Why Is Brent Venables Smiling?

Remember Steve McQueen's role in "The Cincinnati Kid?"

McQueen played an up-and-coming poker player trying to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game in veteran star Edward G. Robinson.

In the final scene McQueen is down to his last card and calls Robinson's hand.

Robinson cooly turns over his cards to reveal a queen-high straight flush.

McQueen turns over his cards to reveal a full house, aces full of tens.

Which sent McQueen home broke but also in hock to Robinson for $5,000.

So, what does this iconic 1960's film featuring two of Hollywood's most legendary stars have to do with Brent Venables?

Well, really nothing other than the fact that Robinson's temperament in that final scene perfectly portrays Venables state of mind in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 National Spring Signing Day next Wednesday, Brent Venables is smiling because he is playing a pat hand.

Let's call it a queen-high straight flush.

That's right.

Oklahoma is not "expecting" to sign anyone on national signing day.

Huh?

Why is that so?

I'll tell you why.

Because Brent Venables and team signed all 27 of their 2024 commitments last December in the early signing period.

That's right, again.

Venables and staff only offered 27 players.

And because Venables doesn't allow offers until the player agrees to commit to Oklahoma and stop all other recruiting visits, all 27 signed their offer letters on signing day in December.

Granted, Oklahoma City phenom Andy Bass from Heritage Hall was a "hard commit" for the 28th commitment in the class. But, Bass is now one of five Preferred Walk-Ons to join OU this year. And, he was just named a Top 10 Athlete in the 2024 class by On3 recruiting service.

Good things.

S.O.U.L. Mission

The reason Venables was able to sign all 27 of his offers is due to his philosophy surrounding his S.O.U.L. Mission.

Serving. Our. Uncommon. Legacy.

It is a program Venables feels very strongly about and involves a holistic approach to developing the whole player.

Mind. Body. Spirit.

Read more about Brent Venables’ S.O.U.L. mission here:

https://journals.shareok.org/soonermagazine/article/download/12793/12788/12444

Venables brought this philosophy with him after serving nearly 10 years with Dabo Swinney at Clemson.

But it also includes a bit from his past mentors at career stops at Kansas State with Bill Snyder and Oklahoma with Bob Stoops.

The S.O.U.L. mission's main purpose is to develop players in mind, body and spirit to be successful at life beyond football.

Because Venables knows that only a small percentage of his players will ever play on Sundays.

He also knows that life is a struggle.

And who better to guide young 18-year-old men than a head ball coach who has described his childhood growing up in Salina, Kansas as if someone was holding his head under water?

Yes, Brent Venables testimony on his upbring is powerful and well-known.

Something he was reticent to talk about at first but has since warmed up to sharing his story to help other kids who might have experienced a bit of what he did as a young boy.

Venables grew up with an alcoholic mother, fatherless in a dysfunctional home.

He found solace and his purpose in life through athletics.

And his role models were his coaches.

So, when Brent Venables shows up in living rooms all across America and is asked by parents why their son should come join him in Norman to play football...

Venables unleashes a pitch from his heart that football is brief, life is difficult, and I will make them better men who are prepared for a lifetime of success in the real world after football.

Because he is a testament to leaning on his football coaches that made him a better man.

Just call it Venables S.O.U.L. mission.

And it has resonated with parents who trust him with their son's future.

Including the 27 early commitments who signed their letters of intent in December.

Which explains why Brent Venables is smiling the weekend before national signing day.

The Fruits of Your Success

As a result of Brent Venables and staff's hard work over the summer and fall to sign 27 kids last December, Oklahoma is basically playing a pat hand for next Wednesday's National Signing Day.

And because of that success, they’ve already used that free time in January and shifted their focus to the 2025 and 2026 classes. 

The 2025 class is already ranked #5 in the nation and includes another Bedenbaugh offensive lineman in Ryan Fodje, a 4-star from Cypress Texas.

And, because of the third straight Top 10 recruiting class in 2024, Oklahoma has been fairly light in the Transfer Portal this offseason, as well.

Oklahoma has only signed a dozen players, so far.

And zero defensive tackles.

That doesn't mean a few more might not fall into Norman between now and next August.

Defensive tackles Da'Jon Terry from Tennessee and Jacob Lacey from Notre Dame both notably signed with OU last summer. And both Terry and Lacey recently announced they are returning to Norman next year along with edge transfer from Oklahoma State Trace Ford.

And you can add edge portal transfer Caiden Woullard from Miami (Ohio) into the mix, too.

But this year Venables is mostly content to stand on his cards because his deck is loaded thanks to the 2024 early signee haul and the fact that he returns nine of their top 10 tacklers in 2024.

2024 Early Signee Future Stars

The main reason for Venables state of mind heading into next week is because he went out and signed the best defensive line prospects ever assembled in one recruiting class at Oklahoma.

Headlined by the top defensive lineman in 5-star David Stone from IMG Academy in Florida.

Stone, a Midwest City-native, moved to Florida to play football for IMG Academy.

But his heart remained in Oklahoma, and he is back home.

An early signee, Stone is the #9 player in the 2024 class nationally and turned heads in practice and games in the UA All-America and Polynesian Bowl.

He is already enrolled in Norman and leads a defensive line class that includes:

• Jayden Jackson*--4-star noseguard and Stone's IMG Academy teammate
• Nigel Smith II--4-star lineman from Melissa, Texas
• Wyatt Gilmore-4-star edge from Rogers, Minnesota
• Danny Okoye--4-star edge from Tulsa, Oklahoma

*Jackson, Gilmore and Smith join Stone as early-enrollees in Norman.

Stone and the "Oklahoma Power Line" as they have self-dubbed themselves, are the main reason Brent Venables and company haven't signed any defensive tackles this off-season in the Transfer Portal.

Not to say they won't add a couple this off-season, but these are the dudes Oklahoma will count on to cement their future in the Southeastern Conference moving forward.

Stone seems a virtual lock to see plenty of playing time next season.

But don't count out Jackson, Smith, Gilmore and Okoye.

Recruiting might have gotten them to Norman.

Coaching and development will determine playing time moving forward.

Something Todd Bates, defensive line coach, and Miquel Chavis, edge coach, are salivating at the opportunity to get these guys on the field as quickly as possible.

An off-season strength and conditioning program with Jerry Schmidt also will prove very valuable.

Offense

On offense, Sooner running back coach Demarco Murray continues to be one of the hottest recruiters in Norman with the signing of Taylor Tatum, the #1 running back recruit in the country.

Tatum brings home run speed and toughness and will make his presence felt in the Oklahoma running back room

.

Joining redshirt sophomores Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes, Tatum should see plenty of carries and is also a threat out of the backfield in the passing game, too.

With Sooner running backs Marcus Major and Tawee Walker leaving via the Transfer Portal, the door is wide open for Tatum to make a push for playing time immediately.

Redshirt freshman returnee Kalib Hicks will add depth as will transfer portal signee Sam Franklin from UT-Martin, but Sawchuk, Barnes and Tatum will be the headliners.

On the offensive line, Sooners line coach Bill Bedenbaugh had himself a field day on early signing day.

Bedenbaugh is tasked with rebuilding his entire offensive line heading into the SEC due to NFL departures, graduation and transfers.

But darn it if he didn't just go out and replace them all with the best o-line class in recent memory.

Oklahoma signed five offensive linemen in the early signing period:

Eddie Pierre-Louis--3-star and #1 guard from Tampa, Florida

Daniel Akinkunmi--3- star and #1 player from NFL Academy in England

Eugene Brooks--4-star from Chatsworth, California

Joseph Aisosa--3-star from Edmond, Oklahoma

Isaiah Autry--3-star from Fulton, Mississippi

Plus, just last week Evan McClure, 4-star offensive linemen from Bixby, Oklahoma, announced his commitment to Oklahoma just days before the National Signing Day next Wednesday. 

McClure, who is an Oklahoma legacy (his father Bruce was an offensive lineman at OU from 1993-1997,) is joining the Sooners as a Preferred Walk-On (PWO) and will not count towards the overall scholarship limit. He was leaning Arkansas until he visited Oklahoma. He will be joining a full house in the offensive linemen room but will be helped by NIL payments that will offset the cost of his tuition, room and board and expenses. 

That's how programs like OU get PWO's like McClure, who is one of five PWO's in this class:

And he's already bought in to Venables S.O.U.L. Mission and Jerry Schmidt's off-season training program:

“Going up there last Friday, I mean, the SOUL Mission was a big part of it,” McClure said. “My family and I liked the connection that has with the whole team. And then, you know how great (Jerry Schmidt’s) program is and the weightlifting room. I mean, a big thing for me is I’m ready to get in the weight room and get a lot stronger, and that’s what Schmitty can do.”

Combine these players with a handful of returnees in Jacob Sexton, Joshua Bates, Troy Everett, Nate Taylor, Heath Ozaeta and Logan Howland and the cupboard is suddenly not bare anymore in Norman.

Plus, Bedenbaugh has signed the following dudes from the ubiquitous Transfer Portal this off-season:

Spencer Brown from Michigan State (24 career starts)

Febechi Nwaiwu from North Texas (24 career starts; freshman 2nd Team All-America)

Michael Tarquin from USC (28 career starts)

Geirean Hatchett from Washington. (4 starts; Joe Moore Award winning offensive line in 2024)

These fellas bring experience and a combined 80 starts on the offensive line to Norman. 

Toss in the four starts from returnees Jacob Sexton and nine starts from Troy Everett and suddenly Oklahoma will return 93 starts on the offensive line.

That dog will hunt in the SEC.

So, don't worry about the Oklahoma offensive line and their ability to protect franchise quarterback Jackson Arnold next season.

Bill Bedenbaugh will work his magic again and have an offensive line ready for day one in the SEC.

Summary

Obviously, there are more players other than David Stone and company on defense and Taylor Tatum plus the five offensive linemen in the 27-player early signee 2024 recruiting class.

The Rivals 250 includes 12 Sooner recruits in this class including Stone, Jackson, Smith, Okoye, Tatum, Pierre-Louis and Brooks

But also includes guys like 4-star safety Jaydan Hardy, from Lewisville, Texas plus tight end Davon Mitchell from Los Alamitos, California, receiver Zion Kearney from Missouri City, Texas, quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr., and 4-star cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe from Gilbert, Arizona.

But make no question about where the strength of this class lies.

It's in the trenches with the Oklahoma Power Line on defense and the offensive line Bill Bedenbaugh has assembled plus Taylor Tatum.

That's a very formidable foundation upon which to move forward.

Combine that talent with the S.O.U.L. Mission.

And you can see why Brent Venables is smiling.

Boomer.

Oklahoma Football--Sooners Are Positioned for SEC Success

The Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona couldn't have come at a better time for Oklahoma.

Afterall, this game was a launching pad for 2024.

With a slew of key players opting out of the game via the transfer portal, NFL Draft preparation and injuries, the Alamo Bowl was the perfect prep for the 2024 season.

Now firmly in the off-season, and a handful of changes in the landscape, here are five keys why Oklahoma is perfectly positioned for success in the SEC.

Quarterback

True freshman Jackson Arnold was thrown into the fire in his first collegiate start.

After Dillon Gabriel entered the transfer portal to pursue the Phil Knight Nike "bag" in his last season at Oregon, Arnold's coming out game was in San Antonio against a very good Arizona defense.

And, actually Arnold didn't play all that bad considering the 38-24 final score.

Yes, the three interceptions and six overall turnovers proved the difference.

But Arnold showed glimpses of why Sooner coaches are so high on the former 5-star, Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Arm strength, poise and pocket presence all are very high.

And, if not for a fumble by Jalil Farooq in the red zone which was returned for a touchdown, Arnold had Oklahoma on the precipice of taking a commanding 31-13 lead early in the third quarter.

He'll learn from his mistakes, and it was good to get this trial by fire out of the way in a meaningless bowl game.

And, a veteran Sooner legacy has come home to help provide much needed depth.

Casey Thompson, son of former Oklahoma quarterback Charles Thompson and brother of former Sooner quarterback Kendal Thompson, entered the transfer portal and signed with Oklahoma earlier this week.

Thompson brings a wealth of seasoned experienced at quarterback after stints at Texas, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic where he started 23 games.

You might remember him from the 2021 OU/Texas game where he threw for 388 yards, five touchdown passes and led the Longhorns to a 28-7 first quarter lead before Caleb Williams led a miraculous comeback.

And he is just fine being Jackson Arnold's backup.

Thompson will enter his seventh season under a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA following an ACL tear last season early in his first season at Florida Atlantic.

Hopefully, Thompson recovers in time for the season. And although coming off a major injury, he can come in for Jackson Arnold in a flash, and deliver without missing a beat.

Behind Thompson will be true freshman Michael Hawkins from Frisco Emerson High School (he previously played at Allen High School.) A 3-star quarterback, Hawkins is a Sooner legacy (his father Mike played for Bob Stoops in Norman from 2005-2009,) he led Emerson in its very first year of existence to the Texas State 5A Semifinal game against defending state champion South Oak Cliff last season.

Hawkins, at 6' 2" and 195 lbs. is described as fast, twitchy, explosive and athletic, played at a high level in Texas 5A football and can offer competition in the quarterback room. 

But realistically, he needs to redshirt this season, put on some additional weight with Oklahoma Strength & Conditioning Coach Jerry Schmidt this offseason and learn Seth Littrell's offensive system. 

Hawkins deep threat ability and running potential will fit perfectly into Littrell's plans in the future at quarterback.

General Booty returns for another season in the quarterback room but he likely will be more focused on promoting his underwear line than realistically ever seeing the field in Norman.

Former Pitt transfer Davis Beville entered the transfer portal and will be playing for former Oklahoma coach Shane Beamer in South Carolina.

Beamer and Beville come to Norman on October 19 for the first-ever game between the Gamecocks and Sooners.

So, it will be Jackson Arnold, Casey Thompson, Michael Hawkins and General Booty in the quarterback room this year for Oklahoma.

New Coaches

Co-Offensive Coordinators Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley made their debuts in the Alamo Bowl following Jeff Lebby's departure to Mississippi State as the new head coach in Starkville.

Timing did not allow for much tinkering with the Lebby-installed offense before the Alamo Bowl.

But expect Littrell to develop his own system that is quarterback friendly in the off-season.

Littrell is a former Sooner captain on the national championship team in 2000, a Sooner legacy (his father Jimmy was a fullback for Barry Switzer on the two-time national champion Sooners in 1974-75 (in the same backfield with Steve Davis, Elvis Peacock and Joe Washington,) and he's had head coaching experience at North Texas.

As the primary play caller, he will rely on his past play calling stints at North Carolina, Arizona and North Texas.

And, his tutelage under Mike Leach, Mark Mangino, Kevin Wilson and Larry Fedora.

But make no mistake.

Littrell's relationship with Jackson Arnold is key to success next season. 

And they have started fast based upon their past relationship when Littrell recruited Arnold when he was the head coach at North Texas and Arnold was a freshman at Denton Guyer High School.

As for Finley, a former tight end for Bob Stoops, he has been involved in the passing game the past two seasons under former Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby. 

Plus, he had a previous stint at Missouri so he's familiar with the SEC.

And, after a season where it seemed Oklahoma didn't have any tight ends, he will have four new tight ends who will contribute to the new offense immediately.

A 5-star freshman from California, Davon Mitchell is a huge talent at 6' 4" and 245 lbs. And, a Norman native, Jake Taylor is transferring from Baylor. 

Add in returning redshirt freshman Kaden Helms (who was injured in 2023 following a freshman redshirt season in 2022) and transfer Bauer Sharp from Southeastern Louisiana and Finley has lots of new toys to work into Littrell's offensive system.

On the defensive side, Zac Alley was announced as the new Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach replacing Ted Roof.

Alley comes from Jacksonville State in a similar role where he coordinated a unit in 2023 that was ranked 33rd out of 133 teams in scoring defense and 43rd in total defense. The Gamecocks were 9-4 and 6-2 in Conference USA last year good enough for a third-place finish.

More importantly, Alley is extremely familiar with Brent Venables, having worked under him for four years as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2015 to 2018.

In those four seasons, Alley worked primarily with the defensive tackles and linebackers. 

Clemson was 55-4, won four ACC titles and two national championships during Alley's time at Clemson.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney summed up the Alley/Venables mentorship while with the Tigers perfectly when he said, "No one spent more time with Alley than Brent."

Alley's arrival in Norman means Brent Venables can devote more time to coaching the entire team versus the disproportionate focus on defense the past two seasons.

Nothing against former Co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach Ted Roof who was offered a position on staff and chose to leave.

But having a new Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers coach, who is considered a clone of our head coach, is a huge addition to the Oklahoma defense.

Is Norman big enough for two Brent Venables?

We're about to find out because Alley is a mini-me copy of his former mentor. 

Let's just hope he stays in the press box because the sideline is definitely not big enough for both Venables and Alley!

New Players

Oklahoma offered 27 high school players in the 2024 early signing period.

And all 27 signed their letters of intent last month on signing day. 

A testament to Venables policy of not announcing commitments until the player chooses to discontinue campus visits to other schools.

It's kind of like announcing you're engaged but will still date other people!

That dog won't hunt in Norman.

Headliners include the #1 running back in the nation in Taylor Tatum (who also will play baseball for the Sooners,) five defensive linemen who have labeled themselves the "Power Line" led by 5-star defensive tackle David Stone and five offensive linemen.

Stone and IMG Florida teammate Jayden Jackson along with fellow "Power Line" members Nigel Smith II, Wyatt Gilmore and Danny Okoye are all in Norman as mid-year enrollees.

And, on the offensive line, Bill Bedenbaugh signed the #1 guard in the nation in Eddy Pierre-Louis, Daniel Akinkunmi (the #1 player from England,) Eugene Brooks, Isaiah Autry and Josh Aisosa.

A majority of the other players in the 2024 class are also early signees and are already in Norman for the spring semester.

On the transfer portal side, Oklahoma has signed 12 players, so far.

Eight are on offense, including three offensive linemen (SEE BELOW,) and 3 are on defense with one kicker.

The three transfer offensive linemen will add much needed depth to accompany the previously mentioned five true freshmen O-linemen who signed last month.

The fact that Venables and team haven't signed any portal defensive linemen speaks highly of their opinions of the returning players plus the incoming "Power Line" to immediately contribute for playing time.

A total of 34 new players are in Norman and will participate in off-season workouts, a spring game plus summer workouts.

That is huge.

And, seven of the 2024 incoming freshmen class were in San Antonio for bowl preparation.

Returning Players

The announcement that linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman will return for their senior seasons was a huge first step in solidifying the Oklahoma defense.

And, the news that transfers Jacob Lacey and Da'Jon Terry would return for another season in Norman versus entering the NFL draft further cemented the foundation.

Stutsman has been the Sooners leading tackler the past two seasons and the heart and soul of the defense.

Bowman led the nation in interception returns for touchdowns with three and made a huge play in Dallas that forced a red zone turnover against Texas.

Lacey, a Notre Dame transfer, got off to a slow start early with a blood clot issue but provided solid line play against Texas and Terry, the Tennessee transfer, was our main run stopper all season.

Both of these guys returning to Norman persuaded Brent Venables to keep a pat hand on the defensive line this off-season portal season.

Not to say a couple of more defensive linemen might appear later but the head ball coach is ready to roll into his first season in the SEC trenches with Lacey, Terry, a handful of solid returning players with game starts and experience (starter Ethan Downs, R. Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton, 5-star freshman Adepoju Adebawore and OSU transfer Trace Ford) plus Edge transfer Caiden Woullard from Miami (Ohio) and five incoming true freshmen on the Oklahoma defensive line.

And don't forget portal transfer Phil Paea who missed almost the entire 2023 season following a knee injury in 2022. The Utah State transfer via Michigan will further add to the Oklahoma defensive line in 2024 if he can return from the knee injury.

The Oklahoma defensive line is doin' fine.

As for the offensive line, Jacob Sexton (senior, started Alamo Bowl,) Joshua Bates (redshirt, sophomore,) Heath Ozaeta (transfer, sophomore) and Appalachian State transfer Troy Everett (transfer, redshirt junior, started Alamo Bowl) headline the returning players. 

Add in the three portal transfers in Spencer Brown from Michigan State, Febechi Nwaiwu from North Texas (who was recruited by Seth Littrell) and Michael Tarquin from Southern Cal, mix in the five incoming freshmen and I trust Bill Bedenbaugh to work his magic.

Former Bedenbaugh players Creed Humphrey, Orlando Brown, Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris are all currently starting in the NFL.

And, Bedenbaugh and Seth Littrell both coached together at Texas Tech and Littrell was Bedenbaugh's best man.

I trust Bill Bedenbaugh will have the Oklahoma offensive line ready come SEC time!

SEC in Transition

Oklahoma and Texas are entering the SEC at the perfect time.

A legend in Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement following the Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.

Call it age-related (Saban admitted at 73 it wasn't getting any easier,) or because of the phenomenal success of the NIL or portal transfer in changing the balance of power, but the college football landscape today is much different than when Saban started his run back in 2009.

Suddenly, Alabama missed a CFP Championship for the third consecutive season.

And just like that, the Crimson Tide legacy in Tuscaloosa is in transition. 

I don't care who the new coach is. 

And they got a good one in the Washington head coach coming off a national championship game loss against Michigan.

And so is the SEC in transition.

The power conference is adding new teams for the first time in a dozen years since Texas A&M and Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.

But lets be real here.

Adding Oklahoma and Texas is not like adding any other teams.

Both are Blue Bloods in the college football hierarchy and bring instant street cred and "juice" to the conference.

I mean besides Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Florida no other SEC team has won a national championship this century. 

OU and Texas have won twice. 

Not to mention the Heisman Trophy winners.

In its illustrious history, players from the SEC have won 18 Heisman Trophies.

Oklahoma and Texas players have won half of that many with nine Heisman's, four of which were this century!

Texas made its first trip to the CFP and was a last play incompletion in the end zone from playing Michigan in the national title game in Houston.

Steve Sarkisian is a former Alabama offensive coordinator for Nick Saban and already owns a road win over Saban and the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa last season.

And the new transfer portal and NIL rules mean Sarkisian has the deep pockets of Texas boosters to sign any player in the country without money being an issue.

Texas is positioned for a long run at the top of the SEC in light of Saban's departure in Tuscaloosa.

Brent Venables is very familiar coaching and beating SEC teams and won two national championships at Clemson in 2016 and 2018 while building one of the stoutest defenses in the country.

His turnaround in Norman now includes three top ten high school signing classes, key portal additions and a remarkable 10-3 season following a 6-7 mark his first year.

Oklahoma has a solid foundation of NIL initiatives that enable the Sooners to compete for transfer and high school players.

And, Venables policy of not announcing a commitment until the player agrees to stop on campus visits to other schools while committed to Oklahoma is paying off. 

That policy paid off this off-season as all 27 Oklahoma commitments signed with the Sooners on signing day last month.

Venables testimony of character and values and his SOUL Mission of Serving Our Uncommon Legacy is appealing to the players and their parents.

Venables plus the NIL initiatives and the Oklahoma brand will hunt in the SEC. Plus, he already has a win over Sarkisian this past season over the best Texas team in 14 years!

Not to take anything away from what Nick Saban did at Alabama or what Kirby Smart has done at Georgia or the work of Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss and the program Brian Kelly is building at LSU.

But Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables, armed with loaded NIL initiatives and the flexibility of instant roster reloading with the transfer portal, aren't coming to the SEC just to be happy to be there.

They're coming to win national championships!

No one is saying it will be easy. The road ahead in the SEC will be full of road mines.

The new kids on the block are going to get circled for every SEC home game with huge bullseye targets on their heads. 

And don't expect Alabama to fall off the mountain easily.

But the hot new coach coming from the pacific northwest, without any SEC experience or recruiting ties, who is coming with a new staff who are used to PAC-12 football, opens the door wide open for everyone else not named Alabama.

And the 12-team playoff is opening the College Football Playoff door to more teams.

And more teams means more SEC teams not named Alabama.

Like Texas and Oklahoma.

And Brent Venables has the Sooners poised to compete.

Oklahoma Big XII Farewell Tour—Adieu My Dear Ole’ Jayhawks

Another one bites the dust.

Or more appropriately:

Dust in the wind.

Saturday marks the 114th renewal of the annual tackle football game between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Kansas.

And I am sad.

This is probably the only Big XII series I will miss.

Of the 155 Oklahoma football games I have attended, I have seen eight OU vs. KU football games and I’m a perfect 8-0.

And Oklahoma is 80-27-6 all-time so it’s hardly the rivalry that makes one sentimental.

No, this one is close to the heart for several reasons.

I attended my first Oklahoma vs. Kansas football game on November 10, 1979, at Owen Field in Norman.

A high school senior looking for a post-high school home, Norman seemed like as good a place as any.

I had already been to the home opener in September.

My neighbor Chris Benge and I drove from Tulsa to Norman in his dad’s small Nissan truck.

We parked where Headington Hall is presently located and walked two blocks across the street to the stadium.

Iowa and a young safety named Bob Stoops were formidable, but Billy Sims and the Sooners prevailed 21-6.

I actually met Bob Stoops 37 years later and told him about my first OU game and his cameo. 

I attended the Colorado game later with my friend Richard Chandler.

This time I drove.

Richard’s sister was at OU working in the Athletic Department and had us set up for dinner with Billy Sims.

That’s Billy after the game talking with Tulsa World Sports Editor Bill Connors.

However, Billy didn’t “recognize” us yelling “Billy, Billy, Billy” after his chat with Bill Connors with us clinging to the 20’ chain link fence outside the home locker room underneath the west stadium stands.

Oh well.

At least she hooked us up with recruit passes. 

We got to tour Bud Wilkinson Hall, which housed the Oklahoma football players, and acted like we were special on a Sooner Game Day.

So up next was Kansas.

Troy Miles was a “super scout” from Tulsa who recruited high school baseball players to area colleges including Oklahoma.

He watched our Tulsa Western/Heitgras team in the Oklahoma Southside Mickey Mantle League at Mason Park in the summer of ‘78!

Fortunately, we won the state championship, and I was the starting catcher as we went something like 50-11.

So, when Troy Miles was taking Tulsa high school baseball players on recruiting trips to Oklahoma football games in the fall of 1979, I made his short list.

Along with former teammates Mike Robinson (1st row, 5th from L,) Kelly Bell (2nd row, 2nd from L,) and Scott Logsdon (1st row, last from L.) 

That's yours truly on the back row 5th from left!

Bell and Logsdon were named to the first team All-City Baseball Team by the Tulsa World in May of 1980.

Robinson and I were named to the 2nd Team.

Troy drove us from Tulsa to Norman for the Kansas game with Mr. Robinson.

We exited Lindsey Street and pulled right into the stadium grounds onto the Oklahoma baseball outfield and were ushered into a small trailer underneath the south end zone.

Yes, back in the day the OU baseball field used to be located on the football team practice field behind the south end zone called Haskell Field.

It was where we were to meet Enos Semore who was the Oklahoma baseball coach.

We thought we were getting the red carpet treatment and were big shots!

Or so we thought.

We entered the trailer and the secretary told us that Coach Semore went duck hunting and our tour guide today would be Donny Graham a junior outfielder from Moore.

Right there I immediately knew that was the end of my Oklahoma baseball career.

But hey, at least we got to see the Sooners win 38-0 over the Jayhawks.

I’d take my catcher’s gear north to Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas the next fall and play baseball for the NAIA Division II Wildcats!

Baker was located about 10 miles south of Lawrence.

And if you have ever been to Baldwin City, Kansas you know where this story is going.

I mean little Baldwin City could barely compare to big college town Lawrence.

I describe Lawrence as a little oasis in the heartland. 

A little bit quirky. 

It's a granola town full of health enthusiasts, bicyclists and joggers who treasure living off the land. 

Nothing compares to avocado toast and a smoothie at a health food breakfast diner on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence.

Plus, you are in the middle of a college campus that is full of beautiful co-eds who love their sports.

I made weekly trips to Lawrence to just hang out. 

And at night, I had a KU Library card with full access to the stacks deep within the Kansas Library on Jayhawk Boulevard.

Several baseball teammates and I even saw the band "Kansas" play at historic Allen Field House located on what else? 

Naismith Drive. 

Named after the founder of basketball James Naismith who spend time in Lawrence coaching the Kansas basketball team.

After a year at Baker, I really set my sights on Lawrence. 

And more than just a sightseer.

We had played Kansas four times that fall and again in the spring.

In between games, I squeezed in the Oklahoma vs. Kansas football game in Lawrence.

On Saturday November 8, 1980, almost to the day when I saw the OU/Kansas game in Norman the year before!

My fourth OU football game and two times it was against Kansas!

The Sooners won a tight one 21-19 and afterwards I experienced The Wheel for the very first time, which was located up the hill from Memorial Stadium, for post-game refreshments and frivolity.

The funniest thing that happened while I was at Baker was when my friend Richard Chandler visited me for the weekend.

A high school senior, he wanted to check out what college life was like in Baldwin City.

You know, to compare to our Norman experience the year before.

So, of course, I took him to Lawrence and The Wheel. 

The last time I saw Richard he was green about the gills recovering!

By spring break at Fayetteville against Arkansas and my former teammate and Oklahoma/Kansas attendee from the year before, Mike Robinson, I made my first start at catcher.

We lost the first game of a doubleheader, but we made the Tulsa World Sports page, and my name was in the box score battery. 

My dad saved the article and mailed it to me at Baker.

I still have it today.

So, I thought I could walk on at KU and have a pretty good shot at making the team if not starting.

I drove to Lawrence that summer and enrolled.

Got an apartment with some fellow Kappa Sigs and was trying to decide between Norman and Lawrence for my future.

Unfortunately, two things happened that summer of 1981 that would change the trajectory of my young life.

First, Floyd Temple, the longtime Kansas baseball coach since 1954, retired after 28 years in Lawrence.

Ruining my baseball plans.

Hard to walk-on a team when the coach who was familiar with you having played against him five times within the last year, just up and retired!

Kansas then hired a new coach from Dodge City Junior College.

Marty Patton was a former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals.

He was hired as head coach at KU and brought most of his team from Dodge City JUCO with him to Lawrence.

Including his catcher.

Secondly, I came down with a mysterious stomach ailment that August that ended with a brief hospital stay.

Suffice it to say the baseball God’s had intervened in my summer plans and said, “Son, you’re going to the University of Oklahoma!”

So, I listened and drove to Norman to begin classes at OU.

It was meant to be.

I had played Stan Musial ball that summer in Tulsa.

Our games were at Haikey Creek Park in far eastern Tulsa.

I worked for a plastering company that summer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then hurried home changed and drove to Haikey Creek Park 2 or 3 times a week for a baseball game.

The other nights I was an umpire in the Tulsa Prep Minor league at Turkey Mountain. 

We won our division and made the State Championship Tourney at O’Brien Park in far north Tulsa.

My team had won the Babe Ruth State Championship after a summer of playing at O’Brien Park the summer of 1977.

Except this time, my old coach Bob Duncan from the Tulsa Western/Heitgras Mickey Mantle State Champions, showed up for the first game.

And took over from the assistant coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JUCO in Miami who had been coaching us all summer.

Coach Duncan promptly benched me in favor of some player from NEO who had been playing in a minor league somewhere else all summer.

So, after driving to Haikey Creek all summer and starting every game, in which some games we barely had nine players, I sat there the first game and watched from the bench next to Coach Duncan as we got beat.

And went home and never put on a baseball uniform again.

Between the Kansas vs. Oklahoma decision, stomach mystery illness and this lineup shenanigan, I had had enough baseball for a lifetime.

So, I enrolled in Norman and the rest is history.

I’d attend my next Oklahoma vs. Kansas football games in Norman in 1981, 1983 and 1985.

All wins

Then another one in 1986 in Lawrence.

My friend Andy Rubin, a New Yorker from Brooklyn, was the Sports Editor for the Oklahoma Daily student newspaper.

He was a spotter for the ABC national telecast of the OU/KU game in Lawrence.

Andy didn’t own a car.

He needed a ride to Lawrence, and I obliged.

We ended up sleeping at the Kappa Sigma house up the hill from the stadium.

Andy went up to the press box and spotted plays for Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles.

I bought a ticket and sat on the press box side by myself.

At halftime it was 20-0.

Midway through the game it began snowing.

Oklahoma scored 37 points in the third quarter.

I looked behind me and saw my former, fellow Oklahoma Daily staffer and summer tennis buddy Lucy Wolcott.

She had graduated from OU law school and ended up practicing law in Kansas City.

We watched the second half together and then I walked up the hill in the snow to The Wheel.

I told Andy to meet me there after the game.

Unfortunately for Andy, I ran into a fellow Harold’s employee Ginger Fore and some of her former sorority sisters.

Ginger had graduated from KU and was a Pi Phi if I remember.

Any-Hoo, we ended up in Mission Hills in Kansas City and the snow turned into sleet.

By the time I made it back to the Kappa Sig house in Lawrence it was nearly daybreak.

I had no idea where Andy was or if he had even made it back to the house.

But when the sun rose, I spotted his head buried beneath the covers a few bunks away.

We were in a cold sleeping porch full of bunk beds and this one meant they slept with the windows open all night.

Andy and I headed back to Norman when about an hour from Wichita I asked him if he would drive.

He said he didn’t know how to drive a stick shift, so I pulled over on I-35 and showed him how to start the car and got him to fifth gear.

He said now what?

I told him, “Whatever you do don’t stop and wake me up when we hit Norman!”

And that’s why I will miss the Oklahoma vs. Kansas football series.

Memories.

That snowy day in Lawrence, OU held a 64-0 lead right up until the final minutes when Kansas kicked a field goal to spoil the shutout.

Sooners 64 Jayhawks 3.

I made two more victorious KU games in 1993 and 2016 both in Norman.

Maybe we will play Kansas in football again someday.

Until then, a fare adieu old friend.

And thanks for the memories.

#Boomer