Joe Don Looney was a bonafide nut case!

[fossil]

I had heard this guy was a real basket case, but had no idea he was this bad. How did he ever wind up at OU? Wilkinson must have wanted to shoot himself concerning this guy's behavior. Very interesting read at the link below.



www.forttours.com/pages/jdlooney.asp

[ndpruitt03]

He's one of the most talented players to ever wear an OU uniform. That's how he ended up here.

[Sooner04]

The story goes Joe Don secured a date with one of the most gorgeous girls to ever grace Sorority Row in Norman. The night of the date, Joe Don arrives and is greeted by the entire sorority in the lobby of the house. He was supposed pick her up at six. One of her sorority sisters came down the stairs and said she'd be just a few minutes.

At the stroke of six, Joe Don asked for a pencil and paper. He wrote a small note, told the girls to give it to his date and walked out the door, presumably for a smoke.

When the girl appeared a few minutes later she received the note and unfolded it. She immediately went out to the porch and looked around, but Joe Don Looney was gone.

She looked again at the note. It read:

"JOE DON WAITS FOR NO ONE".

[unbiasedtruth]

Joe Don.... one of my favorite Sooners of al times...... in fact I may try to find a throwback jersey and put his name and number on it....

[OUstud]

Best damn salesman in the office!

[OUDoc]

He was an original.
And a stud football player.

[AlbqSooner]

Looney was one of the final straws in Wilkinsons' coaching career. 1963, the team was somewhat in disarray with a lot of bickering and infighting which even spilled over to the assistant coaches. On Sunday, before the texas game Looney got into a shoving match (some say a fight) with an assistant coach. On Monday at practice, Bud came down from the coaching tower and called everyone together. He said something to the effect that from this day forward the fussing and fighting will stop. If any coach tells you to do something you do it, immediately, without comment, and do it well. That goes for EVERYONE. If anyone does not believe they can adhere to this, the equipment managers are in the locker room and you can go check in your equipment.

Looney removed his helmet and started walking in the direction of the lockers. Bud called to him and asked where he was going. He said he was going to check in his gear because he did what he wanted when he wanted. Wilkinson said, That goes for everyone but you.

One of the players on that team told me this and said that the next Saturday in the Cotton Bowl OU lost primarily because everytime Looney's number was called, the linemen slipped their blocks. The player said Wilkinson realized he had lost control of the team, kicked Looney off, and began making plans to run for U.S. Senate.

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

Looney and the JFK assassination are the two biggest reasons we lost Bud after the 1963 season. Fortunately, we only have to wait two years before the MacKenzie coaching tree kicks in and begins OU's climb back to its rightful place in the college football spectrum.

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

He's Bud Wilkinson's Marcus Dupree and/or Rhett Bomar. Every coach gets one.

[AlbqSooner]

^^^^ True. But Looney continued with it. In the pros he was playing for Baltimore, I think, and the coaches was alternating two running backs to bring in the plays from the sideline. When the coach pulled him over and gave him the play, Looney said, If you need a messenger, call Western Union. Looney went over and sat down on the bench. Still, with his talent, he was picked up by another couple of teams before his career was over.

[panhandlesooner]

You need to read 3rd Down and Forever, a great book about Joe Don...

[fossil]

You need to read 3rd Down and Forever, a great book about Joe Don...

Thanks, I'll get the book. He may have been a nutcase, but a facinating character.