Tag: Dewey Selmon

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 Aug. 30, Oklahoma will combine the 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 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 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 prime time on a Friday night.

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Sooners Legend Dewey Selmon headed to the College Football Hall of Fame

Oklahoma legend Dewey Selmon to be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class per report.

The College Football Hall of Fame has enshrined a number of Oklahoma Sooners greats of the past. And according to Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, another Sooners Legend will be inducted as part of the 2024 class.

Dewey Selmon will join brother and fellow defensive line stalwart Lee Roy Selmon in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Dewey was a member of the Oklahoma Sooners national championship teams in 1974 and 1975 and earned All-American honors in 1975. He was a two-time All-Big 8 selection for the Sooners.

In 1974 and 1975, Selmon and the Sooners went 22-1. During his career, he and brother Lee Roy were considered the best defensive linemen in the game and were the anchors to a Sooners defense that only allowed 8.4 points per game in 1974 and 12.3 points per game in 1975.

The Selmon Brothers were enshrined on campus at the University of Oklahoma back on Sept. 24, 2022.

Dewey Selmon was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played 80 games in six seasons between the Bucs and the Chargers.

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Oklahoma legends included on 2024 College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Dewey Selmon, Josh Heupel, and Rocky Calmus were named to the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot.

A trio of Oklahoma Sooners legends have the opportunity to be enshrined in the illustrious College Football Hall of Fame.

[autotag]Dewey Selmon[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag], and [autotag]Rocky Calmus[/autotag] were placed on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Dewey Selmon was a part of a fearsome defensive front that helped the Oklahoma Sooners win four straight Big 8 titles and back-to-back national championships in 1974 and 1975. He recorded 325 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and helped Oklahoma’s defense average 12.8 points per game or fewer from 1973 to 1975.

Josh Heupel was instrumental in leading Oklahoma’s resurgence. A junior college transfer orchestrated Oklahoma’s offensive explosion during his two years in Norman. He threw for 7,456 yards and 53 touchdowns, helping Oklahoma win the 2000 national championship. After his fantastic 2000 season, Heisman was the runner-up to the Heisman trophy.

If Heupel was at the center of Oklahoma’s offensive resurgence, Rocky Calmus could be considered the focal point for their defensive dominance during Oklahoma’s national championship season in 2000.  In 2001, Calmus won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the country. He still holds Oklahoma records for tackles for loss, sacks by an inside linebacker, and pass breakups by a linebacker.

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Roy Williams is the most recent of Oklahoma’s 23 total College Football Hall of Fame members, being inducted as part of the 2022 class.

“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.62 million people have played college football and only 1,074 players have been inducted,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The Hall’s requirement of being a first-team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game, and we look forward to announcing the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class early next year.”

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Patty Gasso’s extension, Selmon Brothers statue highlights Oklahoma Sooners news and notes

Patty Gasso gets an extension, and the Selmon Brothers will get a new statue capping off an incredible week of news from Oklahoma.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in part two of their home-and-home series, the University of Oklahoma provided some highlights off of the gridiron this week.

OU Softball released its schedule, handed their living legend a contract extension, and earned a commitment from the No. 2 player in the 2024 class.

The athletic department also announced kickoff time for their matchup with Kansas State and that they’ll be honoring the legendary Selmon Brothers as part of the weekend’s festivities.

Check out some of the top Sooners’ stories from the week.

3 Sooners named to 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Former Sooners Dewey Selmon, Rocky Calmus, and Josh Heupel were named to the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot.

On Monday, the National Football Foundation announced that three former Oklahoma Sooners have been nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Sooners legends [autotag]Dewey Selmon[/autotag], [autotag]Rocky Calmus[/autotag], and [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] have been put on the ballot that was sent out to the 12,000 members of the NFF and College Football Hall of Fame members.

From 1972 to 1975 Dewey Selmon, along with his brothers Lucious and Lee Roy, ran roughshod over the Big 8 as part of Oklahoma’s dominating defenses under Barry Switzer. During Dewey’s tenure, the Sooners won four Big 8 titles and two national championships.

One of the key pieces to the late-90s rebirth of the Sooners was linebacker Rocky Calmus who exploded onto the scene in 1999 and helped the Oklahoma Sooners win a national championship in 2000. He was the AP Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and a first-team All-American. In 2001, Calmus won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and was a finalist for the Bednarik, Nagurski, and Lombardi awards.

Josh Heupel can be credited as the godfather of Oklahoma’s modern quarterback legacy. While the Sooners had great running quarterbacks during the Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer eras, Heupel helped usher in a new era of Oklahoma quarterbacks with his passing ability.

In addition to leading the Sooners to their 2000 national championship, Heupel was the runner-up for the Heisman, and Oklahoma’s first consensus All-American quarterback.

The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2023 and inducted in December of next year. Joining the 2022 class is Oklahoma legend, [autotag]Roy Williams[/autotag]. The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year will be inducted on December 6, 2022.

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Oklahoma’s Selmon Brothers to be honored with Statue in 2022

The University of Oklahoma announced Friday night that the Selmon brothers would be honored with a statue in 2022.

There have been a lot of great players to come through Norman over the years. The Selmon brothers are arguably the most iconic faction to ever walk through Norman. Like the Four Horsemen of World Championship Wrestling, you don’t think of one Selmon, without thinking of them all.

As a collective, they helped shape an Oklahoma Sooners defense that was a huge factor in their dominance in the early 70s.

From 1973 to 1975, the Selmons won a host of postseason awards. Lucious, Dewey, and Lee Roy were each honored with an All-American selection. Lucious won the 1973 National Defensive Player of the Year award. Lee Roy won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi, was the first overall pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1976 NFL Draft, and the Oklahoma Sooners first induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From a story from 2019, Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman reported the University of Oklahoma began seeking bids then to honor the Selmons. Per Aber, this is something that former head coach Barry Switzer has been championing for a long time.

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