Oklahoma-Nebraska 1971 was the Game of the Century, and it was an Oklahoma (statehood) century.
OU-Ohio State, with Woody Hayes and Uwe von Schamann and the Ohio Stadium setting, likely is the most memorable game for Sooner fans of a certain age.
Little Joe Washington and Boise State, Texas showdowns and Bedlam tensions, they all have made up the wondrous tradition of Oklahoma football.
But as we approach our state centennial, I picked a different OU game as the greatest sporting event of Oklahoma’s first 100 years.
OU 13, Florida State 2.
The Orange Bowl beatdown of Bobby Bowden’s vaunted Seminoles stands atop the list despite my tendency to require more distance. Only 61/2 years ago did Roy Williams and Torrance Marshall and Rocky Calmus put on the greatest defensive show in Sooner history. Only 61/2 years ago did OU win its most improbable national championship.
Generally, I like a few more whiskers on an event. Like to have some passing of time to judge how big and significant and lasting of an impact a ballgame might have.
But the Orange Bowl played three days into 2001 stood too tall to pass up. Stood too tall to bow to the epic Oklahoma A&M-DePaul showdown in the 1945 Red Cross benefit game, or Freckles Brown’s magic ride of Tornado in the 1967 National Finals Rodeo, or Carl Hubbell’s amazing strikeout streak in the 1934 All-Star Game, or any of the other Sooner gridiron classics.
And here’s why.
OU-Florida State III (the Sooners beat the Seminoles in the Orange Bowls of 1980 and 1981) is Oklahoma’s only victory in an absolute national championship setting.
Three OU titles were claimed in the days when polls closed before the bowls. The 1974 team was saddled with probation and ineligible for a bowl. The ’75 team played non-contender Michigan in the Orange Bowl and needed an Ohio State Rose Bowl defeat earlier in the day. The ’85 team played top-ranked Penn State in the Orange Bowl but kept one eye on the scoreboard, needing a Miami Sugar Bowl loss to end all discussion.
The 2000 season was different. The BCS created a two-team playoff. OU and Florida State. The trophy was in Pro Player Stadium that night, awaiting the victor. No worry about votes.
But it was more than that. It was the meteoric return of the Sooners to prominence.
When Bob Stoops arrived in December 1998, the Sooners had gone five straight years without a winning record, four straight without a bowl trip and what seemed like a full decade without hope.
The 1999 season offered promise — 7-5, an Independence Bowl trip — but no clue that the Stoops era was about to jettison.
Then came October 2000. Down went 11th-ranked Texas 63-14. Down went No. 2 Kansas State 41-31. Down went No. 1 Nebraska 31-14.
If we ever rank the greatest sports months in state history, October 2000 is No. 1, trumping anything any hoops team ever did in March.
The Orange Bowl arrived almost as a consolation prize. Florida State, despite a defeat, came in as a 12-point favorite. The Orange Bowl was considered gravy for OU; the Sooners already had won their prize, a return to respectability.
Except for one thing. Florida State still hasn’t scored on the Sooners.
The defensive clampdown on Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke turned Florida State impotent. We sat there watching, either at Pro Player or in our living rooms, amazed at how the Bob Stoops-Mike Stoops-Brent Venables defense dominated.
By halftime, despite just a 3-0 lead, it seemed that only a fluke could beat the Sooners. By the fourth quarter, when Quentin Griffin scored the game’s only touchdown, 13-0 seemed more daunting than the 42-zip halftime score at the Cotton Bowl that October.
Not the greatest finish in OU or state history. Not the greatest theatrics. But the greatest stage. The greatest performance. The greatest game.
1. Stoops National Title, Jan. 3, 2001:
Florida State entered the Orange Bowl averaging 42 points and 549 total yards per game. But in the greatest defensive performance in OU history, the Seminoles were shut out until a safety in the final minute, and Bob Stoops had delivered a national championship in his second season.
2. Kurland vs. Mikan, March 29, 1945:
Henry Iba’s Aggies won the NCAA title two nights earlier, but the game that changed college hoops came in the Red Cross benefit game against NIT champ DePaul. OSU 7-footer Bob Kurland scored 14 points, DePaul big man George Mikan fouled out and OSU won 48-46, forever debunking the theory that the NCAA was an inferior tournament.
3. von Schamann’s kick, Sept. 24, 1977:
Uwe von Schamann first directed the boos of the hostile Ohio State crowd, then nailed a 41-yard field goal to give OU a 29-28 victory in this showdown of college powers.
4. Game of the Century, Nov. 25, 1971:
Johnny Rodgers’ punt return was the difference in Nebraska’s 35-31 victory over OU on Thanksgiving Day.
Sculpture of Freckles Brown riding Tornado.
5. Freckles Brown, Dec. 1, 1967:
Jim Shoulders’ rowdy bull, Tornado, never had been ridden until a 46-year-old cowboy from Soper did the deed at the National Finals Rodeo at State Fair Arena.
6. King Carl’s strikeouts, July 10, 1934:
The greatest feat in All-Star Game history came from Meeker’s screwball artist. Carl Hubbell fanned five straight future Hall of Famers at Comiskey Park — Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin.
7. World’s greatest athlete, July 14, 1912:
Jim Thorpe won the Stockholm Olympics decathlon with such dominance, his marks still would have been good enough for a silver medal in the 1948 Games.
8. Kemper Klassic, April 4, 1988:
BillyBall ran out of gas in the second half of the NCAA championship game as Kansas upset OU 83-79, but the 50-50 first half was among the best hoops ever played.
9. Integrated football, Nov. 3, 1955:
All-white Capitol Hill beat all-black Douglass 13-6 in front of 10,000 fans at Southside Stadium and a television audience. Nothing happened except good football, and another chunk of Jim Crow fell.
10. The Sarge wins the Open, June 15, 1969:
Orville Moody, an army sergeant from Capitol Hill High School, won only once on the PGA Tour. It came in this U.S. Open, at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Moody won by a stroke over Deane Beman, Al Geiberger and Bob Rosburg.
11. Joe’s jump-off homer, Oct. 23, 1993:
Only Bill Mazeroski in 1960 had ended the World Series with a home run. But then Joe Carter of Millwood did it with a Game 6 blast off the Phillies’ Mitch Williams, and the Blue Jay gleefully leaped his way around the bases.
12. Doctor Mitch, Feb. 19, 1982:
Favored OU led this Bedlam wrestling dual, until 420-pound unknown Mitch Shelton caught All-American Steve Williams, Doctor Death, and delivered a pin that gave OSU a 20-17 victory and blew the roof off Gallagher Hall.
Boise State's Marty Tadman reacts after returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown.
13. Boise State, Jan. 1, 2007:
The wildest finish of them all. Little Boise State resorted to three trick plays in the final moments to stun Oklahoma 43-42 in the Fiesta Bowl.
14. McNeill upsets Riggs, Sept. 9, 1940:
Don McNeill, Classen grad of 1935, rallied from two sets down to beat the world’s No. 1 player, Bobby Riggs, winning with a smashed backhand across Riggs’ feet.
15. Toast of Tuskegee, 1941:
Marques Haynes and Long Tom Smith led Sand Springs Washington to the national black basketball high school championship in Tuskegee, Ala., beating Seminole Washington in the finals.
16. Streak ends, Nov. 16, 1957
Nothing lasts forever, Oklahomans learned, as Dick Lynch scored late for the game’s only touchdown as Notre Dame won 7-0 at Owen Field, ending OU’s 47-game winning streak, 7-0.
17. Kejuan goes the distance, Sept. 15, 2000:
Kejuan Jones turned a medium pass over the middle into an 80-yard touchdown play with eight seconds left in the game to give Jenks a 41-37 victory over arch-foe Tulsa Union in front of 31,555 stunned fans at Skelly Stadium.
18. The Bunion Derby, May 26, 1928:
83 days after starting in Los Angeles, Oklahoman Andy Payne won the first International Trans-Continental Foot Race, crossing the finish line at New York’s Madison Square Garden 15 hours ahead of the pack.
19. OSU-TU shootout, Oct. 28, 1944:
Bob Fenimore ran 71 yards for a TD on the game’s first play, then broke a 40-40 tie with 2:30 left in the game on a 50-yard TD pass to Cecil Hankins as OSU beat Tulsa 46-40 in a shootout of eventual New Year’s Day bowl teams.
20. Little John’s jumper, March 27, 2004:
Eddie Sutton reached his second Final Four with OSU when John Lucas canned a 3-pointer with six seconds left to beat Saint Joseph’s 64-62 in the East Regional finals at the New Jersey Meadowlands.
21. Brown first black champ, May 3, 1964:
Pete Brown became the PGA Tour’s first black champion with his victory over the likes of Miller Barber and Tommy Aaron in the Waco Turner Open at Turner’s Lodge in Burneyville.
Pistol Pete Maravich
22. Pistol Pete, Dec. 30, 1968:
College basketball’s greatest player ever showed Oklahoma City his magic as Pete Maravich scored 53 points in the All-College final, LSU’s 94-91 victory over Duquesne, capping a three-game total of 138 points.
23. Bedlam upset, Nov. 24, 2001:
OU was headed for the Rose Bowl until T.D. Bryant’s long reception and Rashaun Woods’ touchdown catch gave Oklahoma State a 16-13 victory in Norman and one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
24. Bertha’s finale, March 15, 1969:
She coached 43 years, and when the final buzzer sounded on Bertha Frank Teague’s final game, it still wasn’t over. Judy Corvin’s shot was in the air as time expired and Elk City up one point. The shot went in, Byng won 40-39 and the legendary Teague had her 15th state title.
25. Bryce Drew, March 13, 1998:
The signature shot of March Madness came in Oklahoma City, when Drew’s running 3-pointer off a 50-foot inbounds pass gave little Valparaiso a 70-69 upset of Mississippi.
26. Hello, NBA, Nov. 1, 2005:
The Ford Center rocked as Oklahoma City made its NBA debut with the Hornets routing Sacramento 93-67.
27. Putnam City pride, Dec. 2, 1977:
Two of the best quarterbacks in state history, Putnam City’s Kelly Phelps and Putnam West’s Scott Tinsley, dueled in a 4A title game won by Putnam City 21-14 in overtime.
28. Wilt goes down, Feb. 21, 1957:
Mel Wright’s last-second basket from the corner gave OSU a 56-54 victory over mighty Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain at Gallagher Hall.
29. Jumpin’ Jack, 1929:
Classen and Central had split regular-season games, but Classen, coached by a young Henry Iba, won this early-day state finals epic 20-18 on Jumpin’ Jack McCracken’s last-minute shot.
30. Tway chips in, Aug. 11, 1986:
Golfers don’t show much emotion, but Bob Tway certainly did when he holed out from a bunker on the 72nd hole to beat Greg Norman by a stroke for the PGA Championship at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio.
31. O’Title for Sean, April 12, 1981:
With Howard Cosell calling the bout ringside, Sean O’Grady beat Hilmer Kenty to win the world lightweight title at the age of 22.
32. Meet the Sooners, Sept. 28, 1946:
Oklahoma football’s national presence began with Jim Tatum’s first game as coach, when OU played mighty Army to a 7-7 halftime tie before succumbing 21-7.
33. Softball queens, May 29, 2000:
Lisa Carey’s two-run homer lifted OU to an improbable 3-1 victory over UCLA in the NCAA softball title game and tilted the landscape of the Women’s College World Series.
34. Price is right, March 20, 1955:
Norman’s Denny Price scored a still-standing big-school state tournament record 42 points to knock off Bartlesville 60-59 in the 2A title game at Municipal Auditorium.
35. Globetrotters fall, March 13, 1946:
The Harlem Globetrotters were serious ballplayers in the ‘40s, but so was Langston, and Marques Haynes’ 34 points led the Lions to a 74-70 upset of the Trotters at Municipal Auditorium.
36. Death threat, June 19, 1977:
Hubert Green sank a three-foot putt on the 18th hole at Southern Hills to win the U.S. Open despite being informed on No. 15 of a death threat against him.
37. Pepper steals the show, Oct. 2, 1931:
In Game 2 of the World Series, Pepper Martin of Temple doubled in the second inning, stole third and scored on a fly ball. In the seventh, he singled, stole second, went to third on a grounder and scored on a bunt. The Cardinals won 2-0 and eventually won the Series in seven games, with Martin batting .500.
38. Back-to-back NCAAs, March 26, 1946:
Bob Kurland shined in his final college game, scoring 23 points as Oklahoma A&M beat North Carolina 43-40 for its second straight NCAA title.
39. Friendship’s Fisher, 1954:
Capitol Hill baseball’s 66-game winning streak was stopped by Friendship, the tiny school in the corner of southwestern Oklahoma, as future major-leaguer Eddie Fisher threw a four-hit shutout, one of 76 high school wins for Fisher.
40. Little Big Man, Jan. 18, 1966:
Wrestling at heavyweight, OSU 177-pounder Bill Harlow gave up 80 pounds but beat OU’s Luke Sharpe 4-1 to give the Cowboys a 15-14 dual victory and set off a wild celebration at packed Gallagher Hall.
OU head football coach Barry Switzer gets a ride after winning the 1986 Orange Bowl
41. Sixth national title, Jan. 1, 1986:
Jamelle Holieway threw a 71-yard TD pass to Keith Jackson as OU beat Penn State 25-10 in the Orange Bowl to secure its sixth national title.
42. Punting disaster, Oct. 25, 1956:
Lawton was considered one of the great teams in state history, but El Reno turned three Lawton three punting miscues into touchdowns and a 21-20 upset.
43. First major, Oct. 23, 1935:
Johnny Revolta started the 1935 PGA at Twin Hills by upsetting Walter Hagen, and Revolta ended it by knocking off another golfing aristocrat, Tommy Armour, 5 and 4, to win the first major played in Oklahoma.
44. Olympic finals, Sept. 6, 1960:
In the Rome Games’ wrestling finals, three Oklahomans won gold on the same day. Doug Blubaugh of Ponca City pinned Pakistan welterweight Muhamed Bashir, Shelby Wilson of Ponca City beat Iran lightweight Mystafa Tajiki and Terry McCann, a transplant living in Tulsa, beat Bulgarian bantamweight Nejdet Zalev.
45. Gundy leads Bombers, Dec. 7, 1985:
Quarterback Mike Gundy threw an interception that Muskogee’s Harold Aldridge returned for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:34 left, but Gundy took Midwest City 71 yards to the winning touchdown in the Class 5A state title game.
Harry "The Cat" Brecheen, 1987.
46. The Cat comes back, Oct. 15, 1946:
Ada’s Harry “The Cat” Brecheen comes on in relief in World Series Game 7 and gets the victory as the Cardinals beat the Red Sox. Brecheen is 3-0 in the Series, giving up one earned run in 20 innings.
47. Venus is the word, Feb. 28, 1998:
Venus Williams beats No.2-ranked Lindsay Davenport in the IGA semifinals at the Greens Country Club, then the next day wins her first title on the WTA tour.
48. Toddling Town, Dec. 1, 1933:
Capitol Hill won the mythical national prep championship with a 55-12 rout of Harrison Tech, the Chicago city champion, rolling up a 675-57 edge in total yards.
49. Cosmos play Skelly, April 26, 1980:
The famed New York Cosmos made their Tulsa debut in the North American Soccer League, and a Skelly Stadium crowd of 30,822 was rewarded with a 2-1 Roughnecks victory, courtesy of Billy Caskey’s breakaway goal in the second half.
50. Stockton beats Arnie, Aug. 16, 1970:
Arnold Palmer never won the PGA but came close at Southern Hills, placing second, two shots behind Dave Stockton.
51. Sellers win the Derby, May 6, 1961:
Jockey Johnny Sellers of Tulsa rode Carry Back, which charged from 11th place midway through the Kentucky Derby, to win by three quarters of a length. Sellers and Carry Back also won the Preakness but slipped to seventh in the Belmont.
52. Run, Joe, Run, Nov. 15, 1975:
Joe Washington kept OU’s national title hopes alive with a fourth-down, 71-yard TD run in the final minutes, followed by a 2-point conversion run, as the Sooners beat Missouri 28-27.
53. Bucknell beauty, March 18, 2005:
Little Bucknell, from a league (Patriot) that never had won an NCAA Tournament game and sporting just five scholarship players, upset Kansas 64-63 at the Ford Center on center Chris McNaughton’s hook shot with 10 seconds left.
54. Amateur hour, Aug. 4, 1985:
OSU golfer Scott Verplank beats Jim Thorpe on the second playoff hole to win the Western Open and become the PGA Tour’s first amateur winner in 29 years.
55. Bench mark, Oct. 21, 1976:
Binger’s Johnny Bench wallops two home runs in Game 4 as Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine sweeps the Yankees in the World Series.
56. John Smith wins gold, Sept. 29, 1988:
Del City’s favorite son, won the first of his two Olympic golds with an 11-4 rout of Soviet Stepan Sarkissian; Smith celebrated by running to one end of Seoul’s Sangmu Gymnasium and waving to his father, Lee Roy Sr.
57. OCU serves notice, March 16, 1956:
In their first season under Abe Lemons, the Chiefs showed America a new way to play. In the West Regional semifinals at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, OCU beat Kansas State 97-93 in the second-highest scoring game in NCAA Tournament history.
58. Underhanded dealings, March 13, 1949:
Achille beat Dale 36-35 for the Class C state title when Tommy Westberry rattled home a 45-foot, under-handed shot at the buzzer.
59. Sweet 16 run, March 20, 1994:
Tulsa’s reputation as a giant-killer started at the Myriad, as Lou Dawkins’ 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left sealed the Hurricanes’ 82-80 upset of OSU, putting TU in the Sweet 16.
60. KU believes in miracles, March 16, 1974:
Upstart Oral Roberts led mighty Kansas 77-68 in the 1974 Midwest Regional and was only 4:49 away from the Final Four. But KU rallied on the Titans’ home court, forcing overtime and winning 93-90 despite Sam McCants’ 24 points.
61. Record-breaker, Dec. 11, 1989:
Steve Largent snares his 100th NFL TD catch, breaking Don Hutson’s 44-year record. Putnam City’s Largent eventually held all the NFL’s major receiving records.
Susie Maxwell Berning
62. Susie Berning, June 22, 1973:
Oklahoma City’s Susie Maxwell Berning, down seven shots through 36 holes, wins her third U.S. Open, this one by five strokes at the Rochester (N.Y.) Country Club.
63. Onside magic, Oct. 15, 1983:
Down 20-3 in the fourth quarter, OU rallies at Stillwater and wins 21-20 on Tim Lashar’s 46-yard field goal, thanks to miscommunication. Lashar tried an onside kick when he wasn’t supposed to, and OU recovered anyway.
64. Triple overtime I, March 16, 1991:
In an NCAA Tournbament game at Stillwater, Michigan State led by five with 45 seconds left in regulation, by two with 10 seconds left in the first OT and again by five in the second OT. But OSU rallied each time and won it on Liz Brown’s 17-footer with three seconds left in the third OT.
65. Century mark, Jan. 9, 1979:
Grandfield’s Kenneth Johnson took 82 shots and scored a state record 105 points as Grandfield beat Terral 120-65. Johnson sat out the final 5:23.
66. Two no-hitters, Sept. 28, 1951:
OKC’s Allie Reynolds throws his second no-hitter of the season, getting Boston’s Ted Williams to foul out to end the game.. Only Nolan Ryan, Virgil Trucks and Johnny Vander Meer also have two no-hitters in the same season.
67. Shannon rules, April 19, 1993:
Shannon Miller wins the world championships all-around in Birmingham, England, igniting the career of America’s most decorated gymnast.
68. A dynasty born, June 18, 1963:
Don Lackey birdies the final two holes to lift OSU to its first NCAA golf title, a one-shot win over Houston at Wichita Country Club.
69. Near flawless, Jan. 31, 1993:
In Super Bowl 27, Henryetta’s TroyAikman is the MVP after throwing for 273 yards on 22 of 30 passing as Dallas routs Buffalo 52-17.
70. Triple overtime II, Jan.16, 2007:
Mario Boggan’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gives OSU a 105-103 win over Texas in an instant classic, triple over.
71. Holliday spirit, Nov. 14, 1997:
Quarterback Matt Holliday throws for 375 yards and five TDs as Stillwater rallies from a 22-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to beat Tulsa Union 43-42 in a 6A playoff game.
72. Dogplie, June 11, 1994:
Damon Minor slugged a 3-run homer and OU routed Georgia Tech 13-5 in the College World Series championship game, setting off a wild celebration at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.
73. LPGA phenom, June 18, 1978:
Tulsa U’s Nancy Lopez wins her fifth straight tournament on the LPGA Tour, the Bankers Trust Classic, creating a national frenzy so potent that NBC cut into its baseball game of the week to cover Lopez’s win in Rochester, N.Y.
74. Hot & cold, Jan. 19, 1987:
With an ice storm outside, Lloyd Noble Center sizzled with top-ranked UNLV in town. Choo Kennedy put OU ahead 89-88 with 12 seconds left, then Vegas missed two shots in the final seconds.
75. Jack beats Coe, Sept. 20, 1959:
Charlie Coe’s bid for a third U.S. Amateur title is turned back by 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus, 1-up, over 36 magnificently-played holes at Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
OU defensive back Michael Thompson breaks up a pass intended for Nebraska wing back Bobby Newcombe.
76. Red October, Oct. 28, 2000:
Bob Stoops’ upstarts completed their climb to the top with a 31-14 rout of top-ranked Nebraska, capped when Derrick Strait returned an interception for a TD to start the second half.
77. Arnie wins in OKC, May 18,1964:
Arnold Palmer shot 69-67 on the final day to win the Oklahoma City Open by two strokes.
78. Half-court Hannon, Dec. 6, 1980:
Point guard Eddie Hannon’s half-court shot at the buzzer gave OSU a 72-71 upset of defending NCAA champ Louisville at Gallagher Hall.
79. Dueling tailbacks, Nov. 5, 1988:
OSU’s Barry Sanders, en route to the Heisman Trophy, rushed for 215 yards, and OU’s Mike Gaddis rushed for 213. But they weren’t involved in the wild finish. A bizarre personal foul penalty against OSU’s Garrett Limbrick pushed OSU’s into a 4th-and-16 situation with 56 seconds left, trailing 31-28. Still, from the OU 34-yard line, quarterback Mike Gundy found flanker Brent Parker open in the end zone. Parker dropped the ball.
80. Who’s he? June 18, 2001:
The unknown Retief Goosen beat Mark Brooks in a U.S. Open playoff at Southern Hills, set up by Brooks’ missed 2-footer on the 72nd hole, and Goosen has gone on to become one of the world’s best players.
81. 100 in a half, Nov. 29, 1989:
Billy Tubbs’ Sooners missed four 3-pointers in the final minute of the first half against U.S. International, else OU would have reached 100 points. The Sooners led 97-45 at halftime and won 173-101.
82. Omaha stars, June 18, 1959:
Ace Joel Horlen pitched OSU to the College World Series, but reliever Dick Soergel did the duty in the finals, a 5-3 victory over Arizona that gave State its only NCAA baseball title.
83. NAIA comeback, March 25, 2003:
Oklahoma City U. led by 13 with 13 minutes to play in the NAIA women’s championship game, but Southern Nazarene rallied, and Khady Ngom scored four points in the final 28 seconds, including the game-winner in SNU’s 71-70 victory.
Barry Switzer celebrates while he lifts the Super Bowl trophy after his team beat the Pittsburgh Steelers
84. Switzer double, Jan. 28, 1996:
Barry Switzer gets a Super Bowl ring to go with his collegiate national titles as Dallas beats Pittsburgh 27-17.
85. Streak continues, May 17, 1987:
OSU had won six straight Big Eight Baseball Tournaments, but OU had a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning and ace Jack Armstrong pitching. But the Cowboys rallied to take a lead, OU tied it in the ninth and OSU won it 9-6 in 11 innings. They would go on to win nine more Big Eights in a row.
86. Standing Pat, March 19, 1994:
Pat Smith beats Michigan’s Sean Bormet 5-3 to become the first four-time wrestling champ in NCAA history.
87. Ladies Day, Sept. 26, 1959:
LPGA star Betsy Rawls capped a superb season, winning the Opie Turner Open, the tour’s richest payday that season and Rawls’ 10th victory of the year.
88. One-on-one, Dec. 5, 1990:
NAIA stars Greg Sutton of Oral Roberts and Eric Manual of Oklahoma City U. lit up Frederickson Fieldhouse in OCU’s 116-114 victory. Sutton had 68 points, Manual 40.
89. Championship bound, March 17, 1977:
Al McGuire got his elusive NCAA title 11 days later, but his closest call came against Kansas State in the Midwest Regional at the Myriad. Butch Lee scored 26 points for Marquette, which won 67-66, thanks in part to a dubious late call against K-State.
90. Triple overtime III, March 4, 1978:
In the longest state finals game ever, Kay Stith drilled a 10-foot jumper with three seconds left in the third overtime to give Dale a 55-54 victory and deny Colbert its third straight state title.
91. Downtown Bedlam, March 14, 1939:
In what amounted to a Sweet 16 showdown at Oklahoma City’s Municipal Auditorium, Oklahoma beat Oklahoma A&M 30-21 in an NCAA district game that put the Sooners in the West Regional. OU eventually made the Final Four.
92. 122-84! November 1959:
In the first season of Oklahoma 8-man football, Keyes beat Freedom 122-84, in a game played in near-zero-degrees weather.
93. Double Dickson, Sept. 2, 1967:
Muskogee’s Bob Dickson completed a rare double, winning the U.S. Amateur at Broadmoor in Colorado Springs to go with his British Amateur title the same year. Dickson played the final 24 holes without a bogey and won by one stroke.
94. Cross Country, Feb. 24, 1993:
Bryant Reeves’ tipped a half-court pass to himself, then made a half-court shot to send the game into overtime, and OSU went on to beat Missouri 77-73.
95. Taft tension, Oct. 20, 1944:
In front of 17,000 fans at Taft Stadium, Central rallied for a 6-6 tie with Classen when Pat Knox’s late pass to Jim Bennett went for 32 yards. But Central euphoria was short-lived. Classen had a late penetration, advanced to the playoffs on that tiebreaker and went on to win the state title.
96. Tulsa revenge, Jan. 1, 1945:
The Golden Hurricane avenged their Sugar Bowl loss the previous season with a 26-12 thrashing of Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Camp Wilson’s 90-yard kickoff return sealed the game.
97. Wayman arrives, Dec. 7, 1982:
Coming out of Tulsa Washington, Wayman Tisdale was billed as a shot-blocking demon whose offense might come around. In his fourth college game, a 110-61 rout of Abilene Christian, Tisdale scored 51 points.
Monica Seles
98. Miss Monica, Feb. 25, 2001:
Stately Monica Seles, as good an ambassador as tennis ever had, defended her IGA Classic title with a three-set victory over reigning Australian champ Jennifer Capriati at OCU’s Abe Lemons Arena.
99. Who needs Jenks-Union, Nov. 28, 1969
A crowd of 38,250 filled Skelly Stadium to see Tulsa Washington, and star receiver John Winesberry, rout Tulsa Hale, and star quarterback Brent Blackman, 33-14 in the 3A state semifinals.
100. Tennessee Orange Bowl, Jan. 1, 1968:
OU led 19-0 at halftime and held on to beat the Volunteers 26-24, thanks to Karl Kresmer’s missed 43-yard field goal on the game’s final play, and the Mackenzie-Fairbanks-Switzer era officially was in high gear.
By Berry Tramel
