Oklahoma Sooners
Football
| OU Football Tradition | Hall of Famers | Updated
November 24, 2008 |
Great players and coaches built the Oklahoma football tradition. OU has placed 18 players and five former coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. No Big 12 school has more.
| College Football Hall of Fame | |||
| Tom Brahaney | |||
| Joe Washington | |||
| Tony Casillas | |||
| Keith Jackson | |||
| Kurt Burris | |||
| Greg Pruitt | |||
| Jerry Tubbs | |||
| Billy Sims | |||
| J.D. Roberts | |||
| Jim Weatherall | |||
| Steve Owens | |||
| Lee Roy Selmon | |||
| Waddy Young | |||
| Tommy McDonald | |||
| Jim Owens | |||
| Billy Vessels | |||
| Forest Geyer | |||
| Claude Reeds |
| Coach | ||
| Barry Switzer | ||
| Jim Tatum | ||
| Bud Wilkinson | ||
| Lawrence "Biff" Jones | ||
| Bennie Owen |
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
Two players, Tommy McDonald and Lee Roy Selmon, went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tommy McDonald
Wide receiver Tommy McDonald was a third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957. An All-America choice at Oklahoma, he won the Maxwell Award in 1956 as college football's player of the year. During his three years of varsity play at Oklahoma, the Sooners never lost a game.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection (1959-1963 and 1966), McDonald played seven seasons with the Eagles (1957-1963), one with the Dallas Cowboys (1964), two with the Los Angeles Rams (1965-1966), and one each with the Atlanta Falcons (1967) and the Cleveland Browns (1968).
Although he was just 5-9 and 176 pounds, McDonald was extremely durable and missed only three games in his first 11 seasons. He had elusive speed and used his running skills brilliantly after making his catches, finishing his career with an average of 17 yards per catch and 84 touchdowns.
A sure-handed receiver, McDonald had few peers when it came to putting the ball in the end zone. In the years 1958-62, he had 56 touchdown receptions in 63 games, including a 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in the 1960 NFL Championship Game in which the Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-13.
His career ratio of touchdowns-to-receptions is an impressive 1 in 5.9. He also caught at least one pass in 93 consecutive games. Used primarily as a kickoff and punt-return specialist during his rookie season, McDonald ranked sixth all-time in receptions (495), fourth in yards receiving (8,410) and second in touchdown catches (84) when he retired following the 1968 season.
McDonald, who was born in Roy, New Mexico, had an outstanding season in 1961. Not only did he lead the NFL in reception yardage (1,144) and in touchdowns (13), but in a game against the New York Giants he caught seven passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns, which is still an Eagles' single-game best.
Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon, a 6-3, 256-pound consensus All-America in 1975 at the University of Oklahoma, was the first-ever draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise in 1976. The winner of both the Lombardi and Outland trophies as the outstanding college lineman in 1975, the defensive right end immediately established himself at as the leader of the Buccaneers defensive unit that would eventually produce two NFC Central Division championships in the team's first six seasons.
Selmon, who was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, joined his brother Dewey on the first Tampa Bay team. Dewey, a year older, was a second-round draft pick. A defensive tackle/linebacker, he played in Tampa Bay until 1980.
Although he missed six games due to injuries as a rookie, he was named the Bucs' Rookie of the Year and the team's Most Valuable Player. He battled injuries during two of his first three seasons, but starting in 1978 he was named first- or second-team All-Pro five times. He also was also All-NFC choice five times, and was named to six straight Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1985. With four sacks, he was co-Player of the Game in the 1982 Pro Bowl.
Four times the NFL Players Association named Lee Roy the NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and he was a unanimous choice as NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. Selmon was a major factor in the Bucs' first winning season, which was concluded with a 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. Lee Roy had 11 sacks and a career-best 117 tackles that year. He had three sacks in one game four times. A back injury, which forced him to miss the entire 1985 season, brought a premature end to his outstanding career.
- Text courtesy Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Closer to home, the Sooners have placed 19 former players and three coaches in the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame administered by the Jim Thorpe Association.
| Player | |||
| Tony Casillas | |||
| Keith Jackson | |||
| Eddie Crowder | |||
| Jack Jacobs | |||
| Jim Weatherall | |||
| Paul Young | |||
| Prentice Gautt | |||
| Jerry Tubbs | |||
| Jack Mildren | |||
| Greg Pruitt | |||
| J.D. Roberts | |||
| Clendon Thomas | |||
| Billy Sims | |||
| Joe Washington | |||
| Darrell Royal | |||
| Lee Roy Selmon | |||
| Tommy McDonald | |||
| Steve Owens | |||
| Billy Vessels |
| Coach | ||
| Bennie Owen | ||
| Barry Switzer | ||
| Bud Wilkinson |
| OU Football Tradition |
Oklahoma All-Access - Launch Broadband Channel
- LBs Box, Reynolds Back at Full Strength
- Brown, Murray the Perfect Combination
- Gerald McCoy Message to OU Students
- Sooners Grind Out Final Spring Practice
- 2009 Football Spring Game Highlights
- Inaugural Legends Flag Football Classic
- 2009 Spring Practice Video, Interviews
- J.R. Bryant Contributing at Linebacker
- Travis Lewis on Progress of Defense
- Jeremy Beal on Defensive Line Potential
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