1980 Colorado/Oklahoma

[SteelClip49]

I know the score was 82-42 in favor of the Sooners and that's all I know about it. For those of you that remember the game well, could you describe exactly what it is you saw that day considering the final score? How does it compare to the 2003 TAMU game? I know OU shut out TAMU 77-0 but the win over Colorado featured 5 more points and well, gave up 42 more points. Just wondering about the game, thanks.

[King Crimson]

according to legend, Chuck Fairbanks sent an "emissary" to Switzer on the OU sidelines to call off the dogs, which he apparently did to some degree. keep in mind OU had 77 points in the 3rd quarter against the ags.

the radio morons in Denver sometimes talk about that game and always (ALWAYS) talk what a great game Joe Washington had. problem with that was Joe's eligibility was up 6 years earlier.

i don't remember the game that well, i was 11. but, i DO remember it happening.

[King Crimson]

here's the box score:
http://soonerstats.com/football/games/boxscore.cfm?GameID=789

we rushed for almost 800 yards and had a gaudy 122 yards in penalties.

this game was also the week after losing to Elway and Stanford and then we turn around and lose to Texas. win out, beat NU in Lincoln and win the Orange Bowl in the epic 18-17 Forrest Valora 2 point "go for the win".

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[Youngsooner]

I was born in 89.. i don't remember too much about it

[insuranceman_22]

I was there, but I was only 10. The only reason I remember it is because of the score. I was also there the when Elway and Stanford beat us and I actually do remember thinking that Stanford had a good QB. I also remember how ****ed off my dad was after the Stanford game!

[King Crimson]

I was born in 89.. i don't remember too much about it

if you want to be a Sooner fan, learn it up. age don't matter; but, our history does. that's what makes us Oklahoma.

[Youngsooner]

there's been alot of games, been to games growing up.. theres always some specific games such as OU-CU in 1980 i don't know about. but threads like this help me learn ;)

I'm always open to that

[PDXsooner]

thanks for posting that game -- i just watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it...

[bluedogok]

this game was also the week after losing to Elway and Stanford and then we turn around and lose to Texas. win out, beat NU in Lincoln and win the Orange Bowl in the epic 18-17 Forrest Valora 2 point "go for the win".
My cousin (OU Grad-1976) blew out his knee in that game, he was in the Opryland halftime show. He stepped in a gap between stages and his knee popped. The OU trainers took care of him and did the surgery on the knee. He refers to that as his "Orange Bowl injury" :D

[devOUt]

Great Clip! Everyone remembers Valora's catch but Rhodes came through strong in the clutch. I had forgotten that part.

[CU Sooner]

Back to the CU game my best memory of the game is a punt return by Freddie Nixon, #11.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I was at a bar in Tulsa, and got sh*t-faced before the end of the game. Next thing I knew was that the Sooners pulled it out. I like playing FL ST!

[Sooner Schemer]

I didn't see anything, as the game wasn't televised.

I do remember listening on the radio as David Overstreet ran all over the Buffs. I think that game was his career high.

[DUCKHUNTDAVE]

Insuranceman.....


Kind of funny, I was ten as well at the Stanford game. One of those game I guess you never forget. I remember it pouring rain, and watching a great performance by a QB that people were talking about, John Elway. Red Ponchos everywhere, and all disappointed after the game. Nice memory nevertheless.

[Jacie]

Since it was an away game and having had some of the wind taken out of OUr sails the week before by Stanford, my gf and I went to Turner Falls that Saturday to beat the heat. Taking a break from exploring the swimming holes above the falls I turned on the radio and couldn't believe the score.

[Soonerus]

The OU-CU game was just a track meet, as I remember we had a fullback (Ledbetter) twice score from about 70 yards...we could not be stopped...

[sooneron]

I listened to it on the radio. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when I turned it on half way into the 2nd Q.

[BoulderSooner79]

Looking at those 1980 OU-CU game stats, OU averaged 16.7 yds per pass attempt and only 10.9 yds per rush. Yet they rushed 73 times and only passed 7 times. Were the coaches dummies ?

:;

[RiddlerOK]

I was in the Sooner Pride and went to the game. All I remember is how tired I got from standing up and playing Boomer Sooner every 2 minutes. If I remember correctly, there were two different players in the game who scored four touchdowns: One was one of the Ledbetter boys (either Jerome or Weldon) and the other was Buster Rhymes. Oklahoma ended up with 875 yards total offense in that game. :)

[soonerfan28]

Wasn't that the game were OU set the rushing record for a game and isn't it still the most.

[Blitzkrieg]

I was 13 and remember the Stanford game all too well. Upper deck in the driving rain, no rain gear, no umbrella, and watching Elway carve us up. The texass game was miserable as well, Watts never lost a big 8 game, but never beat terxas as a starter either.

The CU game was on the radio, and it was evident that we could score at will. The video I remember was all from Switzers coaches show, I recall a halfback breaking into the open field and fumbling untouched, the ball bounced twice in front of him and right back up into his hands, he never broke stride. There were a bunch of long runs that day. The big difference in that game and the a&m game was one was done by passing, one was done with running the ball.

I'll never forget JC Watts scoring a TD and doing a little dance with the ball at his crotch clearly imitationg his phallus, and most surprisingly they showed it on the coaches show, and Switzer said something to the effect of "I'll have to have a talk with that boy about that."

Switzer said in his show that Fairbanks sent a trainer over in the second quarter and said "We cant stop the option, please stop running it." OU used dives and traps the rest of the day and still set all kinds of records.

[Salt City Sooner]

Wasn't that the game were OU set the rushing record for a game and isn't it still the most.
KSU '88. OU ran for 768 yards.

[swardboy]

Looking at those 1980 OU-CU game stats, OU averaged 16.7 yds per pass attempt and only 10.9 yds per rush. Yet they rushed 73 times and only passed 7 times. Were the coaches dummies ?

:;

Are you serious? Why throw when you're averaging over 10 YARDS A RUSH? Switzer was more of the philosophy that when you throw three things happen, and two of them are bad...

[OK2LA]

I have/had a tape of that game, and I watched it once. Yeah, we couldn't be stopped, but our defense wasn't so good either. I remember a couple of those: "we score, they score, we score" sequences.

Yeah, big difference in the two monster blow-outs - CU was done almost exclusively on the ground. Even if we were running the option - that is disgusting. They knew what we were going to run, and they still couldn't stop us.

[KingBarry]

Like others here, I had been at the legendary Elway game, and listened to the Colorado blow out on the radio.

While the memories of many of those 1980 and before radio games (Jimmminy Christmas!) have blurred, what I remember from the 1980 CU game is just scoring and scoring and scoring. It never stopped.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that 124 total points scored was an NCAA record that lasted for many years, until the more hi-powered modern passing offenses started scoring in bunches. A running offense burns up too much clock to put up the huge numbers very often.

[BoulderSooner79]

Are you serious? Why throw when you're averaging over 10 YARDS A RUSH? Switzer was more of the philosophy that when you throw three things happen, and two of them are bad...

Not serious - thought that was obvious. People were always getting onto Switzer that he should pass more and I thought it humorous that the passing stats were decent in this game. If I were serious I would wonder why there were any passes at all. Living in Boulder, I went to that game. People were watching the scoreboard change like a pin-ball machine more than watching the game itself.

[bluedogok]

I remember a TV comment (maybe Musburger) in the 1987 KU game in Lawrence (Halloween night - 71-10) that OU should start throwing the ball to hold down the score. That game was such a blowout they were trying to find filler during the broadcast, they showed a wind tunnel under the stadium that the KU Engr. school used.

For the Elway game we were out at Frontier City for an FAA picnic, it was a good thing we missed that game.

[BoulderSooner79]

I missed the '75 KU game while I was out hunting in western OK. I couldn't believe the score when I heard it. I was a freshman in '74, so I didn't know it was even possible for OU not to win !

[Sooner24]

I was there, but I was only 10. The only reason I remember it is because of the score. I was also there the when Elway and Stanford beat us and I actually do remember thinking that Stanford had a good QB. I also remember how ****ed off my dad was after the Stanford game!

You were at the OU/Colorado game or the Orange Bowl?

You do realize the Colorado game was played in Boulder?

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I missed the '75 KU game while I was out hunting in western OK. I couldn't believe the score when I heard it. I was a freshman in '74, so I didn't know it was even possible for OU not to win !I went bass fishing at a private lake, and also couldn't believe it...Kansas fergodssakes!

[King Crimson]

i was at the Elway game. and the 75 KU game, i was 6 for that one. also at the West Virginia/Hoss game.

[picasso]

I remember a TV comment (maybe Musburger) in the 1987 KU game in Lawrence (Halloween night - 71-10) that OU should start throwing the ball to hold down the score. That game was such a blowout they were trying to find filler during the broadcast, they showed a wind tunnel under the stadium that the KU Engr. school used.

For the Elway game we were out at Frontier City for an FAA picnic, it was a good thing we missed that game.

was that the famous Earl Johnson game?

[Salt City Sooner]

EJ's big gme was '86 (I was there, freezin' my ever-lovin keyster off). OU won 64-3.

[bluedogok]

also at the West Virginia/Hoss game.
My freshman year at OU :mad:

[texas bandman]

Insuranceman.....


Kind of funny, I was ten as well at the Stanford game. One of those game I guess you never forget. I remember it pouring rain, and watching a great performance by a QB that people were talking about, John Elway. Red Ponchos everywhere, and all disappointed after the game. Nice memory nevertheless.

I was in the Pride that day...miserable day! But we did see the future of football that day.

[texas bandman]

I know the score was 82-42 in favor of the Sooners and that's all I know about it. For those of you that remember the game well, could you describe exactly what it is you saw that day considering the final score? How does it compare to the 2003 TAMU game? I know OU shut out TAMU 77-0 but the win over Colorado featured 5 more points and well, gave up 42 more points. Just wondering about the game, thanks.

I don't remember the '80 CU game, but the '79 game was memorable for me. We were at home playing Chuck Fairbanks' Buffs. We were ahead late in the game and we were a little restless after a long hot afternoon, so we come up with a song based on the CU Fight Song (Glory, Glory Hallelujah). So we start singing,

"Glory, Glory, Chucky Fairbanks,
Glory, Glory, Chucky Fairbanks,
Glory, Glory, Chucky Fairbanks,
You'll soon be 1 and 4."

Well Barry hear's us singing, since the bench was right in front of the band, and he gets agitated, to say the least. He starts yelling and screaming at the band and runs right up to the wall and screams "You're a bunch of low-class M*****-F******!" It's my fondest memory of Barry.:D

[ric311]

I was at the 1980 CU/OU game. Not much more to add to the story than what has been mentioned here. From a CU fan's perspective, it was a very strange game to watch. OU couldn't be stopped, and CU scored a lot as well. Lots of long runs. A couple punt returns if memory serves. That's not good football. It makes for an interesting topic, but the football was very sloppy that day.

On the positive side, that game may have spelled the beginning of the end for upChuck Fairbanks. What a tool. May he rot in hell. That man is single handedly responsible for gutting the CU athletic department to the point where we don't even have a baseball or wrestling team anymore. He's quite possibly the most reviled person in the history of the University of Colorado.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

On the positive side, that game may have spelled the beginning of the end for upChuck Fairbanks. What a tool. May he rot in hell. That man is single handedly responsible for gutting the CU athletic department to the point where we don't even have a baseball or wrestling team anymore. He's quite possibly the most reviled person in the history of the University of Colorado.He sorta went Schnellehan on you guys, eh? I don't know of anything bad about his time at OU...Sorry he didn't work out so well for ya.

[KingBarry]

Insuranceman.....


Kind of funny, I was ten as well at the Stanford game. One of those game I guess you never forget. I remember it pouring rain, and watching a great performance by a QB that people were talking about, John Elway. Red Ponchos everywhere, and all disappointed after the game. Nice memory nevertheless.

Dave, I don't remember the red ponchos. What I remember is the Stanford rain gear -- strange looking white plastic jackets with hoods that were kind of pointed. They had two or three red stripes on the sleeves, and i thnk they had red pants.

All the Stanford fans had them, and the odd shaped hoods made them all look like parrots.

And i remember the passing..... and the catching.....

I still see this game in my nightmares, by the way.

[OKMAGIC]

I went to the Stanford game as well. My first year after graduation and I had seen most of the great 70's teams as a student. I came away after that game thinking I may have just seen the best athletic performance ever on that field and the guy that did it wan't wearing our uni's. Elway was amazing and stood the test of time.