Misplaced Pages

#628371

86-631: The Bluebonnet Bowl generally featured a team from Texas against an out-of-state opponent; 19 out of the 29 games involved a team from Texas. From 1980 to 1987, with the exception of 1981, a runner-up from the Southwest Conference played against an at-large opponent. The hometown Houston Cougars played in four games, all before joining the SWC. Runners-up from the Big 8 or Southeastern Conferences were also perennial participants. The bluebonnet

172-456: A bowl game was Texas A&M, who beat Notre Dame in the 1988 Cotton Bowl Classic by a score of 35–10. Since then, the final eight SWC champions lost in their bowl games. After SMU's second-place finish in most polls in 1982 , SWC programs usually were not serious contenders for the national title. For instance: Texas had strong teams in 1981 , 1983 , 1990 , and 1995 . Arkansas earned national recognition in 1988 and 1989 , and Texas A&M

258-468: A co-championship with Florida and in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023). The Sooners have also won seven individual titles in their history, with Kelly Garrison (all-around in 1987; all-around, bars and beam in 1988), Taylor Spears (beam in 2014), Nicole Lehrmann (bars in 2017), and Maggie Nichols (bars in 2017) claiming honors. On May 10, 2007, the University announced the addition of women's rowing to

344-608: A dozen Sooner players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Oklahoma has more Butkus award winners than any other school. Coaches Bennie Owen , Bud Wilkinson , Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops have passed through the game-day tunnel for the Sooners, each on his way to the College Football Hall of Fame. Owen was the first highly successful coach at OU and was a major advocate of

430-422: A long period of stability and success, the conference's overall athletic prowess began to decline throughout the 1980s, due in part to numerous member schools violating NCAA recruiting rules, culminating in the suspension of the entire SMU football program ("death penalty") for the 1987 and 1988 seasons. Arkansas, after years of feeling like an outsider in the conference, left after the 1990–91 school year to join

516-557: A number of the stronger programs saw opportunities for better deals outside of the CFA. This was spearheaded by Notre Dame, who left the CFA and sold their home game broadcast rights to NBC in time for the 1991 season. When the Southeastern Conference (SEC) invited the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina to join the conference in 1990, it created shockwaves across the CFA. The other conferences in

602-588: A streak of 12 consecutive postseason tournament appearances in 2006–2007, but were disappointed when they did not receive a bid for either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT. In the 2009 NBA draft, the Sooners produced the No. 1 overall draft selection Blake Griffin . OU women's basketball began during the 1974–75 academic year. It wasn't until 1996 when OU hired local high school basketball coach, Sherri Coale , that

688-645: A television deal that covered SEC schools only. This led The Dallas Morning News to proclaim that "the College Football Association as a television entity is dead". In 1995, the SEC and the Big East broke from the CFA, signing a national deal with CBS. The SEC would earn a then-staggering $ 95 million from the deal. More significantly, this change in television contracts ultimately would lead to significant realignment of college conferences, with

774-474: A version of Rodgers and Hammerstein 's " Oklahoma! ", "OK Oklahoma", played after extra points, and the " OU Chant ." At home games, The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band plays that visiting team's "fight song" while facing their fans. The Mascot present at all football games is the Sooner Schooner , a Conestoga wagon , pulled by two crème white ponies, Boomer and Sooner. The caretakers of the wagon are

860-492: Is Skip Johnson . The baseball program was a source of recent controversy when the head coach, Larry Cochell , resigned after making racially insensitive remarks about one of the players on the team. During the 2005–2006 season, the Sooners were given a home regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park and were named the No. 1 seed. They beat the University of Houston , Texas Christian University , and Wichita State University to win

946-812: Is John Crain Field in the OU Soccer Complex. As of 2021 the head coach is Mark Carr, a graduate of Bournemouth University , who was formerly head coach of the United States women's national under-20 soccer team . The OU softball program qualified four times for the AIAW WCWS (1975, 1980, 1981, 1982) and 16 times for the Women's College World Series (Division I) (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021,2022,and 2023). In October 1994, OU hired Patty Gasso as

SECTION 10

#1732765145629

1032-470: Is a game that draws attention from all around the college football world. The "fight song" of the University of Oklahoma is " Boomer Sooner ", a version of "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University , combined with a version of " I'm a Tar Heel Born ", the fight song of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . "Boomer Sooner" was written by Arthur M. Alden in 1905. Other songs played at athletic events by The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band are

1118-575: Is headed by coach Mark Williams. It has won twelve NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships , which is tied with Penn State for most all time. Their 12 championships include five in a span of seven years in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008 (they finished second behind Penn State in 2004 and 2007). They won the 2006 title with very little experience on the team as 50% of the members were freshmen and just 21% were upperclassmen (seven freshmen, four sophomores, one junior, and two seniors). Teams from OU also won national championships in 1977, 1978, 1991, and became

1204-533: Is the state flower of Texas. Bowl games returned to Houston in 2000 with the Houston Bowl , and then the Texas Bowl since 2006. The Bluebonnet Bowl was broadcast by: Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference ( SWC ) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas , at various times

1290-755: The Allied Rugby Conference of Division 1A. Oklahoma has participated several times in the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), often matching up against rival Texas . The CRC, held every year at PPL Park in Philadelphia, is the highest profile college rugby competition in the US, and is broadcast live on NBC each year. The Oklahoma University Rugby Football Club was established in 1974. OU Rugby has experienced success since its founding, including an undefeated record in

1376-673: The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) as a founding member of the Western Collegiate Hockey League . The Sooners maintain annual rivalries with the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University . Oklahoma has participated several times in the ACHA National Tournament. In 2013, the Sooners climbed to the country's No. 2 ranking before eventually suffering an overtime loss in

1462-872: The Associated Press , United Press International (UPI), USA Today Coaches Poll , or the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Individual success is also a major part of Oklahoma football; seven Heisman Trophy winners ( Billy Vessels , Steve Owens , Billy Sims , Jason White , Sam Bradford Baker Mayfield , and Kyler Murray ) are surrounded by many other award winners, including NFL MVP Award winner Adrian Peterson , Joe Washington , Brian Bosworth , Tony Casillas , Greg Pruitt , Josh Heupel , Jerry Tubbs , Rocky Calmus , Granville Liggins , Teddy Lehman , Lee Roy Selmon , Roy Williams , Tommy McDonald , Mark Clayton , Tommie Harris , J. C. Watts , Keith Jackson , and Jammal Brown . More than

1548-584: The Big Eight Conference ) and was followed by Oklahoma A&M in 1925. The series between Texas and Oklahoma would still continue as a non-conference matchup in the annual Red River Rivalry game held in Dallas. From 1925 until 1991, the University of Arkansas would be the only conference member geographically outside the state of Texas . By 1925, the conference's name was shortened to simply Southwest Conference. After its organizational years,

1634-1115: The Connecticut Huskies . The Sooners won seven Big 12 titles in the 2000's and became a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 2009 and 2010. The men's golf team has won 19 conference championships: The Sooners won the NCAA Championship in 1989 and 2017. OU has also crowned two individual national champions: Walter Emery in 1933 and Jim Vickers in 1952. Several Sooners have had successful amateur and professional careers after college: Charles Coe (1949 and 1958 U.S. Amateur winner), Glen Day (one PGA Tour win), Todd Hamilton (two PGA Tour wins including 2004 Open Championship ), Anthony Kim (three PGA Tour wins), Andrew Magee (four PGA Tour wins), Craig Perks (one PGA Tour win), Greg Turner (four European Tour wins), Grant Waite (one PGA Tour win) and Abraham Ancer (winner of 2018 Emirates Australian Open ). The men's gymnastics program at OU

1720-804: The Cotton Bowl Classic following the 1970 season to Notre Dame by a score of 24–11, giving the Associated Press (AP) Championship to Nebraska after they beat LSU by a score of 17–12 in the Orange Bowl . Since its first Cotton Bowl Classic and lasting until 1995, the Southwest Conference Champion automatically received an invitation to be the "host" team in the Cotton Bowl Classic game on New Year's Day in Dallas. Opponents usually were

1806-627: The Southeastern Conference , although they did compete in the SWC in football for the 1991 season. Five years later, the conference precipitously broke up as Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech (which had entered in 1956 from the Border Conference ) combined with the members of the former Big Eight Conference to form a new league, the Big 12 Conference , while Rice, SMU, TCU, and Houston found homes in less prominent conferences, with TCU and Houston later joining

SECTION 20

#1732765145629

1892-571: The Unassigned Lands in the future state of Oklahoma to non-native settlement. The university's athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The university's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione . The Sooners have won 44 team national championships. In 2002, the University of Oklahoma was ranked as

1978-400: The 1970s and 1980s. Though the end of Switzer's tenure at Oklahoma was marked by controversy and poor player behavior, he is generally well regarded by both his past players and Sooner fans. During his 16 years as the Sooners' head coach, Switzer led his team to 12 conference championships and never lost more than two games in a row. His winning percentage of .837 stands as the fourth-highest in

2064-603: The 1983–1984 season, and reached the national quarter-finals five times from 1980 to 1990. The early 2000s saw Oklahoma return to its winning ways, winning the Big 12 Rugby Tournament four times. The captain of that squad, All American Tyson Meek , played for the US national rugby team , and went on to become OU's first professional rugby player. Oklahoma finished the 2005 season with a 19–1 record. Oklahoma began playing ice hockey in 2003 and currently plays Division 1 college hockey through

2150-531: The 1995–96 school year, the conference's last. Capacities and venue names are also current for 1995–96. Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma , located in Norman . The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the " Sooners ", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run of 1889 , which initially opened

2236-702: The AP preseason poll, led by Taj Gray , Kevin Bookout , Terrell Everett , and David Godbold, but had a disappointing early season. After the emergence of Michael Neal as a potential star, the Sooners salvaged a No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament but lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. On March 29, 2006, Kelvin Sampson left the University of Oklahoma to become the head basketball coach at Indiana University . 13 days later, on April 11, 2006, Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione named Jeff Capel III

2322-507: The Big 12 themselves. L. Theo Bellmont , the University of Texas athletic director, sent out questionnaires to schools in Texas and neighboring states to gauge their interest in organizing an athletic conference. By March 1, 1914, a number of schools had responded favorably to the idea. The first organizational meeting of the conference was set for April 30, 1914; since not all schools involved could send representatives to attend that date, it

2408-476: The Big South Conference from 1996-2023), and retired assistant commissioner Bo Carter is considered as the SWC historian. Full members  Full members (non-football)  Independent  Other Conference  Other Conference  Big 12 Conference Founding members  Big 12 Conference Subsequent members  This is a listing of the conference facilities as of

2494-549: The Boomer and Sooner costume mascots, OU was also represented by Top Dawg. Top Dawg did some appearances at football games, but was primarily used at wrestling and basketball events. The official school colors are Crimson and Cream, with red and white sometimes used as substitutes for simplicity. The school logo is an interlocking OU design. SoonerSports.tv was a streaming network and programming block founded in 2012 to carry University of Oklahoma sports programming. The network

2580-433: The CFA correctly assumed the SEC made these additions to create a better TV product with the idea of leaving the CFA. The SEC represented one of the more valuable assets in the CFA. It seemed likely that if the SEC departed, other conferences would have a more difficult time securing preferable TV deals. In February 1994, the Southeastern Conference announced that they would be leaving the CFA and negotiate independently for

2666-524: The Century and the so-called Game of the New Century where the teams have come into the game ranked one and two in the Associated Press poll, making the games of great importance in deciding the national championship. Historically, the rivalry's most distinguishing quality has been the grudging respect and appreciation between the two tradition-rich programs. Also of note is the game's former status as

Bluebonnet Bowl - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-620: The Class AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros , led OU to bid for future regionals at its on-campus stadium. The men's basketball team is highly successful and rose to national prominence since the early 80s with head coach Billy Tubbs and three time All-American power forward Wayman Tisdale . It currently plays in the Lloyd Noble Center , which came to be known as the house Alvan Adams built and Tisdale filled. While

2838-604: The College World Series in 1993. Rice began its ascent to college baseball's elite in the conference's final years under coach Wayne Graham , reaching the CWS in 1997, the year after the conference disbanded. The Arkansas Razorbacks were dominant in track and field winning 15 SWC cross country team titles, 11 SWC indoor track team titles, 9 SWC outdoor track team titles, and an incredible 8 SWC triple crowns (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track champions all in

2924-455: The College World Series. The Hogs finished 2nd in 1979, 3rd in 1985, and 5th in both the 1987 and 1989 seasons. The Hogs have continued this tradition since moving to the SEC, reaching the CWS four times under Arkansas alumnus Dave Van Horn , and were the 2018 national runners-up. Texas A&M rose to power in the late 1980s, going 58–5 in 1989 before losing twice in the regional championship round on its home field to LSU . The Aggies reached

3010-657: The Mosier Indoor Track Facility. The Sooner wrestling program was established in 1920 and is the fourth most decorated in college wrestling, having won seven NCAA national championships in 1936, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963 and 1974. The Sooners are considered a power in their own right and Bedlam matches draw big home crowds, with the Howard McCasland Field House being the home for Sooner Wrestling. There are numerous All-Americans and National Champions that have wrestled for

3096-596: The NCAA Division 1 record for consecutive wins at 47 (started October 10, 1953, vs. Texas and ended in 1957 with a loss to Notre Dame 7–0). Switzer won three national championships (the National Championship of 1975 is highly controversial; Arizona State went 12–0 that season while Oklahoma was 11–1) and forged arguably the fiercest rushing offense ever, the Oklahoma wishbone formation , throughout

3182-470: The NCAA's official record book lists other selections (mostly by math rating systems) of the Sooners as national champions, with the first four years in retrospect: 1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2003. In general, math formula rankings are not recognized as national championships. The University of Oklahoma does not acknowledge these additional "championships", as they were not awarded by

3268-576: The Oklahoma Sooners. Mark Cody was head coach of the program for five years before his resignation in 2016. During his time, Cody coached the Sooners to 10th in 2014. Under Cody, the Sooners had ten All-Americans and two national champions (Kendric Maple and Cody Brewer). Roger Kish took over as head coach in May 2023. Notable Oklahoma Sooner wrestlers include : Oklahoma Sooner Wrestling team accomplishments : Oklahoma plays college rugby in

3354-456: The SWC in 1958 from the Border Conference followed by the University of Houston for the 1976 season (Houston proceeded to win the SWC football championship in its first season of league play). The two glory periods of the conference happened during the 1930s and the 1960s. In 1935, the last year before the AP Poll, both SMU and TCU claimed the national title. The 2 teams had played in one of

3440-517: The SWC to join the conference as replacements for Arkansas. In March 1994, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, and Texas Tech accepted invitations to join with the members of the Big Eight Conference to form the Big 12 Conference . Soon afterward, Rice, SMU, and TCU accepted invitations to join the Western Athletic Conference , while Houston became a charter member of Conference USA . The Bayou Bucket game between Houston and Rice

3526-536: The SWC's demise triggering the first major realignment. (After the SWC's demise, another major realignment took place in the mid-2000s , with an even more dramatic realignment in the early 2010s and a third one now ongoing .) Arkansas' departure for the Southeastern Conference marked the beginning of the end for the Southwest Conference. After this announcement, Metro Conference member Tulane and Independent Miami were both seriously considered by

Bluebonnet Bowl - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-527: The Sooners football program one of the most decorated in college football. Oklahoma has scored the most points in Division I-A football history despite the fact they have played over 60 fewer games than the second place school on that list. OU also has the highest winning percentage of any team since the start of the AP poll in 1936. The Sooners possess 7 national championships in football, with 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, and 2000 seasons featuring

3698-679: The WCWS champion series featured a 17-inning thriller in which the Sooners defeated Florida 7-5. The 2021 WCWS saw OU drop its opener to James Madison before rebounding to earn a spot in the championship series against Florida State. The Sooners defeated the Seminoles in three games to win the program's fifth national title. The men's and women's outdoor track and field teams host meets at the John Jacobs Track and Field Complex. The men's and women's indoor track and field teams host meets at

3784-523: The conference in 1916, and Southern Methodist University (SMU) joined in 1918, while Texas Christian University (TCU) became a member in 1923. Rice University left the conference in 1916, only to rejoin in 1918. Phillips University competed as a conference member for one year (1920). Oklahoma departed in 1919 to join the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (later reorganized as

3870-510: The conference included schools from Oklahoma and Arkansas . For most of its history, the core members of the conference were Texas-based schools plus one in Arkansas: Baylor University , Rice University , Southern Methodist University , University of Texas at Austin , Texas A&M University , Texas Christian University , Texas Tech University , University of Houston , and the University of Arkansas . After

3956-446: The conference settled into regularly scheduled meetings among its members and began to gain stature nationwide. The SWC would be guided by seven commissioners, the first of whom, P. W. St. Clair, was appointed in 1938. In 1940, the conference took control of the then five-year-old Cotton Bowl Classic , which further established the prestige of both the bowl and the conference. Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University ) joined

4042-608: The conference's athletic programs hit by recruiting scandals and NCAA probations. The only programs to escape probation in the 1980s were Arkansas, Baylor, and Rice. Because of repeated major violations , in 1987 , the SMU Mustangs football program became only the third in NCAA history to receive the so-called " death penalty " (after Kentucky basketball in 1952–53 and Southwestern Louisiana basketball from 1973 to 1975). The NCAA canceled SMU's 1987 season, and limited it to seven road games for 1988. However, nearly all of

4128-531: The fifth head coach in program history. In 29 years, she has built OU into one of the premier collegiate softball programs in the nation. Within her first five seasons in Norman, Gasso led the Sooners to the final Big Eight championship (1995) and 15 Big 12 titles (1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023). In 2000, Oklahoma won its first Women's College World Series title by defeating perennial power UCLA. It marked

4214-641: The first games labeled "game of the century" on November 30 of that year. In 1938, TCU won the AP national title. In 1939, the SWC achieved back to back national titles when Texas A&M won the AP Poll. In the 1960s, the SWC was dominated by two teams: Texas and Arkansas. Texas won the 1963 national championship , and Arkansas won a national championship in 1964 in the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) polls. In 1969, Texas won another national championship by beating #2-ranked Arkansas 15–14 in

4300-408: The first national championship by a women's athletics program in school history. OU rolled through the 2013 season en route to its second WCWS title. The 2016 Sooners won the program's third national title while starting four sophomores and four freshmen. Despite entering the 2017 postseason tournament as a No. 10 national seed, OU won its second consecutive WCWS title and fourth overall. Game One of

4386-506: The forward pass, which at the turn of the century was not popular. The playing surface at Oklahoma's Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is popularly known as Owen Field in honor of his long tenure and devotion to the university. Wilkinson left many imprints on the game, such as the 5–2 defense with five linemen and two linebackers; the perfection of the Split-T , an early option offense; three national championships; and his teams set

SECTION 50

#1732765145629

4472-498: The head coaching position in 2000 and has led the Sooners to six national championships, thirteen conference titles, several individual champions, and even more All-Americans. OU has produced more Nissen Award winners than any other university and is the only school to have back-to-back Nissen Award winners. The women's gymnastics program is headed by K. J. Kindler . The Sooners have won 14 Big 12 conference titles, 8 regional championships, and six national championship titles (2014,

4558-418: The history of 1-A football. Other Hall of Fame coaches whose tenure included stints at the University of Oklahoma are Lawrence "Biff" Jones and Jim Tatum. The Oklahoma Baseball tradition is long, proud and storied, with two National Championships in 1951 and 1994, along with numerous All-Americans. Their home field is L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park , named after famed player Dale Mitchell . The current coach

4644-420: The intercollegiate athletics program started by well-respected rower Candie Garrett. The University hired head coach Leeanne Crain in the spring of 2008. Assistant Coaches Kris Muhl and Andrew Derrick followed Crain from the University of Central Florida to jumpstart OU's program. Muhl took a head coaching position at Jacksonville University during summer 2009. Former UVA rower and Alabama Novice coach Marina Traub

4730-540: The last quarter of the 20th century was the University of Arkansas with Sweet 16 appearances in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1990, 1991, Elite 8 appearances in 1978, 1979, 1990, and 1991, and Final Four appearances in 1978 and 1990. Arkansas's famed Triplets - Marvin Delph , Ron Brewer and Sidney Moncrief - gave the rest of the league fits. The Razorbacks' Lee Mayberry , Todd Day , and Oliver Miller won three straight SWC regular season and tournament titles from 1989 to 1991,

4816-533: The last team to win a national championship in the Cotton Bowl Classic by beating Texas in the January 1978 game. Texas might have been awarded the national championship in 1983 had they won the January 1984 game, but they were bested by Georgia 10-9. The early 1980s were the glory years of SWC basketball, including the Phi Slama Jama teams at the University of Houston . The most consistent program during

4902-525: The national semifinals. A traditional college football rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers was much less intense during the Big 12 years than it was in the Big 8 era. This was mainly due to the split-division nature of the Big 12 that only allowed the teams to play each other twice every four years. Prior to this, these teams were involved in several historic match-ups, including the Game of

4988-568: The new head coach. Capel encountered trouble in his first few months as several players who had been recruited by Sampson backed out of their commitments. Also, under Sampson's watch, Oklahoma was placed under a three-year investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. At the end of their investigation, the NCAA issued a report citing more than 550 illegal calls made by Sampson and his staff to 17 different recruits. The NCAA barred Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year, ending May 24, 2007. The Sooners looked to continue

5074-417: The next 31 years, more schools were added and the conference underwent several name changes, incrementing the number each time up to the Big Eight Conference where it remained until 1996. Four Texas schools joined with the members of Big Eight to form the current Big 12 Conference . In July 2021, Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference after

5160-566: The official records of the conference from 1914 to 1996 were moved from Dallas to the campus of Texas Tech University , becoming part of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library. The archive also contains an extensive assortment of images and memorabilia from each member university. The final commissioner of the Southwest Conference (1995-96) Kyle Kallander has the rights to all SWC brands and copyrights (he later served as commissioner of

5246-411: The premier Thanksgiving Day game for the middle of the country. The Sooners and Cornhuskers went head-to-head in the 2006 Big 12 championship game , with Oklahoma winning the conference title by the score of 21–7. The two teams also met in the 2010 Big 12 championship game , with Oklahoma again the victor in a close game by a score of 23–20. This turned out to be the final conference meeting between

SECTION 60

#1732765145629

5332-602: The regional and advanced to a Super Regional where they were defeated by Rice University in a best-of-three series. Oregon State University went on to win the College World Series that year. Prior to 2006, the Sooners hosted regionals at minor league parks in Oklahoma City, first All Sports Stadium and then AT&T Bricktown Ballpark . Scheduling conflicts with the Oklahoma Redhawks ,

5418-469: The regular season's final game (dubbed the "Big Shootout"). The 1969 Arkansas–Texas game in Fayetteville, Arkansas with President Richard Nixon in attendance is usually counted among the greatest college football games ever played. Texas also won the 1970 United Press International (UPI) National Championship (i.e., the coaches' poll), which until 1974 was awarded prior to the bowl games. Texas lost

5504-554: The rest of the Division I-A football programs (what is now called the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ) chose to sell their rights together through an organization called the College Football Association to ABC and CBS . The primary function of the CFA was to negotiate television broadcast rights for its member conferences and independent colleges. By 1990 , the television landscape had changed and

5590-458: The runners-up from the Big Eight Conference or the Southeastern Conference although independents Penn State and Notre Dame were also often featured. Circa the 1940s onward, the Cotton Bowl Classic was included among the four major bowl games and not infrequently had national championship implications. Near the turn of the century however, the game declined in importance largely due to the decline of SWC prominence. In 1977, Notre Dame became

5676-660: The same season). During their SWC days, the Razorbacks won 14 NCAA national team championships and one NCAA team triple crown. The list of Arkansas individual SWC champions and individual NCAA champions is long. Standout coaches and athletes include the legendary John McDonnell of Arkansas, the winningest coach in NCAA history regardless of sport. Baylor's Michael Johnson , Texas A&M's Randy Matson , Rice's Fred Hansen, Houston's Carl Lewis , and Arkansas' Mike Conley all went on to win Olympic gold medals. The 1980s saw many of

5762-497: The same season. Outstanding basketball coaches included Nolan Richardson , Tom Penders , Eddie Sutton , Abe Lemons , Guy V. Lewis , Shelby Metcalf , and Gerald Myers . Great SWC hoops players included the aforementioned Triplets , Hakeem Olajuwon , Clyde Drexler , Vinnie Johnson , Jon Koncak , Alvin Robertson , Ricky Pierce , Darrell Walker , Joe Kleine , Day, Mayberry, Miller, and U.S. Reed among others. In 1997,

5848-597: The school's last three seasons in the conference. The passion of Arkansas fans for their Razorbacks often overran the confines of SWC basketball venues, so much so, that Reunion Arena in Dallas (annual site of the SWC postseason tournament) was deemed " Barnhill South" (after the Razorbacks' on-campus arena) based on the numbers and intensity of Hog fans present. The Texas Longhorns baseball program under coach Cliff Gustafson won national titles in 1975 and 1983 as well as titles under Bibb Falk in 1949 and 1950. The Arkansas Razorbacks also fielded fine teams that advanced to

5934-427: The school's lettermen transferred elsewhere, forcing SMU to keep its football program shuttered for 1988 as well. SMU also remained on probation until 1990 . At that time, NCAA rules prohibited schools on probation from appearing on live television . As a result, the conference's market share in television coverage dwindled. The SWC's performance in football declined precipitously. The last SWC football champion to win

6020-534: The second school to have a top winner in both basketball and football in the same year (in 1968, Gary Beban won the Heisman Trophy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the USBWA "Player of the Year" award for UCLA). The Sooners have been participating in college football since 1895. Calling Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field home, the team has won numerous bowl games, 50 conference championships (including every Big Seven championship awarded), and seven Associated Press National Championships, making

6106-399: The series 86–18–7 in football, and 125-88 in basketball In baseball the series is tied at 147–147, and in wrestling Oklahoma trails the series 27–128–9. The Texas Longhorns are one rival of the Sooners. Regardless of the trademark implications, inverted versions of the Longhorn mascot can be seen on automobiles all over the Norman campus, and many T-shirts referring to the rivalry present

6192-661: The spirit group called the RUF/NEKS , who shoot off modified shotguns in celebration of scores by the home team. The group was launched in 1915 when an elderly female spectator at an OU-Oklahoma A&M basketball game chided the group for raising hell ("Sit down and be quiet, you roughnecks!") Recently, in time for the 2005 football season, two new mascots, based on the ponies who pull the Schooner, were created, named appropriately, Boomer and Sooner . They are costumes of two identical (except for eye color) crème white ponies. Before,

6278-520: The team became something Sooners would be proud of. Due to low attendance, a statement was released in March 1990 that the program would be cut, but it was reinstated eight days later after fan response. In that season, the team drew an average of 65 people per game. Now the Sooners are one of the nation's leaders in attendance. In 2002, Oklahoma advanced to the National Title game before losing to

6364-481: The team has never won a national championship, it ranks second in most tournament wins without a championship behind Illinois . The team played in the 1988 national championship game but lost to Kansas , despite having beaten the Jayhawks twice earlier in the season. The program has won a combined twenty regular-season and tournament conference championships. The Sooners headed into the 2005–06 season ranked No. 5 in

6450-633: The third best college sports program in America by Sports Illustrated . The University of Oklahoma was a charter member of the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWC) during its formation in 1914. Five years later, in 1919, OU left the SWC and joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1928, this conference split, and OU remained aligned with the teams that formed the Big Six Conference . Over

6536-414: The third program in history to win four consecutive championships when they won in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 2015, the Sooners broke the NCAA scoring record in a dual meet against Michigan scoring 456.4 points and then broke their own record two weeks later against Illinois scoring 457.3 points. Gymnastics began at the school in 1902. The program folded in 1917 when the original coach left. The program

6622-651: The top team in the Associated Press final poll, and the 2000 Bowl Championship Series National Championship as well. This number is 3rd only to the Alabama Crimson Tide (12) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8) for the most AP titles of any Division I college football team after the end of World War II (which is commonly used as the division between eras in college football). In addition to these seven acknowledged national championships there are also ten additional years in which

6708-737: The two teams, as Nebraska departed for the Big Ten Conference the following season. Oklahoma's shares an intrastate rivalry with the Oklahoma State Cowboys and is often referred to as the " Bedlam Series ." It is normally played as a home-and-home series with games alternating between Norman and Stillwater , with the exception of the baseball teams, who often play at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City or ONEOK Field in Tulsa . Oklahoma currently leads

6794-498: The two universities had reached out the conference. In May 2023, it was announced that the two universities had approved the necessary contractual agreements with both conferences in order officially join the SEC on July 1, 2024. Oklahoma will remain as an affiliate member of the Big 12 in men's wrestling as the SEC does not sponsor the sport, no other sport will be affected. When combined with Blake Griffin 's John Wooden Award and Sam Bradford 's Heisman Trophy , Oklahoma became

6880-756: The word "Texas" in mirror image, upside-down, or possibly surrounded by obscenities. A reminder of the rivalry shared by these two schools was painted on the South Oval of the OU campus for many years, and was recently replicated near the Library clock tower due to construction at its original site. The annual game between the schools at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas , Texas, known as the Red River Showdown ,

6966-715: The years. In football, John Heisman , Dana X. Bible , Paul "Bear" Bryant , Darrell Royal , Frank Broyles , Hayden Fry , Lou Holtz , Bill Yeoman , Gene Stallings , and Grant Teaff all served as head coaches in the conference. Some notable SWC players included Davey O'Brien , Sammy Baugh , Bobby Layne , Doak Walker , Tom Landry , Bob Lilly , Don Meredith , Earl Campbell , Andre Ware , Mike Singletary , John David Crow , Lance Alworth , Dan Hampton , Steve Atwater , Joe Ferguson , and Eric Dickerson . The trio of kicking contemporaries Steve Little of Arkansas, Tony Franklin of Texas A&M, and Russell Erxleben of Texas all kicked record setting field goals of 60 + yards in

7052-604: Was competitive from 1985 to 1995. By the end of their respective seasons however, none of these football teams were able to remain in the national championship hunt. On June 27, 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma that the NCAA could not punish its membership for selling their media content. As a result, individual schools and athletic conferences were freed to negotiate contracts on their own behalf. The Big Ten and Pacific-10 conferences sold their rights to CBS and ABC. Most of

7138-672: Was hired as the varsity assistant coach in Fall 2009. The University of Oklahoma women's rowing team practices in the Oklahoma City River (formerly the Canadian River), located in the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City. The river was designated as a U.S. Olympic Training Center for the sports of kayaking, canoeing, and rowing on July 28, 2009. The University's boathouse was completed in 2011. The women's soccer home ground

7224-484: Was revived in 1965 with the new coach, Russ Porterfield having to beg students to join the squad. Within 6 years, OU had its first winning season. OU's next coach, Paul Ziert , turned the program into one of national prominence. He led OU to two national championships in 1977 and 1978. One of Ziert's athletes, Greg Buwick, would replace him as head coach in 1980 and would lead the team to its third national title in 1991. Buwick's assistant of 12 years, Mark Williams, took over

7310-399: Was the last football game played in the conference. In May 1996, after the completion of championship matches in baseball and track & field , the Southwest Conference was officially dissolved. Over the course of its 82-year history, teams of the Southwest Conference garnered 64 recognized national championships in collegiate sports. The SWC had many legendary players and coaches over

7396-681: Was ultimately held on May 5 and 7 at the Oriental Hotel in Dallas, Texas . It was chaired by Bellmont, who originally wanted Louisiana State University and the University of Mississippi to join the conference as well, but they declined to do so. The Southwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference became an official body on December 8 at a formal meeting at the Rice Hotel in Houston . Its early years saw fluctuation in membership; Southwestern (a comparatively smaller school) dropped out of

#628371