Perspective from a REAL old timer

[NCarolinaSooner]

I know most of us are "off the ledge", but I just viewed the rant from Skip Bayless and felt an urge to comment. I know that there are older members on this Board, but I was born in 1956 during the last of Bud Wilkinson's undefeated years and was carried to games by my grad student parents dressed in a toddler-sized OU cheerleader uniform. You may not realize it, but Bud's last few teams were really sub-par--though I confess I have no clear memory.

I matriculated (for Aggie fans that means started) at OU in 1974 and graduated in 1978-------"The Golden Years of Barry Switzer". During that time, I sat and watched in horror as we got flattened by Kansas (1975) and lost for the first time in ten years to a mediocre (for us) OSU team (1976). In 1977 I watched us blow a national title Orange Bowl game to what was essentially an Arkansas J.V. squad.

My parents are in their seventies and have had season tickets for 40 years (I fully expect that one or both of them will die at one of these games), so in the 80's I had the joy of seeing us shut out at home by USC and schooled by Ohio State in why we really needed to get a passing game (still Switzer years). And don't get me started on how many Nat'l Titles we lost to Miami.

Point is, although the mid-nineties were probably the absolute suckiest times ever--they weren't the only times we stank up the field. And Bob Stoops is not the first coach to field a team that couldn't close the deal. I don't think anyone can fully explain it and I imagine if you talk to fans of other elite teams they may have similar stories. All in all, if I had a $1000 for everytime we inexplicably lost to a vastly inferior team............................I still couldn't afford a top of the line Lexus. The one thing I know is that we will ALWAYS be back and some year we'll show up for every game and the sun will shine down upon us again. BOOMER SOONER!

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

I know most of us are "off the ledge", but I just viewed the rant from Skip Bayless and felt an urge to comment. I know that there are older members on this Board, but I was born in 1956 during the last of Bud Wilkinson's undefeated years and was carried to games by my grad student parents dressed in a toddler-sized OU cheerleader uniform. You may not realize it, but Bud's last few teams were really sub-par--though I confess I have no clear memory.

I matriculated (for Aggie fans that means started) at OU in 1974 and graduated in 1978-------"The Golden Years of Barry Switzer". During that time, I sat and watched in horror as we got flattened by Kansas (1975) and lost for the first time in ten years to a mediocre (for us) OSU team (1976). In 1977 I watched us blow a national title Orange Bowl game to what was essentially an Arkansas J.V. squad.

My parents are in their seventies and have had season tickets for 40 years (I fully expect that one or both of them will die at one of these games), so in the 80's I had the joy of seeing us shut out at home by USC and schooled by Ohio State in why we really needed to get a passing game (still Switzer years). And don't get me started on how many Nat'l Titles we lost to Miami.

Point is, although the mid-nineties were probably the absolute suckiest times ever--they weren't the only times we stank up the field. And Bob Stoops is not the first coach to field a team that couldn't close the deal. I don't think anyone can fully explain it and I imagine if you talk to fans of other elite teams they may have similar stories. All in all, if I had a $1000 for everytime we inexplicably lost to a vastly inferior team............................I still couldn't afford a top of the line Lexus. The one thing I know is that we will ALWAYS be back and some year we'll show up for every game and the sun will shine down upon us again. BOOMER SOONER!Great Perspective! Thanks!

[dwarthog]

You got me by a year, and I remember those three losses you mention while you were matriculating, all too clearly.

Particularly that loss to Arkansas in the Orange bowl, damn but that was a hard one to swallow.

Folks have to remember that sports, although a wonderful passion, shouldn't be the sole measure of your self worth.

Great post!

[papawlambert]

Read my post on the perspective below. I was born in 1942 and have followed and been loyal to them whether it was a good or a lean year.
Papaw

[Mississippi Sooner]

You got me by a year, and I remember those three losses you mention while you were matriculating, all too clearly.

Particularly that loss to Arkansas in the Orange bowl, damn but that was a hard one to swallow.

Folks have to remember that sports, although wonderful a passion, shouldn't be the sole measure of your self worth.

Great post!

That's exactly right. I guess I never will understand how some folks honestly seem to believe that their lives are made better or worse by how well their favorite sports team does on the field. I'm as big a Sooner fan as anyone, but winning them all back in 2000 didn't have any more bearing on my personal life than when we lost 5 in 2009.

[3rdgensooner]

I was born in 19562ndgensooner says you're just a pup.

[kevpks]

Senior day--1997. We were getting drilled by A&M. It was freezing. I stuck it out then. I'll stick it out through this tiny speed bump.

[Mississippi Sooner]

For what it's worth, though, I remember listening to the Kansas loss in 1975 on the radio as if it were yesterday. I was only about ten years old at the time, and until that day, I really didn't believe the Sooners would ever lose another game.

But then my confidence was truly restored when we came back to beat Ohio State in 1977.

And then that damn Orange Bowl against Lou Holtz and his razorpigs came along. Ironically, I think even The King himself puts the blame on that loss to the same culprit as the KU loss in 75. It was just a matter of the team going into a game thinking they couldn't lose.

[oudanny]

Thanks for reminding me that you have to take the bad with the good. I was a student from 1972-1976 and was in the stands when we lost to Kansas in '75. The talk on campus before that was about who we would be playing when we broke the record of 47 straight wins. If you play the game, there are going to be occassional losses. Fortunately for OU fans, there have been a lot more wins than losses. We are definitely spoiled.

[Sooner in Tampa]

As LeRoy Selmon told me after Florida beat us a couple of years ago..."We are gonna be fine, We are Oklahoma!!"

[SunnySooner]

College football is supposed to break your heart. That's why it feels so good when you win!

Championship seasons require the alignment of many stars and a big Gatorade bucketful of luck. Get caught with a few too many injuries, stomach flus, entitlement, etc, and POOF! There she goes!! And sometimes you need the ball to go THRU the goalposts after bouncing off of one of them. Luck!

The great thing about being a Sooner fan, is we have a helluva lot more years to have a real shot than just about any other team in the country, and even our 'bad' years are still thrilling, exciting, and something to be proud of. I look forward to football all year long, can't let a bad game ruin a whole week of this preciously short season.

Just rig those ponies back up, fire up the band, load the shotguns, and let's go, it's gonna be Saturday again soon, and there's touchdowns to be scored!!!! Boomer!!!

[TUSooner]

I know most of us are "off the ledge", but I just viewed the rant from Skip Bayless and felt an urge to comment. I know that there are older members on this Board, but I was born in 1956 during the last of Bud Wilkinson's undefeated years and was carried to games by my grad student parents dressed in a toddler-sized OU cheerleader uniform. You may not realize it, but Bud's last few teams were really sub-par--though I confess I have no clear memory.

I matriculated (for Aggie fans that means started) at OU in 1974 and graduated in 1978-------"The Golden Years of Barry Switzer". During that time, I sat and watched in horror as we got flattened by Kansas (1975) and lost for the first time in ten years to a mediocre (for us) OSU team (1976). In 1977 I watched us blow a national title Orange Bowl game to what was essentially an Arkansas J.V. squad.

My parents are in their seventies and have had season tickets for 40 years (I fully expect that one or both of them will die at one of these games), so in the 80's I had the joy of seeing us shut out at home by USC and schooled by Ohio State in why we really needed to get a passing game (still Switzer years). And don't get me started on how many Nat'l Titles we lost to Miami.

Point is, although the mid-nineties were probably the absolute suckiest times ever--they weren't the only times we stank up the field. And Bob Stoops is not the first coach to field a team that couldn't close the deal. I don't think anyone can fully explain it and I imagine if you talk to fans of other elite teams they may have similar stories. All in all, if I had a $1000 for everytime we inexplicably lost to a vastly inferior team............................I still couldn't afford a top of the line Lexus. The one thing I know is that we will ALWAYS be back and some year we'll show up for every game and the sun will shine down upon us again. BOOMER SOONER!

That's sweet stuff. I am almost as old, and recall riding in my mother's arms on a train to the game in Norman. I think it was Bud's last year, and I remember Gomer Jones being the next coach. Yep, even in the great years, there was always something to grips about. I had to laugh about the the no-passing years, and then there were years when we couldn't beat "passing teams." It's hard for even a great team to go undefeated, and it's not always the big games that kill. Thanks for the neat perspective and memories.

And SunnySooner, thanks for this:
College football is supposed to break your heart. That's why it feels so good when you win!

[OUNASH]

This old timer was at that 1975 game when Kansa beat us ( 9 fumbles). I remember the players laughing and cutting up on the sidelines like it was no big deal. Everyone needs to remember it is just a game played by18-20 year old young men. It is not a life changing experience. It is only for entertainment, thats it.
I lost my oldest son back in 2004 and believe me that will put more light on whats important than a loss by your favorite team. This team will recover and we probably will talking about another shot a National Chamionship in 2012.
We are very lucky to be fans of such a great University. BOOMER SOONER!!!!!

[Lott's Bandana]

Worst loss:

1978 to Nebbish (Billy's fumble on the 3 yard line)

Still makes my stomach tense up.

We were rolling everything up and on our way to #6 when...

[CrimsonCommando]

I bet most of you oldies smell funny.

[BoulderSooner79]

This old timer was at that 1975 game when Kansa beat us ( 9 fumbles). I remember the players laughing and cutting up on the sidelines like it was no big deal. Everyone needs to remember it is just a game played by18-20 year old young men. It is not a life changing experience. It is only for entertainment, thats it.
I lost my oldest son back in 2004 and believe me that will put more light on whats important than a loss by your favorite team. This team will recover and we probably will talking about another shot a National Chamionship in 2012.
We are very lucky to be fans of such a great University. BOOMER SOONER!!!!!

"It's just a game, Focker"

[Lott's Bandana]

Personally, I smell just fine.

In fact, just the other day I was making a stew and it was making my house smell sublime...

[BoulderSooner79]

I bet most of you oldies smell funny.

But we don't know it, so it's okay.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

Senior day--1997. We were getting drilled by A&M. It was freezing. I stuck it out then. I'll stick it out through this tiny speed bump.

I remember that game well. I left my student ticket in my dorm room and didn't want to walk back and get it. I got one from a scalper for $5. Stayed till the bitter end of that a$$whooping. Those were the days when we didn't know if we'd ever be back to a respectable level.

[recemp]

Was that the day Dat Nyguen intercepted the snap? It was too cold for the ponies and my coffee froze?

[dwarthog]

I bet most of you oldies smell funny.

Watch it punk, we'll steal Weeden's walker and chase you down and beat you with our canes....

Dang whippersnappers....

[VA Sooner]

Good thread.

I haven't lost faith... but reassuring that others haven't either. Lots of football left and one bad game isn't going to ruin my season.

Sooners run thick in my blood... even 1000+ miles away.

Boomer!

[boomersooner28]

I know most of us are "off the ledge", but I just viewed the rant from Skip Bayless and felt an urge to comment. I know that there are older members on this Board, but I was born in 1956 during the last of Bud Wilkinson's undefeated years and was carried to games by my grad student parents dressed in a toddler-sized OU cheerleader uniform. You may not realize it, but Bud's last few teams were really sub-par--though I confess I have no clear memory.

I matriculated (for Aggie fans that means started) at OU in 1974 and graduated in 1978-------"The Golden Years of Barry Switzer". During that time, I sat and watched in horror as we got flattened by Kansas (1975) and lost for the first time in ten years to a mediocre (for us) OSU team (1976). In 1977 I watched us blow a national title Orange Bowl game to what was essentially an Arkansas J.V. squad.

My parents are in their seventies and have had season tickets for 40 years (I fully expect that one or both of them will die at one of these games), so in the 80's I had the joy of seeing us shut out at home by USC and schooled by Ohio State in why we really needed to get a passing game (still Switzer years). And don't get me started on how many Nat'l Titles we lost to Miami.

Point is, although the mid-nineties were probably the absolute suckiest times ever--they weren't the only times we stank up the field. And Bob Stoops is not the first coach to field a team that couldn't close the deal. I don't think anyone can fully explain it and I imagine if you talk to fans of other elite teams they may have similar stories. All in all, if I had a $1000 for everytime we inexplicably lost to a vastly inferior team............................I still couldn't afford a top of the line Lexus. The one thing I know is that we will ALWAYS be back and some year we'll show up for every game and the sun will shine down upon us again. BOOMER SOONER!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I needed that. Along with a few others around here. : )

[KANSOONER]

Living in Kansas all my life (but always a Sooner fan) I can remember watching a Freshman 17 year old Troy Aikman playing horrible against KU in Lawrence. Danny Bradley could not start due to a broken finger. KU beat the number 3 ranked Sooners. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget the past. The Sooners will be alright and will thrash the Kitty Kats this weekend. Go Sooners!

[A Sooner in Texas]

2ndgensooner says you're just a pup.

A Sooner in Texas approves this post, as well as the OP's.

[PLaw]

I know most of us are "off the ledge", but I just viewed the rant from Skip Bayless and felt an urge to comment. I know that there are older members on this Board, but I was born in 1956 during the last of Bud Wilkinson's undefeated years and was carried to games by my grad student parents dressed in a toddler-sized OU cheerleader uniform. You may not realize it, but Bud's last few teams were really sub-par--though I confess I have no clear memory.

I matriculated (for Aggie fans that means started) at OU in 1974 and graduated in 1978-------"The Golden Years of Barry Switzer". During that time, I sat and watched in horror as we got flattened by Kansas (1975) and lost for the first time in ten years to a mediocre (for us) OSU team (1976). In 1977 I watched us blow a national title Orange Bowl game to what was essentially an Arkansas J.V. squad.

My parents are in their seventies and have had season tickets for 40 years (I fully expect that one or both of them will die at one of these games), so in the 80's I had the joy of seeing us shut out at home by USC and schooled by Ohio State in why we really needed to get a passing game (still Switzer years). And don't get me started on how many Nat'l Titles we lost to Miami.

Point is, although the mid-nineties were probably the absolute suckiest times ever--they weren't the only times we stank up the field. And Bob Stoops is not the first coach to field a team that couldn't close the deal. I don't think anyone can fully explain it and I imagine if you talk to fans of other elite teams they may have similar stories. All in all, if I had a $1000 for everytime we inexplicably lost to a vastly inferior team............................I still couldn't afford a top of the line Lexus. The one thing I know is that we will ALWAYS be back and some year we'll show up for every game and the sun will shine down upon us again. BOOMER SOONER!

I was right there with you in'75 against KU in section 5 - strange day. I also watched too many Switzer teams fumble and bumble in the early part of the season, but come late November - watch out. They were usually hitting the bone on all cylinders for the stretch run and Nebbish.

Going undefeated is rare air. A lot of folks act like it should happen every year - it doesn't. Most years, only one team out of 119 can do it. It is even more difficult now with more games on the schedule and the 85 scholly limits.

The Sooners will be fine.

In Bob we trust.

BOOMER

[soonerman4life]

What a great post. I too, as a young teen, remember the fantastic wins and heart wrenching losses of the Switzer era along with the lean years of the 90's. The same emotions have been felt under Stoops, arguably the best college football coach this decade. Thank you for sharing your perspective!

[oupride]

Here you go, this seems to help me. "Oklahoma is the winningest program in what is widely considered the modern era of college football. OU has the most victories and best winning percentage of any team since the end of World War II. The Sooners have earned seven AP National Championships in that span and are recognized by the NCAA for 16 titles since 1946. Individual honors? OU has produced five Heisman winners and no team has more unanimous All-Americans (31). (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/m-footbl-no1-program-modern-era.html)"

[btb916]

Thanks for sharing memories everyone...great posts by all.

[AlboSooner]

Finally. I got tired of hearing from the fake old people.

[soonermix]

well this old timer here was born in 1780 and back in my day there was no sooner football. take that as some perspective.

[pphilfran]

1953...

I can remember waving a Sooner pennant in the back window of the car after a Sooner home game...don't remember the game...

I had to work the day Elway beat our azz...i was leaving the plant site when I heard the score....my jaw dropped...

The Arkansas bowl loss was the best thing that ever happened to me....gave up on the game and had a great romp in the sack...I took out my frustrations....

[Howzit]

Born in '59 here. I also remember Stanford and Elway coming in and shocking us, and Jeff Hostetler passing over our defensive backs all. day. long.

deer lowered those were miserable games.

[BigTip]

Don't tell me not to be upset! I'm still pissed off Nebbish beat us in 1971. That would have been AWESOME if we had won that game.

That was the best game I have ever been to though. When sports writers say "there was an electricity in the air" I always think of that game.

[Sooner Cal]

Undefeated seasons are rare. Win out and we are conference champs and in a BCS bowl. Greatness is measured by long term performance and no team had done better in modern times. Since that's essentially my lifetime, I feel very fortunate to have grown up following Bud, then Barry and now Bob. I was shocked by Kansas 75, angered by Arkansas 77, disappointed by Nebraska 78, and dumbfounded by the 1969 Sooner season. I felt cheated by our coaching staff in the 1994 Copper Bowl and was glad they'd been fired, just as I was happy when Fairbanks left for New England. All that and we're still the best program of the past 65 years, so we should be happy.

[SoonerKnight]

Funny thing about old people is they forget things easy! So I guess if your old and your teams loses it is easier because your forget about it. How many of ya'll have those pill boxes with the days of the week on it. My grandma would open the pill box take her meds and an hour later go to the pill box and say "Oh I forgot to put my meds in the box!" Yep OLD sucks!! :D

[Dan Thompson]

Where are all the old timers? Maybe they can't type.

I was 3 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Then I lived in OKC.

[Lott's Bandana]

Where are all the old timers? Maybe they can't type.

I was 3 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Then I lived in OKC.


Posting greatness.

[budbarrybob]

It was also the day the "Cheverolet Player of the Game" for us was our Punter...

[Soonerus]

Worst loss:

1978 to Nebbish (Billy's fumble on the 3 yard line)

Still makes my stomach tense up.

We were rolling everything up and on our way to #6 when...


I am in total agreement, that might have been our best team ever ...

[Dan Thompson]

Most of you posters are using computer to post here, but I still prefer the TELETYPE.

[NCarolinaSooner]

Maybe we need a special "Sooner Fans/Silver"