A nod to Pruitt, '71 ... and history in the making?
Published: 10/25/2008 10:38 AM
Last Modified: 10/25/2008 10:38 AM
I love sports. And I love history. So I really love sports history.
My favorite stories to write are the ones that reveal the true nature of a given athlete. But my next-favorite are the ones that recount bygone days of glory on the field of competition.
It's not a round number, but today marks the 37th anniversary of OU running back Greg Pruitt's single-game school-record of 294 rushing yards on Oct. 23, 1971.
De'Mond Parker's 291 against Texas in 1997 was probably more impressive just because of the competition and the setting. (291 in the Red River Rivalry? Come on.) Billy Sims' 282 against Missouri in '79 should have helped win him the Heisman. (He lost to Charles White. Come on.) And Mike Gaddis' 274 against Oklahoma State in '89 showed us all what can happen when supreme skill is taken away by a bad knee. (He was hurt the next week against Texas and was never the same. Come on.)
But Pruitt's record stands the test of time, the test of all those fantastic Sooner running backs who followed in his footsteps.
OU fans will recall that 1971 was the year of Jack Mildren, a year after offensive coordinator Barry Switzer convinced head coach Chuck Fairbanks to switch from the veer offense to the wishbone.
Let's think about that. An Oklahoma team is loaded with talent. The head coach wants to get more out of his troops. The offensive coordinator makes a slight change in the offense.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? That goes for Kevin Wilson and Bob Stoops moving to the no-huddle in 2008 just as well as Switzer and Fairbanks installing the wishbone in 1970 and flourishing in it in 1971.
There are some other historical connections.
In both cases, after altering the offense, Sooner scoreboards and stat sheets fill up. Pruitt set the single-game rushing record in '71. Sam Bradford set the single-game passing record (468 yards) last week.
That's also the game the Sooners set an NCAA record that will never, ever, guaranteed, with 100-percent certainty, ever be broken: 711 yards rushing. Ever. Except for when the Sooners ran for 758 in 1980, then ran for 768 in 1988.
OU won that 1971 game 75-28. The opponent? Let's come back to 2008 yet again: Kansas State. (That was also the team that gave up 768 in '88, a 70-24 OU win.)
Not that anyone's suggesting the Sooners are going to set any records Saturday in Manhattan. But the Wildcats do have, statistically speaking, the Big 12's worst defense.
Is there more history in the making? Come on.
– John E. Hoover
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
