NMSooner'80
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On Feb. 24, 1979, the OU student body helped celebrate a bit of history on the basketball court. That was the day when OU finished off its first outright league title, and the first of the Big 8 era, with a 65-52 win over second-place Kansas State.
That was only three years removed from a 9-17 season (although that incredibly young and smallish team of '76 finished respectably). The Sooner had actually clinched a tie for the '79 title despite losing at ISU by a point a few days earlier, because Kansas State had also lost the same night. We still needed the win to get the outright title, even after winning in Manhattan (first time since 1947, no less).
I couldn't tell you too many of the game specifics off the top of my head, other than we only scored six points in the first 14 minutes or so. But once our shooters got going, OU dominated the rest of the game. A 13-point win in 1979 was about like winning by 25 now, because there was no shot clock or three-point line. And that team would have killed people from beyond the arc. Big 8 player the year John McCullough, the lone senior starter, could stick it from the top of the key. Terry Stotts, now the coach of the Portland Trailblazers, was deadly from the corner. And guards Raymond Whitley, Aaron Curry and sixth-man Cary Carrabine, had the capability to hit from up to 20 feet.
McCullough was also deadly on the high lobs to big man Al Beal, who was also one of my classmates that semester. Beal later set the conference tournament rebounding mark with 19 in the conference title game win over KU, which had been the heavy favorite to win the league in preseason.
OU had a decent "four-corners" offense to run time, and as the final minute began to expire, many of the students (west side was strictly the general admission "student section") started to slip down to court level. Not one "security person" had the foolish notion to stop the court rush that was coming. And when the clock hit 0:00, the students and players celebrated together on the court.
The spontaneous party also included the net-cutting at each end of the court, and lengthy interviews on the old Big 8 network of the victorious Sooner starters. Some kid who looked like my high school aged brother managed to get his face on TV during the net-cutting
D).
It's in my video archives, but I do have a VHS tape of that telecast. That was back in the days of Jay Randolph and Gary Thompson on the call each Saturday.
That was also the era of student involvement that may not have been especially organized but was enthusiastic. Pretty much the whole west side of the LNC was first-come, first-served seating for students. Most league games that season were well-supported by the student body.
That school year, OU had the best football team in the country (despite being unable to play for the title after that fluky loss in Lincoln). They actually shared the league title with NU and won the rematch in the Orange Bowl. OU also won the Big 8 in baseball, so that was quite a feat at the time.
But, OU's men's basketball title was very much a surprise to the rest of the league. And we won the tournament as well, despite being written off by "the talking heads" due to having to play in KC with KSU, KU and Missouri. That was almost galling to the Big 8 hoops establishment to have the "football school" crashing their little party.
And that made it all the more enjoyable to be able to celebrate the '79 team's accomplishment 40 years ago to this day, on that LNC floor.
That was only three years removed from a 9-17 season (although that incredibly young and smallish team of '76 finished respectably). The Sooner had actually clinched a tie for the '79 title despite losing at ISU by a point a few days earlier, because Kansas State had also lost the same night. We still needed the win to get the outright title, even after winning in Manhattan (first time since 1947, no less).
I couldn't tell you too many of the game specifics off the top of my head, other than we only scored six points in the first 14 minutes or so. But once our shooters got going, OU dominated the rest of the game. A 13-point win in 1979 was about like winning by 25 now, because there was no shot clock or three-point line. And that team would have killed people from beyond the arc. Big 8 player the year John McCullough, the lone senior starter, could stick it from the top of the key. Terry Stotts, now the coach of the Portland Trailblazers, was deadly from the corner. And guards Raymond Whitley, Aaron Curry and sixth-man Cary Carrabine, had the capability to hit from up to 20 feet.
McCullough was also deadly on the high lobs to big man Al Beal, who was also one of my classmates that semester. Beal later set the conference tournament rebounding mark with 19 in the conference title game win over KU, which had been the heavy favorite to win the league in preseason.
OU had a decent "four-corners" offense to run time, and as the final minute began to expire, many of the students (west side was strictly the general admission "student section") started to slip down to court level. Not one "security person" had the foolish notion to stop the court rush that was coming. And when the clock hit 0:00, the students and players celebrated together on the court.
The spontaneous party also included the net-cutting at each end of the court, and lengthy interviews on the old Big 8 network of the victorious Sooner starters. Some kid who looked like my high school aged brother managed to get his face on TV during the net-cutting
D).It's in my video archives, but I do have a VHS tape of that telecast. That was back in the days of Jay Randolph and Gary Thompson on the call each Saturday.
That was also the era of student involvement that may not have been especially organized but was enthusiastic. Pretty much the whole west side of the LNC was first-come, first-served seating for students. Most league games that season were well-supported by the student body.
That school year, OU had the best football team in the country (despite being unable to play for the title after that fluky loss in Lincoln). They actually shared the league title with NU and won the rematch in the Orange Bowl. OU also won the Big 8 in baseball, so that was quite a feat at the time.
But, OU's men's basketball title was very much a surprise to the rest of the league. And we won the tournament as well, despite being written off by "the talking heads" due to having to play in KC with KSU, KU and Missouri. That was almost galling to the Big 8 hoops establishment to have the "football school" crashing their little party.
And that made it all the more enjoyable to be able to celebrate the '79 team's accomplishment 40 years ago to this day, on that LNC floor.
