Tales from the Oklahoma Sooner Sideline

by Barry Switzer

  One evening in Haskell’s den, Tatum was greeting a handful of player prospects when one of the young lads asked Wilkinson what position he played.

  “That wasn’t unusual. Coach Wilkinson looked younger than a lot of the guys who were coming back to play college ball that year,” offered Wade Walker.

  Fact was, Wilkinson had been a two-time All-America performer at Minnesota during his collegiate playing days in the mid-1930s. After his senior season, he led the College All-Star Team to a 7-0 victory in its annual exhibition game with the NFL champions. In this case, it was the Green Bay Packers.

  Running in the Red

  Oklahoma was so bent on having a championship-caliber football program that it pretty much gave Jim Tatum a blank check when he arrived on campus. It wasn’t that OU was paying its new coach tons of money, but he had the authority to buy anything he deemed critical to the success of his team.

  That fact proved to be the undoing of athletic director Jap Haskell, who found his department running in serious debt by the end of the 1946-47 school year. Tatum had spent the Sooners into debt even though his team had revived serious interest in fans.

  One of the major expenditures Tatum was responsible for was the way his team traveled—always taking two airplanes to away games.

  “He split the team up and had us fly on two different planes, because he said if one plane went down, we could still play the game with the guys on the other plane,” said lineman Norman McNabb. “Coach Tatum sometimes had an interesting way of looking at things.”

  When the ’46 season concluded, Tatum approached OU President George L. Cross about a possible raise and contract extension. At the same time, he was talking to Maryland about its head coaching job. Cross’ first move was to fortify the university’s relationship with Wilkinson. OU felt very secure in promoting its top assistant if negotiations fell through with Tatum.

  Because of the money problems, Cross did not enthusiastically pursue Tatum, and Tatum eventually took the

  Maryland job. Wilkinson was hired as OU s new head coach in late January 1947.

  Wilkinson Gives Masterful Lesson

  During the early portion of Bud Wilkinson’s legendary stint as head football coach at Oklahoma, he spent much of his spare time relaxing on the golf course. Wilkinson’s regular group included two-time conference golf champ Charlie Coe. The two became fast friends during Coe’s final two seasons at OU.

  One summer afternoon in 1948, Wilkinson quizzed Coe about his concentration level and how he could further improve his game. An in-depth conversation ensued, and by the time Wilkinson finished, Coe had decided to dedicate himself more fully to every single shot, no matter how simple.

  “Bud made me realize that if I concentrated with the same intensity on every shot I could greatly improve my game,” Coe said, “I knew concentration was critical, but his advice helped me take my game to another level.”

  A year later, Coe won the first of his two U.S. Amateur Championships, and he went on to capture countless other tournament titles and play in the Masters 19 times, more than any other amateur in history.

  Coe would later say he never forgot the advice of an old football coach.

  Mounds of Fun

  It’s rare that a defensive player gets a chance to score a touchdown, and linebacker Bob Bodenhamer had already seen one such opportunity ripped from his grasp. It happened when he intercepted a pass against Kansas during the 1948 season and returned it for what he thought was his first career TD.

  But Bodenhamer’s roommate Dean Smith was called for clipping on the return, thus nullifying the ensuing celebration.

  This time would be different, Bodenhamer must have thought as he picked off a pass against Boston College in the flat and had nothing but clear sailing to the end zone. No blocks were necessary, just trot along and watch Bodenhamer take it to the house.

  Well, the game was being played at Braves Field, which served as the home of the Boston Braves baseball team. The yard was transformed into a football field for the OU-Boston College game, but the pitcher’s mound remained intact near the five-yard line.

  “I knew it was there because I had seen it before the game and during the game,” admitted Bodenhamer.

  “But as I was running, I wasn’t thinking about anything but scoring. I had forgotten the mound was at that end of the field.”

  Just three steps shy of paydirt, Bodenhamer’s dreams of a touchdown came to a stumbling halt, thwarted by a simple hill of dirt.

  “It was embarrassing because there was no one near me,” laughed Bodenhamer. “It took a while to get over because my teammates ribbed me pretty good for a long time.”

  Fortunately, the Sooners did not need the extra touchdown. They beat Boston College that night, 46-0.

  Hands of Stone

  Before Billy Vessels, Leon Heath, Buck McPhail, Tommy McDonald and Clendon Thomas there was George Thomas, whose performance during the 1948 and 1949 seasons was good enough to lead the conference in rushing. Thomas’ running skills also earned him All-America honors as a senior.

  His one weakness? Bad hands.

  Thomas struggled to catch the ball out of the backfield, and as a result, he caught only five passes his entire college career.

  “George was a helluva runner, but you had to hand it to him because he had hands like rocks,” said teammate Stan West.

  Basic Strategy

  From the moment he took over as head coach at Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson demanded nothing less than perfection from his players. Like Jim Tatum, he ran a well-disciplined camp that thrived on work ethic and smarts. Wilkinson implemented the Split-T offense and kept his players fresh by rotating his first and second teams in and out of contests.

  His strategy was designed around wearing the opponent down and gaining an advantage that could be exploited in the second half. Wilkinson’s favorite saying before every game: “Were going to pour the pine to them and wear them down physically, then win the game in the fourth quarter.”

  General Jack

  No one was better at running the Split-T formation than Oklahoma quarterback Jack Mitchell. His field leadership earned him the nickname “General Jack,” and opponents knew him as “Smiling Jack” because of the smile he always seemed to wear during games.

  Mitchell was also a good punt returner, which like quarterback is a position that usually requires speed. That’s the mystery of Mr. Mitchell.

  “He was the slowest, most effective runner I ever saw,” said All-America lineman Stan West. “Hell, Jack couldn’t outrun me or anyone else on the team.”

  But during his two seasons as starting quarterback (1946-47), Mitchell produced a record of 18-3-1. And in 1949 when he moved to running back so Darrell Royal could call signals, the Sooners went 11-0.

  “Jack just knew how to make people miss. It’s hard to explain because he was so slow, but he was very successful,” added teammate Norman McNabb.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The 1950s

  The Great White Father

  TALL AND DISTINGUISHED with silver-dusted hair and almost always wearing a well-tailored suit, Bud Wilkinson was so revered, so adored, that his presence basically stopped traffic wherever he went on campus and throughout the college community of Norman. Even his players viewed Wilkinson as unapproachable at times. “God-like” was his image, according to one former player.

  “People were in awe of Coach Wilkinson. I know I was,” said Jimmy Harris, who played quarterback at OU from 1954–56. “There was just something special about the man, the way he carried himself and spoke. I’ve never known anyone else like him.”

  It Begins

  Oklahoma had won the national title in 1950 and had become a perennial powerhouse during Bud Wilkinson’s first six seasons, but that paled in comparison to the successful journey the Sooners were about to embark on in 1953.

  A loss to Notre Dame in the season opener and a tie against Pittsburgh preceded the first nationally televised Oklahoma–Texas game
. Little did anybody know that the Sooners’ 19-14 victory over the Longhorns on October 10 would be the beginning of a historic 47-game winning streak.

  Wilkinson’s squad won its final nine games in ’53 and did not lose again until November 16, 1957, when Notre Dame earned a 7-0 decision in Norman.

  “That’s one of the most impressive accomplishments in sports history,” said Barry Switzer, looking back on the career of Wilkinson. “To go four seasons without a loss is a record that won’t be broken, at least not at that level.”

  Always Discreet

  Dressing down players in practice or during a game simply wasn’t Bud Wilkinson’s style. Even when emotions ran hot, OU’s coach had his own method of addressing problems dealing with individual players, and he almost always executed it with discretion.

  “Coach Wilkinson could be both critical and encouraging, but he always did it privately,” said All-America running back Clendon Thomas. “He’d pull you off to the side and guys didn’t know if he was ripping you or complimenting you. Coach never embarrassed a player in front of the team.”

  That was always Wilkinson’s philosophy. He remained on an even keel at all times.

  “I never heard him raise his voice,” offered Wade Walker.

  “It wasn’t that he never showed emotion—he did. But it was usually from a positive standpoint.”

  A Little Bedlam Fun

  Tommy McDonald and Clendon Thomas not only shared the distinction of being part of the Sooners’ starting 1956 backfield, but during that season the duo accounted for 38 touchdowns. As OU’s season wound down, McDonald and Thomas were both in position to lead the country in scoring.

  “It was very competitive because both Tommy and myself wanted the ball,” offered Thomas. “But it was always a friendly competition. The bottom line was we both wanted what was best for the team.”

  Thomas had edged in front of McDonald by one touchdown during what would be a 53-0 victory over Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale. The Sooners were knocking on the door late when right tackle Ed Gray informed quarterback Jimmy Harris in the huddle that he had never scored a touchdown. In an unusual move, Thomas secretly switched places with Gray, who received the handoff on the next play and plunged into the end zone.

  “That was great. Wilkinson thought it was a hoot—he got a really big kick out of that play,” added Thomas, who wound up as the nation’s leading scorer.

  Better on Defense?

  Any chance Oklahoma’s first Heisman Trophy winner was actually a better defender than ball carrier? Maybe so.

  According to those men who played with and coached Billy Vessels, he possessed as many skills on the other side of the ball as he did in the backfield.

  “Vessels was tough and he knew how to play defense. What he did running with the ball speaks for itself, but he certainly was not shy about dishing it out on defense,” said teammate Norman McNabb.

  Brave New World

  On October 21, 1950, Hoyt Givens and Harold Robinson, two young Kansas State recruits, became the first African-American players to participate in a game at Memorial Stadium.

  The Sooners won easily that day, 58-0, but the color line had been challenged and the future would hold more changes.

  “Kansas State was the first school in the Big Seven that played black kids. That showed a lot of foresight on their part,” said OU lineman Norman McNabb. “It was unusual, but I don’t think too many guys on our team gave it a second thought. There certainly weren’t any incidents on the field.”

  A Kid Named Vessels

  Fast, strong, intelligent—Billy Vessels had it all. And he used it all brilliantly during his collegiate career at Oklahoma. The Cleveland, Oklahoma, native was the ultimate football player, excelling on defense as well as on offense.

  But it was his ball-carrying abilities and his break-away speed that helped etch his name alongside the greatest running backs in history.

  “Billy Vessels was beautiful to watch. He just knew what to do when he got the ball,” OU coach Bud Wilkinson once said.

  As a sophomore, Vessels helped lead the Sooners to the 1950national championship, rolling up 870 rushing yards while producing clutch performances against Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

  After a knee injury ended his junior season prematurely, Vessels returned with a vengeance the following autumn. In his final campaign with the Sooners, he carried the ball 167 times for 1,072 yards and 18 touchdowns, which included a 195-yard effort against Notre Dame.

  That game put Vessels on the national radar, and three weeks later he became OU’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

  “I didn’t get the chance to play with Billy Vessels, but I played against him when he came back for an alumni game after his senior season. I went to tackle him once and I found out just how big and strong he really was,” said Jimmy Harris, who played quarterback and defensive back from 1954-56. “He was the best OU player I ever saw—smart and tough. He could do it all.”

  The Statement

  George L. Cross was bright, innovative and a born leader, qualities that made him a great success during his 25 years as University of Oklahoma president. He was also a good judge of character.

  Cross was responsible for bringing in a young assistant coach named Bud Wilkinson after World War II. Almost 20 years later, he hired Jim Mackenzie, who had a young assistant coach on his staff named Barry Switzer. It was no coincidence Cross was a major factor in the Sooners’ rise to greatness both as a football program and a university.

  “Originally, Dr. Cross set out to build a football program the state of Oklahoma could be proud of because of an existing inferiority complex that stemmed from the whole Grapes of Wrath image they had here at the time,” said Switzer. “He felt like a great football team would bring the university attention and give the people something to rally around.”

  With the OU football program entrenched in the national spotlight, Cross set out to balance the academic side of things.

  During an early 1950s budget presentation to the Oklahoma State Legislature, Cross was asked why he needed so much more funding for his university. His facetious, yet honest reply became legend within Sooner circles:

  “I would like to build a university of which the football team could be proud.”

  Indeed.

  1950, the First Title

  An eighth-year senior named Claude was the quarterback, and his supporting cast was a mixture of mostly sophomores and first-time starters. Many of the players who had returned after the war was over were gone, leaving coach Bud Wilkinson to sort through a roster of names and faces he barely recognized.

  How could Oklahoma ever expect to compete for the national title?

  For some odd reason, it worked, and the Sooners were contenders.

  Claude Arnold, who had initially gone to OU in 1942 prior to going into the service, proved to be a savvy leader. His work under center and the running of backs like Billy Vessels and Leon “Mule Train” Heath made the Sooner offense nearly unstoppable.

  They finished off a perfect regular season with a 41-14 romp against Oklahoma A&M and were voted national champions a few days later.

  Right-Hand Man

  Gomer Jones is a name synonymous with the Bud Wilkinson era. After joining Wilkinson’s staff in 1947, the former Nebraska assistant became an important figure in the success of OU’s program.

  Jones’ background was as a line coach, but his teaching abilities encompassed all aspects of the offense, including the quarterback position. He served as Wilkinson’s sounding board, and the two would finalize their game plan during a stroll around the field prior to every game.

  The two men were close friends on the field and off. Their relationship developed over time and went far beyond football. They shared more than just the sidelines at Memorial Stadium; they shared a mutual respect.

  Part of Jones’ job was to maintain relations with the players. He listened to problems, administered discipline and made sure everything w
as running smoothly on and off the field.

  Quarterback Jimmy Harris remembers Jones for his ability as a coach and a mentor.

  “Gomer was very different than Coach Wilkinson. He had to be more vocal and more animated in certain situations,” said Harris. “We got to know Gomer so much better than anyone else on the team because he worked with the quarterbacks. He was just a good coach and a good man.

  “He looked up to Coach Wilkinson and I know he had [Bud’s] respect.”

  Keeping the Streak Alive

  Bud Wilkinson was never one to give emotional halftime pep talks or “Win one for the Gipper” speeches. Of course, his Sooners rarely trailed during intermissions, so the opportunity didn’t present itself too often.

  The exception came during the 1956 Colorado game in Boulder. The Sooners, fresh off of a 40-0 romp over Notre Dame, turned in an uninspired first-half performance against the Buffs’ single-wing attack. The result was a 19-6 deficit that obviously did not sit well with Wilkinson in the midst of his team’s 47-game winning streak.

  The soft-spoken coach addressed his players in the locker room, starting with the startlingly loud comment, “You guys don’t deserve to wear those red jerseys on your backs.” That was enough to get every man’s undivided attention.

  Wilkinson reminded his team of all the players who had come before and all of the sacrifices they had made.

  “Coach Wilkinson had a way of getting his people back to the business at hand, whether it was in practice or at a game,” said running back Clendon Thomas. “We knew exactly what he was talking about when he mentioned the red jerseys. Someone wrote in a book once that he asked us to take off the jerseys that day, but that never happened.”

  The only dramatic event that took place after Wilkinson’s speech occurred on the field where the Sooners went back out and dismantled Colorado in the second half.

  “We knew we had the better talent and I honestly wasn’t worried about our chances to come back and win,” said quarterback Jimmy Harris. “Coach Wilkinson got his point across, and that was all that needed to be said.”