Sooners No.

4 all-time ranking:

The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the most legendary teams in college football history. With seven
national titles, 50 conference titles, and seven Heisman Trophy winners, they have been among the sport's
most successful teams.
Over the long and storied history of the sport, Oklahoma has firmly established its place among the best
of the best. With 917 wins, the school holds the sixth-highest total ever. Its winning percentage of 0.726
is also the sixth best.
Greatness is defined as a state of superiority, the ability to be better than all others. It is something that is
attained by running the gamut of excellent performance. It takes time and brief bursts do not achieve
greatness. This is the history of Oklahoma football.

The school's inaugural matchup was with Bacone Indian School in 1895. Oklahoma’s 884 all-time wins
and .723 winning percentage ranks fifth best in college football, and the Sooners’ 35,793 points scored is
the most of any school. Since the end of World War II, OU has had 652 wins, #1 in the nation.
Oklahoma has contributed to football even before the post-World War II ascent of OU as a dominant
football program. Jim Thorpe, a two-time All-American at Carlisle who went on to become the first
president of the National Football League, was born in this fledgling state. Another Oklahoman, Steve
Owen, was a successful player at Phillips University before joining the New York Giants as an inventive
coach. Many attribute his success to his umbrella pass defense as a forerunner to the modern zone
defense.
Since Bud Wilkinson became head coach in 1947, Oklahoma has hardly ever had a year off from the
top.Oklahoma has rarely taken a year off from the top since Bud Wilkinson took over in 1947. From
Wilkinson to Barry Switzer to Bob Stoops to the current head coach, Brett Venable, the Sooners have
done a great job of bringing talent north from the rich soil of the Lone Star State. That’s how the state
university of the state that ranks 28th in population has maintained its status among the sports’ elite for
three-quarters of a century.
A few other compelling historical numbers that support Oklahoma’s elite standing as one of the best of
the best in the history of college football:
48 conference championships
47 consecutive wins (1953-57), an NCAA record
39 seasons of 10 or more wins (No. 1 in the nation)
29 bowl championships
25 seasons of 11 or more wins (No. 1 in the nation
14 undefeated seasons
12 losing seasons out of 124
OU has played in four different conferences and will start their fifth this year in the SEC.

 Independent: 1895–1914
 Southwest Conference: 1915–1919
 Big Eight Conference: 1920–1995
 Big 12 Conference: 1996–2024
 Southeastern Conference: 2024–present

The Wishbone
At the heart of this story is the phenomenal success of the Wishbone offense—a hybrid offshoot of the
Split-t formation that Wilkinson employed so successfully in the 1950s. Most of the time, OU ran its
triple option where the lead back would block for the QB and try to find the defender responsible for the
QB on option. That forces the safety to come down and make the tackle. It's an offense that has always
been different.
Though not without its risks, the Wishbone offense changed the face of college football and was a key
factor in Oklahoma’s resurgence in the 1970s with Switzer at the helm. Barry Switzer perfected the
Wishbone offense beginning with the ‘71 squad. Perfected is an interesting word, though. Schematically,
there wasn’t much going on with that ‘71 Wishbone.
But these Sooners simply lined up and beat you up from start to finish. Not a ton of “creativity.” Still,
44.5 points per game and 472 rushing yards per game is out of this world.
What I found interesting was that while they were awesome, they didn’t do much schematically. They ran
the triple option the majority of the time and only had a few counters off of it. However, they did change
up their blocking for the option and you can see the remnants of that in modern triple option offenses.
When Oklahoma broke out the wishbone, it was cutting edge.

Oklahoma has built one of the most successful college football programs, with seven official national
championships and the same amount of Heisman Trophy winners. It takes great players to enjoy that kind
of success.
The University of Oklahoma (OU) has seven Heisman Trophy winners, tying it with Ohio State and Notre
Dame for the third most all-time:
 Billy Vessels: 1952
 Steve Owens: 1969
 Billy Sims: 1978
 Jason White: 2003
 Sam Bradford: 2008
 Baker Mayfield: 2017
  Kyler Murray: 2018

OU Hall of Famers
A list of the best Oklahoma Sooners of all time. The school has been long associated with winning
football and has produced some of the best players in college football history.
Oklahoma has a history of winning national titles. Oklahoma is known for having one of the most
fearsome defensive lines in college football history. Led by pro football Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon,
Oklahoma can boast having a number of powerhouses along its defensive front. That doesn't even include
the school's five Heisman Trophy winners.
Other famous players who are considered some of the greatest Sooners ever are flamboyant linebacker
Brian Bosworth and running back Adrian Peterson. All Day powered Oklahoma to the 2004 BCS
Championship game where it succumbed to USC. In fact, Oklahoma Sooners running backs have been
among the best in college football. The school is a fixture in both the AP and Coaches Poll.
This is the list of the best Oklahoma Sooners football players of all time
Pro Football Hall of Famers
Wide receiver Tommy McDonald was a third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957. An
All-America choice at Oklahoma, he won the Maxwell Award in 1956 as college football's player of the
year. During his three years of varsity play at Oklahoma, the Sooners never lost a game.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection (1959-63 and 1966), McDonald played seven seasons with the Eagles
(1957-63), one with the Dallas Cowboys (1964), two with the Los Angeles Rams (1965-66), and one each
with the Atlanta Falcons (1967) and the Cleveland Browns (1968).
Although he was just 5-9 and 176 pounds, McDonald was extremely durable and missed only three games
in his first 11 seasons. He had elusive speed and used his running skills brilliantly after making his
catches, finishing his career with an average of 17 yards per catch and 84 touchdowns.
Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon, a 6-3, 256-pound consensus All-America in 1975 at the University of Oklahoma, was
the first-ever draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise in 1976. The winner of both the
Lombardi and Outland trophies as the outstanding college lineman in 1975, the defensive right end
immediately established himself at as the leader of the Buccaneers defensive unit that would eventually
produce two NFC Central Division championships in the team's first six seasons.
Selmon, who was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, joined his brother Dewey on the first Tampa Bay team.
Dewey, a year older, was a second-round draft pick. A defensive tackle/linebacker, he played in Tampa
Bay until 1980.
Although he missed six games due to injuries as a rookie, he was named the Bucs' Rookie of the Year and
the team's Most Valuable Player. He battled injuries during two of his first three seasons, but starting in
1978 he was named first- or second-team All-Pro five times. He also was also All-NFC choice five times,
and was named to six straight Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1985. With four sacks, he was co-Player of the
Game in the 1982 Pro Bowl.
Four times the NFL Players Association named Lee Roy the NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and he
was a unanimous choice as NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. Selmon was a major factor in the
Bucs' first winning season, which was concluded with a 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979
NFC Championship Game. Lee Roy had 11 sacks and a career-best 117 tackles that year. He had three
sacks in one game four times. A back injury, which forced him to miss the entire 1985 season, brought a
premature end to his outstanding career.
Four head coaches in Oklahoma football history — Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Bob
Stoops — won more than 100 games, and OU is the only school that can make that claim. Two of the four
can lay claim to being the winningest head coach in Sooner football history, again, based on what your
definition of “winningest” is.
Stoops (1999-2016) is the winningest head coach in OU football history based on total wins. Stoops’
Sooner teams won 191 games in 16 seasons. That, incidentally, ranks tied for 21st nationally all-time,
according to sports-reference.com.
If you are talking about the winningest Sooner head football coach based purely on win percentage (and
in a minimum of 100 games), it is Switzer, whose .837 winning percentage (157-29-4) in 16 seasons
(1973-88) at OU ranks No. 5 nationally.
in all-time win percentage in college football, and Rockne and Switzer are the only two to do so at one
school (Notre Dame and Oklahoma).
Many consider Wilkinson the greatest head coach in Oklahoma’s rich and storied football history, but
Wilkinson, who coached at OU from 1947 to 1963, ranks second in Sooner history in all-time winning
percentage (.826) and third in all-time wins (145). On a national basis, Wilkinson ranks 11th all-time in
win percentage but tied for 73rd in total wins.
Owen was the first great head coach at OU and not just in football. He also coached the Oklahoma
basketball and baseball teams, one of the earliest of the dual-sport head coaches. Owen coached the
football team for 22 seasons, the longest of any Sooner head coach, and compiled 122 wins and a .677
win percentage. Those two figures rank Owen tied for 113th nationally and tied for 97th, respectively, on
the national level.

What is a Sooner
The Sooners have built a legacy that is unmatched in college football. While many people know the
nickname Oklahoma Sooners is uniquely linked to the University of Oklahoma and has become
synonymous with excellence, some aren't aware of the roots.
But what exactly does the term "Sooners" mean, and how did it come to be associated with the University
of Oklahoma?
The term "Sooners" actually has its roots in the history of the state of Oklahoma itself. In 1889, the
federal government opened up large portions of land in what was then known as Indian Territory to
settlement by non-Native Americans. The land rush that ensued was chaotic and frenzied, with thousands
of settlers staking claims to land as quickly as possible.
Some settlers, however, were a bit more eager than others. These individuals, known as "Sooners,"
entered the territory before the official start of the land rush, staking their claims before anyone else had a
chance to do so. While technically illegal, this practice was widespread and often overlooked by
government officials.
Over time, the term "Sooner" became synonymous with someone who was willing to take risks and seize
opportunities without hesitation. It was a term that carried both positive and negative connotations,
depending on who was using it and in what context.
Fast forward to 1908, when the University of Oklahoma was looking for a new nickname for its athletic
teams. At the time, the school's teams were known simply as the "Oklahomans." But when a group of OU
students attended a football game in nearby Norman, Oklahoma, they were struck by the fierce and
relentless play of the team on the field. Due to the enthusiasm of many pioneers and their descendants,
"Sooner" came to denote energetic, "can-do" individuals.
One student, impressed by the team's tenacity, reportedly exclaimed, "These guys are real Sooners, all
right!" The nickname stuck, and the Oklahoma Sooners were born.
Sooner Schooner
The Sooner Schooner is a conestoga (covered wagon) reminiscent of the mode of travel used by pioneers
who settled Oklahoma Territory around the time of the 1889 Land Run.
Powered by matching white ponies named Boomer and Sooner, the Schooner races across Owen Field in
a triumphant victory ride after every OU score.
The Schooner was introduced in the fall of 1964 and become the official mascot of the Oklahoma Sooners
in 1980.
The Ruf/Neks, OU's all-male spirit squad, maintain and drive the Schooner. Mick Cottom, a freshman
Ruf/Nek member from Liberty Mounds, Okla., has the distinction of being the first person to pilot the
Schooner across Owen Field in 1964.
The sight of the Sooner Schooner rolling across the field is one that Oklahoma fans (and most opponents)
will always cherish as one of the best traditions in college athletics.
And this history has been around a long time. The group was founded in 1915 and is the oldest all-male
spirit organization in the nation. While much hasn’t changed in the long history of the Ruf/Neks, here are
a few things you should know about the organization:
They aren’t cheerleaders. More like “rally leaders”
An education of OU football history is a must, and as Keeper of the Neophytes, it’s Worrell’s job to teach
the younger guys.
Don’t mess with their ponies.
The last point is very important — especially at OU/Texas where the crowd tends to be on the unruly side
(attempting to give the ponies beer, pouring things on them, etc.)
That’s where the Ruf/Neks’ trademarked paddles come into play.
In addition to being used to intimidate OU’s opponent, the paddles are always at the Ruf/Nek’s disposal
to protect their beloved cream-colored ponies.
The Red-River Rivalry
Everybody knows the Red River Rivalry is played at the Cotton Bowl, halfway between Austin, Texas
and Norman, Okla., and in front of a crowd split equally between crimson and burnt orange.
It’s the perfect neutral site for one of college football’s proudest games.
The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border
rivals Texas and Oklahoma. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been
renewed annually since 1929 for a total of 119 games as of 2023. The rivalry is commonly referred to as
the Red River Shootout, the Red River Rivalry, or the Red River Showdown.[2][3] The name refers to
the Red River, which forms part of the border between Oklahoma and Texas.
The first game in the series was played in 1900, when Oklahoma was still a territory.[5] The game was
called the Red River Shootout[6] until the 100th game in 2005, when, sponsored by SBC
Communications, the game was officially renamed the SBC Red River Rivalry. "Shootout" was replaced
so as not to convey an attitude of condoning gun violence.
Texas leads the overall series 63–51–5 (.550) with nearly half (27) of those wins coming before World
War II.[7] Since 2000, Oklahoma has dominated the series, winning 17 games to Texas' eight. [8]
But what you probably don’t know is, every year, despite the equal split, the Sooners have enjoyed a
“home field advantage” over the Longhorns all courtesy of OU’s Ruf/Neks.
And a home field advantage it is.
“We get some grass from Owen field, bag it up, take it to the Cotton Bowl and put it on the field,” senior
Ruf/Nek Matt Worrell said.
The annual sod sprinkling is but one Ruf/Nek tradition leading up to the OU/Texas weekend that Worrell
and senior Sooner Schooner Driver, Bobby Nash, work to preserve.
Being rowdy and firing shotguns during the games are just one side of being a Ruf/Nek. Carrying on a
rich tradition is the half fans don’t often see. Both Worrell and Nash grew up in Oklahoma, and
embracing tradition is the most important to them.

The #12
Of all the great stories and statistical measuring sticks that have shaped and defined the history of
Oklahoma football for what amounts to 122 seasons this fall, one that is represented by the number 12
may be the most remarkable.
Oklahoma has played a total of 1,233 games in 121 seasons of football (through the 2015 season). They
have been victorious in 861 of them, seventh most in college football history. Only Michigan (925), Notre
Dame (892), Texas (889), Nebraska (887), Ohio State (875) and Alabama (864) rank ahead of the
Sooners in all-time wins.
Oklahoma’s 861 all-time wins (179, or 21 percent, of those have come under Bob Stoops, the winningest
coach in OU’s storied history) have come over 121 college seasons.
In only 12 of this 121 seasons have the Sooners posted a losing record. Here is what makes this statistic
so significant: It is the fewest number of losing seasons of any team in all of college football history.
Three of OU’s 12 losing seasons came under coach John Blake, himself a former Sooner player, in the
three years immediately preceding Bob Stoops, who did not haave a losing season in his 17 seasons as
the Sooners’ head coach.

School Colors
The school colors of crimson and cream became official over a century ago and you can still see those
colors worn proudly by Sooner athletes and fans alike on gamedays or when they want to show their love
for the university.
Their interlocking “OU” is one of the more iconic logos in college football as well, but it hasn’t always
been adorned on the side of Oklahoma’s helmets. The first iteration of the interlocking logo showed up in
1966. However, the style that we’ve all known made its debut in the 1967 season. The Oklahoma Sooners
have had some fantastic looks over the years, but nothing beats the traditional crimson helmet with the
interlocking “OU.” It’s a look as identifiable as college football itself and will stand the test of time.
In the fall of 1895, Miss May Overstreet was asked to chair a committee to select the colors of the
university. The committee decided the colors should be crimson and cream and an elaborate display of the
colors was draped above a platform before the student body.
The student body approved with great enthusiasm and immediately pennants, banners, badges and
decorations of every description appeared on the streets, in the windows, at chapel, in classrooms, and all
public places; however, local merchants could not supply the demand.
Even though the school colors have evolved to crimson and white over the years, you can ask any self-
respecting Sooner what the colors are and they will proudly announce "Crimson and Cream."
On gamedays, a sea of crimson rolls through OU's home arenas and all Sooners are urged to wear the
official colors to show the rest of the country what school spirit and Sooner Pride are all about.
BOOMER SOONER
In 1905, Arthur M. Alden, a student in history and physiology whose father was a Norman jeweler, wrote
the lyrics to the fight song, borrowing the tune from Yale University's Boola Boola but improvising the
words.
A year later, an addition was made to it from North Carolina's I'm a Tarheel Born and the two combined
to form the university's fight song today. One of the most recognizable college fight songs in the
country, Boomer Sooner immediately evokes enthusiasm from OU fans and sends chills down the spines
of those who dare to oppose them.
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner, OK U!
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Oklahoma, OK U!
I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred
and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead
Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma
Rah Oklahoma, OK U!

THE OU CHANT
Every fan who wears the official colors, each current student and student-athlete and all OU alumni are
encouraged to stand and raise one finger in the air during the playing of the Chant -- a symbolic gesture
that shows the greatness of the university and the unity between all Sooners. The Chant was written in
1936 by Jessie Lone Clarkson Gilkey, who directed the OU girl's glee club from 1936 to 1938 and was
voted Outstanding Faculty Woman in 1937.
O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A
Our chant rolls on and on!
Thousands strong
Join heart and song
In alma mater's praise
Of campus beautiful by day and night
Of colors proudly gleaming Red and White
'Neath a western sky
OU's chant will never die.
Live on University!

It seems Oklahoma and football have grown up together, from early rough-and-tumble beginnings to a
more refined but still hardened present. Oklahomans still idolize their football warriors on Friday nights
and Saturday afternoons. Baseball and basketball have significant traditions in the state, but football
provides an identity, internally and nationally, that for many residents symbolizes Oklahoma.