Barry Switzer
Encyclopedia
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 Super Bowl
(the other being a rival college head coach Jimmy Johnson
.)
, Switzer's father Frank was a bootlegger who was arrested at the family house. His mother Mary Louise raised Barry and his brother Donnie, but on August 26, 1959 she shot herself.
Barry accepted an athletic scholarship and played football at the University of Arkansas
. After graduation, he did a brief stint in the U.S. Army and then returned to Arkansas as an assistant coach.
as an assistant coach under new head coach and good friend, Jim Mackenzie. After Mackenzie died of a heart attack following spring practice of 1967, Switzer continued as an assistant under former University of Houston
assistant and new Oklahoma head coach Chuck Fairbanks
.
Switzer quickly made a name for himself by perfecting the wishbone offense
and developing it into the most prolific rushing offense in college football history. Under Switzer's wishbone, the Sooners set an NCAA rushing record of 472 yards per game in 1971 and scored over 500 points in two different seasons, 1971 and 1986.
When Fairbanks accepted the position of head coach of the New England Patriots
following the 1972 season, Switzer was the obvious choice to succeed him.
Switzer became head coach at Oklahoma in 1973, leading the team to undefeated seasons that year and the next. Oklahoma won national championships in 1974, 1975 and 1985 under Switzer's leadership. The team won or shared in the Big Eight Conference
championship every year from 1973 to 1980. During his sixteen years as head coach at Oklahoma, his teams won eight of the thirteen post-season bowl games they played in, and 54 of his players were selected as All-America
ns. In 1978, Billy Sims
won the Heisman Trophy
.
In 1983, Switzer was civilly prosecuted for illegal insider trading
by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but defended himself as having innocently overheard the information while lounging on the bleacher behind some corporate insiders, and was found not guilty.
In 1989, Oklahoma was placed on probation by the NCAA
amidst several scandals involving Oklahoma players, including Charles Thompson's arrest for soliciting cocaine to undercover FBI agents. In that same year, after sixteen years as Oklahoma's head coach, Switzer chose to resign.
Switzer succeeded in getting the better of several famous contemporaries, including a 12–5 mark against Tom Osborne, 5–3 against Jimmy Johnson
, 3–0 against Bobby Bowden
, and 1–0 against Joe Paterno
, Bo Schembechler
, and Woody Hayes
. Along with Bennie Owen
, Bud Wilkinson
, and Bob Stoops
, he is one of four coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma. No other college football program has more than three coaches to accomplish such a feat.
Switzer was known as an outstanding recruiter of high school talent, particularly in the neighboring state of Texas. This may have contributed to his 9–5–2 record against the University of Texas, including a 3–0–1 record against Darrel Royal and a 2–0 mark against David McWilliams.
. Switzer stepped in following the departure of Jimmy Johnson
, who as head coach had won the previous two Super Bowls. Johnson had clashed with owner Jerry Jones
(leading to his departure) and many felt that Switzer was more apt to go along with Jerry's ideas. Switzer was successful with the Cowboys, going 12–4 his first season in 1994 (losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship). In Switzer's second season of 1995, the team went 12–4. Dallas won Super Bowl XXX
over the Pittsburgh Steelers
, 27–17, making Switzer one of only two coaches to win a college national championship and a Super Bowl
(the other being Jimmy Johnson
). Switzer resigned as Cowboys' coach after a 6–10 1997 season with a 45–26 career NFL coaching record.
in 2002. In 2004, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award
. Switzer still resides in Norman
Oklahoma
with his wife Becky. In August 2007, XMSN added Barry Switzer as a part of the channel's expanded college sports coverage. On 2007-09-09, Barry Switzer joined the FOX NFL Pregame show. Switzer also guest-starred in an episode of TNT's Saving Grace
titled "Do You Love Him?", which first aired August 11, 2008 and received sub-par reviews. As a color commentator, Barry Switzer is known for his insightful football knowledge stemming from his career as a head coach. Barry is known to be seen around Norman OK. He owns
Switzer's Locker Room and a number of other small business in the Norman area
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, active in the college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
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 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
(the other being a rival college head coach Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
.)
Early life and career
Born in Crossett, ArkansasCrossett, Arkansas
Crossett is the largest city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 5,507, according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates. Combined with North Crossett and West Crossett, the population is 10,752...
, Switzer's father Frank was a bootlegger who was arrested at the family house. His mother Mary Louise raised Barry and his brother Donnie, but on August 26, 1959 she shot herself.
Barry accepted an athletic scholarship and played football at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. After graduation, he did a brief stint in the U.S. Army and then returned to Arkansas as an assistant coach.
University of Oklahoma
Following the 1966 season, Switzer moved to the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
as an assistant coach under new head coach and good friend, Jim Mackenzie. After Mackenzie died of a heart attack following spring practice of 1967, Switzer continued as an assistant under former University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
assistant and new Oklahoma head 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....
.
Switzer quickly made a name for himself by perfecting the wishbone offense
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...
and developing it into the most prolific rushing offense in college football history. Under Switzer's wishbone, the Sooners set an NCAA rushing record of 472 yards per game in 1971 and scored over 500 points in two different seasons, 1971 and 1986.
When Fairbanks accepted the position of head coach of 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...
following the 1972 season, Switzer was the obvious choice to succeed him.
Switzer became head coach at Oklahoma in 1973, leading the team to undefeated seasons that year and the next. Oklahoma won national championships in 1974, 1975 and 1985 under Switzer's leadership. The team won or shared in the Big Eight Conference
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...
championship every year from 1973 to 1980. During his sixteen years as head coach at Oklahoma, his teams won eight of the thirteen post-season bowl games they played in, and 54 of his players were selected as All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns. In 1978, Billy Sims
Billy Sims
Billy Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...
won 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...
.
In 1983, Switzer was civilly prosecuted for illegal insider trading
Insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but defended himself as having innocently overheard the information while lounging on the bleacher behind some corporate insiders, and was found not guilty.
In 1989, Oklahoma was placed on probation by the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
amidst several scandals involving Oklahoma players, including Charles Thompson's arrest for soliciting cocaine to undercover FBI agents. In that same year, after sixteen years as Oklahoma's head coach, Switzer chose to resign.
Switzer succeeded in getting the better of several famous contemporaries, including a 12–5 mark against Tom Osborne, 5–3 against Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
, 3–0 against Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
, and 1–0 against Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
, Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
, and Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
. Along with Bennie Owen
Bennie Owen
Benjamin Gilbert Owen was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball...
, 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...
, and Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
, he is one of four coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma. No other college football program has more than three coaches to accomplish such a feat.
Switzer was known as an outstanding recruiter of high school talent, particularly in the neighboring state of Texas. This may have contributed to his 9–5–2 record against the University of Texas, including a 3–0–1 record against Darrel Royal and a 2–0 mark against David McWilliams.
Dallas Cowboys
Switzer resurfaced in coaching in 1994 with the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Switzer stepped in following the departure of Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
, who as head coach had won the previous two Super Bowls. Johnson had clashed with owner Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones
Jerral "Jerry" Wayne Jones is the owner and general manager of the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. His family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas when he was an infant. Jones was a star running back at North Little Rock High School...
(leading to his departure) and many felt that Switzer was more apt to go along with Jerry's ideas. Switzer was successful with the Cowboys, going 12–4 his first season in 1994 (losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship). In Switzer's second season of 1995, the team went 12–4. Dallas won Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, 27–17, making Switzer one of only two coaches to win a college national championship and a Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
(the other being Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
). Switzer resigned as Cowboys' coach after a 6–10 1997 season with a 45–26 career NFL coaching record.
After coaching
Switzer was elected to the College Football Hall of FameCollege 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...
in 2002. In 2004, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award
Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award
The Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest award presented by the Jim Thorpe Association. Without consideration of athletic accomplishments, the award recognizes a lifetime of achievement by people who "set the living examples that influence others to strive for the highest goals and...
. Switzer still resides 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...
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
with his wife Becky. In August 2007, XMSN added Barry Switzer as a part of the channel's expanded college sports coverage. On 2007-09-09, Barry Switzer joined the FOX NFL Pregame show. Switzer also guest-starred in an episode of TNT's Saving Grace
Saving Grace (TV series)
Saving Grace is an American television crime drama series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007 and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase, Bokeem Woodbine,...
titled "Do You Love Him?", which first aired August 11, 2008 and received sub-par reviews. As a color commentator, Barry Switzer is known for his insightful football knowledge stemming from his career as a head coach. Barry is known to be seen around Norman OK. He owns
Switzer's Locker Room and a number of other small business in the Norman area
College
National Football League
| Team | |Regular Season | DAL 1994 Dallas Cowboys season The 1994 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 35th in the NFL. Following their second Super Bowl title, the Cowboys would see a multitude of changes. In March, months of frustration finally reached its climax as team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson held a press conference and... |
1994 1994 NFL season The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to the San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... in NFC Championship Game NFL playoffs, 1994-95 The NFL playoffs following the 1994 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIX.-Bracket:-NFC: Green Bay Packers 16, Detroit Lions 12:The Packers defense held Lions running back Barry Sanders to -1 rushing yards, while holding Detroit to 12 points and -4 yards on the ground. Green Bay scored first when... . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL 1995 Dallas Cowboys season The 1995 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 36th in the NFL and final of the three Super Bowl titles they would win in the 1990s. Dallas would be the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a span of four seasons... |
1995 1995 NFL season The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Won Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season... . |
||
| DAL 1996 Dallas Cowboys season -Regular season:Against the Chicago Bears in week one, running back Emmitt Smith would leave the game late with an injury that left him temporary paralyzed. Though not career-threatening, Smith's injury would hamper his effectiveness for the duration of the season... |
1996 1996 NFL season The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to the Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... in NFC Divisional Round NFL playoffs, 1996-97 The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion... . |
||
| DAL 1997 Dallas Cowboys season The 1997 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 38th in the NFL and for the first time since 1990, the team would suffer a losing season and miss the playoffs.-Regular season:... |
1997 1997 NFL season The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC East | - | - | - | |||
| Total | 40 | 24 | 0 | .625 | 5 | 2 | .714 | |||||
External links
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Barry Switzer. First person interview conducted with Barry Switzer. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.