The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is a member of the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

, which is in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA). The program began in 1895 and is one of the most successful programs of the modern era, with the most wins (606) and the highest winning percentage (.762) since 1945. The program claims 7 national championships, 50 conference championships, 167 first-team All-Americans (82 consensus), and seven Heisman Trophy winners. In addition, the school has had 23 members (five coaches and 18 players) inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories. Oklahoma is also the only program that has had four coaches with 100+ wins. They became the sixth NCAA FBS team to win 900 games when they defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders on September 28, 2019. The Sooners play their home games at

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football tea ...

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, be ...

Brent Venables Thomas Brent Venables (born December 18, 1970) is an American football coach who is the head coach at the University of Oklahoma. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Clemson University from 2012 to 2021. V ...

is the head coach and has served since 2022. On July 26, 2021, while showing interest in joining the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) the University of Oklahoma and the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

sent a joint letter of intent to the

stating that they do not intend to extend their media contracts with that conference, which is set to expire following the 2024–25 season. However, Oklahoma and Texas could join the SEC as early as the 2023 season, potentially incurring a nearly $80 million early termination fee from each school for terminating their contracts with the Big 12 prior to the contract expiration.

History

Early history (1895–1904)

The first football game in the university's history was played on December 14, 1895, 12 years before Oklahoma became a state. The team was organized by

John A. Harts John Alexander Harts (September 5, 1873 – August 31, 1947) was a student and elocution teacher at the University of Oklahoma from Winfield, Kansas who served as the first coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1895. He was the primary o ...

, a student from Winfield, Kansas who had played the game in his home state. Oklahoma was shut out 34–0 by a more experienced team from the

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

High School in what was the Sooners' only game that season. Oklahoma failed to record a first down throughout the entire game, which was played on a field of low prairie grass just Northwest of the current site of Holmberg Hall. Several members of the Oklahoma team were injured, including Harts; by the end of the game, the Oklahoma team was borrowing members from the opposing squad so they would have a full lineup. After that year, Harts left Oklahoma to become a gold prospector. OU-ArkCity 1899

After playing two games without a coach in 1896, a professor named

Vernon Louis Parrington Vernon Louis Parrington (August 3, 1871 – June 16, 1929) was an American literary historian and scholar. His three-volume history of American letters, ''Main Currents in American Thought'', won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1928 and was o ...

became head coach in 1897. Parrington had played football at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and was more exposed to the game, having come from the East Coast. In his four years as head coach, Parrington's teams recorded nine wins, two losses, and one tie. After the 1900 season, football began interfering with Parrington's teaching, and he stepped down as head coach. He would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1928 at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

. The Sooners had three more coaches over the next four seasons, beginning with

Fred Roberts Frederick Clark Roberts (born August 14, 1960) is an American former basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming a successful journeymen in ...

, who led the Sooners to a 3–2 record in 1901. Mark McMahon followed, finishing 11–7–3 in his two years as coach in 1902 and 1903.

Fred Ewing Fred E. "Buck" Ewing (October 23, 1880 – March 2, 1968) was an American football coach and physician. He coached the University of Oklahoma during the 1904 season and amassed a 4–3–1 record.1904. The 1904 season marked the first game between Oklahoma and in-state rival Oklahoma A&M. The game was played on November 6 at Mineral Wells Park in

Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7 percent increase from the figure of 9,925 in the 2000 census. First k ...

, with Oklahoma winning 75–0. The game was the first football matchup in the

Bedlam Series The Bedlam Series is the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry. It refers to the athletics rivalry between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls and the University of Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 Conference. Both scho ...

, the athletic rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Bennie Owen era (1905–1926)

After a decade of football, the program acquired its first long-term head coach in

Bennie Owen Benjamin Gilbert Owen (July 24, 1875 – February 26, 1970) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Washburn College, now Washburn University, in 1900, at Bethany C ...

, a former

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

of the undefeated 1899 Kansas Jayhawks team led by coach Fielding H. Yost. Owen had previously coached under Yost at

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, and his Bethany College teams had defeated Oklahoma in 1903 and 1904. 1915 Sooner Football team

Owen's first two years at Oklahoma were spent between Norman and Arkansas City since Oklahoma lacked a large enough budget to employ him all year. As a result of these budgetary limitations, Owen would occasionally schedule up to three road games in a single short trip, exhausting his players in the process. However, even early in his tenure, Owen's teams found success. In 1905, Oklahoma won its first victory over rival

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, winning the eighth meeting between the two schools by a 2–0 margin. In 1908, the Sooners went 8–1–1, losing only to the undefeated Kansas Jayhawks. Owen's 1908 team relied on hand-offs to large runners, as the forward pass was just becoming common. In contrast, his 1911 team had several small and fast players that the quarterback would pass to directly. That team finished 8–0. Oklahoma had undefeated seasons in 1915 and

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

. In

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

, the Sooners moved to the

Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA) was a college athletic conference and the second college conference formed upon its foundation on January 12, 1907.David A. Campaigne and John R. Thelin, "Big Twelve Conference", in ...

after three seasons in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...

, of which it was a founding member. In the new conference, they went 6–0–1, tying only Kansas State. Owen retired after the 1926 season. During his 22-year career at Oklahoma, he went 122–54–16 (.677), won three conference championships, and achieved four undefeated seasons. In 1951, the inaugural year of the

, he became Oklahoma's first inductee.

Between Owen and Wilkinson (1927–1946)

In 1927,

Adrian Lindsey Adrian Hobart "Ad" Lindsey (August 15, 1895 – October 2, 1980) was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas from 1922 to 1926, at the Universi ...

became Oklahoma's first new head coach in over two decades. Like Owen, Lindsey had played football at

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

and been the head coach at Bethany College prior to his arrival in Norman. However, he was unable to achieve Owen's success, resigning quietly after a five-year tenure. The Sooners achieved a notable win in 1930, defeating

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

20–7 in the Cornhuskers' worst in-conference loss in two decades. Despite this achievement, Lindsey finished an inconsistent stint in Norman with a 19–19–6 record. Following Lindsey's resignation, Owen, who had remained Oklahoma's

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

after his retirement from coaching, hired hired Vanderbilt backfield coach

Lewie Hardage Lewis Woolford Hardage (February 11, 1891 – August 29, 1973) was an American college football player and college football and baseball coach. Hardage was an All-Southern halfback every year he played: 1908, 1909, 1911, and 1912—the first tw ...

as head coach. Upon his hire, Hardage emphasized speed by fabricating new lighter uniforms and trimming the grass on Owen Field. However, in three seasons he failed to produce a successful team. His final record at Oklahoma was 11–12–4, making him the first coach in program history with a losing record aside from

, who only coached a single game.

Although the next head coach, Lawrence "Biff" Jones, went an unspectacular 9–6–3 across two seasons, his impact on the athletic department's administration and finances was significant. Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 following a career that also included coaching stints at

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, LSU, and

. After his departure from Norman, assistant coach

Tom Stidham Thomas E. Stidham (March 25, 1905 – January 29, 1964) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1937 to 1940 and Marquette University fro ...

became head coach. In 1938, Stidham led the team to a 10–1 record, a fourth-place finish in the final

AP poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...

, and the first bowl game in school history, a 17–0

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in ...

loss to undefeated

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. Although Stidham's other teams would not be as successful, he left Oklahoma after four seasons with a .750 winning percentage, the highest of any coach since

(.792). Stidham left for Marquette in 1941, and assistant coach Dewey "Snorter" Luster succeeded him. After Luster's first season, a 6–3 campaign, with the United States having entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, many players left the team to join the military. The Sooners regressed to a 3–5–2 record in 1942 but rebounded to finish 7–2 in 1943 and 6–3–1 in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

. Luster stepped down after the 1945 season due to ill health. He attained a 27–18–3 record in five seasons at Oklahoma, and his teams never finished below second place in the Big Six. However, despite two conference championships, the Sooners were not invited to a bowl game during Luster's tenure. After Luster's resignation, several candidates were interviewed for the head coaching job, among them

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

native Jim Tatum. Tatum was joined at his interview by his assistant,

Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...

, with whom athletic director

Lawrence Haskell Lawrence E. "Jap" Haskell (c. 1899 – 1964) was an American university administrator, baseball coach, and football coach. He served as the head baseball coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1927 to 1941. During his tenure, the Sooners won ...

was more impressed. However, it was decided that usurping Tatum and giving the job to Wilkinson would be unethical. Tatum was hired as head coach, with Wilkinson joining the staff as an assistant, over several other coaches, including

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

. The 1946 season saw the Sooners finish 8–3, including a 73–12

win and a victory over NC State in the Gator Bowl. Tatum left Oklahoma after one season to accept the head coach position at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

Bud Wilkinson era (1947–1963)

Following Tatum's departure,

was promoted to head coach. In his first season, the Sooners went 7–2–1 and shared the conference title with

for the second year in a row. Over the next two years, Oklahoma lost only a single game and went undefeated in conference play, winning two straight

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

s. In 1949, despite going undefeated and winning the

, the Sooners were not awarded the national championship, which went to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, though they did not play in a bowl game. At the time, however, most major championship selectors, including the AP and Coaches Polls, did not consider bowl game results when deciding their champion. In 1950, Wilkinson guided the Sooners to their first national championship, though they lost the

to Bear Bryant's

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

team. That loss was the Sooners' first since a season-opening defeat to Santa Clara in 1948, 31 games earlier. The team's success began to influence the culture of football at the university. "People talk a lot about the tradition of football at Oklahoma. The person who started that tradition was Bud Wilkinson," Oklahoma native and Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent later said. In 1951, while seeking funding to improve the school, university president

George Lynn Cross George Lynn Cross (May 12, 1905 – December 31, 1998) was a botanist, writer, and the longest serving president of the University of OklahomaLevy, David W.,University of Oklahoma," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' (accessed May 26, ...

told the Oklahoma legislature that he "would like to build a university of which the football team would be proud." In 1952, Oklahoma had its first Heisman Trophy winner in halfback

Billy Vessels Billy Dale Vessels (March 22, 1931 – November 17, 2001) was a gridiron football player. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy in 1952. Vessels went on to play professional football with the Nati ...

, a local player from

Cleveland, Oklahoma Cleveland is a city in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The 2010 census population was 3,251, a decrease of 0.9 percent from the figure of 3,282 recorded in 2000. History After the Cherokee Outlet opening, a homesteader by the name of Wi ...

. Vessels became the first thousand-yard rusher to win the Heisman and scored 18 touchdowns for the Sooners, who finished 8–1–1, their only loss coming on the road to Notre Dame. The 1953 team would open the season with a loss to the Fighting Irish and a tie with Pitt.

47-game winning streak

The Sooners went undefeated for the remainder of the 1953 season, culminating in an

victory over national champions

, coached by Jim Tatum. They went 10–0 in 1954 and 11–0 in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...

, concluding the latter season with another

win over Tatum and

. The Sooners won the national championship in 1955 and repeated the feat in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

, when they went 10–0, including a 40–0 rout of Notre Dame that marked the 35th win in the streak. At the start of the 1957 season, with the streak standing at 40 games, speculation arose that the team was not as good as it had been in previous years, having lost 18 lettermen from 1956. Wilkinson commented that "this year we'll have to work faster and organize better than ever before." The Sooners won their first seven games that year, but fell to Notre Dame on November 16, suffering their first defeat in more than three years. The record of 47 consecutive wins has never been seriously threatened; since it ended, no FBS school has achieved a streak longer than 35 wins. During the streak, the Sooners outscored their opponents 1620–269 and recorded 23 shutouts. In addition to their back-to-back national championships during the streak, the Sooners won 14 straight conference titles from 1946 to 1959, one under Jim Tatum and 13 under Wilkinson. Oklahoma went undefeated in conference play from November 23, 1946, to October 31, 1959; their record was only blemished by two ties.

Dominance and decline

Wilkinson's best teams came during the first 11 years of his tenure. In that time, he recorded winning streaks of 31 and 47 games and went 114–10–3 for a .909 winning percentage. After a pair of one-loss seasons in 1957 and

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

, the Sooners fell to 7–3 in 1959, then 3–6–1 in 1960. Oklahoma would finish that season unranked, the first time that they had done so under Wilkinson. They finished unranked in 1961 as well, and although they rebounded to secure a conference championship in 1962, the Sooners were unable to replicate the success of the previous decade. Wilkinson retired from coaching after the 1963 season, finishing with a record of 145–29–4, 14 conference titles, and 123 straight games without being shut out. He was elected to the

in 1969.

Prentice Gautt

During Wilkinson's tenure, Prentice Gautt became the first black football player at the University of Oklahoma. Gautt had been a superior student in high school, where during his junior and senior years he had helped his team amass a 31-game winning streak. He was also the first black player to participate in the Oklahoma state all-star game. Some members of Gautt's team did not want to play with him; one player even left Oklahoma because he refused to play with an African American. However, most of the team had his support. After a freshman game in Tulsa, when Gautt was refused service at a restaurant, his teammates left and found a restaurant that would serve him. Gautt was twice named to the All-Conference team and scored a touchdown in the 1959 Orange Bowl.

Jones, Mackenzie, and Fairbanks (1964–1972)

Following Wilkinson's retirement, his assistant coach, Gomer Jones, was promoted to head coach, a move supported by Wilkinson. His first year was a sharp contrast from Wilkinson's early years; the Sooners went 6–4–1. Less than a month before the team's Gator Bowl loss to

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

, it was discovered that four starters had signed professional football contracts before their college eligibility had expired, and they were dismissed from the team. Following a 3–7 season in his second year as head coach, Oklahoma's worst record since its inaugural season in 1895, Jones was replaced by

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

assistant Jim Mackenzie. Seeking discipline from his players, Mackenzie set a curfew and required them to enroll in a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

class. His first team went 6–4, including a win in the Red River Showdown over a rival

team coached by former Oklahoma defensive back Darrell Royal, their first win over

since 1957. They also beat rival

, then ranked fourth in the nation, by a score of 10–9. On April 28, 1967, at the age of 37, Mackenzie died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. Assistant coach Chuck Fairbanks succeeded Mackenzie, and in 1967, the Sooners went 10–1, including a 26–24 win over second-ranked Tennessee in the

. The Sooners finished the season ranked third in the country. The Sooners lost four games in each of the next three seasons, with highlights including Steve Owens becoming the Sooners' second Heisman Trophy winner in 1969.

The wishbone offense

In the 1970s, several college football teams began implementing the wishbone offense, a run-based scheme designed to expand the possibilities of the

option offense An option offense is an American football offensive system in which a key player (usually the quarterback) has several "options" of how each play will proceed based upon the actions of the defense. Traditionally, option-based offenses rely on ru ...

by placing three rushers in the backfield behind the

. In a traditional option play, the quarterback determines which rusher carries the ball by reading the alignment of the defense. The wishbone relies on the triple option, in which the quarterback has three potential candidates to carry the ball (himself and two backfield rushers). One innovation of the wishbone was to place a third rusher in the backfield to serve as a lead blocker. Head coach Fairbanks and offensive coordinator Barry Switzer were among the early adopters of the wishbone and used it to widespread success in Norman. Their 1970 team tied an Alabama squad that also used the wishbone in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. During the next season, the Sooners beat No. 17

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, No. 3

and No. 6

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

in consecutive weeks. After these wins, Oklahoma was ranked second in the country ahead of a " Game of the Century" matchup against top-ranked

. On November 25, Nebraska edged Oklahoma, 35–31, Oklahoma's only loss of the season. Nebraska went on to win the national championship with a 13–0 record, while Oklahoma went on to beat No. 5 Auburn in the

to finish the season ranked second. Led by quarterback

Jack Mildren Larry Jack Mildren (October 10, 1949 – May 22, 2008), was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil compa ...

and

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

Greg Pruitt, Oklahoma's wishbone offense averaged 44.5 points per game, at the time the second most in team history. The offense gained 472.36 rushing yards per game, an FBS record that still stands. Pruitt averaged nine yards per carry, and Mildren's performance led to his adopting the moniker "the Godfather of the Wishbone." In 1972, the Sooners went 11–1, finishing the year at No. 2 after a

victory over Penn State. Following the season, Fairbanks left Oklahoma to become the head coach of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Barry Switzer era (1973–1988)

Switzer ascended to head coach following the departure of Fairbanks. His tenure began with a scandal when the university self-reported violations involving the alteration of a player's high school transcript. Although the Sooners forfeited eight games from the 1972 season, the university now recognizes the wins and the Big Eight Conference championship won that year. The Big Eight punished the team with a two-year bowl ban beginning in 1973 and a two-year ban on television appearances beginning in 1974. During the next three years, while the bans were in place, Oklahoma went 32–1–1 and won three straight conference championships. They claimed back-to-back national championships in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, the two years in which they could not appear on television during the regular season. As it was a postseason game, NBC did air Oklahoma's

1976 Orange Bowl The 1976 Orange Bowl was the 42nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1975–76 bowl game season, it matched the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines of th ...

win over

, which secured the team's fifth national championship. Oklahoma performed exceptionally well during their probation. In 1973, the Sooners had seven ranked teams on their 11-game schedule and beat six of them, tying No. 1

and finishing the year undefeated. In 1974, the run-heavy wishbone offense averaged 43 points per game and set an FBS record that still stands with 73.91 rushing attempts per game. In both 1974 and 1975, the team had six players rush for over 300 yards, with

Joe Washington Joe Dan Washington Jr (born September 24, 1953) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Colts, Washington Redskins, and Atlanta Falcons. Early career Washington gradua ...

earning

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors in both seasons as the team's rushing leader. Additionally, due to the frequency of quarterback rushes in the wishbone, signal caller Steve Davis rushed for more yards than he passed in both seasons. Following the 1975 season, several key players left the team.

Defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

Lee Roy Selmon Lee Roy Selmon (October 20, 1954 – September 4, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a defensive tackle a ...

was selected first overall in the

1976 NFL Draft The 1976 National Football League draft was an annual player selection meeting held April 8–9, 1976, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The draft lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks ...

, and Washington was taken three picks later. Davis departed and was replaced at quarterback by

Dean Blevins Dean Blevins (born approximately 1955) is an American sportscaster. He is the sports director for KWTV, the CBS affiliate in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He also is a co-host of an afternoon radio show on the Sports Animal called "The Total Dominanc ...

, who was unable to match his predecessor's contributions in the running game. In 1978, Oklahoma would get their third Heisman Trophy winner in running back Billy Sims, who rushed for 1,896 yards and broke the Big Eight regular season rushing record. The Sooners finished third in the final

after an

victory over

, the closest they came to a national championship in the second half of the 1970s. Despite never losing more than two games in any season during the these years, Oklahoma never finished in the top two in the final AP poll. During the 1970s, Switzer's teams went 73–7–2 in seven years, and the Sooners won the Big Eight every year from 1972 to 1980. However, during the early 1980s, the team's performance worsened. They lost four games each in 1981,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

, and 1983. In 1984, the team improved to 9–2–1 and defeated

when the Cornhuskers were ranked No. 1 in the country. The win allowed Oklahoma to claim a share of the conference championship and receive an

bid against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, which they subsequently lost. Switzer's teams returned to contention for the national championship during the next three seasons, earning an 11–1 record and a Big Eight title in each. However, in all three years, the Sooners lost to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, directly costing them the opportunity to win at least one championship. In 1985, the Sooners won the national championship despite their loss, rebounding to defeat top-ranked Penn State in the

. In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

, the Sooners won another

but finished No. 3 behind Penn State and

, who had faced each other for the championship in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pl ...

with the Nittany Lions emerging victorious. 1987 saw the Sooners play in two No. 1 vs. No. 2 games in a row, defeating top-ranked

to end their regular season undefeated before facing

the

to decide the national title. No. 2 Miami defeated the Sooners, who had risen to the top of the polls following the Nebraska game, 20–14. In 1988, the Sooners finished 9–3, with highlights including a 70–24 win against Kansas State in which the team rushed for 768 yards, which remains an FBS record. Switzer's tenure ended in scandal. After the 1988 season, the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

placed the Sooners on probation for violating several rules, including offering improper benefits to players and recruits. In one example, a recruit was offered $1,000 to enroll at the university. It was determined that Switzer had personally paid for rental cars for students entertaining recruits on campus. Meanwhile, several of his players were in trouble with the law. Despite knowing that certain players had problems with alcohol or drugs, Switzer had recruited them anyway due to their talent. Notable players Charles Thompson and Brian Bosworth were found to be involved with drugs or steroids. Switzer's home was robbed in 1989, and Thompson was alleged to be one of the burglars. On multiple occasions, players were caught attempting to sell cocaine to undercover agents. A shooting and a gang rape took place in the athletic dorm within eight days of each other; two players were later convicted for the rape. Former Sooner Jim Riley later said that amid the turmoil, "Barry was just trying to keep it together." The probation lasted three years, including a two-year bowl ban, a one-year television ban, and a two-year reduction in scholarships. Facing immense pressure to resign, Switzer stepped down as head coach in 1989. He finished his tenure in Norman with a 157–29–4 record, an .837 winning percentage, 12 conference championships, and three national titles.

Gibbs, Schnellenberger, and Blake (1989–1998)

Switzer's ouster marked the beginning of what Stan Dorsey, writing for '' The Sporting News'', called "a pratfall of unspeakable scope and unfathomable dimension" for the Sooners.

Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

Gary Gibbs Gary Gibbs (born August 13, 1952) is an American football coach and former player who previously served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma for six years, compiling a record of 44–23–2. Gibbs spent the first half of his a ...

was promoted to head coach. Dorsey characterized Gibbs as being uncomfortable around alumni and the media, as well as with being a head coach in general. During his six-year tenure, while Oklahoma attempted to recover from probation, the team finished a combined 44–23–2, never reaching higher than second in the conference or No. 16 in the final AP poll. Gibbs punctuated a middling record with losses to Oklahoma's rivals; the Sooners went a combined 2–15–1 against

, and

during his tenure. He announced his resignation prior to the end of the 1994 season. Gibbs was replaced by Howard Schnellenberger, whose resume included a national championship at Miami. Convinced that the 1994 Copper Bowl loss to BYU was "clearly the lowest point in the great history of Oklahoma football," Schnellenberger sought to reshape the program, beginning by ordering files from previous seasons to be thrown out. Instead, they were archived without his knowledge. Schnellenberger often said that "they will write books and make movies about my time t Oklahoma" and his first team started out well. The Sooners rose to No. 10 in the AP poll after three wins to begin the 1995 season, but a home loss to fourth-ranked

started a 2–5–1 stretch to finish the year. The season ended with shutout losses to

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...

and national champions

. Schnellenberger resigned after one season in Norman, having failed to live up to his own expectations for success. Oklahoma then hired former player John Blake as head coach. Although he was Switzer's preferred candidate, Blake had very little experience, having never previously held a head coach or coordinator position. In the 101 years preceding Blake's hire, Oklahoma had nine losing seasons. Under Blake, the Sooners had three losing seasons in three years. The team's eight losses in 1996 set a team record that was matched the following season. Blake's 12–22 record gave him the worst winning percentage of any Oklahoma head coach since the single-game tenure of

in 1895. He was fired after presiding over the worst three-year stretch in team history. Despite his poor record as head coach, Blake contributed to success after his tenure by recruiting several players who would help achieve more favorable results for his successor. Future NFL players Roy Williams and

Rocky Calmus Rocky Ayres Calmus (born August 1, 1979) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for the Unive ...

were key starters on teams that returned the Sooners to national prominence under

Bob Stoops Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahom ...

Bob Stoops era (1999–2016)

Under pressure to find a head coach who would turn the program around,

Joe Castiglione Joseph John Castiglione (born March 2, 1947) is an American radio announcer for the Boston Red Sox baseball team,Joe Castig ...

vetted each candidate personally. He eventually selected Stoops, then the defensive coordinator at

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, who improved the Sooners to 7–5 in his first season.

Perennial BCS contention

Oklahoma began the 2000 season ranked No. 19 in the

, their first preseason AP poll appearance in five years. After a 4–0 start, the Sooners defeated No. 11

63–14;

Quentin Griffin broke a school record with six rushing touchdowns in the game. The next week, the Sooners beat No. 2 Kansas State 41–31, then defeated top-ranked

31–14 two weeks later. The Sooners finished the regular season undefeated and beat Kansas State in the conference championship game to win their first conference title since 1987. In the years since that victory, the Big Eight had dissolved and the Sooners had joined its successor conference, the Big 12. Additionally, the BCS format had been established, with each season culminating in a national championship game between the top two teams in the system's rankings. Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 following the conference championship win and played

in the 2001 Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl for the BCS title. The Sooners defeated the heavily favored Seminoles 13–2 to claim the school's seventh national championship. The team produced consensus All-Americans for the first time since 1988, including

Josh Heupel, who finished runner-up for the Heisman in one of the closest votes in the award's history to that point. The influence of John Blake's recruiting classes on the championship would be a difficult question for Stoops, even years after the title. More than half of the 2000 team's starters were recruited by Blake, although Stoops brought in the quarterback (Heupel) and running back (Griffin). Despite continued success throughout the rest of his tenure in Norman, Stoops never won another national championship after 2000. The following years saw Oklahoma contend for conference and national championships while qualifying for major bowl games. In 2001 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2001, after rivalry losses to 2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Nebraska and 2001 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma did not earn a spot in the conference championship game, but the Sooners were granted a 2002 Cotton Bowl Classic, Cotton Bowl Classic berth, their first in school history, against unranked 2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Arkansas and won 10–3. In 2002 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2002, the Sooners won the Big 12 and advanced to the 2003 Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl for the first time, defeating No. 7 2002 Washington State Cougars football team, Washington State 34–14. Jwhite

Oklahoma went undefeated in the regular season in both 2003 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2003 and 2004 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2004. 2003 included a 77–0 defeat of 2003 2003 Texas A&M Aggies football team, Texas A&M and a 65–13 defeat of 2003 Texas Longhorns football team, Texas, the latter being the biggest win in Red River Showdown history. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Jason White (American football), Jason White, the team was ranked No. 1 in every AP poll of the season until an upset in the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game, Big 12 Championship Game by 2003 Kansas State Wildcats football team, Kansas State dropped them to third. However, the Sooners were ranked first in the BCS rankings and were thus able to play for the national championship in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, Sugar Bowl. They were defeated 21–14 by 2003 LSU Tigers football team, LSU. White, a Tuttle, Oklahoma native, threw for 3,846 yards and 40 touchdowns in his Heisman campaign but was kept in check by the LSU defense, completing just over 35 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions. The next year, freshman running back Adrian Peterson emerged as a star with 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. The AP, Coaches Poll, and BCS all ranked 2004 USC Trojans football team, USC at No. 1 and Oklahoma at No. 2 in 2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, every poll of the season until the two undefeated conference champions met in the 2005 Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl for the national championship. Oklahoma would lose their second straight national championship game, and Peterson would finish second in Heisman voting behind USC quarterback Matt Leinart. Following the season, several key players departed as 10 Sooners were selected in the 2005 NFL Draft, more than any other school. AdrianPeterson

Postseason letdowns

The 2005 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2005 season saw Oklahoma fall out of the AP poll for the first time since the 1999 season en route to an 8–4 record and a 2005 Holiday Bowl, Holiday Bowl victory over No. 6 2005 Oregon Ducks football team, Oregon. In both 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2006 and 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2007, the Sooners won the Big 12 but suffered upset losses in their bowl games. In the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the Sooners lost a back-and-forth game in overtime when 2006 Boise State Broncos football team, Boise State executed a Statue of Liberty play on a two-point conversion attempt to win 43–42. Oklahoma qualified for the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, Fiesta Bowl again the following year and were favored against 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, West Virginia, however, a 48–28 loss ended their season. Prior to the 2007 season, the

announced sanctions due to violations committed by players on the 2005 team who had been paid for unperformed work at a Norman car dealership. The NCAA found Oklahoma guilty of a "failure to monitor" the improper employment benefits and punished the team by vacating its victories from the 2005 season. However, in 2008, the NCAA partially reversed its decision and reinstated the vacated wins. At the end of the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2008 regular season, the Big 12 South finished in a three-way tie between Oklahoma, 2008 Texas Longhorns football team, Texas, and 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, Texas Tech, with each team having suffered one loss at the hands of another. As the team with the highest BCS ranking, Oklahoma advanced to the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game, conference championship game on a tie-breaker. The Sooners won the game, and quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy. His 53 combined passing and rushing touchdowns are tied for the most ever in a Heisman campaign. The Sooners advanced to the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, BCS National Championship Game but were defeated by 2008 Florida Gators football team, Florida.

Late Stoops era

After a 2011 Fiesta Bowl, Fiesta Bowl victory in 2010 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2010, the Sooners, led by Stoops and new offensive coordinator, co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, were ranked No. 1 in the polls to start the 2011 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2011 season. After maintaining their ranking for three weeks, the Sooners achieved their 100th No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat since the poll began in 1936. 2011 marked the final time that the Sooners were ranked No. 1 under Stoops. However, Oklahoma remained competitive throughout the rest of the BCS era, including a 2014 Sugar Bowl win over defending national champions 2013 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama in their last game before the introduction of the College Football Playoff. Under this system, four teams are selected to compete in yearly College Football Playoff#Semifinals, national semifinal games in which the winners advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, national championship game. The Sooners received their first playoff birth in 2015 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2015 and subsequently lost 37–17 to 2015 Clemson Tigers football team, Clemson in their semifinal game, the 2015 Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl. Despite winning the Big 12 in 2016 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2016, Oklahoma lost two regular season games and did not make the playoff. They defeated 2016 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn in the 2017 Sugar Bowl, Sugar Bowl, 35–19. In 2017, Stoops announced that he was stepping down as head coach, with offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley immediately appointed as his replacement. Stoops said that he felt that the time was right to retire, with a source indicating to Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN that Stoops wanted to leave on his own terms while he still could, without the university or his health forcing him to step aside. During his tenure in Norman, Stoops produced a 190–48 (.798) record, 10 conference titles, and a school-record 18 bowl game appearances. His 2008 team scored the most points in college football history to that point, averaging over 51 per game. In 2021, he was inducted into the

Riley and Venables (2017–present)

In his 2017 Oklahoma Sooners football team, first season, Riley led the Sooners to 12 wins, beating the 10-win record held by Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer for most victories by a first-year coach in program history. The Sooners entered the playoff against 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football team, Georgia in the 2018 Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, losing 54–48 in double overtime. 2017 was the first of three consecutive 12–2 seasons for the Sooners under Riley, however, each ended in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss. As of the end of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season, 2022 season, Oklahoma has an 0–4 playoff record and more College Football Playoff#Appearances, playoff appearances without a win than any other FBS team. However, the Sooners did win the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game, 2017, 2018 Big 12 Championship Game, 2018, 2019 Big 12 Championship Game, 2019, and 2020 Big 12 Championship Game, 2020 Big 12 Championship Games during Riley's tenure. Under Riley, the Sooners had two consecutive Heisman Trophy winners who became List of first overall National Football League Draft picks, No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft. In 2017, Baker Mayfield broke his own FBS record for single-season Passer rating#NCAA formula, passing efficiency while throwing for over 4,600 yards and 43 touchdowns. He was selected first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. 2018 Oklahoma Sooners football team, The following season, ex-Texas A&M football, Texas A&M starter Kyler Murray topped Mayfield's passing efficiency mark and became the seventh Heisman winner in program history. He was selected first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. To replace Murray for the 2019 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2019 season, Riley turned to ex-Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama starter Jalen Hurts. The Sooners lost 63–28 to eventual national champion 2019 LSU Tigers football team, LSU in the 2019 Peach Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Hurts finished second in Heisman voting to LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. As of the end of the 2022 season, Mayfield, Murray, and Hurts collectively own four of the top 12 passing efficiency seasons in FBS history. In July 2021, Oklahoma and Texas announced that they would leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) upon the conclusion of the Big 12's current media rights contract, which is set to expire in 2025. The surprising move initiated a widespread 2021–22 NCAA conference realignment, wave of conference realignment that saw, among many other moves, Pac-12 teams USC Trojans football, USC and UCLA Bruins football, UCLA announce their intention to join the Big Ten. Oklahoma and Texas have been criticized for abandoning their historic conference roots and setting the stage for other teams to do so, thereby creating a landscape in which the SEC and Big Ten are poised to dominate the sport at the expense of other conferences. Prior to the end of the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners football team, 2021 season, Riley accepted the head coach position at USC, becoming the first head coach to leave Oklahoma for a different job since Chuck Fairbanks in 1973. Chuck Carlton, writing for ''The Dallas Morning News'', said that the departure "blindsided most of the college football world." During his tenure in Norman, Riley compiled a 55–10 (.846) record and achieved the highest winning percentage of any coach in program history.

was named interim head coach for the team's 2021 Alamo Bowl, Alamo Bowl appearance and led the Sooners to a victory. Clemson Tigers football, Clemson defensive coordinator

, who had once held the same position at Oklahoma under Stoops, was hired as Riley's replacement. In his 2022 Oklahoma Sooners football team, first year at the helm, the Sooners stand at 6–6, their season punctuated by a 49–0 loss to 2022 Texas Longhorns football team, Texas, Oklahoma's worst loss in Red River Showdown history and the biggest shutout loss that the Sooners have ever suffered.

Conference affiliations

Oklahoma has been independent and a member of three conferences. * Independent (1895–1914) *

(1915–1919) * Big Eight Conference (1920–1995) *

(1996–present) *

(pending)

Championships

National championships

Oklahoma claims seven consensus national championships won by selection in the major college football polls. In addition, in ten years other than those seven championship seasons, Oklahoma has appeared atop lists by selectors designated by the NCAA as "major", primarily using math rating formulas.

Claimed national championships

Unclaimed national championships

In general, math formula rankings are not recognized as national championships. For years other than the seven in which Oklahoma was selected by a major poll as national champion, the following created math rating systems that selected Oklahoma: :Billingsley Report, Richard Billingsley: 1915* :Berryman (QPRS), Clyde P. Berryman: 1953*, 1957*, 1986*, 2003 :Poling System, Richard Poling: 1967, 1978 :Dunkel System, Richard C. Dunkel, Sr.: 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986 :College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS#Math, Harry DeVold: 1973, 1978, 1986 :Jeff Sagarin: 1973*, 1978, 1986 :David Rothman (statistician), David Rothman: 1978 :Edward Litkenhous: 1978 :College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS#Math, Herman Matthews: 1978, 1980 :The New York Times: 1986 Others: :''own selection:'' Helms Athletic Foundation, Bill Schroeder 1978 :''member polling:'' College Football Researchers Association 1949* 1953*, 1973*, 1986 :* retrospective selection

Conference championships

The team has captured 50 conference titles, including 14 in a row from 1946 to 1959. † Co-championship ‡ Both Nebraska and Oklahoma claim the 1972 championship, despite 1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Oklahoma in early 1973 forfeiting eight games from the 1972 season and the Big 8 crown.

Division championships

The Sooners have been a member of only one division, the Big 12 South, in their entire history. They were members from 1996 until 2010, after which the Big 12 ceased divisional play. † Co-championship

Head coaches

The team has had 23 head coaches, with the current head coach being

who was hired on December 5, 2021. Oklahoma started organized football with the nickname ''Sooners'' in 1895. The Sooners have played in more than 1,100 games in a total of 96 seasons. In those seasons, nine coaches have led the Sooners to postseason bowl games:

, Jim Tatum,

, Gomer Jones, Chuck Fairbanks, Barry Switzer,

, and Lincoln Riley. Nine coaches have won Athletic conference, conference championships with the Sooners:

, Stidham, Dewey Luster, Tatum, Wilkinson, Fairbanks, Switzer, Stoops, and Riley. Owen is the all-time leader in games coached and years coached, while Switzer is the all-time leader in winning percentage. Bob Stoops is the leader in wins. John A. Harts, John Harts is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Sooners have had; he lost the only game he coached, giving him a .000 winning percentage. John Blake has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game with .353. Of the 23 Sooner coaches, Owen, Lawrence Mcceney "Biff" Jones, Lawrence Jones, Tatum, Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have been inducted in the

. Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have each received National Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization.

Coaching staff

Stadium

The Sooners play their home games at

also known as The Palace on the Prairie. The stadium was formerly called Oklahoma Memorial Stadium but the administration decided to add 'Gaylord Family' to recognize the contributions made by Edward K. Gaylord and his family over the years (estimated at over $50 million). The playing surface is called Owen Field after Bennie Owen, Oklahoma's coach from 1905 to 1926. The stadium was built in 1923 with an original capacity of 500. In 1925, 16,000 seats were added and 16,000 more seats were added in 1929 bringing the total capacity to 32,000. The stadium has had a natural grass playing surface for the majority of its existence. The stadium had an artificial turf from 1970 to 1994. The stadium had a major renovation in 2003 when a new upper deck was added to the east side of the stadium, adding over 8,400 new seats. The official seating capacity of the stadium, following renovations in 2015, is 83,489. which makes it the 15th largest college stadium in the U.S. and second largest in the Big 12 Conference. Despite the official capacity, the Sooners routinely average well above capacity, most recently 86,735 for the 2018 season. The largest crowd ever was 88,308 on November 11, 2017, against TCU.

Rivalries

Nebraska

Oklahoma's rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Nebraska Cornhuskers historically had national championship implications, with the winner usually advancing to the Orange Bowl. The teams often met on Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving. For the majority of the 20th century Oklahoma and Nebraska competed as part of the Big Eight Conference where from 1907 to 1995 the programs won a combined 77 conference titles. The teams are noted for playing in the Game of the Century, in 1971 which OU lost 35–31. In 1996, the teams joined the Big XII Conference when Nebraska joined the North Division, and Oklahoma joined the South Division, thus ending the annual match-ups between the programs in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 the series resumed with Nebraska and Oklahoma being ranked number one and two in the BCS rankings. OU won 31–14. Oklahoma leads the series 47–38–3. On September 18, 2021, Oklahoma defeated Nebraska 23–16. Oklahoma beat Nebraska 49–14 on the last matchup on September 17, 2022.

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma leads the series 90–19–7 through the 2021 season.

Texas

The Red River Showdown or the OU–Texas Game is the annual matchup in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas between Oklahoma and the Texas Longhorns football, Texas Longhorns. Since 1929, the game has been played annually at the Cotton Bowl (stadium), Cotton Bowl, halfway between Norman and Austin, Texas, Austin. For the majority of the 20th century the game was a non-conference match-up. Texas competed in the

. In 1996, the two programs became part of the Big XII Conference South division. That year Oklahoma won the first overtime game of the series, after a tie the previous year. The stadium is split along the 50-yard line with Oklahoma fans occupying the south half of the field. Texas leads the series 62–50–5 through the 2021 season.

Missouri

Oklahoma leads the inactive series 67–24–5 as of 2021 with the last game played in 2011.

Pageantry

School colors

Oklahoma's official school colors are crimson and cream. These colors were picked in 1895 by May Overstreet, the only female faculty member at the time. The colors were her own personal choice and she decided on them after viewing many color samples and materials. After her decision, the colors were brought in front of the student body who enthusiastically approved of her selections. In recent years, red and white have sometimes replaced crimson and cream.

Mascot

Oklahoma has had several mascots. The first was a stray dog named Mex. Mex was found in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution by Mott Keys, an army hospital medic. Keys' Company (military unit), company adopted the dog and Keys took the dog back to Hollis, Oklahoma when he completed his duty. When Keys was enrolled in the university, he took Mex with him to Norman. With his experience as an army medic, Keys landed a job with the football team and a residence at the Kappa Sigma Fraternities and sororities, fraternity house. Mex's main duty during games was to keep stray dogs from roaming the field. He wore a red sweater with a big "O" letter on the side. Mex received national attention in October 1924 when the Oklahoma football team lost a game against Drake University. Mex was lost when the team boarded a train in Arkansas City, Kansas. The media blamed the loss on the field on the loss of their mascot. Mex was found later by two Oklahoma graduates. Mex died of old age on April 30, 1928. The campus was closed and classes were canceled on the day of his funeral. He was buried in a casket somewhere under the stadium. SoonerSchooner

Never an official mascot, Little Red began appearing at games in 1953. He was an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indian who wore red tights, Loincloth, breech cloth and a war bonnet and was last portrayed by Randy Palmer. In April 1970, Little Red was banished by Oklahoma president John Herbert Hollomon, Jr. The student court issued a temporary restraining order to keep Little Red from appearing at Sooner games. Despite this order, Palmer showed up as Little Red for the 1970 season opener where he was met with cheers from the crowd. When Palmer was Draft (sports), drafted after the 1971 season, no one showed up for try-outs to replace him. The mascot for Oklahoma is the Sooner Schooner, a conestoga wagon similar to the primary method of transportation used by early settlers in Oklahoma. The Schooner is maintained and driven by members of the RUF/NEKS, the university's all-male spirit organization, along with two white pony, ponies named Boomer and Sooner (mascots), Boomer and Sooner. In 2005, the university also introduced two costumed mascots also named Boomer and Sooner to serve as mascots for football games and events that do not permit a covered wagon.

Music

The official fight song of the Sooners is "Boomer Sooner." This song is played frequently at football games and is played by the band after touchdowns, field goals, after significant plays, and when the team or crowd need a boost of energy. "OK Oklahoma" is another school song that is played after an extra point and when the Sooner Schooner rolls onto the field. The official Alma Mater song is the "OU Chant", which is sung by OU fans before sporting events and at ceremonial occasions. Other tunes frequently heard at OU football games include the state song "Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song), Oklahoma" and "Fight for OKU." The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band is a nationally renowned ensemble founded in 1904. The largest student organization on campus, the band performs at all home games and frequently travels to other games. The band holds a game ball from the

game in 1983, the day "the Pride" won.

Awards

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player. Seven Oklahoma players have won the Heisman Trophy, six more finished runner-up. Kyler Murray is the most recent winner having won the 2018 Heisman Trophy.

Other awards

All-Americans

Every year, several publications release rosters of the best college football players in the country. The athletes on these lists are referred to as College Football All-America Team, All-Americans. The NCAA recognizes five All-American lists. They are the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. A consensus All-American is typically defined as a player who is named to three or more lists. Oklahoma has had 167 first-team All-Americans in its history, with 82 of them being named consensus All-Americans.

College Football Hall of Fame

Oklahoma has 29 inductees in the

. The first was coach

who was inducted as part of the inaugural class in 1951. The most recent is Roy Williams inducted in 2022.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced non-conference schedules as of October 8, 2022. *Opponent becomes intra-conference opponent with Oklahoma's impending move to the Southeastern Conference.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oklahoma Sooners Football Oklahoma Sooners football, American football teams established in 1895 1895 establishments in Oklahoma Territory