Tag: Wes Sims

‘I’m the happiest man in the world’: UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman alert, embraces daughters at hospital

Watch the emotional moment UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman embraces his daughters at the hospital following an Ohio house fire.

[autotag]Mark Coleman[/autotag] considers himself lucky to be alive.

Two days after he rescued his parents from a Fremont, Ohio, house fire that claimed the life of his dog Hammer, Coleman finally is alert and talking in a Toledo hospital.

Coleman was airlifted to the hospital, sedated and intubated for smoke inhalation. For the past two days, hospital staff worked to clear his lungs.

In a video posted Thursday, Coleman is seen embracing his daughters Morgan and Kenzie in an emotional moment, as he recaps what happened.

“I’m the happiest man in the world,” Coleman said. “Sweet God, I’m so lucky. I can’t believe my parents are alive. … I had to make a decision, Wes. Because I got out of my room and went to the door and it was already horrible. I couldn’t breathe. I almost had to go outside and I went back in and got them. I can’t believe I got them but I couldn’t find (our dog) Hammer.”

A GoFundMe was launched by Coleman’s daughters Thursday to help with his medical expenses. Many in the MMA community and beyond shared their well-wishes on social media. Coleman’s teammate and close friend [autotag]Wes Sims[/autotag] provided daily updates from the hospital on Facebook.

Coleman, 59, was the inaugural UFC heavyweight champion and a former PRIDE grand prix winner. Nicknamed “The Godfather of Ground-and-Pound”, Coleman was inducted into both the pioneer and fight wings of the UFC Hall of Fame.

In recent years, Coleman has dealt with multiple adversities in the public eye, including a 2020 heart attack. At the advice of Sims in 2021, Coleman went to rehab for alcoholism in 2021 and has since used his experience to promote healthy living and sobriety in positive-vibed social media posts.

All-time look at every Oklahoma Sooners five-star player in the 247Sports database

Every five-star player for the Oklahoma Sooners in the modern recruiting era.

The Oklahoma Sooners just had arguably the best recruiting class since 2000. With three five-star signees, Oklahoma finished fourth in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings for the 2023 cycle.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] became the program’s fourth five-star quarterback signee in the modern era, following [autotag]Rhett Bomar[/autotag], [autotag]Spencer Rattler[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag].

Arguably the most productive position group among the five-stars that have played for the Oklahoma Sooners has been running back. Though the defensive tackles could make a strong case, the work [autotag]Adrian Peterson[/autotag], [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Mixon[/autotag] did while in Norman puts them among the best Sooners backs of all time.

Defensive tackle is the other spot that could make a case for best five-star position group with [autotag]Gerald McCoy[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommie Harris[/autotag].

Only one five-star rated player never played a snap for the Sooners, linebacker Chris Patterson. Patterson went the junior college route before playing a season with Kansas State.

Here’s a look at every five-star player to play for the Oklahoma Sooners in the 247Sports database.

Where does 4-star OL commit Cayden Green rank among Oklahoma’s best OL recruits all-time?

Taking a look back at where 2023 four-star commit Cayden Green ranks among Sooners all-time according to the 247Sports composite ratings.

For years, the Oklahoma Sooners have been a hot spot for talented offensive linemen. With Bill Bedenbaugh leading the position, Oklahoma’s developed a reputation for putting together some of the best offensive lines in college football over the last decade.

And Bedenbaugh hopes to take this next crop of linemen and turn them into the next great Sooners’ offensive line.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class got a jolt over the last week and a half, picking up six recruits (three along the offensive line) since June 27. Heath Ozaeta kicked off, but since they’ve added Cayden Green and Logan Howland to the mix.

Green was one of the more highly anticipated commitments for the Oklahoma Sooners and his pledge had social media buzzing. Green is a talented prospect that gives the Sooners a huge boost in their team recruiting ranking, which has risen to No. 13 in the wake of his commitment.

With Green’s commitment, let’s take a look at where he ranks among Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive linemen all-time in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Former Players on Brent Venables: He’ll bring ‘a love for OU football’ and ‘intimidation’

As Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables settles in, we caught up with three former players to hear more about what he brings to OU.

The Oklahoma Sooners hiring of Brent Venables has received rave reviews. From Oklahoma media to former players, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t ecstatic about the hire. The 10,000 plus people that showed up at an airport in Norman on a Sunday evening are a microcosm of the excitement the Oklahoma Sooners fanbase is experiencing with this hire.

Venables has long been respected as a tough and intelligent coach who valued his players and pushed them to be their best. He’s got a long track record of helping players reach individual achievement while creating successful defenses as a unit.

With nearly 30 years coaching football, Venables has been a hot name for head coaching jobs but never saw a fit until athletics director Joe Castiglione came calling. The chance to come back to Oklahoma was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. And with the uncertainty program was in a little over a week ago, he sounds like the perfect man for the job.

Here at Sooners Wire, we had the pleasure of catching up with several former players from Brent Venables’ time at Oklahoma and Clemson to share their thoughts on the new Oklahoma Sooners head coach.

“I’ve known BV (Brent Venables) for over 20 years,” said John Flynn, former player and graduate assistant for Oklahoma. “During this time, I had the privilege to play for OU while he was a coach there and later had the honor of being able to coach alongside him during my GA years. He’s a fantastic football coach and even better person, family-man, and father. He’ll bring a wealth of football knowledge to OU, passion, and a love for OU football. He’s a loyal coach that will run the program in a successful way.”

Knowledge, passion, love, and loyalty consistently ring out when Venables speaks, and others speak about him. But those traits alone won’t make him successful. But that matched with his success is what’s led to this opportunity. His defenses have long been regarded as some of the best in the country, whether during his time at OU or Clemson. But what is it that defines a Brent Venables’ defense?

Former Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Wes Sims said, “Intensity plus intelligence equals intimidation. That’s the Brent Venables defense.”

Brent Venables’ passion is visible. Whether in a press conference or on the sideline. It’s the desire to succeed and see his players reach their potential on the field and in the game of life that drives him and drives his players.

Former Clemson and current Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader shared his thoughts. “Being coached by him is super tough, but he really brings that competitive nature out in you that you need as a football player,” Reader said. “He’s a great dude off the field, and his preparation for work is unmatched. If I had to do it all again, I’d do it twice. He really prepared me to play in the NFL.”

In the Brent Venables introductory press conference, Joe Castiglione mentioned that Venables was his first call. Though there was a process to play out, Castiglione wanted Brent Venables. The toughness, the attitude, the success, and the commitment to the university and the players is what made Venables an attractive choice to be the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

And as Venables begins to put his coaching staff together, it’s evident there’s an attitude shift taking place with the Oklahoma Sooners that will very much reflect their head coach’s passion, energy, and toughness.

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