Oklahoma football: At least Headington Hall is going up fast
Headington Hall, the new OU athletic dorm being built just southeast of Owen Field, is going up fast.
So fast, I asked Bob Stoops the other day how a huge building like that could be constructed so quickly, yet his under-construction house, just off I-35 in northwest Norman, is taking what seems like forever.
“I should have hired that crew over there,” Stoops said with a laugh. “No, my guys have been awesome. You know how it is, it’s a tedious process. But to be quite honest, everyone asks me, I’m not complaining. I don’t much care. When it’s done, it’ll be done. They’ll tell me to go over there instead of my other house. Whenever will be fine.”
Stoops’ house is the castle-looking structure between Franklin Road and Indian Hills Road, west of the interstate. You can see it from the interstate, but don’t look for periodic developments. They are slow to come. I swear, the 54-story Devon Tower went up more quickly.
Stoops’ new home has been a point of discussion among Sooner fans. Some take it as a sign that Stoops is planning to stay in Norman a long time.
Count me among that group. I once asked Stoops about it, and he dismissed the theory, saying, “You can always sell a house.” Not that one, you can’t. I don’t know what the price tag is, but $4 million is too low.
Anyway, Stoops doesn’t seem all that excited about his house. But he’s fired up about Headington Hall. “I think it’s going to make a huge difference in all of our athletic programs,” Stoops said. “Not to have a cliché, but I believe this, for most all the sports, it’s like a game-changer. It’s going to really make a difference in recruiting and the life of our student-athletes. We’re all excited about it.”
Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops careful on injury reporting
Bob Stoops says he’s never even heard of a bounty plan in college football. Never heard of coaches or players intent on injuring opponents. But he’s still going to be careful about disclosing injuries.
I wrote about this issue in the Sunday Oklahoman. You can read that column here. Barry Switzer said he didn’t think any reluctance of coaches to reveal injury information had anything to do with protecting players; it was all strategy based.
But Stoops isn’t so sure.
“If a young guy has a chance to play, why would you explain where his weakness is,” Stoops said. “The only reason would be to help the other team or to help a gambler. So I don’t need to participate in that.”
Stoops actually isn’t totally secretive on injuries. But he has his limits. “I think too much is made of trying to get that out there,” Stoops said. “I guess there’s so many people gambling, that the media feels they need to feed ‘em the information. But in college ball, if a guy has a chance to play, I don’t believe it should be talked about.”
Of course, the idea to get injury information to the public is not based on helping the gamblers. It’s based on hurting the gamblers. Big-time gamblers will go to all kinds of means to obtain injury information. If that information is not made public, then big-time gamblers will have an advantage. That’s why the NFL is strict on releasing injury information.
However, in the wake of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, it will be interesting to see if that policy is reviewed.
Stoops routinely has announced when a player won’t play. “If a guy is going to be out, I’ve said so,” Stoops said. “But a guy has a chance up to game day, I feel it’s fair to the young man to give him that chance (without going into specifics). So yeah, I do believe that’s part of why I haven’t. To me, you’re handicapping the young guy by telling people what hurts on him, so he’s going to line up against somebody who’s trying to get the better of ‘em.”
Stoops said he’s never heard of a college bounty or plan to injure: “I really can’t say that I have. I’ve never been around a team … that’s ever been close to anything like that. I think it’s always fair to say, ‘We can’t let the quarterback sit there and be comfortable all day.’ But there’s never been alluding to hurting somebody. I’m glad I’ve never heard or been a part of anything like that. Even other teams that we’ve played.”
Open Mike: Big 12 football podcast with Sports Editor Mike Sherman and Columnist Berry Tramel
Berry Tramel and Mike Sherman were in the podcast studio at The Oklahoman this week to talk Big 12 football scheduling, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s 2012 schedules, conference realignment, the future of TCU football, and which Big 12 conference games could be moved to a Thursday night.
You can listen to the full podcast here.
OU football: Bob Stoops misses Superman play
In a play that went down in Sooner football history, Oklahoma Sooner safety Roy Williams knocks the ball loose from Texas quarterback Chris Simms, deflecting the ball to Teddy Lehman who scored a clinching touchdown in the game between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas, October 6, 2001, in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Illustration by Todd Pendleton. Photo by Paul Hellstern
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.”
OU football: Sooners’ clean performance vs. Tulsa a great sign
OU head coach Bob Stoops didn't have much to talk about with officials Saturday in Oklahoma's opener vs. Tulsa. The Sooners' committed only two penalties in their 47-14 victory. PHOTO from The Oklahoman archives.
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
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.
Switzer tales: Hochevar postscript
Barry Switzer is flanked by Gene Hochevar (left) and Jerry Pettibone (right) at Louis Oubre's wedding. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
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.
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?”
OU football coach Barry Switzer and offensive line coach Gene Hochevar are carried off the field of the Cotton Bowl on 10-14-73.
· 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.
OU quarterback Thomas Lott reaches down to help running back Billy Sims to his feet after Sims dropped the first of two fumbles in the game vs. Nebraska 11/12/78
· 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.
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.
OU linebacker Rod Shoate tackles Texas' Marty Akins. Staff photo by Jim Argo taken 10/12/74
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.
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.
OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
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.
