I'll invite others to post about the epic game 48 years ago today

[NMSooner'80]

I've rehashed the Feb. 2, 1977, win by OU over Mizzou in front of the first-ever LNC sellout probably too often. I'd forgotten exactly what day it was until it showed up in Facebook "memories" that I just checked.

One funny memory of it, which I don't think I ever posted, was reading about how Barry Switzer reacted to it. He was there and loved it, but he had to tease Dave Bliss a little after the game about how "that'll be enough of that!" (basketball jumping football in fan interest, at least for one night).

 

[One More Rebound]

And then Dave left for SMU. He would have been better off staying here.

 

[WaymanFan]

And then Dave left for SMU. He would have been better off staying here.

It was an easy decision for him because he clearly checked out after the Sweet 16 appearance in 1979. He left Billy Tubbs with one player (Chucky Barnett) that he could build around, and one decent upper-classman (Raymond Whitley). That 1980 team had quite a bit of talent led by Terry Stotts, but it was an under-achieving group for sure.

Thanks for the memories, NM. That game and winning the conference two years later were the top highlights of the Dave Bliss era.

 

[Stikboy]

Was SMU considered a better job than OU back then? Why in the world would anyone leave OU for SMU?

 

[BossFan64]

It was an easy decision for him because he clearly checked out after the Sweet 16 appearance in 1979. He left Billy Tubbs with one player (Chucky Barnett) that he could build around, and one decent upper-classman (Raymond Whitley). That 1980 team had quite a bit of talent led by Terry Stotts, but it was an under-achieving group for sure.

Thanks for the memories, NM. That game and winning the conference two years later were the top highlights of the Dave Bliss era.

I loved that 79 team. I was in junior high at the time. I can still remember when anyone on my team would shoot a corner shot, they would call out Jon McCullough!
Didn’t Whitley have a knee injury in 80? I seem to remember he wasn’t the same player after that, which was a real shame.

 

[WaymanFan]

Was SMU considered a better job than OU back then? Why in the world would anyone leave OU for SMU?

No. SMU was a pretty big football program at that time (due to lots of cheating) featuring some guy named Eric Dickerson. That would rule out not wanting to be at a football school. Like I said in my previous post; he had one foot out the door even before SMU called. For whatever reason, he just didn't want to be at OU in spite of elevating the program during his time there. He fell off the map after his meltdown at Baylor, but that would have been a good question to ask him when he showed up at Lon Kruger's request for a reunion several years back.

 

[WaymanFan]

I loved that 79 team. I was in junior high at the time. I can still remember when anyone on my team would shoot a corner shot, they would call out Jon McCullough!
Didn’t Whitley have a knee injury in 80? I seem to remember he wasn’t the same player after that, which was a real shame.

Yes, Whitley redshirted during Billy's first year. With Chucky Barnett the only viable weapon, that was the least talented OU team in the last half-century plus. They were lucky to win 9 games...which goes back to Bliss proverbially packing his bags after OU won the Big 8 in 1979. McCullough was the Big 8 POY...and we beat Texas in the round of 32 .

 

[BossFan64]

No. SMU was a pretty big football program at that time (due to lots of cheating) featuring some guy named Eric Dickerson. That would rule out not wanting to be at a football school. Like I said in my previous post; he had one foot out the door even before SMU called. For whatever reason, he just didn't want to be at OU in spite of elevating the program during his time there. He fell off the map after his meltdown at Baylor, but that would have been a good question to ask him when he showed up at Lon Kruger's request for a reunion several years back.

I‘ll take your word for it on having a foot out the door. I remember being very disappointed that he left. With SMU’s deep pockets and access to more high school talent, I can at least see the appeal.

 

[BossFan64]

Yes, Whitley redshirted during Billy's first year. With Chucky Barnett the only viable weapon, that was the least talented OU team in the last half-century plus. They were lucky to win 9 games...which goes back to Bliss proverbially packing his bags after OU won the Big 8 in 1979. McCullough was the Big 8 POY...and we beat Texas in the round of 32 .

Al Beal at Center
Terry Stotts at the 4
Jon McCullough at the 3
Aaron Curry at the 2
Ray Whitley at the Point

Cary Carribine (sp?)off the bench

I loved that team. It sucked that we had to play undefeated Indiana State, led by Larry Bird, after thumping the Horns. We were competitive for a while, but Bird was too much.

 

[skyvue]

I think Bliss left because he'd let the cupboard become all but bare. He knew he'd dropped the recruiting ball.

I was very angry with him at the time, but given how things turned out--for OU with Tubbs and for him in a number of ways--he did us a huge favor.

 

[NMSooner'80]

I loved that 79 team. I was in junior high at the time. I can still remember when anyone on my team would shoot a corner shot, they would call out Jon McCullough!
Didn’t Whitley have a knee injury in 80? I seem to remember he wasn’t the same player after that, which was a real shame.

Whitley got hurt early in what was supposed to be his original senior year (Tubbs' first). He came back as a fifth-year senior but wasn't the player he had been before his knee injury.

The 1977 team's point guard was Eddie Fields, who I think was the last player on the team recruited by John McLeod (and still in the program). The main supporting cast that year was mainly freshmen and sophomores. Clifford Johnson and Drew Head originally started in the post, but they were replaced in the conference schedule by Terry Stotts and Al Beal. Aaron Curry was the sixth man on that team. Sophomores John McCullough and Cary Carrabine were the "wing shooters" on that team. Mac was first-team All-Big 8.

That team also went undefeated at home. It was the last OU team to do so until 1983-84.

 

[One More Rebound]

I remember that Al Eschbach had a TV show on OU basketball, and he hosted the show just after David had left. The players didn't want to say anything. Al didn't want to say anything. It was perhaps the most awkward show I've ever seen.

 

[Sooner Season]

I loved that 79 team. I was in junior high at the time. I can still remember when anyone on my team would shoot a corner shot, they would call out Jon McCullough!
Didn’t Whitley have a knee injury in 80? I seem to remember he wasn’t the same player after that, which was a real shame.

I'm pretty sure Whitley's injury was an Achilles tear and he was never the same player afterwards. I loved that team as well. I remember Bliss brought in McCullough and Cary Carrabine, both from Indiana, and it was fun to watch them turn into some of the best players in the Big 8. Add in Al Beal and Aaron Curry and you had a fun talented team to watch.

 

[Sooner Season]

Yes, Whitley redshirted during Billy's first year. With Chucky Barnett the only viable weapon, that was the least talented OU team in the last half-century plus. They were lucky to win 9 games...which goes back to Bliss proverbially packing his bags after OU won the Big 8 in 1979. McCullough was the Big 8 POY...and we beat Texas in the round of 32 .

That was a big deal beating Texas but then we ran into Larry Bird!!!

 

[AnotherSoonerInTX]

Was SMU considered a better job than OU back then? Why in the world would anyone leave OU for SMU?

$$$$, especially in 1980.

 

[NMSooner'80]

In the FWIW department, Drew Head finished his career at San Diego State after transferring out of OU in '78. One of his college teammates was Tony Gwynn (RIP), who was obviously more famous for his baseball skills. I saw Drew and SDSU on TV lose to UNM at the Pit in January of '81 (my first year out of college, and I lived out on the eastern plains then). Drew really got big between his true freshman year and his redshirt senior year. I think he weighed about 215 at OU, but he was every bit of 245 in but his last year of college ball.

Clifford Johnson, the other freshman forward who originally started that year, went to Stetson after the '78 season. He was a real fan favorite early on, in the first year of the "return of the dunk" to college basketball, because he could slam with the best of them. He had a 31-point game at UNLV (a Final Four team) but lost playing time to Stotts because the latter had better shooting range and was also 6-8.