OU's 25 Greatest Players

[WishBone]

Bottom post of the previous page:

One of my personal Favorites also Chinaman............ ................"WORKHORSE"

[EMan]

Some of the King's thoughts about Owens from Bootlegger's Boy...

In the 1967 season we set the proof on the table that Oklahoma had returned to the game big-time.

We had several of the type of players I call difference makers.

Granville Liggins, our nose guard from Tulsa, was on his way to his second all-America team. Wingback Eddie Hinton didn’t make all-America, but he was the number-one draft choice of the world-champion Baltimore Colts.

And that was the first varsity season for Steve Owens, from Miami, Oklahoma. Talk about a difference maker. The I formation was invented for big backs like Steve. He led the conference in rushing and scoring for three straight years and won the Heisman Trophy as a senior.

I’ll always remember Steve’s last game for us. It was against Oklahoma State, a very big game for in-state recruiting influence. We were playing in Stillwater. Late in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State was up by a touchdown and took the ball down to our goal line before we held. Now we had to drive the length of the field to win the game.

We ran Steve Owens off tackle seven times in a row and moved out to midfield. All of a sudden, Jack Mildren stepped out of our huddle, called time-out, and walked to the sidelines.

As offensive coach, I was up in the press box. I didn’t want to stop the clock. Their defense was dead tired. I yelled for them to put Jack on the headset.

“Jack, why the hell did you call time out?” I asked.

“I didn’t, coach. Steve told me to call time-out. He says he needs a rest to get his breath, because he knows he’s going to carry the ball the next seven plays, too.”

I said, “Well, I’ll tell you what. You go inform that big stud he ain’t supposed to get tired. Tell him to saddle up because he is going to run the ball the next seven plays, and we’re not going to a bowl, so he can rest all spring.”

Steve carried it six more times, crashed into the end zone, and we won 28-27. Steve carried the ball fifty-five times that day. It’s still an Oklahoma record.

[WishBone]

#7 Greg Pruitt (Running Back) 1970-1972
Before winning a Super Bowl and earning five Pro Bowl nods in the NFL, Pruitt proved himself to be of the great college running backs in the early 1970s. During his three-run varsity tenure for the Sooners, Pruitt totaled more than 3,100 yards on the ground and nearly 500 receiving yards out of the backfield. He was also one of the nation's top return men while at Oklahoma. A two-time consensus All-American, Pruitt finished third in the Heisman race in 1971 and second in '72. He's a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

[WishBone]

#8 Rod Shoate (LineBacker) 1972-1974
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Shoate was one of the most decorated defensive players in the history of the Oklahoma program. He was a four-time All-Big 8 selection — two-time league defensive player of the year — and three-time All-American. Shoate was known for his exceptional strength and had the speed of an offensive skill player. He ranks among the Sooners' all-time leaders with 420 tackles

[WishBone]

One of my "All Time " Favorite Sooner Defenders without a doubt.Its crazy as Im reading these articles.......All the greats that we have been so so Lucky to have them part of the Sooner Legacy ! Memories.

[WishBone]

#9 Lee Roy Selmon (Defensive Tackle0 1972-1975
Before Selmon became a Hall-of-Fame defender in the NFL, he laid the groundwork at Oklahoma. At times playing alongside his brothers Lucious and Dewey, Lee Roy Selmon helped the Sooners win back-to-back national championships in 1974 and '75. During that latter season, Selmon was named UPI Lineman of the Year and won both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. For his college career, Selmon recorded 40 sacks and more than 300 total tackles en route to a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.

[OU Chinaman]

One of my "All Time " Favorite Sooner Defenders without a doubt.Its crazy as Im reading these articles.......All the greats that we have been so so Lucky to have them part of the Sooner Legacy ! Memories.

...I've always said Brian Bosworth was the best college linebacker I ever saw...but he barley noses out Rod Shoate!
I think Rod Shoate was the prototype of the new breed of collegiate linebackers that is the standard still today.
Big, (Shoate was listed 6' 2' 205 lbs. in 1972) Sideline to sideline sprinters speed, and mean as a cornered wolverine!
OU halfback Joe Wylie once told me Shoate was the one player on the SOONER defense that scared him.
Anybody who ever saw Shoate play, will always hold him in high esteem.

What I find interesting "Bone, is as great,...awesome really,... as these 25 players are, there are so many more that COULD have been on this list.
SO MANY IN FACT, it's easy to see why OU fans are so spoiled, how critical they can be if their unrealistic expectations aren't met. You really can't blame them.
Thus the eternal rhetorical question...

"How much rice can a chinaman eat?"

More, more, more...always give me more!

[WishBone]

#10 "Lil" Joe Washington ( Running Back) 1972-1975

Another in the line of great Oklahoma running backs, Washington ranks third in school history with 4,071 rushing yards — making him one of five Sooners to rush for at least 4,000 yards. He also ranks among Oklahoma's top 10 with 39 career touchdowns on the ground. A two-time consensus All-American (1974, '75) and top-five Heisman finalist, Washington is a College Hall of Famer who enjoyed a solid NFL career. He won a Super Bowl with Washington and made a Pro Bowl.

[WishBone]

#11 Billy Sims (Running Back) 1975-1978
The last of Oklahoma's three Heisman Trophy-winning running backs, Sims is one of the great college football players of all time. While injuries kept Sims from hitting the ground running with the Sooners, he eventually found his footing. His 53 career rushing touchdowns also rank second in program history, as do the 1,896 yards he gained during his 1978 Heisman-winning season. After college, the two-time All-American and College of Hall of Famer ran for more than 5,000 yards and earned three Pro Bowl nods with the Detroit Lions.

[OU Chinaman]

#10 "Lil" Joe Washington ( Running Back) 1972-1975

Another in the line of great Oklahoma running backs, Washington ranks third in school history with 4,071 rushing yards — making him one of five Sooners to rush for at least 4,000 yards. He also ranks among Oklahoma's top 10 with 39 career touchdowns on the ground. A two-time consensus All-American (1974, '75) and top-five Heisman finalist, Washington is a College Hall of Famer who enjoyed a solid NFL career. He won a Super Bowl with Washington and made a Pro Bowl.

...in 1972, freshman Joe Washington basically beat out senior halfback Joe Wylie.
Always admired HC Fairbanks for allowing Wylie to start in the first offensive series before inserting Lil Joe. (Wylie was still the punter, and punt returner.)
Washington finished the 1972 season with 630 yds. and 7 TD's.
The silver shoes found the end zone in OKLAHOMA's 17-14 win over Nebraska late in the 72 season and some measure of revenge for the Game of the Century loss the year before.

Washington was a cut above. To this day one of the most revered and beloved SOONERS ever!

[OU Chinaman]

#11 Billy Sims (Running Back) 1975-1978
The last of Oklahoma's three Heisman Trophy-winning running backs, Sims is one of the great college football players of all time. While injuries kept Sims from hitting the ground running with the Sooners, he eventually found his footing. His 53 career rushing touchdowns also rank second in program history, as do the 1,896 yards he gained during his 1978 Heisman-winning season. After college, the two-time All-American and College of Hall of Famer ran for more than 5,000 yards and earned three Pro Bowl nods with the Detroit Lions.

...Should've won the Heisman AGAIN in 1979!
The winner that year, usc's Charles White, couldn't carry Billy Sims jock.

[Fly]

Jimbo Elrod was no slosh! Heck I nick named my son Jimbo after him. We still call him that after all these years..

Fly

[WishBone]

#12 Tony Casillas (Defensive Lineman) !982-1985
Casillas' college career started rough. Injuries and illness limited his playing time. When he finally got healthy, Casillas built himself into one of the best defensive linemen during the 1980s. By the time Casillas' Oklahoma career ended, he was a two-time consensus All-American (1984, '85). In 1985, he was named UPI Lineman of the Year and won the Lombardi Award while helping the Sooners to a national championship. The College Football Hall of Famer recorded more than 15 sacks and 200 tackles at Oklahoma.

[WishBone]

Brian Bosworth( LineBacker) 1984-1986

One of the great characters of the college game, "The Boz" is considered one of the biggest stars in the sport's history — for better or worse. He had crazy haircuts and a brash attitude, pushing the boundaries on and off the field. He was twice named a unanimous All-American and won the Butkus Award (1985, '86) — the only player to win it more than once. Bosworth set a single-season school record with 22 tackles in 1986 and collected nearly 400 tackles for the Sooners. Of course, he was also banned from the Orange Bowl during his junior season after testing positive for steroids. Let's not get started on his acting career.

[Fly]

Well you MUST throw Rocky Calmus in there.what a Great Player he was.

Fly

[WishBone]

#14 Rickey Dixon ( Defensive Back) 1984-1987

The first Oklahoma player to win the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back in 1987. Only Darrell Royal has more career interceptions (19) at Oklahoma than Dixon's 17. A school-record nine of those picks came during his senior season of 1987. Perhaps best known for his two interceptions during a 1987 win over rival Nebraska, Dixon also recorded 170 tackles as a Sooner and broke up more than 20 passes in his stellar collegiate career.