Tag: Bill Snyder

Iowa football all-time roster: Coaches, kickers and specialists

See which coaching and special teams legends made the cut in our all-time Iowa Hawkeyes football roster.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a rich history with some of the game’s titans suiting up in the black and gold. Hawkeyes Wire is taking a look back at Iowa’s finest offensive playmakers, defensive standouts, specialists and coaches from its entire history.

After taking a look at the Hawkeyes’ all-time offensive and defensive teams, it’s now time to turn our attention the all-time specialists and coaches in Iowa history.

Specialists can change a game in an instant with a game-breaking return or a punt that pins an opponent deep or flips field position. Of course, the best assistant coaches help programs innovate offensively and defensively and keep the talent pipelines rolling.

The importance of a head coach can’t be overstated. The lifeblood and foundation of a program is set by the head coach. Iowa has had plenty of great options in terms of specialists, assistant coaches and head coaches.

Let’s take a look at the Hawkeyes’ all-time specialists and coaches.

See Iowa’s all-time offense and all-time defense. 

Check out our other College Wire all-time lineups: Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Nebraska / North Carolina / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin

Brent Venables history makes up for lack of head coaching experience

He’ll be making his head coaching debut on September 3, but Brent Venables’ experience in college football will serve as the catalyst in restoring Oklahoma to greatness.

A common theme against the Oklahoma Sooners contending in 2022 has been, “but Brent Venables has never been a head coach before.”

It’s a true statement. It can’t really be argued. And yet, it rings hollow.

This isn’t a head coach who’s only been in the game for a few years or is the hot coordinator prospect. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has been in the coaching game for nearly 30 years.

And this isn’t also your typical position coach who’s slowly worked his way around the country and taken on different opportunities to raise his coaching profile enough to get an opportunity. Venables has had three jobs in his nearly 30-year coaching history. From starting as a graduate assistant and then linebackers coach to serving as the defensive coordinator for Oklahoma and Clemson, Venables has proved to be a coach that will hang around, biding his time.

After leaving Oklahoma for Clemson, Venables became the hottest coordinator in college football after helping the Tigers become one of the best defenses in college football over the last decade. Opportunities to make the jump to head coach came and went, and Venables never felt the timing was right. And in that time, Venables learned from some of the best in the business. Bill Snyder and Bob Stoops are in the College Football Hall of Fame, and one day Dabo Swinney will join them.

30 years of learning from some of the best in the business. That has to matter for something. He’s seen what’s worked. He’s seen what hasn’t. He’s had the opportunity to test his culture on a smaller scale with the linebackers and then the defenses he was in charge of. And the results speak for themselves.

Though only as a coordinator, Venables has been to the mountaintop three times, winning national championships with Oklahoma and Clemson (twice). He’s been to the mountaintop only to get knocked down in losses in the BCS Championship games and in the College Football Playoff.

The highs and lows. The good and the bad. All of it has prepared him for his first head coaching job at the University of Oklahoma, a place that “takes a backseat to nobody.”

We’ve already seen the Oklahoma Sooners reap the rewards of his approach on the recruiting front. In less than two months, Venables and his staff turned a hemorrhaging 2022 recruiting class into the No. 8 class in the cycle. Oklahoma’s still months away from national signing day, but as things stand right now, the Sooners sit No. 7 in both the On3 and 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

If everything that’s gone on in the first nine months of Brent Venables’ tenure as the Sooners head coach is any indication, Oklahoma is going to win a lot of games. And with his experience getting to and helping win national championships, eventually, Oklahoma will capture national title No. 8.

In the meantime, the Sooners prepare for the season opener on September 3 against the UTEP Miners. That game may not have huge national interest, but Brent Venables’ debut will be an important step in returning the Oklahoma Sooners to legitimate national title contenders.

Why is it important? Because it’s the first step in what many believe will be a long and successful coaching career for Brent Venables in Norman.

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Brent Venables secured ‘first-rounders’ in Miguel Chavis, Jay Valai

Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables detailed why he targeted defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai.

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On a day designed to address the Sooners’ 2022 signing class, Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables broached that subject and many more in a make-up Zoom availability with the local media that spanned just north of an hour and a half.

One of the topics was two of the additions to his inaugural staff, defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and cornerbacks and nickelbacks coach Jay Valai.

Chavis was announced as an addition to the staff on Dec. 17 after spending five years at Clemson with Venables where he served in a defensive player development role.

OU fans had to wait until after the national championship game went final to pry Valai away from Alabama. Valai’s hiring was officially announced on Jan. 11.

“Jay and Miguel both, boy, they’re both so unique. Tons of energy. Lots of life. They’re wise beyond their years. They bring so much to the table when it comes from relationships to football acumen. Just really advanced when it comes to the ability to teach and also to be able to articulate football 101, to be able to more than hold their own in the staff room. And then, their ability to connect with players is really, really special,” Venables said about the pair.

He mentioned how Chavis and Valai were two of his first targets and that each jumped at the opportunity to join Oklahoma’s staff.

“We hit the home run with those guys. They’re just scratching the surface on their young careers, but, man, I didn’t flinch. Like, those were my first rounders and we were able to get them right away. Both of them, the very first conversation when I reached out to them, both having great opportunities where they were at, neither one of them flinched. They were like, ‘Yeah, when do you need me to be there?’ So, for me, that was really cool. Even in the short amount of time that they’ve been here, it’s just been validated over and over,” Venables said.

As Oklahoma and college football fans think about the hiring of Chavis, it’s important to look back into Venables’ past alongside former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.

When asked how long he’s thought about putting a staff together, Venables touched on something he took away from his time with the Wildcats.

“One of the best things that Bill Snyder did was he coached coaches, so, man, I was always taking notes of that. I’ve had opportunity even as a coordinator to coach coaches, too. You coach your players, but you also coach your staff that you’re empowered to lead. So, I’ve been leading and coaching coaches and, in my mind, developing coaches in my role for a very, very long time,” Venables said.

This dynamic of developing coaches helps explain why Venables was comfortable hiring someone in Chavis who is yet to officially serve in an on-field coaching capacity.

“We hit it off immediately. He’s a former player and I sat in the staff room with him every day. He coached a camp with us. He had some opportunities to coach because of COVID and some things like that as well over the last few years. Just you know when you know. You know it when you see it and you know it when you don’t,” Venables said of Chavis.

Venables met Valai back when Valai was still a player on the recruiting trail. To hear Venables describe it, there was something about Valai’s character traits that immediately caught Venables’ attention.

“Man, I was just instantly, magnetically attracted to this guy as far as who he was as a person, his energy, his values, his football acumen, his simplicity, his humility. All those things, I was very attracted to and I knew he was a great recruiter and things of that nature, too, but so much more,” Venables said of Valai.

Again, Venables had both Chavis and Valai in mind as potential hires if and when the opportunity presented itself.

“Here in the last five, six, seven years, I knew that those were two guys that, man, those were definitely guys I was going to try to hire that would make me better. You’ve got to have, you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I was fortunate,” Venables said.

It’s also not lost on Venables the commitment required from the administrative leadership at Oklahoma to make the coaching staff hires possible.

“Finding the right people has been a critical, critical thing and then also having the support from Joe and Zac and Larry to be able to hire the right people, too. We’ve had to navigate that. I didn’t take any of that for granted either. They’re all at great places and come with a price tag. Create a vision and opportunity for them to make it all fit together organically, so that’s been a lot of fun for me, but one again I’ve been preparing for for a long time,” Venables said.

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247Sports calls Brent Venables the ‘best head coaching hire of the offseason,’ gives high marks for OU staff

Taking a look at each new coaching staff of the recent carousel, 247Sports Brandon Marcello gave the Sooners an “A” for new coaching staff.

December of 2021 will be a month Oklahoma Sooners fans and alumni won’t soon forget. After the season ended with a surprising Bedlam loss, Lincoln Riley was off to USC in the blink of an eye, leaving observers to wonder what was next for OU.

Though it took a week for the University of Oklahoma leadership to finalize a deal with Brent Venables, their due diligence got the Sooners the right man to take over in the wake of Riley’s sudden departure.

The former defensive coordinator, Venables, had never been a head coach, biding his time for the right program to come calling. Though he’d had opportunities in the past to take over a team, his patience was rewarded with one of the premier programs in college football.

The move has garnered rave reviews from around college football, and they keep coming in. 247Sports Brandon Marcello spent some time grading each new staff that took shape from the most recent coaching carousel and gave the Oklahoma Sooners an “A” for Brent Venables and his staff.

But what does Marcello think Brent Venables brings to the Oklahoma Sooners?

Venables not only understands what is required to win national titles after coaching alongside Dabo Swinney at Clemson, he knows how to handle egos, personalities and recruiting wars while also properly shaping the psychology of a team. In my opinion, he’s the best head-coaching hire of the offseason. – Marcello

From Dabo Swinney to Bob Stoops to Bill Snyder, Brent Venables has spent time learning from some of the very best college football coaches of the last 30 years. Those three legendary head coaches had sustained success at their programs, and Snyder and Stoops created lasting legacies in their retirements.

Venables has a clear picture of what he wants his program to look like. In his opening press conference, he discussed holistic coaching. Not just developing the athlete, but the student and the person. And that’s a message that’s resonated as the Sooners have been the beneficiaries of the transfer portal despite several players departing after the coaching change.

He’s had success recruiting in SEC territory, and he helped Clemson have success against the SEC in championship wins as well. He’s the perfect coach to help evolve the Sooners as the Big 12 evolves into more of an SEC style of play as OU gets ready to make the transition to the SEC in the next couple of years.

Marcello then went on to talk about the formation of Brent Venables’ coaching staff and had some high remarks for them as well.

Venables’ staff is also great, though Florida edges out the Sooners for the best 10-person staff. Ole Miss’ Jeff Lebby has OU connections and his pass-heavy style (will) provide a smooth transition. Adding former Troy defensive coordinator Brandon Hall as a safeties coach, along with veteran Ted Roof as the playcaller, was also an overlooked haul. And how about grabbing Alabama cornerbacks coach Jay Valai fresh off the national championship game? His biggest win might have been keeping DeMarco Murray on staff as the running backs coach. He’ll be big on the recruiting trail in the coming years. – Marcello, 247Sports

Brent Venables has done a great job putting together the coaching staff. Retaining Murray, Bill Bedenbaugh, and Joe Jon Finley were just as crucial as any assistant he brought in. Those three assistants kept the Oklahoma Sooners recruiting momentum going during the coaching transition and helped them maintain big-time 2022 and 2023 commitments. But adding Todd Bates and Jay Valai were huge gets for the Oklahoma Sooners, and we’re already seeing it pay off on the recruiting trail.

Despite the transition, the Oklahoma Sooners are in great shape with Winter workouts underway with an eye on Spring football. Though they’ve experienced some losses, they’re a team that’s ready to rebound into contention after a disappointing finish to the 2021 season.

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All Bob Stoops wants is for Brent Venables ‘to do better than I did by a long shot’

Oklahoma interim head coach Bob Stoops is prepared to offer guidance if asked, but knows Brent Venables “doesn’t need any help.”

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Oklahoma interim head coach Bob Stoops knows what it takes to win at the highest level in college football.

Stoops and his players engineered one of the great two-year turnarounds in college football history when his team capped the 2000 season by beating Florida State 13-2 in the 2001 Orange Bowl to capture the BCS National Championship.

Of course, Stoops went on to add all sorts of other accomplishments along the way throughout his decorated tenure leading Oklahoma. Stoops is the only coach to have won each of the four BCS bowl games and a BCS National Championship.

The Youngstown, Ohio, native finished his 18-year run as Oklahoma’s head coach with a record of 190-48 and won a record 10 Big 12 championships.

As it was with Lincoln Riley before him, if new Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables ever needs any advice or guidance, Stoops said he’ll gladly help.

Stoops said Venables is prepared for this opportunity, though, and he isn’t expecting to be called upon for much.

“He doesn’t need any help, but I’m going to be there. We’re very close as everybody knows, so of course I’m going to always be there to lend [help]. Now again, not that he needs it at all, but you might as well bounce something off me if you’ve got an idea about something or thinking about something. He knows all I want is for him to do better than I did by a long shot,” Stoops said.

Matching or perhaps surpassing the accomplishments and standard that Stoops set at Oklahoma is asking for Venables to be one of the game’s preeminent coaches.

Still, Stoops believes Venables is capable of just that.

“Again, I just think as you guys all every time you see Brent in front of you, you realize why I’m and everybody’s so excited about what Brent brings. All the enthusiasm, the energy, the toughness,” Stoops said.

Stoops feels Venables’ experience from Kansas State, Oklahoma and especially from Clemson may be exactly what OU needs to get over the hump and end its championship drought.

“I love the experience from Kansas State building that program, to us here at OU building the program back, to what they’ve done at Clemson the last 10 years. He brings a wealth of experience and I love the fact that what they’ve been doing at Clemson is different than what we’re doing here, so I think he brings some great new ideas, and thoughts and ways to run the program and what you need to do to get us from being that 11-2, 10-2 team that’s No. 5 in the country to 15, somewhere in there. Maybe this is what gets us in these next few years over the hump to be that national champion and in the playoffs all the time. I know we’ve been in them a good bit, but I think this can help us even more. He has that background to get it done,” Stoops said.

Venables certainly has the pedigree. Combining his stints at Oklahoma and Clemson, Venables has coached in eight national championship games and been a part of winning three national championships.

Stoops’ confidence in Venables is etched in their shared history. Their relationship dates back to Stoops coaching Venables at Kansas State during the 1991-92 seasons.

Stoops has a saying.

“I got a big-time saying about people. They don’t change. They just get older. Think of your buddies back in college and you run into them 15 years later. They hadn’t changed. They’re just older,” Stoops said.

That’s why when Stoops reflects on who Venables was as a player at Kansas State, he expects Venables to be much of the same as Oklahoma’s 23rd head football coach.

The traits Venables exhibited as a linebacker for the Wildcats are also why Stoops felt Venables was the perfect fit to join Kansas State’s coaching staff.

“Brent was like this. He loved football. He couldn’t wait to go to practice. He was a ball of energy all the time, wanted everyone else to be just like that. Was a leader, captain on our team. I was very adamant that soon as he was finished playing, you need to be here and be a grad assistant with us. I mean, he’s the perfect coach,” Stoops said.

Several years later while Stoops was still the co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State, he pushed for head coach Bill Snyder to hire Venables as the Wildcats’ next linebackers coach after Jim Leavitt left to accept his first head coaching job at South Florida.

“There’s a million guys that wanted to come that have 10 and 15, 20 years more experience than Brent. I said, ‘Coach, but nobody knows our system more like Brent and nobody is more like us than Brent.’ And coach Snyder and I after talking about it—because I was still going to remain there—we hired him. Coach Snyder did as a full-time linebackers coach. And then I went and a month or two later went and went to Florida. So, I left him and Mike by theirselves there to handle things,” Stoops said.

Venables flourished at Kansas State and then eventually arrived in Norman as part of Stoops’ first staff. Venables served as OU’s linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator from 1999-03.

Then, after Mike Stoops left to take the head coaching job at Arizona, Venables became the Sooners’ associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2004-11.

Mike Stoops was set to return to Oklahoma in 2012 as defensive coordinator, so Venables felt it was the right time to try something new.

Venables left and went to Clemson to take over as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator for head coach Dabo Swinney. In the years since, Venables established himself as one of the highest-paid and most well-respected assistant coaches in college football.

Over the past decade at Clemson, Venables’ defenses produced 26 NFL Draft picks. That list includes eight first-round NFL Draft selections and 15 players that were selected in the NFL Draft’s first 100 picks.

Now, it’s that NFL Draft track record and the national championships Venables helped bring to Clemson that has Sooner Nation salivating about what the future might hold.

“I’m honored and I’m humbled to stand with you and before you today as your next head football coach here at Oklahoma. Again, one of the winningest and storied, tradition-rich programs in the history of college football,” Venables said on Dec. 6 in his introductory press conference.

Venables addressed the upcoming move to the Southeastern Conference and expressed excitement about the opportunity for Oklahoma with greater challenges ahead.

“Now, taking the lead and also taking it through one of the biggest transitions in the history of college football. Taking Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the SEC, you’ve got your guy to take you on this journey. Also, make no mistake about it. Oklahoma has been and always will be the measuring stick in college football,” Venables said.

And then Venables made good on the energy and excitement that Stoops promised he would bring with one final applause-inducing forecast of what lies ahead for Oklahoma.

“We will employ an exciting, fast, explosive and diverse offense combined with a physical, punishing, suffocating defense,” Venables said.

If Venables’ teams live up to that description and Stoops’ expectations, then Oklahoma fans are in for a memorable ride like what Stoops’ 2000 team sent them on in Norman all those many years ago.

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Oklahoma Sooners hit a home run with the hiring of Brent Venables

The Oklahoma Sooners made an excellent hire with Brent Venables.

If last night’s response to Brent Venables’ arrival to Norman was any indication, Sooners Nation is fired up about the hire of its 23rd head coach. Venables arrived to take the Oklahoma job, serenaded by the Sooners’ fight song with thousands of fans awaiting the new head coaches’ arrival.

Instantly, his energy and passion took over as he greeted the warm reception and restored confidence in a program that was left shaken a week ago.

The event that took place today at the Everest Center in Norman furthered the hype behind the hiring of Brent Venables.

Lincoln Riley had his success, of that there’s no doubt, but all of the success he had in the conference couldn’t translate to winning on the national stage. Though Venables doesn’t have head coaching experience, he’s gone up against the best the College Football Playoff had to offer, and he and the Clemson Tigers came out on top twice.

Clemson’s wins over Alabama in the 2016 and 2018 national title games represent the only time since 2014 that a team that wasn’t from the SEC won the national title.

Venables carries the same swagger that emboldened Bob Stoops to speak out against the SEC as some unstoppable juggernaut. In Stoops’ final years as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, he would consistently and unabashedly share that the SEC wasn’t the be-all, end-all of college football. In his remarks today from the even in Norman, Venables shared that same confidence. That he was the guy to lead them into the SEC, and he’s got the track record of recruiting and success on the field to prove it.

Today, in his introductory remarks, the energy, confidence, and passion he coaches with spoke volumes. However, the love he has for his players is what hits home. He spoke of his relationships with his players not being transactional. He spoke of serving the players’ hearts and not their talent. He spoke of graduating students and helping them have the best college experience. Venables spoke of that being foundational to winning a national championship. While getting to the top spot in the country is a goal, according to Venables, it doesn’t happen unless student-athletes graduate, develop as men, and have a great college experience.

Brent Venables is just the shot in the arm this program needed in the wake of last week’s coaching change. Former players and current players have already expressed their excitement for Oklahoma’s new head coach. If that doesn’t resonate with recruits considering the University of Oklahoma, I don’t know what will.

He’s been endorsed by former players, some that still play for Clemson, and in the statements from the University of Oklahoma, was endorsed by Hall of Fame Coaches Bob Stoops and Bill Snyder.

It has to translate to the field when the Sooners embark on the 2022 season, but from where the program was a week ago to how we feel about it now, this has been an A+ hire by Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione.

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Oklahoma officially names Brent Venables the 23rd head coach of the Sooners

The University of Oklahoma officially named Brent Venables the next head coach of the Sooners, with statements from OU leadership.

The University of Oklahoma officially named Brent Venables the next head coach of the Sooners. Venables was greeted with an incredible reception in Norman as thousands of fans gathered to greet the head coach who will lead the Sooners into the next era of Oklahoma football.

Venables joins the Sooners after helping the Clemson Tigers win two national titles with defenses that were some of the best in college football during his tenure.

Per a release from the University of Oklahoma, there will be an event tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. that is open to the public to welcome Brent Venables back to the Oklahoma Sooners. The event will take place at the Everest Training Center, which is located one block east of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Per the release:

A former 13-year University of Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson University during a highly successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Brent Venables has been named OU’s 23rd head football coach, President Joseph Harroz Jr. and Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione announced Sunday evening.

Since joining Clemson prior to the 2012 season, Venables has constructed one of the nation’s top defenses. Over the last 10 years, the Tigers rank first nationally in sacks (445; next most is 392) and opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.2%), second in opponent pass efficiency rating (111.1) and takeaways (244; tied), third in scoring defense (17.8 ppg) and opponent completion percentage (53.3), fourth in total defense (311.4 ypg) and pass defense (190.5 ypg), fifth in interceptions (148) and sixth in rushing defense (120.9 ypg). They won conference titles each year from 2015-20.

Below are statements from Oklahoma leadership, new head coach Brent Venables, and former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.

Texas Longhorns Football: Recent series history vs Kansas State

It has been a rough decade for Texas against Kansas State, having a 4-6 record. Here is the recent series history of the two schools.

The Texas Longhorns and Kansas State Wildcats will face off on Saturday, the winner will take over in the all-time series. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns Football: Recent series history vs Kansas State”

Brian Kelly Makes Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List

Brian Kelly is on a mission to prove that the 2020 iteration of Notre Dame football is the best under his watch.

Brian Kelly is on a mission to prove that the 2020 iteration of Notre Dame football is the best under his watch. Those on the outside looking in can see that, and the results have made Kelly one of 19 coaches to make this year’s Bobby Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List. There is no higher honor for a college football coach. With an 8-0 record, No. 2 ranking and Academic Progress Rating of 970, the Irish have made Kelly worthy of this list.

Some of college football’s most prominent coaches join Kelly on this year’s list. They include Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Jimbo Fisher, Paul Chryst, Gus Malzahn, Lincoln Riley, Mike Gundy and Pat Fitzgerald. With that type of company, there’s still a long way to go before Kelly can prove he’s the one who should take this year’s award. This would be the second time in three years he’s won it, and he would join Joe Paterno and Bill Snyder as the only two-time winners of the trophy since it first was awarded in 1976.

Notre Dame Great Tom Gatewood Elected to Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame

Tom Gatewood was an All-American at Notre Dame, a Dean’s List worthy student and the first African American to be a captain on the Fighting Irish football team.  The former New York Giant can now also call himself a Cotton Bowl Hall of Famer.

What is the strangest Hall of Fame that you’re aware of?

Maybe it’s the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Perhaps its the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas – which sounds awesome, by the way.

Or it could be the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix.

Whatever your big interest may be there is probably a hall of fame out there for it somewhere.

Maybe your big interest is the Cotton Bowl.  No, not the stadium but the actual game that’s held each winter in Dallas.  I became aware there is a Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame earlier today.  Later I found out that Notre Dame is understandably well-represented in this specific hall of fame.

I found it out because Notre Dame legend and College Football Hall of Fame (that one is in Atlanta now, FYI) Tom Gatewood has been elected to the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 class.

Gatewood was an All-American at Notre Dame, a Dean’s List worthy student and the first African American to be a captain on the Fighting Irish football team.  The former New York Giant can now also call himself a Cotton Bowl Hall of Famer.

For those unaware of how good of a player Gatewood was at Notre Dame, he was pretty much the best receiver the school had until Derrick Mayes showed up in the mid-ninties.  He totaled 157 receptions in his career for 2283 yards and 19 touchdowns and his 77 receptions in 1970 remained a school record until Jeff Samardzija pulled down 78 catches in 2006.

Gatewood also held the Notre Dame all-time receptions record until 2006 when both Samardzija and Rhema McKnight passed his 157.

Gatewood was on two Notre Dame teams to appear in the Cotton Bowl and played Texas in both – losing the contest to the No.1 Longhorns in the 1970 classic before getting revenge and ending Texas’s 30 game winning streak a year later.  He totaled eight receptions for 155 yards in the two games, scoring a touchdown in each.

Gatewood joins former Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley and head coach Bill Snyder, Arkansas Guard and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster, Texas defensive end Cory Redding and Boston College linebacker (and remarkable jerk) Bill Romanowski as 2020 Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame inductees.

Gatewood joins Joe Theismann, Ara Parseghian, Kris Haines, Joe Montana, Lou Holtz and Bob Golic as Notre Dame representitives in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.