Bud Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) 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 (1950, 1955, and 1956) and 14 conference titles. Between 1953 and 1957, Wilkinson's Oklahoma squads won 47 straight games, a record that still stands at the highest level of college football
. After retiring from coaching following the 1963 season, Wilkinson entered into politics and, in 1965, became a broadcaster with ABC Sports
. He returned to coaching in 1978, helming the St. Louis Cardinals
of the National Football League
for two seasons. Wilkinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a coach in 1969.
, where he excelled in five sports and graduated in 1933. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota
, where, as a guard
and quarterback
for head coach Bernie Bierman
, Wilkinson helped lead the Golden Gophers
to three consecutive national championships from 1934 to 1936. He also played ice hockey
for the University of Minnesota. Following his graduation in 1937 with a degree in English, he led the College All-Stars
to a 6–0 victory over the defending NFL
champion Green Bay Packers
in Chicago on August 31.
and later back at his alma mater, Minnesota. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy
, where he was an assistant to Don Faurot
with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football
team and served as a hangar deck officer on the USS Enterprise. Following World War II
, Jim Tatum
, the new head coach at the University of Oklahoma
, persuaded Wilkinson to join his staff in 1946. In fact, the OU Board of Regents stipulated that Tatum make Wilkinson his top assistant, or else their offer was null and void. After one season in Norman
, Tatum left the Sooners
for the University of Maryland
. The 31-year-old Wilkinson was named head football coach and athletic director of the Sooners.
titles. Ultimately, Wilkinson would become one of the most celebrated college coaches of all time. His teams captured national championships in 1950, 1955, and 1956, and amassed a 145–29–4 (.826) overall record. An organized innovator, Wilkinson would post practice schedules that were broken down to the minute.
The centerpiece of his time in Norman was a 47-game winning streak from 1953 to 1957, an NCAA
Division I record that still stands today and has only been seriously threatened three times: by Toledo
(35 wins, 1969–1971), Miami (FL)
(34 wins, 2000–2003), and USC (34 wins, 2003–2005). Earlier, the Sooners ran off 31 consecutive wins from 1948 to 1950. Except for two losses in 1951, the Wilkinson-coached Sooners did not lose more than one game per season for 11 years between 1948 and 1958, going 107–8–2 over that period. His teams also went 12 consecutive seasons totaling 74 games (1947–1958) without a loss in conference play, a streak which has never been seriously threatened. Wilkinson did not suffer his first conference loss until 1959 against Nebraska
, his 79th conference game.
Wilkinson's 1955 Oklahoma team
is widely considered to be one of the greatest teams in college football history, regardless of era. He was also the first collegiate football coach to host a television show, aptly named The Bud Wilkinson Show. Wilkinson was also remarkable for compiling this record while showing a genuine interest and concern for the performance of his players in the classroom. Following the 1963 season, his 17th at Oklahoma, Wilkinson retired from coaching at the age of 47. Along with Bennie Owen
, Barry Switzer
and Bob Stoops
, he is one of four football coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma. No other college football program has had more than three coaches to accomplish the feat. While at Oklahoma, Wilkinson served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness
from 1961 to 1964.
Wilkinson ran as a Republican
for the U.S. Senate
in 1964, at which point he legally changed his first name to Bud, but lost to Democrat
Fred R. Harris
during the same election in which Republican Presidential
candidate Senator Barry Goldwater
lost heavily to incumbent President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Wilkinson served as Republican National Committee
man from Oklahoma, and was considered for the post of chairman of the Committee by Richard Nixon
, but was not selected. Wilkinston entertained seeking the other Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat in 1968, but did not run.
In 1965, Wilkinson joined ABC Sports as their lead color commentator
on college football telecasts, teaming with Chris Schenkel
and, later, Keith Jackson
. Wilkinson was the color analyst for three of the greatest games in college football history, each commonly referred to as a "Game of the Century
": Notre Dame vs. Michigan State in 1966, Texas vs. Arkansas in 1969
, and Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in 1971
. Wilkinson is still considered one of the best color commentators of all time because of his solid analysis and in-depth insight.
Wilkinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1969. In 1978, Wilkinson returned to coaching with the St. Louis Cardinals
of the NFL
. After less than two disappointing seasons, he was fired and returned to broadcasting with ESPN
.
Wilkinson suffered a series of minor strokes and, on February 9, 1994, he died of congestive heart failure
in St. Louis
at the age of 77.
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...
player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma
University 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...
from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
won three national championships (1950, 1955, and 1956) and 14 conference titles. Between 1953 and 1957, Wilkinson's Oklahoma squads won 47 straight games, a record that still stands at the highest level of college football
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...
. After retiring from coaching following the 1963 season, Wilkinson entered into politics and, in 1965, became a broadcaster with ABC Sports
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
. He returned to coaching in 1978, helming the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
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...
for two seasons. Wilkinson was 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...
as a coach in 1969.
Early life and playing career
Wilkinson's mother died when he was seven, and his father sent him to the Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault, MinnesotaFaribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
, where he excelled in five sports and graduated in 1933. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where, as a guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for head coach Bernie Bierman
Bernie Bierman
Bernard W. "Bernie" Bierman was an American football player and coach. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces...
, Wilkinson helped lead the Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
to three consecutive national championships from 1934 to 1936. He also played ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
for the University of Minnesota. Following his graduation in 1937 with a degree in English, he led the College All-Stars
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
to a 6–0 victory over the defending 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...
champion Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in Chicago on August 31.
Coaching career
Wilkinson briefly worked for his father's mortgage company, then became an assistant coach at Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and later back at his alma mater, Minnesota. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, where he was an assistant to Don Faurot
Don Faurot
Donald Burrows Faurot was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, now Truman State University, from 1926 to 1934 and at the University of Missouri from 1935 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1956...
with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football
Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football
The Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks represented the U.S. Navy pre-flight school at the University of Iowa in the college football seasons of 1942, 1943, and 1944.- History :...
team and served as a hangar deck officer on the USS Enterprise. Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Jim Tatum
Jim Tatum
James M. "Big Jim" Tatum was an American football and baseball player and coach. Tatum served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , the University of Oklahoma , and the University of Maryland, College Park , compiling a career college football record of...
, the new head coach at the University of Oklahoma
University 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...
, persuaded Wilkinson to join his staff in 1946. In fact, the OU Board of Regents stipulated that Tatum make Wilkinson his top assistant, or else their offer was null and void. After one season 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...
, Tatum left the Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
for the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. The 31-year-old Wilkinson was named head football coach and athletic director of the Sooners.
Head coach at Oklahoma
In his first season as head coach in 1947, Wilkinson led Oklahoma to a 7–2–1 record and a share of the conference championship, the first of 13 consecutive Big Six/Seven/Eight ConferenceBig 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...
titles. Ultimately, Wilkinson would become one of the most celebrated college coaches of all time. His teams captured national championships in 1950, 1955, and 1956, and amassed a 145–29–4 (.826) overall record. An organized innovator, Wilkinson would post practice schedules that were broken down to the minute.
The centerpiece of his time in Norman was a 47-game winning streak from 1953 to 1957, an 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...
Division I record that still stands today and has only been seriously threatened three times: by Toledo
Toledo Rockets football
The Toledo Rockets football team is a college football program in Division I FBS, representing the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo began playing football in 1917, although it did not field teams in 1931, and 1943-1945. Since the inception of the AP...
(35 wins, 1969–1971), Miami (FL)
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
(34 wins, 2000–2003), and USC (34 wins, 2003–2005). Earlier, the Sooners ran off 31 consecutive wins from 1948 to 1950. Except for two losses in 1951, the Wilkinson-coached Sooners did not lose more than one game per season for 11 years between 1948 and 1958, going 107–8–2 over that period. His teams also went 12 consecutive seasons totaling 74 games (1947–1958) without a loss in conference play, a streak which has never been seriously threatened. Wilkinson did not suffer his first conference loss until 1959 against Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
, his 79th conference game.
Wilkinson's 1955 Oklahoma team
1955 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1955 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 1955-1956. It was the 61st season of play for the Sooners. The team was led by Hall of Fame head coach Bud Wilkinson...
is widely considered to be one of the greatest teams in college football history, regardless of era. He was also the first collegiate football coach to host a television show, aptly named The Bud Wilkinson Show. Wilkinson was also remarkable for compiling this record while showing a genuine interest and concern for the performance of his players in the classroom. Following the 1963 season, his 17th at Oklahoma, Wilkinson retired from coaching at the age of 47. Along with Bennie Owen
Bennie Owen
Benjamin Gilbert Owen was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball...
, 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...
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 football coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma. No other college football program has had more than three coaches to accomplish the feat. While at Oklahoma, Wilkinson served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
The President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition , is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sport"...
from 1961 to 1964.
Later life and return to coaching
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
for the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1964, at which point he legally changed his first name to Bud, but lost to Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Fred R. Harris
Fred R. Harris
Fred Roy Harris is a former Democratic United States Senator from the state of Oklahoma. He served from 1964 until 1973.-Biography:...
during the same election in which Republican Presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
lost heavily to incumbent President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Wilkinson served as Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
man from Oklahoma, and was considered for the post of chairman of the Committee by Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, but was not selected. Wilkinston entertained seeking the other Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat in 1968, but did not run.
In 1965, Wilkinson joined ABC Sports as their lead color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on college football telecasts, teaming 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...
and, later, Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
. Wilkinson was the color analyst for three of the greatest games in college football history, each commonly referred to as a "Game of the Century
Game of the Century (college football)
The phrase "Game of the Century" is a superlative that has been applied to several college football contests played in the 20th century, the first full century of college football in the United States...
": Notre Dame vs. Michigan State in 1966, Texas vs. Arkansas in 1969
1969 Texas vs. Arkansas football game
The 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas football game, dubbed The Big Shootout and sometimes referred to as the "Game of The Century", was a legendary college football game on December 6, 1969 in which the top-ranked Texas Longhorns visited the second-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in...
, and Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in 1971
1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game
On Thursday, November 25, 1971, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, defending national champions, ranked #1 with a 20-game winning streak played the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked #2. The Cornhuskers defeated the Sooners 35–31.-Background:...
. Wilkinson is still considered one of the best color commentators of all time because of his solid analysis and in-depth insight.
Wilkinson was 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...
in 1969. In 1978, Wilkinson returned to coaching with the St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
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...
. After less than two disappointing seasons, he was fired and returned to broadcasting with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Wilkinson suffered a series of minor strokes and, on February 9, 1994, he died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
at the age of 77.