Barry Switzer honored for Special Olympics involvement: Barry Switzer won three college football championships and a Super Bowl, but there's still a unique quality about competitors in the Special Olympics that keeps him coming back. While he's used to winning at the college and NFL level, the Special Olympics aren't all about victories and defeats. Switzer says it's the innocence of Special Olympians that has led him to work with the charity for more than three decades. The former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach was honored for that involvement Tuesday night with the Knights of Columbus John F. Kennedy Community Service Award. (AP/Dallas Morning News)
Switzer expects Stoops to surpass his records: Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer thinks current Sooners coach Bob Stoops will one day surpass his accomplishments at OU. "Bob will someday break my record because he's a smart enough guy to know that you don't leave Oklahoma when you have Oklahoma," Switzer said Tuesday night while accepting a community service award from the Knights of Columbus. "There's no pro job out there worth a damn." Switzer went 157-29-4 with the Sooners, winning national titles in 1974, 1975 and 1985 before resigning under pressure 20 years ago. He went on to win a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys, but still lives near the Oklahoma campus in Norman. (Sportsline.com)
Switzer furious with officials: Only the fourth tie in 79 years of the Oklahoma-Texas series left Texas Coach Fred Akers thankful and Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer fighting mad at the officials yesterday. The top-ranked Longhorns gained the 15-15 tie on Jeff Ward's 32-yard field goal in the rain as time ran out after Switzer of the No. 3-rated Sooners had ordered an intentional safety. "It was a tremendous thing for us to salvage a tie," said Akers. (AP.. More from "Switzer blames officials for tie" Associated Press)
Reminder single-game tickets on sale tomorrow!! Single-game tickets first go on sale Friday morning, Aug. 1, at 12 a.m. on SoonerSports.com. At 8 a.m., tickets will be available by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU or (405) 325-2424. Walk-up sales begin at 10 a.m. at the OU Athletics Ticket Office, located on the plaza level of the Asp Avenue Parking Facility immediately west of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. (SoonerSports PR)
Switzer to appear on TNT's "Saving Grace": [Barry] Switzer will play himself on the Aug. 11 episode of "Saving Grace," the TNT drama that is set in Oklahoma City and stars Holly Hunter as a troubled police detective who is counseled by an angel. "It's over the top," Switzer said. "Holly Hunter's pretty sexy. A rogue. It's about saving a girl that's lost." Switzer obviously knows more about the premise than I do. I haven't seen "Saving Grace," beyond a couple of clips. (The Oklahoman)
Wright's past Texas connection:OU defensive backs coach Bobby Jack Wright knows what the OU-Texas rivalry is like wearing burnt orange. Wright spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Texas before joining Bob Stoops' staff in 1999. "When I was south of the Red (River), I got cussed by people north of the Red,” Wright said. "Being born and raised in Texas, I have a lot of friends in Texas. "I get cussed by them now." (NewsOK.com)
Switzer on the Red River Rivalry: (Barry) Switzer, who turns 70 today, works as a college football analyst for XM Satellite Radio, but still remembers the pressure surrounding an OU-Texas game. "I know how that game goes. I know the pressure," he said. "It's tremendous." The former OU coach said the weight to win the game is always heaviest for those on the OU sideline. "I don't think I've met anybody that's graduated from the University of Texas and come north of the Red River to make a living," he said. "But we've got a lot of our graduates who left and have gone south of the Red River, to Dallas and Houston, that make a living and live in those communities, the social clubs, the golf clubs ... It's very important to us. There's tremendous pressure on Oklahoma to win this game every year. I’ve always felt that."(Norman Transcript)
Only so far back: Stoops said he only goes back two years to look at past Texas-OU games. "We'll look a little bit at what they were doing," Stoops said. "If you go back too far, things look too different." (Dallas Morning News)
Thin air no excuse in OU's Colorado loss, Stoops says: It's been suggested that one reason for OU's second-half collapse at Folsom Field was because the Sooners fell victim to the thin air in the 5,335-feet altitude. A few tired players making a few sloppy mistakes, perhaps? "That's ridiculous. That makes no sense," Bob Stoops said. "Why would that be? I don't get that. Offense wasn't tired. They were fresh as a daisy. On (46) plays? No. That's not accurate." "The altitude had some affect," said offensive tackle Trent Williams, who platooned on an offense that ran just 46 plays. "But I don't think it affected our play that much." (Tulsa World)
Switzer's XM radio show broadcasting from the Cotton Bowl: Former OU coach Barry Switzer and T.J. Rives will have special editions of their XM satellite radio sports show (channel 144) from 5-8 a.m. Friday and 9-11 a.m. Saturday from outside the Cotton Bowl. XM also will carry the OU-Texas game. (NewsOK.com)
Baker may sub for less than 100% Reynolds: Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said he might sub starting strongside linebacker Lewis Baker for weakside Ryan Reynolds more to give Reynolds some rest.Venables said Reynolds, who missed part of the spring and was limited during two-a-days after undergoing knee surgery, was hurting late against Colorado. Venables did put Baker in, but said he probably should have done it earlier. (Star-Telegram)
Sooners En Espanol: Saturday's contest with Miami will be the first OU game to be broadcast in Spanish by an Oklahoma station. KTUZ (fm106.7 in Oklahoma City) carries the game with Rene Nava and James Kopelman. (Tulsa World)
Switzer will not attend OU-Miami: Switzer said he won't be at the OU-Miami game Saturday because he'll be in Los Angeles for his work with Fox Sports' NFL pregame show. This season, he's doing a weekly "Coaches Corner" show alongside Jimmy Johnson. "Oklahoma is closer to being like that (No. 1) today than Miami is being close to what they were," Switzer said. (Dallas Morning News Blog)
Former Canes & Cowboys Coach Johnson on 1985 OU game: Former Oklahoma State and Miami coach Jimmy Johnson on the Hurricanes' 1985 visit to Norman to play Oklahoma: "When I was at OSU, I was fighting them with a BB gun. I brought a .357 magnum with me when I went to Norman." (Star-Telegram)
Backup center Beeler quits the Sooners: Backup center Chase Beeler has left the Oklahoma football team, coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday night. "Chase wants to concentrate on his academic interests. He just decided that he did not want to play any more," Stoops said in a statement. "We respect his decision. We're all for Chase. He was a good, strong student-athlete while he was with our program and we wish him the best." (AP/SportingNews)
New Oklahoma Sooners Football book available: For the Sooner fan who can't soak up enough facts about OU football, "University of Oklahoma Football: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports" might be a solution. The book -- written by authors Daniel Brush, David Horne and Marc Maxwell, all who are attending graduate programs at OU -- has 10 chapters, with 100 facts, statistics or short stories in each chapter about Sooner football. Bob Stoops has written the foreword, and part of the proceeds will go to the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation, which helps sick children. The book can be found at most bookstores or on the authors' Web site, www.sportsbythenumbers.com (NewsOK.com)
Allen Patrick featured on SI Cover: Oklahoma senior running back Allen Patrick will be featured on one of five regional covers of Sports Illustrated scheduled to be released today. Patrick, who is expected to start at running back, hasn't practiced since last Wednesday, when he sprained his right ankle during workouts. Patrick has been walking around on crutches with his right foot in a protective boot. Patrick posed for the Sports Illustrated photo July 30 in Norman. (Dallas Morning News)
Barry Switzer joins NFL on FOX pregame crew: Fox Sports announced Tuesday that [Barry] Switzer will be joining its NFL pregame show this season where he will work a weekly "Coaches Corner" show alongside Johnson, who is entering his eighth season with the network. No further details were immediately available. (Dallas Morning News)
Switzer joins XM Radio lineup: This fall, [Barry] Switzer will co-host XM Sports Nation This Morning, a live call-in show that will focus on college and pro football. "This was a good opportunity for me,” said Switzer, who returned from Washington, D.C., on Friday after meeting with XM officials in time to attend Oklahoma's scrimmage Saturday. "They made it attractive financially, so I'm going to do it.” T.J. Rives — the play-by-play voice for South Florida -- will team with Switzer on Sports Nation This Morning, which will air from 5:30 to 7 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays starting Aug. 20. Rives will do the show by himself Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The show will broadcast on XM channel 144, airing until sometime in January. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed by XM, but Logan said the agreement with Switzer is for more than one year. (NewsOK.com) Barry Switzer joins the XM lineup of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Cal Ripken, Jr.,Tony Kornheiser and others on XM Channel 144.
Coaches set limitations at scrimmage: Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said there were some limitations in the first scrimmage. There was no blocking below the waist and he was trying to get the quarterbacks as many passing attempts as he could. He admitted there was another reason for the struggles moving the ball. "Credit it to the defense," he said. "The secondary, in my view today, there were a lot of great tackles by corners and safeties for 1- and 2-yard gains and sometimes negatives gains." (Norman Transcript)
Quote of the Week: Say what? If [J.C.] Watts played quarterback in this era "he would be a guy that would be drafted and would play in the NFL, I promise you," former OU and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer said. (Friday's Tulsa World) Us younger kids, here's highlights featuring J.C. Watts, Oklahoma vs Florida State 1980.
Oklahoma Sooner Football Articles and Notes Switzer says Cowboys owner Jones will look in NFL: The name of Bob Stoops kept tumbling off the tongues of NFL analysts Monday, all speculating on the list of potential candidates to become the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Not so fast says Barry Switzer, offering his insight into a Cowboys job he once held and an owner he knows well in Jerry Jones. Switzer said his sources in Dallas doubted Jones would turn to the college ranks to replace Bill Parcells. "Based on conversations I had with people who are nsiders, they told me that Jerry didn't want to go that route," Switzer said Monday. "Because of where they are, the time of the year with the draft and the learning curve of the salary cap. "I would be totally surprised if he went the college route. Totally, totally. And I've been told he wasn't going to go that route. I talked to somebody that knows, thinks they know." Stoops was mum on any interest in the Cowboys job. (NewsOK.com)
Swtizer says Oklahoma is the better job: Barry Switzer has some advice for Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops -- stay right where you are. Several media outlets listed Stoops as a candidate for the Dallas job shortly after Cowboys' coach Bill Parcells announced Monday morning that he was retiring. "Bob Stoops has a better job right now," Switzer said Monday night in a telephone interview. "The OU job is better than the Dallas Cowboys." (Tulsa World)
Alexander joins the Senior Bowl in Mobile: OU linebacker Rufus Alexander joined top seniors from across the country on Sunday in Mobile, Ala. Alexander was invited to display his talents for the NFL scouts during this week's practices leading up to the 2007 Senior Bowl. The event annually features the country's best senior collegiate football players and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South that are coached by the entire coaching staffs of two National Football League teams. The staff of the San Francisco 49ers will coach the South with the staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers directing the North squad. Alexander helped Oklahoma earn its 40th conference title with a Big 12 championship and an 11-3 overall record in 2006. He was named OU's 142nd All-American in December. The 2007 Under Armour Senior Bowl will be played at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The NFL Network is broadcasting practices from Mobile during the week and will show the game on Saturday. (SoonerSports.com)
Stoops a candidate for NFL Falcons job? ESPN's NFL Insider Chris Mortensen, reported on Sunday NFL Countdown that Oklahoma's Bob Stoops is among the three candidates the Falcons owner, Arthur Blank is looking to replace current head coach Jim Mora. Remember in 2003, Stoops was also rumored for the job. We'll see...
Closing the roof: The retractable roof at the University of Phoenix Stadium will be put to use Monday. The roof will be open for parachutists to descend through the opening shortly before kickoff, then close for the game. "We're doing it for fan comfort," said Shawn Schoeffler, Fiesta Bowl media relations liaison. "The game will kick off at 6:50 (7:50 central) and probably won't be over until after 10."(NewsOK.com)
OU's Ah You Continues Fiesta Bowl Family Tradition: C.J. Ah You is carrying along a family tradition he didn’t even know about. The Oklahoma defensive end will be the third member of his family to play in the Fiesta Bowl. His uncle, Junior, won defensive MVP in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl in 1971 playing for Arizona State. His father, Charles, was a backup running back for BYU in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl. (East Valley Tribune)
Birdine keeping it closed too: The last time Oklahoma defensive end Larry Birdine spoke out before a BCS game, he gave USC several bulletin boards worth of material. Two years later, he revisited reporters in the University of Phoenix Stadium stands as part of Fiesta Bowl media day Saturday. "I don't want another Orange Bowl incident happening," Birdine said. "Let's just say it wasn't pretty." (Tulsa World)
Stoops: Same schedule, Different days: OU has tried to keep its practice routine like it would for a normal game during Fiesta Bowl preparations. OU coach Bob Stoops said doing that can cause some confusion. Saturday, he wasn't even sure what day of the week it was. "I look at it as Thursday," he said. "You kind of go through your game week, getting prepared for the game, what you emphasize in practice. Today for us is like a Thursday practice. It's kind of how you mentally go into it." (Norman Transcript)
Switzer and Johnson reunite: Former Sooners coach Barry Switzer will be one of Fox's Fiesta Bowl analysts during the game and will sit on a sideline studio platform next to Jimmy Johnson for pregame, halftime and postgame analysis. Switzer, who was an assistant coach at Arkansas when Johnson played there, and Johnson are old rivals, including Johnson's days at Oklahoma State (he lost every game to Switzer's Sooners) and Miami (he was 3-0 against OU). But their rivalry heated up even more when Switzer replaced Johnson as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. "I've seen him every once in a while through the years," Switzer said. "We've had a couple conversations." (Tulsa World)
Something they like to have: Oklahoma players took a liking to the Fiesta Bowl trophy, taking turns shooting photos of teammates posing beside it. Some might consider the trophy gaudy, with diamonds and gold and even a stained-glass window effect on a dome that serves as the base to a football topper. Not the Sooners. "We gotta have it," said offensive lineman George "Duke" Robinson. (NewsOK.com)
