MORE THAN JUST A GAME...PART 2

continued from part 1...

 

NOTRE DAME

THE EVIL EMPIRE
 

“There are two kinds of people in this world; those that love Notre Dame…and everyone else.” – Former Irish head coach Dan Devine

During the 1956 season, the Sooners whipped a bad, unranked Irish team 40-0 in South Bend. The victory was #35 in a row at the time, a win that Wilkinson would label as being special.  Unfortunately, as was the case here, what can sometime make something special is the rarity in which it occurs. That victory in 1956 over the Irish, is the only win in the series for not only Wilkinson (1-5), but for Oklahoma as well (1-9).
 

When Bud Wilkinson took over the Sooner football program after a one year stint by Jim Tatum, he decided that he wanted to compete against the best....and the best at that time was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Wilkinson had great admiration for Frank Leahy and the job he had done at Notre Dame.  Under Leahy, the Irish has won four national championships in the 1940's.  

 

Wilkinson and Leahy had dinner one night in Norman in 1949...and when it was over Wilkinson had his wish. The Sooners and Irish would play four times in the fifties, and four more times in the 1960's.   Clearly, this was a case of be careful what you wish for. 

 

How bad does Notre Dame have the Sooners number?  Not only was it the Irish who ended the Sooners streak in 1957...but they were also the last team that OU lost to prior to the start of the streak.

MORE THAN JUST A GAME
TO THE SOONER NATION
 

"It was like President Kennedy being assassinated or the Space Shuttle Challenger going down.  Everybody still around that saw that game; can tell you exactly where they were when it happened...it was that kind of dramatic effect"

- Jay Wilkinson, Bud Wilkinson's youngest son

As a kid I always heard about the streak, but it wasn't until about fifteen years ago when I read Jim Dent's book 'The Undefeated,' that I really got to know the streak in detail.  The book gave me a much better perspective and greater appreciation for the players, coaches and teams that accomplished it.  But most of all, Jim Dent's history lesson about Oklahoma's 47 game winning streak opened my eyes to how much it meant to the people of Oklahoma.

For many Oklahomans' of that era, the streak was more than just football, it was a new identity.  The streak gave Oklahomans something they could be proud of, something that would be recognized by others as being great.  It was an accomplishment that when viewed by those outside of Oklahoma would invoke envy, not pity.  The streak was in effect a way for Oklahomans to replace the sullen and desperate images provided by 'The Grapes of Wrath' and the Dust Bowl era, with that of a winner.  For Oklahomans the streak was as much a statement about faith and resiliency as it was winning football games.  It was proof that they could not only endure and overcome...but even win.
 

 Almost every account I have read about the game makes mention of the fact that most of the 62,000 in attendance that day at Owen Field were still in their seats some 15-20 minutes after the game was over, this despite the fact that a heavy rain had begun.   Was it shock and sadness that kept them there?  Or was it a tribute to what they had witnessed the Sooners accomplish over the last five years?  Both? Neither?

 

I would like to think that the OU fans were still in their seats that day at Owen Field, not because they were morning the sad and unexpected end of the winning streak…but because they were soaking in the moment. I think that they knew what they had witnessed that day would be historical...they knew the record of 47 straight that would go into the record books that day would never be touched.

 

It has been 56 years since the record of 47 straight went into the books.  During that span, no team has ever even come close to threatening it.  Like the tough, resilient Oklahomans that withstood the Dust Bowl, the Sooners record of 47 straight wins will endure.  It will serve as a source of pride for the Sooner Nation; an accomplishment recognized by others as being good.  The Sooners record 47 game winning streak is proof that Oklahomans are winners...and that is one winning streak that no team will ever end...not even the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Next Up...
Bob gets a visit from Bud
 

Just the opinion of one mildly interested guy

The Overweight Armchair Sooner

Buddy Putty