how Bob Stoops does it.”

The reunion a week ago of Switzer’s ’70s-era players brought out a host of stories. But also introspection on how times have changed. Some for the bad, some for the good.

Coaches have changed, too.

“We should have been shot,” Hochevar said of how coaches treated players. “Nobody gets water. ‘What are you, a sissy?’”

Switzer called it the “Neanderthal” period. He thinks back to his Arkansas playing days, with all the head-first hitting of teammates and tackling dummies and now he labors with a bad back and a fused neck. “I wondered what all that popping was in my neck,” Switzer said. “I wanted to make the team. I was hitting an immovable object.” Recently, “a surgeon told me, ‘you don’t need to be in a car wreck.’”

Training rooms weren’t the palaces they are today. “You didn’t want a big training room,” Switzer said. “You don’t want 20 training tables. Then everybody gets hurt. Have 20 training tables, people think they’re supposed to get hurt.”

But not all the old thinking was backward thinking. The presence of a disciplinarian like Port Robertson never goes out of style. Robertson was the legendary OU wrestling coach and assistant football coach who eventually became the school’s athletic sheriff. Made sure guys went to class and stayed out of trouble.

No Sooner in the ’50s, ’60s or ’70s wanted to run afoul of Port Robertson.

“Port would break their plate,” Hochevar said.

The coaches would enter the athletic dining hall and see who was washing dishes as punishment. “We called it ‘who’s in the Navy?’” Switzer said.

Switzer said Arkansas had a tough old coach like that, Wilson Matthews, who would go through the dorms and made the sure the rooms were tidy. If the bed wasn’t made, Matthews would grab up all the bedding, throw it in the floor, empty the closet of even clean and hung-up clothes and toss them in the pile, without caring whether they belonged to the roommate or not, and leave a note: “Clean this (crap) up or get out.”

Nowadays, not that many players live in athletic dorms. Mostly only freshmen. NCAA regulations prohibit dorms with at least 50 percent athletic occupancy.

“The thing I think college football is missing, we lived in one place,” said Thomas Lott, Switzer’s quarterback in 1976-78. “We ate together. We slept together. We cried together. When you go through those emotions … we were a family no matter what.”

Anyway, coaches like Port Robertson made players tough. Tough and wise.

Switzer tells the story of Mike Mullen, a linebacker who transferred to Tulane and eventually was drafted by the Dolphins. Switzer said Mullen was a talented player but didn’t know how to work, and Port Robertson was very tough on Mullen. But when OU built a new wrestling practice facility, Mullen donated to the project and even came for the dedication.

“He knew what Port meant,” Switzer said.

Players today, Switzer said, “bitch, go to the AD (athletic director). Get the coach fired.”

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Switzer tales: Waymon Clark

 

Waymon Clark hasn’t played played football for OU in 37 years, and Clark is mostly remembered as the wild man who got kicked off the team in 1974 and has spent most of his life in Texas prisons and mental rehabilitation wards.

Barry Switzer still bittersweetly recalls how Clark got in trouble for stealing as a Sooner. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to pay for the item; he just didn’t want to stand in line to do it. Some have characterized Clark as criminally insane. I know at the least, he is a tragic figure in OU football history.

But grim expressions turn to smiles when the subject turns to football. Those who remember Clark remain amazed at the ballplayer he was.

Switzer recruited Clark out of junior college, where he was sort of a reverse Lucious Selmon. Clark was a defensive lineman who belonged at fullback. Clark’s juco coach told Switzer that if he put Clark at fullback, he’d never put him back.

Switzer assistant coach Gene Hochevar recalled the first play in practice that Clark ran the ball. “Everybody on the whole team’s on him,” Hochevar said. “He’s dragging them.”

Clark rushed for 1,014 yards in 1973, joining Joe Washington as 1,000-yard rushers on Switzer’s first team.

Clark was an intimidating force. In August 1974, before Clark was booted from the squad, Elvis Peacock was a freshman halfback. They were in the same backfield for a practice drill, when Peacock went the wrong way.

Peacock still remembers the conversation: “Look freshman,” Clark told him, “When I’m getting the ball and we’re running the lead play, you get that defensive end.”

Said Switzer, “He got their attention more than Galen Hall did.”

Clark stayed in hot water with his teammates. He once angered Gary Baccus, a tough-as-nails defensive end. Baccus told Hall, the offensive coordinator, to run the fullback stunt. Baccus wanted a piece of Clark.

Switzer assistant coach Gene Hochevar recalled the scene. “Run it again,” Baccus said after the first play. “Run it again,” he repeated. After the third collision with Clark, Baccus said, “That’s enough.”

The Switzer Era began with a road game at Baylor, in September 1973. Tim Welch, nicknamed We-We, started at fullback. Clark entered the game and reeled off a 50-yard run.

“Everybody on the sidelines was going, ‘We-We, where you going to play?’” Hochevar laughed.

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