I remember the day my car radio announced that Barry Switzer had resigned. The Sooner football program had been marred by shootings and rapes and investigations, but the resignation of The King was still a surprise. The news brought…
I remember the day my car radio announced that Barry Switzer had resigned. The Sooner football program had been marred by shootings and rapes and investigations, but the resignation of The King was still a surprise. The news brought the anxiety that the storied program might fall on hard times in the win-loss column.
That was 1989. And the program suffered.
On Wednesday, the radio announced that Bob Stoops was retiring. The news was stunning. Work in offices downtown came to a stop. Local television interrupted programming. But, that’s where the similarities with Switzer’s departure ends.
In fact, Bob Stoops is the reason the Sooner program was resurrected from oblivion in 1999. He leaves with the program in great shape.
Stoops brings his 18-year OU coaching tenure to a close as the winningest coach in program history – 190 wins to 48 losses. Only nine home losses. An 11-7 record against Texas. He has more bowl wins than any active college football coach. He has 10 conference championships, 2 Heisman winners, 19 consensus All-Americans and one national championship.
The recent folklore in Lubbock is that Texas Tech students’ tradition of throwing tortillas onto the field originated after a TV broadcaster once said the only thing in Lubbock, Texas was the Tech football team and a tortilla factory.
I’m hear to say that’s bullcrap. There is also a feed lot.
Fortunately the Tech students did not create a tradition of throwing bovine excrement at opposing fans or players. But, there is still time. And considering that Bleacher Report once, appropriately, named the Red Raiders the 8th Rudest Fanbase in College Football, I would not be surprised.
I’ve seen the tortilla throwing in person. Frankly, it’s not as scary as a trip to Boulder, Colorado back in the 90s where the student section smuggled into the stadium rolls of toilet paper that they would soak in water in the stadium bathrooms, then wait a while (allowing the Mile High air to place a nice icy film on the item) and then heave the tissue bomb from the student section onto the field.
Fortunately, the Buffs were so bad back then their students were throwing these at their own players, not the visitors.