1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game
Encyclopedia
On Thursday, November 25, 1971, the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, defending national champions, ranked #1 with a 20-game winning streak (and 29 games without a loss) played the Oklahoma Sooners
, ranked #2. The Cornhuskers defeated the Sooners 35–31.
The cover of Sports Illustrated
(1971-11-22) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt
, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska.’’
The Husker "Blackshirts" defense included seven first-team All-Big Eight selections, four players who would earn consensus All-America recognition during their careers and two Outland Trophy
winners: tackle Larry Jacobson
and middle guard Rich Glover
. Glover would win both the Outland and Lombardi
awards in 1972
and eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
. They were joined in the starting lineup by end Willie Harper, like Glover, a two-time All-American. John Dutton, an All-American in 1973, was a sophomore backup.
The Sooners' record-setting wishbone
attack was led by All-American QB Jack Mildren
who rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was also a very good passer. His weapons were Heisman candidate HB Greg Pruitt
, who averaged a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and speedy split end Jon Harrison. Future College Football Hall of Famer Tom Brahaney
was the anchor at center.
The Husker offense was led by flanker, Johnny Rodgers
, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy
the next season and bullish tailback Jeff Kinney
, a future NFL first round draft pick
. The Sooner defense was anchored by all-Big 8 defensive tackle Derland Moore
, a future All-American and NFL Pro Bowler.
ABC-TV broadcast the game nationally to an estimated 55 million viewers (at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game) with Chris Schenkel
doing the play-by-play. Joining him in the booth for color analysis was Oklahoma's legendary former coach, Bud Wilkinson
, with Bill Flemming
reporting from the sidelines. Before the game, Schenkel and Wilkinson emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and when the Oklahoma crowd spotted Wilkinson, they erupted into applause. They came to their feet with admiration for the Minnesota-born coach who had guided the Sooners to prominence with three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak in the decade of the 1950s.
in Norman
on Thanksgiving Day. Not only at stake was the Big Eight
title, but also the #1 national ranking in the polls. However, the bowl trips had already been determined before the game, with Nebraska going to the Orange
in Miami and Oklahoma headed for the Sugar
in New Orleans. Two days after Thanksgiving, #5 Auburn
(9-0) with Heisman Trophy
winner Pat Sullivan
at quarterback, hosted #3 Alabama
(10-0) for the SEC
title, the two opponents that Oklahoma and Nebraska would play. Given the magnitude of the game, Devaney had even had his players' food flown in from Lincoln, in case gamblers attempted to induce a hotel chef to give the Huskers food poisoning.
The NU-OU game went back and forth. The Cornhuskers struck first, with Rodgers shocking the Sooners with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Sooners' first possession was stopped. The punt return remains one of college football's signature moments, though it remains controversial. Some observers and many Sooner fans claim Nebraska cornerback Joe Blahak appeared to clip Sooner receiver Jon Harrison as Rodgers stormed for the touchdown, but no penalty was called, primarily because Blahak blocked Harrison at an angle, which was not a penalty. Referees for the game have continued to deny that there was a clip on the play, even after having studied film footage of it, which is inconclusive due to Blahak's trajectory.
, who would end up with twenty-two tackles on the day despite lining up across from Sooner all-American center Tom Brahaney
.
Nebraska held a 14–3 lead, but Oklahoma came back, relying almost entirely on Jack Mildren's arm and legs, and the Sooners grabbed the lead at halftime, 17–14, on two long passes from Mildren to Harrison with just seconds left in the first half. For the first time all season, the Cornhuskers were trailing in a game.
led the Sooners back, and Oklahoma led 31–28 with 7:05 to play. The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. Getting to the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge
threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15. Tailback Jeff Kinney
then carried four times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska led 35–31 with two minutes to go. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win. Kinney finished with 171 yards on 31 carries (5.5 avg.).
This game, much more than the previous year's national championship
, made Nebraska a program with a national following. Already having sold every seat available at their Memorial Stadium
since coach Bob Devaney
arrived in 1962
, they would be a perennial National Championship contender and a frequent presence on national TV, with fans across the country seeing banners at Memorial Stadium reading "Californians for Nebraska", "Floridians for Nebraska", and so on. Nebraska native Johnny Carson
(an alumnus of NU) would often take pride in the Cornhuskers' accomplishments during his monologue as host of The Tonight Show
, and fellow Nebraskan Dick Cavett
would also mention them on his talk show.
and soundly defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide
, then ranked # 2, by a score of 38–6. This completed the Huskers' back-to-back national championships. Devaney returned in 1972
hoping to win three consecutive national championships, but was derailed by a season-opening road loss to UCLA
. He retired right after defeating Notre Dame
in the 1973 Orange Bowl
. Continuing as Nebraska's athletic director
, he handed the reins of the football program over to assistant Tom Osborne, then age 36.
Greg Pruitt did not win the 1971 Heisman, which went to Auburn University
quarterback Pat Sullivan
. By a coincidence, Auburn was the team Oklahoma would end up playing, in the Sugar Bowl, and the Sooners won, 40–22. (By another coincidence, these two arch-rivals, Nebraska and Oklahoma, would end up playing each half of another nasty rivalry
, Alabama and Auburn, and beat them both.)
Despite the defeat, Oklahoma's program was also relaunched by this game, and they would be a perennial national contender throughout the 1970s and much of the 1980s. Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks
left the Sooners following the 1972 season for the New England Patriots
of the NFL
. Offensive coordinator
Barry Switzer
succeeded Fairbanks and compiled a 157–29–4 record from 1973–88 and guided the Sooners to national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985.
The top three teams in the final AP poll for the 1971 season were from the Big Eight: Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado
.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, considered a minor rivalry before the Game of the Century (of 1971), became one of the biggest in the country, usually played on the day after Thanksgiving. A scandal caught up with Oklahoma in the late 1980s, sending it into a decline, which coincided with the rise of the football program at Colorado
, which eventually replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska's biggest rival, with the game reserved for year-end.
Oklahoma would rise again in the late 1990s, as the Big Eight added the four most prominent Southwest Conference schools to become the Big 12 Conference
in 1996. But since one of those four schools was Texas
, already a major rival with Oklahoma, the UT-OU rivalry grew in importance. Since Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
were put in the Big 12 Southern Division, while Nebraska and the other Big Eight teams went into the Big 12 North, NU and OU only played each other twice every four seasons, which significantly diminished the rivalry.
Nebraska left the Big 12 at the end of the 2010-11 academic year to join the Big Ten Conference
. The Sooners and Huskers met in the final Big 12 championship game on December 4, 2010, with OU winning 23-20. This may be the last OU-NU contest for several years, as there are currently no plans for a non-conference matchup between the schools.
The Sporting News
named the 1971 Cornhusker team
as the greatest team of the Twentieth Century in 1988.
1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1971 college football season. Nebraska was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln...
, defending national champions, ranked #1 with a 20-game winning streak (and 29 games without a loss) played the Oklahoma Sooners
1971 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1971 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football 1971 NCAA University Division season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium...
, ranked #2. The Cornhuskers defeated the Sooners 35–31.
Background
The teams combined for 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation’s top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had the nation's most productive offense with their wishbone averaging over 472 rushing yards per game, a NCAA record.The cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
(1971-11-22) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt
Greg Pruitt
Gregory Donald Pruitt is a former American football running back in the NFL from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member of the Los Angeles Raiders, the last one as a kick returner...
, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska.’’
The Husker "Blackshirts" defense included seven first-team All-Big Eight selections, four players who would earn consensus All-America recognition during their careers and two Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
winners: tackle Larry Jacobson
Larry Jacobson
Larry Paul Jacobson is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants of the NFL. A first round selection in the 1972 NFL Draft and starter in his rookie year, his pro career was cut short by major injuries to the leg and foot.-Nebraska Cornhuskers:Jacobson...
and middle guard Rich Glover
Rich Glover
Richard Edward "Richie" Glover is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. He played college football at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney. Glover played his high school football at Snyder High School in Jersey City, NJ...
. Glover would win both the Outland and Lombardi
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
awards in 1972
1972 college football season
The 1972 college football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the fifty AP panelists...
and eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. They were joined in the starting lineup by end Willie Harper, like Glover, a two-time All-American. John Dutton, an All-American in 1973, was a sophomore backup.
The Sooners' record-setting wishbone
Wishbone formation
The wishbone formation, also known simply as the ’bone, is an offensive formation in American football. The style of attack to which it gives rise is known as the wishbone offense...
attack was led by All-American QB Jack Mildren
Jack Mildren
Larry Jack Mildren a native Texan, was an All-American quarterback at The University of Oklahoma in his college years, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots, an oil company owner, was elected as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a...
who rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was also a very good passer. His weapons were Heisman candidate HB Greg Pruitt
Greg Pruitt
Gregory Donald Pruitt is a former American football running back in the NFL from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member of the Los Angeles Raiders, the last one as a kick returner...
, who averaged a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and speedy split end Jon Harrison. Future College Football Hall of Famer Tom Brahaney
Tom Brahaney
Thomas Brahaney is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals.He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American...
was the anchor at center.
The Husker offense was led by flanker, Johnny Rodgers
Johnny Rodgers
Johnny Steven Rodgers is a former American college football player voted the University of Nebraska's "Player of the Century" and the winner of the 1972 Heisman Trophy.-College career:...
, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
the next season and bullish tailback Jeff Kinney
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney is a former professional football player, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for five seasons in the NFL. At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall pick...
, a future NFL first round draft pick
1972 NFL Draft
The 1972 National Football League Draft was held on February 1–2, 1972.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. The Sooner defense was anchored by all-Big 8 defensive tackle Derland Moore
Derland Moore
Derland Paul Moore was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. An All-American, he played college football at the University of Oklahoma and was selected in the second round of the 1973 NFL Draft...
, a future All-American and NFL Pro Bowler.
ABC-TV broadcast the game nationally to an estimated 55 million viewers (at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game) with Chris Schenkel
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.-Early life and career:Schenkel began his broadcasting career at radio...
doing the play-by-play. Joining him in the booth for color analysis was Oklahoma's legendary former coach, Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
, with Bill Flemming
Bill Flemming
William Norman "Bill" Flemming was an American television sports journalist who was one of the original announcers for the ABC Sports show Wide World of Sports.-Early life:...
reporting from the sidelines. Before the game, Schenkel and Wilkinson emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and when the Oklahoma crowd spotted Wilkinson, they erupted into applause. They came to their feet with admiration for the Minnesota-born coach who had guided the Sooners to prominence with three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak in the decade of the 1950s.
Game
The game was played at Owen FieldGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma. The official capacity of the stadium, following recent renovations, is 82,112, making it the 16th largest college stadium in the United States and the third...
in Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
on Thanksgiving Day. Not only at stake was the Big Eight
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
title, but also the #1 national ranking in the polls. However, the bowl trips had already been determined before the game, with Nebraska going to the Orange
1972 Orange Bowl
The 1972 Orange Bowl was played on January 1, 1972, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. In the final game of the 1971 college football season, top-ranked and defending national champion Nebraska soundly defeated the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide, 38–6....
in Miami and Oklahoma headed for the Sugar
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
in New Orleans. Two days after Thanksgiving, #5 Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
(9-0) with Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Pat Sullivan
Pat Sullivan (American football)
Patrick Joseph Sullivan is an American football coach and former player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 playing quarterback for the Auburn Tigers and then played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan is currently the head coach at Samford University...
at quarterback, hosted #3 Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
(10-0) for the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
title, the two opponents that Oklahoma and Nebraska would play. Given the magnitude of the game, Devaney had even had his players' food flown in from Lincoln, in case gamblers attempted to induce a hotel chef to give the Huskers food poisoning.
The NU-OU game went back and forth. The Cornhuskers struck first, with Rodgers shocking the Sooners with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Sooners' first possession was stopped. The punt return remains one of college football's signature moments, though it remains controversial. Some observers and many Sooner fans claim Nebraska cornerback Joe Blahak appeared to clip Sooner receiver Jon Harrison as Rodgers stormed for the touchdown, but no penalty was called, primarily because Blahak blocked Harrison at an angle, which was not a penalty. Referees for the game have continued to deny that there was a clip on the play, even after having studied film footage of it, which is inconclusive due to Blahak's trajectory.
First half
The first half was atypical for both teams, as the Cornhuskers' potent offense was stymied by the underrated Sooner defense; meanwhile, the Sooners devastating wishbone offense was blunted by the brutal Cornhusker defense, as the Sooners had several turnovers and were continually frustrated by Husker middle guard Rich GloverRich Glover
Richard Edward "Richie" Glover is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. He played college football at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney. Glover played his high school football at Snyder High School in Jersey City, NJ...
, who would end up with twenty-two tackles on the day despite lining up across from Sooner all-American center Tom Brahaney
Tom Brahaney
Thomas Brahaney is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals.He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American...
.
Nebraska held a 14–3 lead, but Oklahoma came back, relying almost entirely on Jack Mildren's arm and legs, and the Sooners grabbed the lead at halftime, 17–14, on two long passes from Mildren to Harrison with just seconds left in the first half. For the first time all season, the Cornhuskers were trailing in a game.
Second half
Relying on a power running game, the Huskers retook the lead and led 28–17 going into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jack MildrenJack Mildren
Larry Jack Mildren a native Texan, was an All-American quarterback at The University of Oklahoma in his college years, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots, an oil company owner, was elected as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a...
led the Sooners back, and Oklahoma led 31–28 with 7:05 to play. The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. Getting to the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge
Jerry Tagge
Jerry Lee Tagge is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the NFL, WFL, and CFL from 1972-79. He is best known as the quarterback of the Nebraska Cornhusker teams which won national championships in 1970 and 1971....
threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15. Tailback Jeff Kinney
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Bruce "Jeff" Kinney is a former professional football player, a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for five seasons in the NFL. At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 23rd overall pick...
then carried four times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska led 35–31 with two minutes to go. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win. Kinney finished with 171 yards on 31 carries (5.5 avg.).
This game, much more than the previous year's national championship
1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1970 college football season. The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln...
, made Nebraska a program with a national following. Already having sold every seat available at their Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Memorial Stadium is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team....
since coach Bob Devaney
Bob Devaney
Robert S. "Bob" Devaney was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career college football record of 136–30–7...
arrived in 1962
1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska and member of the Big Eight Conference in the 1962 college football season...
, they would be a perennial National Championship contender and a frequent presence on national TV, with fans across the country seeing banners at Memorial Stadium reading "Californians for Nebraska", "Floridians for Nebraska", and so on. Nebraska native Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
(an alumnus of NU) would often take pride in the Cornhuskers' accomplishments during his monologue as host of The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, and fellow Nebraskan Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
would also mention them on his talk show.
Aftermath
The Cornhuskers went on to the 1972 Orange Bowl1972 Orange Bowl
The 1972 Orange Bowl was played on January 1, 1972, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. In the final game of the 1971 college football season, top-ranked and defending national champion Nebraska soundly defeated the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide, 38–6....
and soundly defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
, then ranked # 2, by a score of 38–6. This completed the Huskers' back-to-back national championships. Devaney returned in 1972
1972 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1972 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1972 college football season. The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.-Schedule:-Roster:...
hoping to win three consecutive national championships, but was derailed by a season-opening road loss to UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
. He retired right after defeating Notre Dame
1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1973 college football season. The Irish, coached by Ara Parseghian, ended the season undefeated with 11 wins and no losses, winning the national championship...
in the 1973 Orange Bowl
1973 Orange Bowl
The 1973 edition of the Orange Bowl featured Nebraska, and Notre Dame.Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers scored on an 8 yard touchdown ran as Nebraska took a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Gary Dixon scored on a 1 yard touchdown ran as Nebraska led 14-0. Rodgers then found Frosty Anderson for a 52 yard...
. Continuing as Nebraska's athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
, he handed the reins of the football program over to assistant Tom Osborne, then age 36.
Greg Pruitt did not win the 1971 Heisman, which went to Auburn University
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
quarterback Pat Sullivan
Pat Sullivan (American football)
Patrick Joseph Sullivan is an American football coach and former player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 playing quarterback for the Auburn Tigers and then played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan is currently the head coach at Samford University...
. By a coincidence, Auburn was the team Oklahoma would end up playing, in the Sugar Bowl, and the Sooners won, 40–22. (By another coincidence, these two arch-rivals, Nebraska and Oklahoma, would end up playing each half of another nasty rivalry
Iron Bowl
The Iron Bowl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University. The series is considered one of the best and most hard-fought rivalries in all of sports...
, Alabama and Auburn, and beat them both.)
Despite the defeat, Oklahoma's program was also relaunched by this game, and they would be a perennial national contender throughout the 1970s and much of the 1980s. Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks is a former American football coach, a head coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The offensive and defensive systems he introduced and helped develop have proven influential in the NFL....
left the Sooners following the 1972 season for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
succeeded Fairbanks and compiled a 157–29–4 record from 1973–88 and guided the Sooners to national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985.
The top three teams in the final AP poll for the 1971 season were from the Big Eight: Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado
1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1971 college football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 245 points while the defense allowed 113 points. Led by head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes competed in the Bluebonnet...
.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, considered a minor rivalry before the Game of the Century (of 1971), became one of the biggest in the country, usually played on the day after Thanksgiving. A scandal caught up with Oklahoma in the late 1980s, sending it into a decline, which coincided with the rise of the football program at Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
, which eventually replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska's biggest rival, with the game reserved for year-end.
Oklahoma would rise again in the late 1990s, as the Big Eight added the four most prominent Southwest Conference schools to become the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
in 1996. But since one of those four schools was Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
, already a major rival with Oklahoma, the UT-OU rivalry grew in importance. Since Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
were put in the Big 12 Southern Division, while Nebraska and the other Big Eight teams went into the Big 12 North, NU and OU only played each other twice every four seasons, which significantly diminished the rivalry.
Nebraska left the Big 12 at the end of the 2010-11 academic year to join the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. The Sooners and Huskers met in the final Big 12 championship game on December 4, 2010, with OU winning 23-20. This may be the last OU-NU contest for several years, as there are currently no plans for a non-conference matchup between the schools.
The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
named the 1971 Cornhusker team
1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1971 college football season. Nebraska was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln...
as the greatest team of the Twentieth Century in 1988.