Keith Jackson celebrated a national championship with the Oklahoma Sooners in 1985.
But it’s the two times that OU didn’t win a title that still stings the former tight end.
“I have more of a bitter taste in my mouth in losing two national championships than winning a national championship,” Jackson said.
OU was politicking for a share of the national championship with BYU if it defeated Washington in the 1985 Orange Bowl. The Huskies beat the Sooners 28-17 in a game marred by an illegal Sooner Schooner trip, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty and wiping three points off the board.
In Jackson’s final game, the Sooners lost 20-14 to Miami in the 1988 Orange Bowl. OU and Jackson lost in three consecutive seasons to the Hurricanes.
Losing to Miami “was a frustrating thing,” Jackson said. “”We felt we were just as good as they were. As I got older, I realized how much talent they had on their time.
“But we were in position to make plays and were in those games all the way.”
Jackson admitted he’s always been a fierce competitor that still hasn’t gotten over Little Rock Parkview's 9-6 loss to Fort Smith Southside in the state title game during his season season.
Jackson, who will be honored with the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award on Friday night, was a two-time All-America tight end with the Sooners. He had a knack for big plays playing in a wishbone offense that rarely threw the ball.
In Jackson’s final two seasons, he had a total of 41 catches, with nine going for touchdowns. He averaged 26.4 yards a reception in that span.
What was his favorite play as a Sooner? Two candidates were the one-handed, 41-yard catch in the final seconds of an improbable 20-17 victory at Nebraska in 1986. Then there was the 88-yard scoring run on a tight end reverse in a 27-7 win over Nebraska in 1985.
Jackson pointed to his 71-yard touchdown catch against Penn State in the 25-10 win over the Nittany Lions in the 1986 Orange Bowl as his favorite.
“Penn State had a really good football team,” Jackson said. “It was a nip-and-tuck battle with the defenses going hard. They called that play and it broke the game open. In the end, it helps you win a national championship.
“Tim Lasher kicked a lot of field goals (four) and Lydell Carr had a great run. But at the end of the day, I was able to catch a touchdown pass in the national championship game.”
