Tales from the Oklahoma Sooner Sideline Read online

  Death of a Sooner Hero

  World War II cut a decided swath through college campuses in the months and years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ alliance with the Allied Forces. Many student athletes joined various branches of the service to fight for their country and world freedom.

  Among those was OU’s first ever consensus All-American, Roland “Waddy” Young, a strapping young buck who became a U.S. Air Force pilot and flew dozens of missions over Japan and Europe. Major Young and his flight crew were highly decorated for their unforgettable heroics. Unfortunately, they all lost their lives on a bombing mission just months before the conclusion of the war in 1945.

  The news of Young’s death hit Norman on a cold January day.

  “When you met Waddy you could tell right away he was a leader. His teammates looked up to him with great respect,” said former teammate Barth Walker. “He always carried himself well, and that showed on the football field and in life. I know when I heard about him being killed during the war, you just have to cry sometimes.

  “It was just such a waste for a young man of that quality—he was an outstanding person—to be lost in such a way. I think about him often.”

  Game Film

  When Bud Wilkinson initially approached Ned Hockman about filming the Sooners’ football games in 1949, it figured to be a short-lived partnership, at best. Hockman was head of the OU Film Department, and spare time was something he did not have a lot of.

  When he retired from OU in the mid-1980s, Hockman had filmed almost four full decades of OU games, beginning on October 2, 1948, and ending on November 19, 1987.

  “Guess it worked out a little better than either of us originally expected,” laughed Hockman.

  Red River Rivalry

  The best rivalry in college football. That’s how the traditional October battle between Red River Rivals Oklahoma and Texas has been described. The series began in 1900 and moved permanently to its neutral site in Dallas in 1929.

  Bud Wilkinson. Photo courtesy of the University of Oklahoma

  Starting in 1941, the Golden Hat was awarded to the annual OU-Texas winner, and it has criss-crossed back and forth over the Red River 19 times since then.

  An excerpt from the 2000 OU-Texas official game program, written by Jay C. Upchurch, reads:

  Indelible images in every direction, beginning with an equally divided sea of crimson and burnt orange splashed against a backdrop that fuses a carnival atmosphere with the drama of athletic competition. Colorful characters, unbridled emotion, blaring rhetoric and heroic feats, all jammed into a coliseum setting and played out with unequaled pageantry.

  Throw in a degree of contempt that can only be measured in decibels and a history of no-holds-barred, knock-down-drag-out feuding that runs a century deep, and it becomes quite clear this is a rivalry of paramount proportions.

  It’s Dallas, Texas. It’s the Cotton Bowl. It’s the Red River War.

  This is Oklahoma vs. Texas, and it is a defining staple of college football.

  The Longest Return

  Midway through the 1945 season, a young Oklahoma team was showing signs of maturing as it headed to Manhattan, Kansas, for a game with Kansas State. Unfortunately that same week, head coach Snorter Luster’s mother passed away, and he left the team to attend her funeral.

  The Wildcats were considered the doormat of the Big Six, so the Sooners blew through preparations and arrived in Manhattan less focused than necessary. Luster joined the team late in the week, but his mind was not exactly on football, either.

  But it was about to be. Kansas State dominated the favored Sooners during the opening half, scoring twice on buck-lateral option pass plays that helped them forge a 13-0 halftime lead.

  A dazed OU team tried to gather itself in the locker room, but Luster was too embarrassed to join them. The Sooners went back out with the motivation that winning for Luster would provide a big shot in the arm.

  OU began picking apart the K-State defense and dominating on both sides of the ball. The biggest play of the second half, during which the Sooners outscored the Wildcats 41-0, came when El Reno, Oklahoma, native A1 Needs intercepted a pass three yards deep in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown.

  Sprint and FADADA

  Just call them the welcoming committee. But in reality, the RUF/NEKS are much more. Well before Oklahoma football became a symbol of success in the world of collegiate athletics, the OU spirit group had entrenched itself as part of the growing tradition.

  The RUF/NEKS are visible every Saturday at Memorial Stadium as they take the point when the team runs onto the field. Members of the group sprint the length of the field with OU flags flying high and come to a sliding halt near the north goal post. Once there, amid shotgun blasts and a frenzied crowd, the RUF/NEKS chant the FADADA, which is believed to bring the Sooners good luck.

  Working and Playing

  Prior to the 1949 season, Oklahoma began renovations on Memorial Stadium. Plans included the addition of the northern grandstand and a new press box. Construction crews worked long hours in order to complete the project on time, and they got a little help from an unlikely source.

  Several OU football players, needing jobs for the summer, joined the work force on the renovations. Among those who rolled up their sleeves with the construction crews were Dick Bowman, Bob Bodenhamer and Leon Manley.

  “Leon was married at the time and he needed the money to help support his family,” remembered former teammate Norman McNabb. “He was big and strong and he could push a two-wheeled buggy full of concrete around the construction site like it was nothing. Not only was he a fine football player, but he and some others literally helped build the place we played in .”

  Wanna Play Some Ball?

  Upon his arrival on campus, new coach Jim Tatum wasted little time initiating a full-scale recruiting assault that herded as many potential players through a calculated evaluation process as possible. Spring practice of 1946 resembled an army boot camp with dozens of prospects shipped in and out on a weekly basis.

  Tatum’s staff kept notes when individual recruits distinguished themselves in some manner during workouts. They did the same thing during summer practice, which Tatum figured would give him another chance to determine the best talent for his squad.

  “Tatum had them going around the clock. Anyone he had heard about from coast to coast found their way to campus and tried out for the team,” said Norman McNabb, who played line at OU from 1946-50. “It was beyond your imagination the way he had potential players running in and out of those camps.”

  With so many players to chose from, it was no wonder the Sooners were able to field a highly competitive team that fall. Tatum’s first and only OU squad finished 8-3 and earned the program’s first trip to a bowl game in almost a decade.

  Rain Can't Stop These Guys, Can It?

  Oklahoma began the 1949 season with a rain-delayed opener in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, against a fledgling Boston College team that featured defensive star Art Donovan. The game was supposed to be played on a Friday night at Braves Field, but torrential rains made conditions unplayable.

  “I’m not sure I’d ever seen it rain like that before or since.

  The field was four or five inches under water by the time we were supposed to play,” said lineman Stan West.

  Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners were suited up and awaiting the go-ahead on when they could begin pregame warmups when word came down from Boston College officials that the game was being postponed until Saturday night. The decision created more than a few problems for the Sooners, who had already checked out of their hotel rooms and chartered a flight back to Oklahoma late that night.

  “Coach Wilkinson came in and told us the game was rained out, which made for some unusual circumstances,” said senior Bob Bodenhamer.

  The team returned to the hotel only to discover the New York Yankees, who were in town for a weekend series with Boston, had already been booked into
their rooms. Fortunately, Wilkinson was able to work a deal for some other rooms.

  The rain finally stopped that evening, and the following day presented perfect weather conditions. The field had drained amazingly well, and the Sooners took advantage by rolling up a 46-0 victory.

  Have an “Aw-pull”

  There were times when Jim Tatum’s North Carolina accent gave the English language new meaning. Occasionally, his players would have to recount Tatum’s locker room chats just to make sure they all understood exactly what he was talking about.

  The Oklahoma coach was fond of giving each of his players a shiny red apple the night before every game. It became his pregame ritual throughout the 1946 season.

  “Coach Tatum would say, ‘Have an aw-pull’ in his southern accent and then he’d wish you good luck for the game,” explained lineman Wade Walker, who also played football for Tatum at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station during World War II. “It was something I think we all came to expect and appreciate.”

  Midnight Swim

  The golf course, located in and around the OU Duck Pond, provided a cool place to hang out on hot autumn evenings. In fact, many of the Sooner football players were regular visitors there since it was located only a stone’s throw away from their living quarters at Jefferson House.

  One evening, Buddy Jones and Jim Acree decided to retrieve some golf balls from the pond near one of the par-three greens. Jones stayed ashore while Acree took his ROTC uniform off, laid it on the green and made his way into the water to begin the search.

  Every time Acree found a ball he would toss it to Jones, who placed it in a long athletic sock. A few minutes into their little recovery mission, someone with a flashlight came walking toward the pond with a dog. Thinking it might be the police, Jones sprinted back to Jeff House, leaving Acree and the golf balls behind.

  Acree, meanwhile, swam under the branches of a large willow tree and waited. Turned out the person with the flashlight was out gigging frogs, but his plans were altered when he noticed what looked like a body floating under a nearby tree. Alarmed, he took off to report what he had seen.

  Too far away to retrieve his uniform, Acree exited the water and ran back to his room, where he got in bed and acted as if everything was normal. At the same time, the police made their way to the pond at the instruction of the frog gigger.

  But they found no body, only an ROTC uniform and a sock full of golf balls. There was no name on the uniform, but it had a size 17 neck, which was evidence that it probably belonged to a football player.

  The police headed over to the Jeff House and began asking around to see who was missing the uniform. But no one admitted to its ownership.

  Finally, they came to Acree’s room, and he gave them the same answer as everybody else. The main officer then told the players about the report of a body floating in the duck pond, to which Acree replied:

  “I can assure you there is no body floating around down there.”

  Oops.

  Siscoed in Texas

  All of Oklahoma’s pregame focus was on Texas quarterback Bobby Layne, but by the end of the 1947 Red River battle between the Sooners and Longhorns, all of the talk (and anger) centered around one particular official named Jack Sisco.

  Many OU fans were outraged by a trio of controversial calls that altered the game tremendously, including a touchdown at the end of the first half that gave Texas the lead for good. The play happened on the south end of the Cotton Bowl, right in front of the Oklahoma fans.

  In the moments following the controversial touchdown, beverage bottles came raining out of the stands, aimed mostly at Mr. Sisco.

  “The quarterback’s knee clearly touched the ground before he pitched to the kid who scored. It was one of several questionable calls that definitely made a difference in the game,” explained OU linebacker Bob Bodenhamer. “We might not have won the game anyway, because Texas was probably the better team, but you hate to see it decided the way it was.”

  By the time Texas put the finishing touches on a 34-14 victory, Sisco and the rest of the officiating crew had to be escorted from the field and the stadium.

  The bottle-throwing incident had also created major concerns. That game helped perpetrate the removal of glass containers of any kind at college venues.

  Meanwhile, the word “Siscoed” became a verb back in Oklahoma.

  Sideline Antics

  According to many of his players, Jim Tatum had an eye for talent and the smarts to get the job done as a head coach. He proved that during his lone campaign at Oklahoma when his Sooners won eight times, including an impressive 34-13 decision over North Carolina State in the 1947 Gator Bowl.

  Some would even say Tatum was maybe too focused on the task at hand. In fact, he became so engrossed in the action during games that he barely noticed his surroundings.

  A perfect example was the Sooners’ 1946 season-opening game against Army at West Point. During the contest, halfback Charlie Sarratt had injured his ankle and was sitting on the bench with his foot in a bucket of ice water. Tatum, pacing the sideline after a controversial call had gone against his team, picked Sarratt’s foot out of the bucket, took a drink of the sweaty cocktail and stuck the foot back in, all in one swift motion.

  The incident had OU’s players rolling in laughter, but Tatum never blinked.

  “I don’t even think he realized what he’d done,” said lineman Norman McNabb. “That’s just how into the game he really was. His total focus was on what was happening to his team on the field.”

  Tommy's Sister

  From 1947 to 1960, Oklahoma native Maria Tallchief was among the most recognized dancers in the world. In the 1950s, at the height of her career, she became Americas preeminent dancer, a prima ballerina. President Dwight Eisenhower declared her “Woman of the Year” for 1953, and she remained in the public spotlight well into the 1960s.

  Back in Norman, an ex-marine by the name of Tommy Tallchief turned out to be an All-Big Seven Conference football player for Oklahoma during the 1945 season. Despite his efforts on the gridiron, he never reached the notoriety level achieved by his famous sister.

  More from West Point

  Prior to OU’s season-opening game with Army, coach Jim Tatum did everything imaginable to give his team an emotional edge. He talked about how the Sooners weren’t getting any respect from the Cadets and how the East Coast media wasn’t giving them any kind of chance to win that day.

  Army was coming off of consecutive undefeated seasons, and its starting backfield included All-Americans Doc Blanchard and Glen Davis. Among the fans in Yankee Stadium that day was President Harry Truman, who proved to be the ultimate trump card for Tatum’s motivational speech.

  “The game started late due to the president’s arrival, and Coach Tatum had us convinced that even President Truman was pulling against us,” said All-America tackle Wade Walker.

  “He was a character, a real motivator. He had us ready to run through a brick wall by the time we left the locker room.”

  Despite Tatum’s moving pregame oration, the Cadets snapped a 7-7 tie with a pair of second-half touchdowns that carried them to a 21-7 victory.

  Busy Boy

  A four-year starter at Oklahoma, Darrell Royal capped a stellar career by earning All-America honors as a senior in 1949. After briefly testing his skills at the professional level, the Hollis, Oklahoma, native turned to coaching, where he would one day become a legendary figure at the University of Texas.

  But long before Royal became a Longhorn he found himself zig-zagging across the country for a variety of coaching positions. At one point, Royal made eight stops in seven years.

  It went something like this: Took the head job at El Reno (Oklahoma) High School, but left after two weeks when North Carolina State called; served one season as an assistant with the Wolfpack before taking a similar position at Mississippi State; returned to Oklahoma for an assistant position at Tulsa and after one season, returned to Mississippi State for the head
job; the following season, Royal went to the Canadian Football League as a head coach and then got the job at Washington, where he also spent just one season before going to Texas.

  Stinky Situation

  Oklahoma had just defeated North Carolina 14-6 in the 1949 Sugar Bowl when the Sooners boarded a flight bound from New Orleans to Oklahoma City. For many members of Bud Wilkinson’s squad, it was a time to celebrate and let off a little steam by partaking of an alcoholic beverage or two.

  An hour or so and a few drinks into the flight, Jess Trotter needed to make a pit stop in the restroom. His timing could not have been worse.

  Just as Trotter was taking care of business, the plane hit a vacuum air pocket in the clouds and plummeted several hundred feet in a matter of seconds. In the cabin, cocktail glasses and just about everything else that wasn’t tied down went flying. In the restroom, Trotter had other problems.

  “When that plane dropped like that, stuff came flying out of that john,” said Norman McNabb. “Unfortunately, it got all over Jess. He stunk so badly that no one wanted to sit anywhere near him the rest of the flight. It was funny and sad at the same time.”

  Eligible Seamen

  The 1945 season featured more than a few twists and turns as World War II came to a halt and the world readied for peace. The Oklahoma football team struggled to a 5-5 mark that fall with a young lineup that was minus several key players who were still serving active duty.

  But that did not mean the Sooners were without any military personnel on their roster. A naval V-12 exemption allowed U.S. Naval personnel to participate at their base school, meaning sailors from the North and South bases at OU could play for Snorter Lusters team that season.

  Several men who had been members of other college programs prior to their entering the military, went out for football at OU, including Ernie Davis, Elmer Friday and Gene Preston.

  Are You the New Player?

  In the days that followed after Jim Tatum was hired as head football coach at Oklahoma, he and assistant Bud Wilkinson found themselves staying in the athletic director Jap Haskell’s basement—at least until they could find their own quarters.