Oklahoma to honor Switzer era national championship teams during season opener

Sooners to celebrate Barry Switzer’s 1974 and 1975 national title teams during the first game of the 2024 season

The Oklahoma Sooners are less than two weeks away from beginning the 2024 college football season. Third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] leads OU from the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in a much-anticipated move.

When the Temple Owls come into Norman on Friday, August 30, Oklahoma will be combining a journey to their new future with a glimpse into the past.

The university announced via a press release on Friday that the 1974 and 1975 teams that won back-to-back national championships will be honored that night on Owen Field. This year marks 50 years since the ’74 squad won the national title.

According to the press release, “Former head coach [autotag]Barry Switzer[/autotag] and many of his players, coaches and support staff members from those two teams will be recognized on Owen Field at halftime of the contest against the Owls. They will also be celebrated during a private Thursday night gathering.”

In addition, halftime festivities will get started with a National Football Foundation salute to former OU defensive lineman [autotag]Dewey Selmon[/autotag], a member of the 1974 and ’75 teams who will become the 24th Sooner player inducted into the [autotag]College Football Hall of Fame[/autotag] this December. Dewey will join his late brother, college teammate, and fellow defensive lineman [autotag]Lee Roy Selmon[/autotag] in the Hall of Fame.

Two of the greatest teams in OU history, the ’74 and ’75 teams won national titles Nos. 4 and 5 in program history. They were the first of the three championships of the Switzer era. The University of Oklahoma highlighted both teams in detail.

“The 11-0 1974 squad was the only unbeaten team in the nation and featured eight first-team All-Americans: center Kyle Davis, defensive back Randy Hughes, split end Tinker Owens, guard John Rouse (consensus), Dewey and LeeRoy Selmon, linebacker Rod Shoate (consensus) and running back Joe Washington (consensus). The Sooners that year averaged a nation-leading 43.0 points per game and allowed only 8.4. They outscored opponents 473-92 and didn’t allow any foe to more than 14 points. OU posted three shutouts, won three contests by more than 60 points and seven by more than 30 points. It also set a still-existing NCAA FBS record of 73.9 rushes per game. The 1975 Sooners, who finished 11-1, also sported eight first-team All-Americans: Owens, Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon (both consensus), Washington, split end Billy Brooks, defensive end Jimbo Elrod (consensus), offensive tackle Mike Vaughan and guard Terry Webb. Lee Roy Selmon won the Outland Trophy and Vince Lombardi Award before being selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft the following spring. OU’s defense held five opponents to seven or fewer points and seven teams to 10 or fewer. Seven of the Sooners’ victories came against AP top-20 teams, including three over top-5 squads (24-17 over No. 5 Texas, 35-10 over No. 2 Nebraska and 14-6 over No. 5 Michigan in the Orange Bowl). Both OU teams were quarterbacked by Steve Davis, who was posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame last week.”

OU’s season opener against Temple will kick off at 6 p.m. central time on ESPN. The contest was moved up a day, agreed upon by the Sooners, the Owls, ESPN and the SEC. This allows Oklahoma’s first game as a member of the conference to take place in primetime in a desirable TV slot on a Friday night.

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