Legendary Oklahoma quarterback Jimmy Harris, 76, who called his own plays and never lost a game in three seasons for Coach Wilkinson’s Sooners, died on Monday from cancer.
Harris quarterbacked the Oklahoma Split-T offense from 1954-56. He directed an 11-0 national championship run in 1955 and a 10-0 repeat title in 1956. Oklahoma’s wins during Harris’ helm are at the heart of the 47-game win streak which stands as the NCAA record today.
Harris and the Sooners never lost a football game going 31-0 while he was at the helm. Harris played four seasons in the NFL as a defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. Harris had been an oil industry executive since 1966.
In a recent interview Harris said the oil business was kind of like football.
“If you win, it’s lot of fun. If you lose and drill dry holes, it’s not a lot of fun. You try to have a good team and get a good track record. You have a tendency to have lot of good people around you.”
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