Jacie
5/25/2009, 07:18 PM
This is a repost from July 6, 1999. I am not the author.
1988: The Farewell to Barry Switzer
Going into the 1988 season, OU was fresh off three straight seasons in which they posted 11-1 marks only tarnished by Slimey Johnson and his evil minions. On top of finishing 11-1 each season, OU won three Big Eight titles, one national title, led the nation in total defense and had one of the top rushing offenses in the nation. However, 1988 was not quite as rosy. On Jan 1st., the same day that OU lost to Miami 20-14 for the national title, OU received a letter of official inquiry from the NCAA regarding recruiting violations. As typical procedure, OU was given time to respond to the inquiry and once the investigation was complete, the NCAA would make a ruling.
Entering 1988 there were slightly less expectations. However, slightly less expectations still meant no less than a conference title and playing for a national title in my eyes. Of course you would think expectations would be down after losing players like Dixon, Jackson, Vickers, Jones, Reed, etc.! What little did I know at the time that all of a sudden conference and national titles would soon be put on the back burner and something more important would have to be restored which was the football program’s integrity. OU opened up the season with a 28-0 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels then followed up with a 28-10 win over the Arizona Wildcats. So far, so good right? Wrong. In OU’s third game of the season they went up against a solid USC ball club that didn’t seem too impressed with OU’s ground game and went on to win 23-7. USC’s pursuit on defense was nothing short of astounding. Was this a sign that the option game was outliving its usefulness? Judging by other national champions down the road, I don’t think so. It was easy to just label this as a bad game for OU and that they lost to a solid USC club while OU was in a rebuilding year. The following week, OU returned too normal as expected going up against Iowa St. in which OU won 35-7. This was a good tune-up game in preparation for the Red River War. OU defeated Texas 28-10 and things were good. The USC game was now all, but a memory. You know, the last loss of the season as OU was going to supposedly be en-route to yet another 11-1 season and playing for the national title? The following week, OU faced the most pathetic college football program of all-time. To this day they still stand as that. Let’s put it this way, they have to go undefeated the next 46 seasons to reach a .500 all time winning percentage! Now that number may not be entirely accurate, but I am sure that is quite close. Who am I talking about? The Kansas St. Wildcats, which OU pummeled 70-24 while rushing for an NCAA record 768 yards, that still stands today and probably for all-time. It is important to understand the difference between “team” and “program”. Of course everything in life is perception, so in my perception, a “team” consists of each individual year, while a “program” is a compilation of past and present teams along with they’ve accomplishments. That said, OU has a great program, notice I said “compilation”. The next game OU faced an improving Colorado Buffalo squad, but managed to garner a 17-14 victory. This game advertised more than any other that Coach Bill McCartney was improving the talent pool at Colorado. This unfortunately, was a sign of future things to come between OU and Colorado. After the close call against Colorado, OU returned to normalcy by beating up on the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 63-14. Ah, then it was Bedlam time, as the OSU fans like to call it. OSU fans call it Bedlam to sugarcoat what we Sooner fans know as “slaughter”, “mismatch”, “annihilation”, etc. However, the aforementioned words relate more to the series record than the actual outcome of some of the games. This one was no different. OU won 31-28 in what was a closer game than the mere three points. The Aggies pulled the Poke Choke™ and Brent Parker, if I have the name correct, had both hands on the ball, well kind of, before dropping it in the end-zone and OU goes on to win the game. The following game OU faced the Missouri Tigers. This was a very boring game, but OU won 16-7. The most I remember from the game was how ridiculously cold and windy it was! I was starting to get a little worried about this Sooner team because of the two close games in a row, but no time to worry! Nebraska was up next! Well, it was yet another close game for the Sooners, but this time, they were on the short end of the stick and lost 7-3 to the Cornhuskers. It was starting to become evident that this team was distracted and the NCAA investigation cloud was truly hovering over this team. While they were not quite as talented as the recent years before, they were still better off than most teams. This was a shining example of how important the mental aspect of the game is in regards to focus. On December 19th, the NCAA placed OU on a three-year probation, which included a two-year bowl ban, one year without TV appearances and reduced scholarships for all three years. The news couldn’t have came at a worse time, as OU was preparing for the Citrus Bowl match up versus the Clemson Tigers. The probation announcement was sure to be a distraction for the team and it was. OU finished what was a disappointing season with a 13-6 bowl loss to the Clemson Tigers in which Clemson pulled a “USC” and refused to let OU do what it does best, run the ball. At the conclusion of the disappointing 9-3 season, one wondered if things could get any worse.
Well, as we all know, they did. The next two months were rocked by criminal occurrences within the Oklahoma football. I will not rehash what occurred, because we all know and they are well documented. In March, David Swank stated that he had confidence that Switzer could get the problems resolved, but was willing to go a different direction if necessary, in regards to getting a new head football coach. In retrospect, it appeared David Swank had in mind all along. In the end, Barry Switzer resigned on June 19th citing his lack of desire to coach at the collegiate level the way the current system was in place. Meaning, the NCAA was all about the NCAA and not about the athletes for which it was suppose to represent. After looking at the NCAA then and looking at the NCAA now, I can safely say that some things never change.
So the Barry Switzer era ended with 157 wins, 29 losses, 4 ties, 12 conference titles, 8 bowl games and a whole lot of controversy. The NCAA never liked Switzer because he always fought for players rights, something the NCAA was against. As far as the media, they didn’t like Switzer’s honesty and always tried to put him in a bad light. It is in human nature to have disdain for something you don’t have. Switzer was not perfect, but neither am I or anyone else for that matter. He went against NCAA rules sometimes to do what he felt was right for players and I respect that. Billy Sims didn’t have a way home to attend a family member’s funeral while he was a player at OU, but Switzer got him a flight home on his own money and the NCAA didn’t like that. Now, if that makes Switzer a bad person than the NCAA’s priorities are completely out of whack. The media never mentions Barry Switzer’s 25 years of on-site work and contributions to the Special Olympics or other charities he was and is involved in. Switzer is not there as a figure head or just a publicity stunt either, he knows as much about the happenings of the Special Olympics and puts in as much time as anyone on that committee. Once again, if that makes Switzer a bad person, than the media’s priorities are out of whack.
After opening a variety of businesses and still working with the Special Olympics and charity sectors, Barry Switzer was named head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1994. Switzer compiled a regular season record of 40-24; three NFC East titles and one Super Bowl win before stepping down as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1998. I would like to personally thank Barry Switzer for standing up for what he believed in, regardless of the opinion of the NCAA and national media. To many Sooner fans and I, Oklahoma will always be “Switzerland”. Thanks.
So there we have it. 1988 was filled with disappointment, concern and a huge question mark in regards to what the future would hold for our beloved OU football program. It goes that Switzer heartily recommended his defensive coordinator known as Gary Gibbs and why not? Gary Gibbs was the architect of some great Sooner defenses as we all know and after this past decade, I think we realize it takes more than having the Dixons’, Bosworths’, Casillas’, Bryans’, etc. to be successful on defense as well as offense. It is called coaching and no one would truly have the right to question the hire at that time based on credentials and the recommendation of Barry Switzer. So off we go to the beginning of a new era, the Gary Gibbs era.
1988: The Farewell to Barry Switzer
Going into the 1988 season, OU was fresh off three straight seasons in which they posted 11-1 marks only tarnished by Slimey Johnson and his evil minions. On top of finishing 11-1 each season, OU won three Big Eight titles, one national title, led the nation in total defense and had one of the top rushing offenses in the nation. However, 1988 was not quite as rosy. On Jan 1st., the same day that OU lost to Miami 20-14 for the national title, OU received a letter of official inquiry from the NCAA regarding recruiting violations. As typical procedure, OU was given time to respond to the inquiry and once the investigation was complete, the NCAA would make a ruling.
Entering 1988 there were slightly less expectations. However, slightly less expectations still meant no less than a conference title and playing for a national title in my eyes. Of course you would think expectations would be down after losing players like Dixon, Jackson, Vickers, Jones, Reed, etc.! What little did I know at the time that all of a sudden conference and national titles would soon be put on the back burner and something more important would have to be restored which was the football program’s integrity. OU opened up the season with a 28-0 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels then followed up with a 28-10 win over the Arizona Wildcats. So far, so good right? Wrong. In OU’s third game of the season they went up against a solid USC ball club that didn’t seem too impressed with OU’s ground game and went on to win 23-7. USC’s pursuit on defense was nothing short of astounding. Was this a sign that the option game was outliving its usefulness? Judging by other national champions down the road, I don’t think so. It was easy to just label this as a bad game for OU and that they lost to a solid USC club while OU was in a rebuilding year. The following week, OU returned too normal as expected going up against Iowa St. in which OU won 35-7. This was a good tune-up game in preparation for the Red River War. OU defeated Texas 28-10 and things were good. The USC game was now all, but a memory. You know, the last loss of the season as OU was going to supposedly be en-route to yet another 11-1 season and playing for the national title? The following week, OU faced the most pathetic college football program of all-time. To this day they still stand as that. Let’s put it this way, they have to go undefeated the next 46 seasons to reach a .500 all time winning percentage! Now that number may not be entirely accurate, but I am sure that is quite close. Who am I talking about? The Kansas St. Wildcats, which OU pummeled 70-24 while rushing for an NCAA record 768 yards, that still stands today and probably for all-time. It is important to understand the difference between “team” and “program”. Of course everything in life is perception, so in my perception, a “team” consists of each individual year, while a “program” is a compilation of past and present teams along with they’ve accomplishments. That said, OU has a great program, notice I said “compilation”. The next game OU faced an improving Colorado Buffalo squad, but managed to garner a 17-14 victory. This game advertised more than any other that Coach Bill McCartney was improving the talent pool at Colorado. This unfortunately, was a sign of future things to come between OU and Colorado. After the close call against Colorado, OU returned to normalcy by beating up on the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 63-14. Ah, then it was Bedlam time, as the OSU fans like to call it. OSU fans call it Bedlam to sugarcoat what we Sooner fans know as “slaughter”, “mismatch”, “annihilation”, etc. However, the aforementioned words relate more to the series record than the actual outcome of some of the games. This one was no different. OU won 31-28 in what was a closer game than the mere three points. The Aggies pulled the Poke Choke™ and Brent Parker, if I have the name correct, had both hands on the ball, well kind of, before dropping it in the end-zone and OU goes on to win the game. The following game OU faced the Missouri Tigers. This was a very boring game, but OU won 16-7. The most I remember from the game was how ridiculously cold and windy it was! I was starting to get a little worried about this Sooner team because of the two close games in a row, but no time to worry! Nebraska was up next! Well, it was yet another close game for the Sooners, but this time, they were on the short end of the stick and lost 7-3 to the Cornhuskers. It was starting to become evident that this team was distracted and the NCAA investigation cloud was truly hovering over this team. While they were not quite as talented as the recent years before, they were still better off than most teams. This was a shining example of how important the mental aspect of the game is in regards to focus. On December 19th, the NCAA placed OU on a three-year probation, which included a two-year bowl ban, one year without TV appearances and reduced scholarships for all three years. The news couldn’t have came at a worse time, as OU was preparing for the Citrus Bowl match up versus the Clemson Tigers. The probation announcement was sure to be a distraction for the team and it was. OU finished what was a disappointing season with a 13-6 bowl loss to the Clemson Tigers in which Clemson pulled a “USC” and refused to let OU do what it does best, run the ball. At the conclusion of the disappointing 9-3 season, one wondered if things could get any worse.
Well, as we all know, they did. The next two months were rocked by criminal occurrences within the Oklahoma football. I will not rehash what occurred, because we all know and they are well documented. In March, David Swank stated that he had confidence that Switzer could get the problems resolved, but was willing to go a different direction if necessary, in regards to getting a new head football coach. In retrospect, it appeared David Swank had in mind all along. In the end, Barry Switzer resigned on June 19th citing his lack of desire to coach at the collegiate level the way the current system was in place. Meaning, the NCAA was all about the NCAA and not about the athletes for which it was suppose to represent. After looking at the NCAA then and looking at the NCAA now, I can safely say that some things never change.
So the Barry Switzer era ended with 157 wins, 29 losses, 4 ties, 12 conference titles, 8 bowl games and a whole lot of controversy. The NCAA never liked Switzer because he always fought for players rights, something the NCAA was against. As far as the media, they didn’t like Switzer’s honesty and always tried to put him in a bad light. It is in human nature to have disdain for something you don’t have. Switzer was not perfect, but neither am I or anyone else for that matter. He went against NCAA rules sometimes to do what he felt was right for players and I respect that. Billy Sims didn’t have a way home to attend a family member’s funeral while he was a player at OU, but Switzer got him a flight home on his own money and the NCAA didn’t like that. Now, if that makes Switzer a bad person than the NCAA’s priorities are completely out of whack. The media never mentions Barry Switzer’s 25 years of on-site work and contributions to the Special Olympics or other charities he was and is involved in. Switzer is not there as a figure head or just a publicity stunt either, he knows as much about the happenings of the Special Olympics and puts in as much time as anyone on that committee. Once again, if that makes Switzer a bad person, than the media’s priorities are out of whack.
After opening a variety of businesses and still working with the Special Olympics and charity sectors, Barry Switzer was named head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1994. Switzer compiled a regular season record of 40-24; three NFC East titles and one Super Bowl win before stepping down as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1998. I would like to personally thank Barry Switzer for standing up for what he believed in, regardless of the opinion of the NCAA and national media. To many Sooner fans and I, Oklahoma will always be “Switzerland”. Thanks.
So there we have it. 1988 was filled with disappointment, concern and a huge question mark in regards to what the future would hold for our beloved OU football program. It goes that Switzer heartily recommended his defensive coordinator known as Gary Gibbs and why not? Gary Gibbs was the architect of some great Sooner defenses as we all know and after this past decade, I think we realize it takes more than having the Dixons’, Bosworths’, Casillas’, Bryans’, etc. to be successful on defense as well as offense. It is called coaching and no one would truly have the right to question the hire at that time based on credentials and the recommendation of Barry Switzer. So off we go to the beginning of a new era, the Gary Gibbs era.