By ERIC BAILEY Sports Writer on Dec 6, 2012, at 2:34 PM Updated on 12/06 at 2:34 PM
OU SPORTS
Bob Stoops’ appearance at the Sooner Caravan drew a lot of second glances on Monday night.
The Oklahoma coach had stitches ...
Tony Jefferson’s voice sounded somber on Monday, as if he was still stunned by not being selected in the NFL Draft.
Jefferson ...
Dallis Todd’s phone call has been hit hard with text messages and phone calls over the past 24 hours.
That happens when ...
What do Gabe Ikard and Brian Bosworth have in common?
Well, Ikard doesn’t have the “Boz” haircut. There isn’t that aura of rebellion in Ikard similar to Bosworth (but then again, who has that?).
Take a look at both men’s Twitter handles. Ikard goes for the conservative “@GabeIkard while Bosworth’s handle is @GotBoz44.
But there is one common thread among the Oklahoma players: Academic prowess.
On Thursday, Ikard was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Football team. He is the first Sooner to earn the award since Bosworth in 1986.
Ikard, who has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 team for three consecutive years with a 4.0 grade point average in multidisciplinary studies, has had a solid junior season.
On the field, Ikard earned the respect of coaches (he was one of five team captains named this year) and teammates (after seamlessly making a permanent switch from guard to center) after Ben Habern’s career was ended by injury.
So many times, players are idolized for what they do on the field. But what is often lost is the time they put in the classroom, which can be a grind when mixed with hours of practices and meetings.
That's what makes Ikard - and Bosworth - special student-athletes.
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