Oklahoma Sooners National Championship Seasons
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The chance for OU fans to wear Oklahoma Sooners National Championship gear
emerged when Bud Wilkinson took hold of the Sooner reins in 1947. Within three
seasons, Oklahoma earned its first national championship. Bud Wilkinson delivered
three Oklahoma Sooners national championships and an NCAA record-winning streak.
In the 1950s, Wilkinson’s Oklahoma teams reached a level of dominance that
compared to the New York Yankees and Boston Celtic dynasties of that era.
When Oklahoma’s 1950 season began, the Sooners had already established a 21
game winning streak. The momentum continued through the regular season as
Oklahoma extended the streak to 31 games. With a Sooners national championship
already in hand, Bear Bryant’s Kentucky Wildcats upset the Sooners 13-7 in the Sugar
Bowl.
The Sooners began a national championship run in 1955 with a 19-game winning
streak in the books. Nothing could slow the Sooners championship march as they went
21-0 over the next two seasons while capturing consecutive national championships.
The two campaigns saw Oklahoma eclipse the 40-point mark 12 times while blanking
11 opponents. Oklahoma would extend their winning streak to 47 games before Notre
Dame broke the streak late in the 1957 season.
Another national championship trifecta was accomplished when Barry Switzer became
Oklahoma’s head coach in 1973. The Sooners ran the wishbone offense to perfection
while Switzer’s players gained the national spotlight both on and off the field.
The trend of establishing a long winning streak to set up a national title run continued in
1974 as OU began the campaign with an 18-game non-losing streak. Sooners fans
enjoyed wearing national championship gear as Oklahoma averaged 43 points a game
while reaching national championship heights with an undefeated season.
Switzer’s team pushed their non-losing streak to 30 games into the 1975 season before
a late season loss to Kansas ended it. However, an 11-1 record that included an
Orange Bowl win over Michigan, brought another national championship to the Sooners.
Oklahoma earned national championship glory a decade later when Barry Switzer led
the Sooners to an 11-1 record in 1985. A loss to an emerging Miami team had caused
the Sooners to briefly stumble, but an Orange Bowl win over Penn State gave the
Sooners the opportunity to wear their national championship
gear again.
The Sooners national championship level of play disappeared from the radar screen
until Head Coach Bob Stoopes added new energy to the program. Oklahoma
reemerged in 2000 with the nation’s only undefeated team. The Sooners capped their
remarkable comeback season with a 13-2 victory over heavily favored Florida State.
OU nearly handed FSU its first shutout in 12 seasons as Bob Stoops squad harassed
Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Chris Weinke throughout the evening in the
Orange Bowl. FSU’s only score was the result of a botched OU snap to the punter with
55 seconds left in the game. Besides championship glory, the victory also netted added
satisfaction for Sooner quarterback Josh Heupel, who had finished second in the
Heisman voting behind Weinke.
The seeds were planted for OU’s return to national prominence in 1999 when Stoops
took the school’s coaching reins after successful defensive coaching stints at Kansas
State and Florida. Although the Sooners had stumbled to a 12-22 record the three
previous years, Stoops quickly returned the thump to “Boomer Sooner” as OU went
bowling in 1999.
As the 2000 season dawned, the Sooners returned quarterback Josh Heupel and
posted a No. 19 national ranking.
After easing through September, the next month’s schedule was anything but an
Octoberfest with No. 11 Texas, No. 2 Kansas State and No. 1 Nebraska lying in wait.
However, OU’s Boomer Schooner plowed straight to the top of the BCS standings after
dismantling the Longhorns 63-14, whipping the Wildcats on the road 31-14 and
shucking the Cornhuskers 31-14.
Oklahoma Sooners National Championship Seasons
YEAR REC COACH POLLS
1950 10-1 Bud Wilkinson Unanimous
1955 11-0 Bud Wilkinson Unanimous
1956 10-0 Bud Wilkinson Unanimous
1974 11-0 Barry Switzer AP
1975 11-1 Barry Switzer Unanimous
1985 11-1 Barry Switzer Unanimous
2000 13-0 Bob Stoops BCS-Unanimous
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