I was cruising through my morning routine of checking out every sports site on the internet today (its nice being in college and having nothing to do) when I stumbled across an article on our old friend Barry Switzer. In it, SI's Michael Silver gushes about the ancient OU nemesis and the apparently incorrect views that people hold of him. Having hung out with Switzer before when he was coaching the Cowboys, Silver is honest in saying that he is partial to the old coach:
"In the interest of partial disclosure, I've never had more fun with an NFL coach than I did with Switzer..........I was reminded again why I love him during a six-hour visit in Norman that included some of the funniest moments I've experienced in a long time."
Now, Silver at least admitted right off the bat that he's partial to the Sooner legend. But he continued, and at the bottom of page one is my favorite quote of the whole thing:
"Though Switzer's 1989 resignation was tinged with scandalous overtones, including criminal behavior by some of his high-profile players, he routinely inspires wide smiles in Norman.....This is the way it should be for Switzer, an unfailingly upbeat, non-judgemental man with a stunningly small ego--and perhaps the least appreciated coaching great of the past 50 years."
Scandalous overtones? The starting QB made the cover of Sports Illustrated! I hardly call that overtones. Barry and his program were for years (as we all know) our biggest rival. Not just because we both got in each other's way on numerous times when national championships were at stake, but because of the ever-present good-vs.-evil vibe that settled in with the playing of each game. They were the boisterous, cocky Sooners, with their son-of-a-bootlegger legend, Switzer, facing off against our bland, in-your-face style of football that was led by our stoic field general, Osborne.
"In the interest of partial disclosure, I've never had more fun with an NFL coach than I did with Switzer..........I was reminded again why I love him during a six-hour visit in Norman that included some of the funniest moments I've experienced in a long time."
Now, Silver at least admitted right off the bat that he's partial to the Sooner legend. But he continued, and at the bottom of page one is my favorite quote of the whole thing:
"Though Switzer's 1989 resignation was tinged with scandalous overtones, including criminal behavior by some of his high-profile players, he routinely inspires wide smiles in Norman.....This is the way it should be for Switzer, an unfailingly upbeat, non-judgemental man with a stunningly small ego--and perhaps the least appreciated coaching great of the past 50 years."
Scandalous overtones? The starting QB made the cover of Sports Illustrated! I hardly call that overtones. Barry and his program were for years (as we all know) our biggest rival. Not just because we both got in each other's way on numerous times when national championships were at stake, but because of the ever-present good-vs.-evil vibe that settled in with the playing of each game. They were the boisterous, cocky Sooners, with their son-of-a-bootlegger legend, Switzer, facing off against our bland, in-your-face style of football that was led by our stoic field general, Osborne.
(And as far as the "least appreciated" quote goes, well, that's going to be it's own whole column. On coach Osborne, of course.)
For all the legendary games this rivalry produced, what is important to take note of is the fall of the respective programs when each of their legends stepped down. Following Switzer's aforementioned resignation, Oklahoma, they went a combined 54-46 in the years until the hiring of Bob Stoops, including an abysmal record of 3-8 in 1996.
We all know what happened after Dr. Tom stepped down. A few years of continued dominance, thanks mostly to Eric Crouch's brilliance, before a precipitous drop-off starting in 2002. A controversial coaching change and the implementation of a new offensive system led to some bumps in the road and an end to the bowl streak we had held.
Switzer, for all his faults, seems like a genuine guy, somebody you'd hate compete against but somebody you'd most likely enjoy a brew afterward with. Thing is, as much as I dislike Barry, as much as I can't stand his swagger and other things, you can't help but have sentimental feelings for the times when he and Coach Osborne roamed the sidelines, when each meeting had the feeling of life or death attatched to it. And over the years, he has endeared himself to me with his repeated backing of Coach Osborne (in the political arena) and his surprising support of our own program (which he defends against ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit in this video).
These days, some of the venom of the old games is gone. It's a different time now, we haven't competed for a national title since 2001. It doesn't help that it's harder to hate Bob Stoops, who is seen not only as a great coach but a good guy, than it was Switzer . But there is hope for the re-emergence of a great rivalry. Last year's Big 12 title game, while short on substance and drama, helped rekindle a small spark for the November days of years past, when NU-OU was a national event. Barry has been embracing this rebirth as well, much like the rest of the respective fan bases. I for one am looking forward to a rematch.
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