Tag: Bud Wilkinson

Oklahoma is the second winningest Power Five program this century

Since Oklahoma won the 2000 national championship, they’ve been one of the most successful programs in the nation.

It is no secret, the Univesity of Oklahoma is a true blue blood in the college football landscape.

They’ve been that way since Bennie Owen led them to its first 10-win season in 1915. It was then followed by Bud Wilkinson, who took it to another level, including winning three national championships and having an NCAA record 47-game winning streak.

Barry Switzer then created the “monster” that is Oklahoma football in the 1970s and 1980s, winning three more national championships.

Then at the turn of the century, Bob Stoops, in his second season in Norman, reminded the college football world that Oklahoma is back and here to stay after a pedestrian 1990s decade.

Since Oklahoma won the 2000 national championship, they’ve been one of the most successful programs in the nation.

They’ve dominated the conference, winning 14 Big 12 championships. Whether it was Stoops or Lincoln Riley leading the way, Oklahoma has been a perennial powerhouse this century.

They’ve been so dominant that only one other program has a higher winning percentage than the Sooners, Ohio State.

Brent Venables played a big part in that success when he was a defensive coordinator under Stoops and hopes to continue that success after a poor first season in 2022. There’s no doubt it’s going to be different going to the SEC. However, it’s a move the administration is ready for, believing they have the right guy to lead them there.

Why does it matter that the Sooners are one of the most successful programs since 2000. Because they can tout it to prospects on the recruiting trail. Oklahoma is in some heated battles for several big-time recruits, including two five-star defensive linemen in David Stone and Williams Nwaneri.

With commitment dates for both coming in August, the time is now to turn up the heat on the recruiting trail.

If they’re able to land the pair of top 10 players, Stone and Nwaneri will play a big role in reminding everyone, “There’s only one Oklahoma.”

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Where did Oklahoma Sooners land in ESPN’s decade rankings since 1920?

ESPN’s Bill Connelly took a look back over the last 100 years using SP+ to determine the teams of each decade. How did the Sooners fair?

A new offseason ranking is just another example of how good Oklahoma’s football program has been each decade since the 1920s.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly went back and ranked the top 10 programs (ESPN+) of each decade and the Sooners faired fairly well, finishing in the top 10 six out of the 11 decades.

Starting with the 1920s, I looked at which teams most thoroughly dominated the sport from decade to decade, using SP+ percentile averages for each team and each decade. How much do these lists change over the decades? What can these averages tell us about how things have evolved over the past 100 years and how much things are evolving now? – Connelly, ESPN

But where did they finish in each decade?

Oklahoma to debut ‘UNITY’ alternate uniforms this weekend vs. Kansas

Oklahoma will be wearing new digs on Saturday versus Kansas.

Oklahoma will have a different look Saturday when they take the field versus the Kansas Jayhawks.

Saturday represents the first time we’ll see Oklahoma dawn their newest alternate when they take the field wearing their Unity uniforms. The jerseys were designed to emphasize the importance of togetherness and building relationships to better society.

The Unity uniform, which has been in the making since 2020, will also honor former running back Prentice Gautt, who was the first black football player at Oklahoma on scholarship.

Gautt played under legendary Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson and exemplified the true meaning of student-athlete while also breaking down barriers and paving the way for the Sooner athletes of today.

The uniform, released Wednesday afternoon, was accompanied by a video with an explanation for the origin of the uniform from former Sooners’ captain and S.O.U.L. team member Caleb Kelly. Kelly is one of the major figures behind the design and inspiration of the jersey.

Former Sooner football players Jeremiah Hall, Pat Fields and Creed Humphrey joined Caleb Kelly and Chanse Sylvie to spearhead the project. The football program joins the softball team, and the men’s and women’s basketball teams on Oklahoma’s campus with an anthracite-colored alternate uniform.

The idea has been brewing since 2020, which likely came about during college football’s deeper commitment to using its platform to highlight racial injustices and support a more inclusive environment in the sport.

The Sooners will don the anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets with crimson trim and lettering, the word “together” sewn on the collar, the word “unity” on the back-of-the-jersey nameplate and a patch of the state of Oklahoma on the sleeves. It’s the first new jersey combo for Oklahoma since it debuted the “Roughrider” uniforms.

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Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners 6-2 win over Notre Dame

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled one win away from the College World Series championship with a 6-2 win over Notre Dame and social media loved it.

Everything’s been coming up gold for the Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA tournament. They’re now 6-2 and one win away from a berth in the College World Series championship after their 6-2 win over Notre Dame.

On Sunday night, the Sooner received another fantastic start from Cade Horton, who struck out 11 Fighting Irish in six innings to pick up the win. Horton was the beneficiary of some fantastic defensive plays that started in the first inning when Blake Robertson went over the rail in the Notre Dame dugout to make a catch. Tanner Tredaway added some acrobatics in center field to give Trevin Michael a boost.

For their efforts, the Oklahoma Sooners earned two days off as they await the winner of the elimination game between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Two teams they’ve beaten in the tournament. Oklahoma holds the advantage heading into the semifinals of the double-elimination tournament as they just have to win one game to advance to the championship series, while their opponent would have to win two.

Notre Dame and Texas A&M will play Tuesday at noon central time and Oklahoma will take the field with one of them at noon on Wednesday.

But before we get to that, let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions from Oklahoma’s 6-2 win over Notre Dame.

How first-year Oklahoma head coaches performed since 1947

With Brent Venables taking the reigns for the Oklahoma Sooners, let’s take a look back to see how former OU coaches performed in year 1.

Though initially it came as a shock to see Lincoln Riley leave for USC, it feels like the Sooners might have ended up in a better situation with Brent Venables as the newest head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. While there’s a lot of excitement about the future, there’s no guarantee it leads to the same amount of wins or more in Venables’ first year on the job.

The pieces are certainly in place and aside from the guys along the defensive front, the Sooners look to be in great shape to rebound in 2022 and get back to the Big 12 title game and contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff. It’s a tall task in year one, but Venables and the Sooners are in better shape than many first-year head coaches were when they took over at Oklahoma.

Let’s take a look at how former Oklahoma Sooners head coaches performed in their first season on the job.

Sooners legend Bob Stoops inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

Oklahoma Sooners’ legend Bob Stoops was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Tuesday night.

It’s been a wild nine days for Oklahoma Sooners legend Bob Stoops. Last Sunday, he was called into work from the golf course to take the reigns as interim head coach after Lincoln Riley’s sudden departure.

Stoops was introduced the next day as the interim head coach and, that afternoon, hit the road to get face time with Oklahoma’s 2022 recruits. As the week drug on, he remained committed to his Fox Big Noon Kickoff duties, covering the Big 10 title game. And on Tuesday night, he was finally was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

To say it’s been a whirlwind of a week is an understatement, but as he has done his whole career, Stoops handled it with strength and class.

His Tuesday night induction makes him the 27th Oklahoma Sooner to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Stoops joins Barry Switzer, Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, and Tony Casillas as members of the Hall of Fame.

With 190 wins, Bob Stoops is the all-time winningest coach in Oklahoma Sooners history. Stoops won a national championship and 10 Big 12 titles with seven top-five finishes in his 18 seasons as the head coach.

Now all eyes turn to Bob Stoops’ return to the sideline as Oklahoma prepares for the Alamo Bowl where they’ll face Oregon.

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How does every Oklahoma Sooners head coach stack up by win totals?

As the Oklahoma Sooners search for their next head coach, let’s take a look at how each of their former head coaches stacks up by win totals.

Lincoln Riley’s tenure as Oklahoma Sooners head coach ended in an auspicious manner as he bailed on the Sooners for USC Trojans. His tenure will go down as a blip in the big scheme of things. His 55 wins rank fifth all-time in wins behind legends of Norman. But those 55 wins are 67 wins behind fourth-place Bennie Owen.

He’ll be remembered for some of the individual awards his players achieved, but Riley will also be remembered for the underachievement of his teams and the way he departed the program.

Unlike the coaches that have more than twice as many wins as he does, Riley won’t be remembered fondly around Norman and won’t have a statue built anytime soon.

But as Oklahoma looks for their next head coach, let’s take a look at how each of the 22 head coaches in Oklahoma’s history ranks in total wins from worst to first.

Note: SoonerSports.com lists no coach for the 1896 season.  

ESPN Analyst loosely suggests USC call Lincoln Riley, but here’s why it doesn’t make sense

As it does every time a top coaching job comes available, Lincoln Riley’s name has been loosely suggested for USC’s head coaching job by this ESPN Analyst.

It’s the song that never ends. It goes on and on, my friend.

Every time a head coaching vacancy comes open at a premiere program or with an NFL team, the Oklahoma Sooners head coach will get mentioned in concert.

It’s a story as old as… Well, as old as Lincoln, Riley’s been with the Sooners. At some point, the NFL or the other blue blood college football teams will come to grips with the reality that Lincoln Riley may not have been Sooner born or Sooner bred, but he’s a Sooner, and he’s a Sooner for the long-haul.

Of course, there’s a reason for other schools and NFL teams to want Riley. He developed three quarterbacks that started week one in the NFL, his top-notch recruiting classes, and his ability to maintain one of the best offenses in college football while turning over the most important position on offense four seasons in a row from Baker Mayfield’s last year to Spencer Rattler’s first.

Despite a seemingly down year in 2020, one where they lost two conference games and had to streak through conference play and get some help to win a sixth straight Big 12 championship, Riley remains one of the hot coaching commodities in all of football.

ESPN College Football analyst Joel Klatt put Lincoln Riley at the top of the list of head coaches that USC should call to gauge interest.

I mean, it’s a who’s who of college football coaches, and sure, USC would be wise to call every one of them to see if they’d be interested in a Jimbo Fisher powerhouse to powerhouse type move. But the reality is Lincoln Riley isn’t going anywhere.

USC has the makings to be a fantastic job. I mean, who wouldn’t want the chance to meet Snoop Dog. Despite the astronomical cost of living, the school has fantastic facilities, a rich tradition, some of the best uniforms in college football. It is the top program in one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country.

It’s a big-time job in a big-time media market.

Oklahoma may not provide the same media market, but it has everything else that USC could offer including celebrities like Good Ole J.R. Jim Ross.

He has a chance to establish himself as one of the great Oklahoma Sooner head coaches, following in the line of Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and Bob Stoops.

Speaking of Stoops. If a Sooners connected coach was going to head to Los Angeles, it would be the one who’s already working there as part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff Show; Bob Stoops. It’s not likely, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibilities.

That said, Lincoln Riley’s had a shot at moving on to the NFL, and other big-time college jobs have come open, and he’s stayed. Lincoln Riley’s said it repeatedly that he wants to be in Norman and wants to coach the Oklahoma Sooners.

Could he leave one day? Absolutely. He’s a young head coach that’s had a ton of success and might one day decide that he’s ready for another challenge. Of course, with a move to the SEC on the horizon, the challenges will be plenty for Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners.

So, with one of the best teams in college football in 2021, one of the best recruiting classes coming in 2022, and currently the top recruiting class in 2023 coming down the road. All the incentives are there for Riley to stay put in Norman.

If USC were to give Riley a ring to gauge his interest in the job, expect him to politely decline and then head back to the lab to come up with more ways to torment defensive coordinators.

Up next in his diabolical plans; the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Pair of Sooners legends make ‘ESPN’s Top 100 Coaches of past 50 years’

OU’s been fortunate to have some of the greatest head coaches in the history of football. 2 of them rank in the top 100 of ESPN’s list of best college coaches of the last 50 years.

Oklahoma has been fortunate to have long tenures of great head coaching throughout its history. It’s one of the reasons the Sooners are one of college football’s “blue bloods.” Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and Bob Stoops.

Over the last 50 years, the Sooners have won four national championships and 30 conference championships. 22 of those conference championships were won by two guys that ranked inside the top 30 of ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s “top 100 coaches of the past 50 years (ESPN+).”

26. Bob Stoops: 1999-2016

OU was at its lowest-ever ebb when Stoops took over in 1999 … and he won a national title in his second year. He couldn’t replicate that feat, but he turned the Sooners back into both an offensive innovator and the Big 12’s premier program. – Connely

Stoops took over a program that had gone 13 seasons without a conference championship and 15 years without a national championship. “Big Game Bob” took the Sooners from a 5-6 record to an undefeated season and a national championship in just two seasons.

He’s a living legend for Oklahoma, who, despite not winning another national championship for the Sooners during his tenure, built a winning tradition and legacy that has carried on into the Lincoln Riley era.

9. Barry Switzer: 1973-1988

Switzer rode the Wishbone and otherworldly recruiting to spectacular success in the 1970s, and after a brief identity crisis in the early 1980s, he returned to the Bone and went 33-3 from 1985 to ’87. Over half his seasons ended with the Sooners in the AP top three. – Connely

First of all, how? How is Barry Switzer ranked behind Bill Snyder?

Sure, Snyder took over a crap Kansas State program and turned into a respectable team, but the guy only had two conference titles in his run with the Wildcats. Switzer has more national championships than Snyder has conference titles.

Switzer won 12 conference titles and three national championships. He’s still a larger-than-life presence for the Sooners.

The “last 50 years” cutoff leaves the legendary Bud Wilkinson off the list despite coaching the Sooners till 1963. His last national championship was in 1956, which wouldn’t have made the timeframe. Go back another 10 years, and you have to put Wilkinson in your top 10.

Wilkinson’s 47 game win streak is a feat of dominance that would be incredibly difficult for any modern program to come close to. As great as the six straight conference titles under Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley have, Wilkinson, won 13 straight from 1947 to 1959. That’s more than twice as many.

Also notable is that Lincoln Riley was left off the list. Of course, Riley has just four seasons under his belt as a college head coach, but he’s accomplished far more in those four seasons than Mike Leach. Despite Leach’s offensive innovation, he has zero conference championships at three different stops. Leach comes in at number 41 on this list.

Perhaps more inexplicable is that Mike Gundy comes in at number 65 while Lincoln Riley’s left off the list. Gundy’s a good coach, but again, he’s won just one Big 12 title in his 16 seasons with Oklahoma State. Riley’s won four in four years. Longevity seems to have weighed heavily in the rankings.

One name that certainly deserves some consideration is Chuck Fairbanks.

In the wake of the Wilkinson era, Chuck Fairbanks had a decent run but could never finish atop the polls for a national championship. He had two seasons of 11 wins and one of 10 wins and finished inside the top three of the AP Poll three times.

His tenure set the stage for the dominance of Barry Switzer. Still, Fairbanks took over a team that had gone 15-15-1 in the previous three seasons and immediately turned them into an 11-1 team and a national title contender.

Though a scandalous end to his tenure ensued, the ESPN list allows for other head coaches with questionable careers; Joe Paterno, Urban Meyer, and many more. So why not include Fairbanks?

Certainly, he’s not the giant of the sport that other head coaches have been. However, Fairbanks had a successful run that fell short of the national title but won three conference championships. That’s as many as Mike Gundy, Mike Leach, and Bill Snyder combined.

Oklahoma with five of ESPN’s best teams to never win a championship

Oklahoma finished with five teams on EPSN’s list of best teams to never win it all.

So close, yet so far. 

ESPN recently released their list of top 25 college football teams to never win the national championship. Oklahoma has more than their fare share of title’s, but their list of runner-up is nearly just as long.

The first team of Oklahoma’s to make the list is the 1958 team at No. 20. After 47-game win streak was ended the season before, Bud Wilkinson’s team continued to play at a high level the following season. Undefeated LSU eventually took home the crown due to Texas dethroning the Sooners in Dallas in early October. 

At No. 16 is the 1972 team. The Sooners defense that season allowed just 6.2 point per game, shitting down every team they faced except Colorado. They beat six ranked teams by an average of 15 points except for their lone loss in Boulder, CO. 

Ranked the sixth best team by ESPN to never win the championship, the 1971 Sooners fell in the Game of the Century to Nebraska. That season, Oklahoma outscored their opponents by an average of 29 ppg. They beat three top 10 teams by a combined 67 points.

The 1987 and 1986 teams came in at No. 3 and 2 respectively on ESPN’s list. Both teams relinquished their title’s to Miami. They had won the 1985 title, but lost to Miami three times in a span of just two years. Barry Switzer’s 86 and 87 Sooner teams were dominant, but couldn’t get over the hump that was the Hurricanes dynasty.