TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL




SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA



Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

Trophy is a life-changer
In Oklahoma, lifelong fame comes with honor for Sooners

Steve Owens WORLD FILE / Billy Sims WORLD FILE / Jason White WORLD FILE

 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 12/12/2008  2:28 AM
Last Modified: 12/12/2008  3:21 AM

 LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. Almost every day, Sam Bradford walks by their trophies in the Barry Switzer Center.

Hardly a day goes by where Bradford doesn't notice those "heroic sized" statues across Lindsey Street from Memorial Stadium.

On Saturday, this humble little OU football fan, this son of a Sooner, this quarterback nonpareil, may be awarded his own Heisman Memorial Trophy alongside former Sooners Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White.

For Saturday's winner, it is football immortality. A portrait on a wall, a name on a list, a lifetime vote in the Heisman balloting, a lifetime invitation to each year's ceremony, and a permanent prefix to one's name awaits. For Bradford, it could mean a fifth statue in OU's Heisman Park outside the stadium.

"Every kid growing up, it's something that you dream about, winning the Heisman Trophy," Bradford said.

Owens, who lives in Norman, won the trophy in 1969 and said he's in awe every time he drives past his statue. He badly wants to see another statue there someday soon.

"I'm so hopeful that Sam will be our fifth Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Oklahoma," Owens said. "I think he so deserves the trophy."

Bradford is one of three finalists Texas' Colt McCoy and 2007 winner Tim Tebow of Florida are the others who will jet at dawn from Orlando to New York, where they'll be treated like football royalty.

"That means a lot just to be invited to New York," Bradford said. "Especially with Tim and Colt, who are just two phenomenal players."

One will win, and his life will be forever changed.

Read on page B8 about how winning the 25-pound, 14-inch-high bronze sculpture changed the lives of Owens, Sims and White - and Tebow.

36 Steve Owens



6-2 | 215 pounds
Tailback

Heisman year: 1969

Hometown: Miami, Okla.

Key stats: All-time leading scorer (57 career touchdowns); most carries (55 in a game, 958 career) and 4,041 rushing yards, third in school history. He was a twotime consensus All- American and scored the most points in a season (138) in 1969.

20 Billy Sims



6-0 | 205 pounds
Halfback

Heisman year: 1978

Hometown: Hooks, Texas

Key stats: Rushed for 1,896 yards and 22 touchdowns in 1978, the second-highest single-season rushing total in school history, trailing Adrian Peterson’s 1,925 in 2004.

Nearly won another Heisman his senior year but came in second.

18 Jason White



6-3 | 226 pounds
Quarterback

Heisman year: 2003

Hometown: Tuttle

Key stats: Set school records for touchdown passes in a season (40) and tied the record for touchdown passes in a game (five twice).

Finished his Sooner career with school career records for passing yards (7,922), and touchdown passes (81).

The 2008 Heisman Memorial Trophy



When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: New York City

TV: ESPN cable 25



John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

Newspaper View Newspaper View      Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

6 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
GrannyTazzy, Tulsa (12/12/2008 6:46:24 AM)
It sounds like ESPN has already elected Tim Tebow for the award.
But I am hoping Sam comes away with it, and the win on January 8th.
Congrats to the 3 finalist, but GO Sam!!
Report Comment
Sharkey Hammerhead, owasso (12/12/2008 7:18:48 AM)
It almost certainly will make you a celeberity if you win the award. But as it would go in the Big 12 Sam was the best QB but not the player of the year, and last night he was the Davey Obrien award winner . It looks to me like they are getting every one coverd with some kind of award,so know one feels left out Tim has his Heisman, Colt will get his Saturday because everyone feels he got cheated out of his chance to win it all.. I believe thats the way its going to go down and thats ok cause the guy that wins usually doesn`t win the National Championship or do good in the pros.. So I say way to go Sam and the Obrien award and win the Championship
Report Comment
TMS, (12/12/2008 9:39:40 AM)
Great he may be...Humble he ain't!
Report Comment
Big Harp, Florida (12/12/2008 1:56:13 PM)
Like they say it's hard to be Humble when you're a Sooner.......Go Sooners!
Report Comment
WOLFMAN, (12/12/2008 2:45:07 PM)
I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT IF SAM WINS THE TROPHY AND I BELIEVE HE IS THE MOST DESERVING,,THAT OUT OF THE FIVE ....FOUR ARE NATIVE OKLAHOMANS..."SOONER BORN AND SOONER BRED" ..THAT WOULD BE A STORY IN ITSELF.....
Report Comment
Scritchner, Tulsa (12/12/2008 2:49:01 PM)
It's a shame they couldn't have at least invited Herrell. I mean, not that he stood a chance, but it would have been the right thing to do.
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2010, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.