Mossman Prophecies

May 20, 2010 | Mossman Archive

 

Kenny Mossman Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications Oklahoma Senior Associate A.D. Kenny Mossman writes this column for SoonerSports.com.   Mossman supervises the overall communications efforts for OU Athletics including the departments of media relations, publications, graphic design, licensing, SoonerSports.com and SoonerVision.   Full Bio | OU Athletics Administration     Boomerblast Boomerblast is the official email newsletter of the Oklahoma Sooners. This free weekly communication provides Sooner fans an inside look at the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department with special features, exclusive multimedia content, special promotions, gameday info and much more. Interested? Learn More | Sign Up Now     Join the Sooners You can join the Sooners on many popular social network sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Sign up for Boomerblast and begin receiving OU's popular weekly online newsletter direct to your inbox. All are great options for Sooner fans to stay up-to-date on the latest from Norman.

The remark wasn't singular to the person who made it, but it reminded me again just how elusive perspective can be from time to time.
 
Not long ago, just before one of our athletics contests, an impartial observer said to me, "Good luck, you guys could use a break this year."
 
The inference was that Oklahoma Athletics has been through a tough stretch. I sat there stunned, wondering how my vantage point could be so much different than his.
 
Right off the top, let me confirm that I understand the stature of football and men's basketball in college athletics, and I get it that some people, probably a lot of people, measure a year based solely on how those two programs perform.
 
I understand too how the sport of football is judged at OU. Championships have been so much a part of our reality they have become our expectation. All of that, I promise, is crystal clear to me.
 
But, let's just talk for a minute about just how "tough" this year has been.
 
A football program ravaged by injuries, some of which befell players considered among the greatest in Sooner history, rallied to finish 8-5 and concluded its year with back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, the last of which came in a bowl game.
 
The Oklahoma standard? Of course not. Devastation? Hardly.
 
Then there's a rather lengthy list of other successes this school year that tell a rather familiar story.
 
• Women's Basketball: There was a second straight Final Four for the Sooners. The team was ranked No. 3 in the final coaches' poll.
 
• Baseball: Currently ranked No. 15 nationally.
 
• Cross Country (Men): Finished No. 12 nationally.
 
• Gymnastics (Men): Won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship, the equivalent of the Big 12 for that sport, and finished third nationally.
 
• Gymnastics (Women): Won the Big 12 championship and finished No. 2 nationally.
 
• Softball: Currently ranked No. 11 after winning the Big 12 title.
 
• Tennis (Men): Ranked No. 20, this program just secured its first-ever trip to the national tournament.
 
• Indoor Track and Field (men): Won Big 12 Championship, finished No. 14 nationally.

• Outdoor Track and Field (men): Just finished No. 2 in the Big 12 and is currently ranked No. 10 nationally.
 
• Outdoor Track and Field (women): Currently ranked No. 4 in the nation.
 
• Rowing: Finished second in the Big 12 in just its second year as a program.
 
• Wrestling: Finished No. 5 nationally.
 
And, just for good measure, in the fall semester, OU had its highest-ever grade point average among student-athletes. Nearly 600 of them combined to average a grade point average of 3.01.
 
Look, like I said earlier, I understand the backdrop for those who would view this year as a bummer. And if you're one of those who chooses to evaluate an athletics program using those parameters, so be it.
 
For everyone else, at a time when parity exists at a higher level than perhaps any other time in the last 50 years, it's probably worth taking a moment to appreciate just how good we've got it.

Related Links: OU No. 12 in Latest Directors' Cup Standings