![A man jogs onto an American football field wearing a visor, polo and khaki pants, with several football players and fans in the background.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/OklahomaSooners-TulsaGoldenHurricane-2009-Stoops.jpg/220px-OklahomaSooners-TulsaGoldenHurricane-2009-Stoops.jpg)
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma. The team has had 23 head coaches since organized football began in 1895. The Sooners have played in more than 1,200 games in its 121 seasons. In those seasons, nine coaches have led the Sooners to postseason bowl games: Thomas E. Stidham, Jim Tatum, Bud Wilkinson, Gomer Jones, Chuck Fairbanks, Barry Switzer, Gary Gibbs, Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley. Nine coaches have won conference championships with the Sooners: Bennie Owen, Stidham, Dewey Luster, Tatum, Wilkinson, Fairbanks, Switzer, Stoops and Riley. Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops have also won national championships with the Sooners. Stoops is the all-time leader in games coached and won, Owen is the all-time leader in years coached, while Riley is the all-time leader in winning percentage. John Harts is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Sooners have had as he lost the only game he coached. John Blake has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game with .353 in his 34 games.
Of the 23 Sooner coaches, Owen, Lawrence Jones, Tatum, Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have each received National Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization. The current head coach is Brent Venables, who was hired on December 5, 2021, replacing Lincoln Riley after his departure to become the head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) in November 2021.[1][2]
Key
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Head coaches
[edit]- Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
# | Picture | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CCs | NCs | National awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John A. Harts | 1895 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2 | ![]() |
Vernon Parrington | 1897–1900 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | .792 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3 | Fred Roberts | 1901 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
4 | Mark McMahon | 1902–1903 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 3 | .595 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
5 | Fred Ewing | 1904 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .593 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
6 | ![]() |
Bennie Owen[6]† | 1905–1926 | 192 | 122 | 54 | 16 | .677 | 28 | 20 | 7 | .573 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
7 | ![]() |
Adrian Lindsey | 1927–1931 | 44 | 19 | 19 | 6 | .500 | 11 | 12 | 2 | .480 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | ![]() |
Lewie Hardage | 1932–1934 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 4 | .481 | 8 | 6 | 1 | .567 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
9 | ![]() |
Biff Jones[7]† | 1935–1936 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | .583 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
10 | Thomas E. Stidham | 1937–1940 | 38 | 27 | 8 | 3 | .750 | 15 | 4 | 1 | .775 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
11 | Dewey Luster | 1941–1945 | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | .594 | 19 | 4 | 2 | .800 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | |
12 | ![]() |
Jim Tatum[8]† | 1946 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — |
13 | ![]() |
Bud Wilkinson[9]† | 1947–1963 | 178 | 145 | 29 | 4 | .826 | 93 | 9 | 3 | .900 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 – 1950, 1955, 1956 |
AFCA Coach of the Year (1949)[10] |
14 | ![]() |
Gomer Jones | 1964–1965 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 1 | .452 | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
15 | Jim Mackenzie | 1966 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
16 | ![]() |
Chuck Fairbanks | 1967–1972 | 68 | 49 | 18 | 1 | .728 | 34 | 8 | 0 | .809 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — |
17 | ![]() |
Barry Switzer[12]† | 1973–1988 | 190 | 157 | 29 | 4 | .837 | 100 | 11 | 1 | .897 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 3 – 1974, 1975, 1985 | |
18 | Gary Gibbs | 1989–1994 | 69 | 44 | 23 | 2 | .652 | 26 | 14 | 2 | .643 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | |
19 | ![]() |
Howard Schnellenberger | 1995 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
20 | John Blake | 1996–1998 | 34 | 12 | 22 | — | .353 | 8 | 16 | — | .333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
21 | ![]() |
Bob Stoops[14]† | 1999–2016 | 238 | 190 | 48 | — | .798 | 121 | 29 | — | .807 | 9 | 9 | — | 10 | 1 – 2000 |
AFCA Coach of the Year (2000)[10]
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2000)[15] |
22 | ![]() |
Lincoln Riley | 2017–2021 | 65 | 55 | 10 | — | .846 | 37 | 7 | — | .841 | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | — |
Broyles Award (2015) |
— | ![]() |
Bob Stoops (Interim) | 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | — | .000 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
23 | ![]() |
Brent Venables | 2022–present | 26 | 16 | 10 | — | 0.615 | 10 | 8 | — | 0.556 | 0 | 2 | — | 0 | — | — |
Notes
[edit]- ^ A running total of the number of coaches of the Sooners. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is counted only once.
- ^ Oklahoma did not join a conference until 1915.[3]
- ^ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[4]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[5]
References
[edit]- General
- "Football Coaches". SoonerStats.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- "OU Football Tradition: Head Coaches". SoonerSports.com. September 19, 2009. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- "Oklahoma Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing L.L.C. ISBN 1-58261-699-X. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "Venables named OU's 23rd head football coach". Oklahoma Sooners. December 5, 2021. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ Jeyarajah, Shehan (December 5, 2021). "Oklahoma hires Brent Venables as coach: Clemson defensive coordinator to replace Lincoln Riley". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "2009 OU Football Guide". University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big Plays Help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ Bennie Owen at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ Lawrence "Biff" Jones at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ Jim "Big Jim" Tatum at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ Bud Wilkinson at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ a b "AFCA Coach of the Year Award – Past Winners". American Football Coaches Association. January 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ^ Carter, Bob (October 18, 2006). "Oklahoma makes turtle soup". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ^ Barry Switzer at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ a b "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards". Walter Camp Football Foundation, Inc. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- ^ "Bob Stoops".
- ^ a b c d e "Bob Stoops". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Stoops Named AP National Coach Of The Year". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Stoops Presented With Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Past Winners". Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Stoops Named Walter Camp's 2003 Coach Of The Year". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2009.