1950 Oklahoma Sooners football team

1950 Oklahoma Sooners football
Consensus national champion
Big 7 champion
Sugar Bowl, L 7–13 vs. Kentucky
ConferenceBig Seven Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record10–1 (6–0 Big 7)
Head coach
Captains
  • Norman McNabb
  • Harry Moore
Home stadiumOklahoma Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1949
1951 →
1950 Big Seven Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Oklahoma $ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 17 Nebraska 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 1
Missouri 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1
Kansas 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Iowa State 2 – 3 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Colorado 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
Kansas State 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1950 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1950 college football season, the 56th season of Sooner football. Led by fourth-year head coach Bud Wilkinson, they played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, and competed in the Big Seven Conference.

The Sooners finished the regular season 10–0 (6–0 in Big 7), and won their fifth consecutive conference championship, and eleventh overall. Both major polls (AP writers, UP coaches) awarded the Sooners with their first national championship at the end of the regular season. They were invited to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day,[1] but were upset 13–7 by the Kentucky Wildcats, halting their winning streak at 32 games.[2]

Five Sooners received All-American honors following the season: Frankie Anderson, Buddy Jones, Leon Heath, and Jim Weatherall. In addition, eight sooners won all conference honors, Anderson, Claude Arnold, Tom Catlin, Heath, Norman McNabb, Harry Moore, Billy Vessels, and Weatherall.[3]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 30Boston College*No. 6
W 28–036,049[4]
October 7Texas A&M*No. 5
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK
W 34–2836,586[5]
October 14vs. No. 4 Texas*No. 3
W 14–1375,959[6]
October 21Kansas StateNo. 2
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK
W 58–038,546[7]
October 28at Iowa StateNo. 3
W 20–716,883[8]
November 4at ColoradoNo. 3
W 27–1830,001[9]
November 11at KansasNo. 3
W 33–1337,621[10]
November 18MissouriNo. 2
  • Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK (rivalry)
W 41–746,463[11]
November 25No. 16 NebraskaNo. 1
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Norman, OK (rivalry)
W 49–3553,066[12]
December 2at Oklahoma A&M*No. 1
W 41–1428,530[13]
January 1, 1951vs. No. 7 Kentucky*No. 1
L 7–1380,206[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1950 college football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678Final
AP6 (3)5 (17)3 (29)2 (47)3 (35)3 (25)3 (48)2 (63)1 (173)1 (213)

Roster

Game summaries

Texas (Red River Shootout)

Late in the contest, a low punt snap gives Oklahoma the ball at the Texas 11. Billy Vessels dashes around right end for the touchdown while Texas native Jim Weatherall kicks the game-winning extra point for the 14–13 victory. Minutes earlier, Longhorns defensive back Bobby Dillon had returned at interception 50 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Texas lead. Twice during the contest Texas had goal-line scoring opportunities, once stopped by Oklahoma's defense at the one-yard line and another ended with a fumble at the five.[15]

NFL draft

Main article: 1951 NFL draft

The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.[16][17]

Round Pick Player Position NFL team
1 4 Leon Heath Back Washington Redskins
8 95 Clair Mayes Guard Chicago Bears
9 107 Nolan Lang Back Los Angeles Rams
11 128 Frankie Anderson End Detroit Lions
12 229 Ed Lisak Back Chicago Bears

References

  1. ^ "Oklahoma choice to grab 32nd grid win". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 1, 1951. p. 4, part 2.
  2. ^ "Kentucky passes upset Oklahoma, 13-7". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 2, 1951. p. 3, part 2.
  3. ^ "2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement" (PDF). University of Oklahoma. 2014. pp. 90–5. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Oklahoma again humiliates Eagles, 28–0". The Boston Globe. October 1, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Sooners overtake Aggies, 34–28". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 8, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Sooners are later but better than Texas, 14 to 13". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. October 15, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Sooners trounce K-State 58–0 to open title bid". Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle. October 22, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Oklahoma takes Iowa State 20–7". Argus-Leader. October 29, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Sooners set grid record; Win, 27 to 18". The Nebraska State Journal. November 5, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Sooners rip Kansas, 33–13". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 12, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Sooners race by Missouri, 41–7". The Montana Standard. November 19, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Oklahoma outscores Nebraska, 49 to 35, for 30th straight triumph". The Baltimore Sun. November 26, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Arnold flips Sooners past battling Aggie club, 41–14as Big Red hits for No. 31". The Chickasha Daily Express. December 3, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Kentucky wins, 13 to 7, and ends Oklahoma's 31-game victory streak". The Courier-Journal. January 2, 1951. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Palm Beach Post
  16. ^ "1951 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Oklahoma Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.


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