PDA

View Full Version : I met a member of the 1949 OU team



Ash
6/10/2007, 03:31 PM
Or so the gentleman told me and a group of friends.

The wifey and I held a garage sale a couple weeks ago along with some friends.

Late in the afternoon when things were starting to slow down, an older gentleman strolled up to our yard where all the stuff to be sold was set up. He was a friendly guy but otherwise unassuming. Wanted to buy a clock and some other small items.

Then, while paying for his stuff, he drops the fact that he was on the '49 team. My friend is a huge OU football history buff, so he naturally starts asking him questions and they have a pretty good conversation. The guy starts telling stories about the coaches and some of the players including Darrell Royal. Needless to say, we're kind of blown away and enjoying the conversation. The guy said he quit the team very shortly after joining (didn't say when but sounded like before the season...??).

After the guy leaves my friend and I are talking about the whole experience. The guy had some interesting stories, but we're both a bit skeptical because the guy seems too young to have played on that team, and my friend had never heard of him.

I looked his name up on the Soonerstats rosters but didn't see it.

Question for the OU history knewer-abooters: how likely is it that a guy practiced with the team and/or walked on but didn't play and quit early, so that his name wouldn't appear on the roster? Or was the old guy full of it?

The Consumate Showman
6/10/2007, 04:21 PM
If he never lettered, he would not be on any of the old rosters from the '49 team. One way to figure out for sure would be to drop his name to a known member and see if they remember him. Other than that, you're kind of relying on his truthfulness.

Ash
6/10/2007, 04:25 PM
If he never lettered, he would not be on any of the old rosters from the '49 team. One way to figure out for sure would be to drop his name to a known member and see if they remember him. Other than that, you're kind of relying on his truthfulness.

Hmm...I wondered about that. He was a cool guy and knew things about the team that were accurate as far as my friend and I know. It's weird to have some guy come to your yard sale and drop that he was on the '49 team, though.

LittleWingSooner
6/10/2007, 04:53 PM
Question for the OU history knewer-abooters: how likely is it that a guy practiced with the team and/or walked on but didn't play and quit early, so that his name wouldn't appear on the roster? Or was the old guy full of it?

I'm sure this happened a lot. I think I remember reading something where they had about 150 or 200 guys try out in 1946(Tatum's first year) and about 50 guys made the roster. They didn't have scholarship limits to speak of. Even up to the 70s there were a few guys that tried out just long enough to make a team picture. So they could have proof that they were on the OU team.

SteelClip49
6/10/2007, 08:33 PM
49 team should have won the title; they had 1 more win than the Leprosies of NDame.

Ash
6/11/2007, 09:29 AM
49 team should have won the title; they had 1 more win than the Leprosies of NDame.

i agree

stoopified
6/11/2007, 09:41 AM
My brother in law worked as a aintanence man for an Edmond reirent home and met a guy in his 80's who claimed he played football and basketball at OU back in the day.I can't recall the name now but I looked him up in the media guides,found him for football but not basketball.