Tag: Heisman Park

Kyler Murray to be honored in Heisman Park at Oklahoma Sooners’ Spring Game

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione revealed to 94.7 The REF in Norman that Kyler Murray will get his Heisman statue unveiled at the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game.

[autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] will be getting his statue added to Oklahoma’s Heisman Park this April at the OU Football Spring Game, Athletic director Joe Castiglione told The REF on Thursday.

Castiglione confirmed the news while on the “T-Row in the Morning Show” with the voice of the Sooners, Toby Rowland. Murray’s likeness being added to Heisman Park will, for now at least, complete the collection of OU’s Heisman Trophy winners outside of [autotag]Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial[/autotag] Stadium.

Last year’s “Pack the Palace” campaign for the 2022 spring game, which involved the unveiling of Baker Mayfield’s statue, was a huge success. Giving Murray his statue a year later as Brent Venables tries to build momentum for his program is a no-brainer.

The 2022 spring game was a good get-right moment for both the football program and its fans. Both of which were still feeling the effect of Lincoln Riley’s departure for USC. That game was the first time a lot of OU fans became reacquainted with Venables since his return to Norman.

Mayfield was on the verge of being traded during his statue unveiling, and Kyler Murray will still be recovering from an ACL tear sustained last December while playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

A former two-sport star at Oklahoma, Murray attended last year’s spring game in an OU Baseball jersey. Murray will be immortalized alongside past Heisman winners Mayfield, [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag], [autotag]Jason White[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Sims[/autotag], [autotag]Steve Owens[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Vessels[/autotag].

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Oklahoma Sooners reveal Baker Mayfield statue ahead of Saturday’s Ceremony

Ahead of Saturday’s spring game, the Oklahoma Sooners unveiled Baker Mayfield’s Heisman statue.

Last night in Norman, Heisman Trophy winners and College Football Hall of Famers gathered together to welcome in the Spring Game and unveil the latest statuesque addition to Heisman Park. Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield was joined by fellow Heisman winning quarterbacks of the Oklahoma Sooners Jason White, Sam Bradford, and Kyler Murray.

There will be another ceremony to honor the living legend at halftime of Saturday’s Spring Game. The statue will be shown on the big screen inside the stadium. Mayfield’s statue is the sixth of the seven Heisman Trophy winners to be added to Heisman Park.

Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy after an incredible 2017 season that saw the Oklahoma Sooners beat Ohio State in Columbus in the famous “flag plant” game. Mayfield set a new standard in college football for passing efficiency that season with a 198.9 passer rating. Kyler Murray would break that record in 2018 on his way to the Heisman and the record would be broken yet again in 2019 by LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

In 2017, Mayfield completed 70.6% of his passes and threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also ran for six touchdowns that season as Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff.

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5 things we’re looking forward to seeing at Oklahoma’s spring game

With the Oklahoma Spring game coming on Saturday, here are five things we’re looking forward to seeing on.

Oklahoma’s spring game on Saturday offers us a brief glimpse at the formation of this year’s Oklahoma Sooners football team. The game has no shortage of things to be looking out for and some aren’t even about the players and the actual football we’ll see being played.

With such a momentous occasion for the university and its storied football program, we’ve compiled a list of five things we’re most looking forward to in the spring game. Check them out below.

Baker Mayfield shares heart-felt message with Cleveland Browns fans via social media

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield broke his social media silence amid the focus of trade speculation surrounding the Sooners great.

Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has become the subject of trade rumors of late. Yesterday, rumors began popping up that the Cleveland Browns were looking into trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans. Watson has been the target of trade rumors all over the NFL after coming under fire for sexual assault and misconduct allegations in criminal and civil cases. A Harris County Grand jury opted not to pursue criminal proceedings, but Watson still faces a civil suit related to the claims.

Baker Mayfield, who is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery that limited him down the stretch, reflected on his time in Cleveland. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield could still be subject to trade discussions whether or not the Browns acquire Watson from the Texans,

Taking a break from his social media hiatus, Mayfield shared a message to Cleveland fans on Twitter and Instagram. Mayfield said, “This is not a message with hidden meaning. This is strictly to thank the city of Cleveland for embracing my family and me.”

Mayfield went on to say, “We have made many memories and shared growing in this process through the ups and downs. I have no clue what happens next, which is the meaning behind the silence I have had during the duration of this process. I can only control what I can, which is trusting in God’s plan throughout this process.”

While Mayfield’s career with the Browns has been an up and down experience, he’s been a part of building a team that hadn’t had much success in the two decades before he arrived. Before beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 wild card round, the Cleveland Browns had not won a playoff game since 1994.

Mayfield was 21 of 34 for 263 yards and three touchdowns in that game. They lost the following week by five points to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Mayfield has been a massive part of changing the culture and the narrative surrounding Cleveland Browns football.

It can’t be easy hearing your name attached to trade rumors, and Baker Mayfield’s never been shy about sharing his feelings. Mayfield said, “I have given this franchise everything I have. That is something I’ve done at every stage and at every level. And that will not change wherever I take my next snap. Whatever happens, I just want to say thank you to the fans who truly embraced who I am and the mentality that aligned so well with this city’s hard-working people.”

As Mayfield awaits more clarity about his playing future, the Sooners great will be honored after OU’s spring game with a statue in Heisman Park in Norman, Oklahoma celebrating his 2017 Heisman trophy selection.

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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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