Oklahoma football flashback: Who is the Sooners’ all-time rushing workhorse?

There have been numerous outstanding running backs that have been part of the long and illustrious Oklahoma football history.

Contrary to what we have witnessed over the past two decades, the Oklahoma football tradition as a national powerhouse was largely built by its ground-pounding, ball-control offenses of the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s.

Quite a few of the outstanding running backs in the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II) have come out of the Sooner program.

When you think of the great Oklahoma ground warriors (later this month we will rank the top 10 for you) of all-time, the names Billy Sims, Adrian Peterson, Joe Washington and Greg Pruitt come quickly into the heads and off the tongues of Sooner fans. All have their place in the OU record book and have earned a place in the pantheon of great Oklahoma running backs.

There is one former Sooner, however, whose name stands alone in the annals of OU football for durability and as the workhorse of all Oklahoma rushing offenses.

We’re talking about the great Steve Owens. A two-time All-American and 1969 Heisman Trophy winner, Owens does not hold the Sooner record for rushing yardage in a career, a season or a game.

Owens is actually fifth among the OU career rushing leaders with 4,041 rushing yards. His 1,523 yards on the ground in his senior Heisman season is only the eighth best all-time at Oklahoma.

So what’s the big deal about the native-Oklahoman Owens, you might ask?

No one approaches the great Sooner star of the late 1960s for the number of times he carried the football: over his career, for a season and in a game. No one is even close.

Owens ran the ball 958 times in his three seasons at Oklahoma (1967-69). His 393 rushing attemps in his junior season in 1968 is first, and 358 attempts in 1969 second, in the all-time OU record book.

And in rushing attempts per game, seven times in his career Owens ran the ball more than 40 times in a game. No other Sooner has more than 39 in a game.

Owens also has the Oklahoma career record for rushing touchdowns. His 57 rushing touchdowns are four more than Billy Sims and seven more than DeMarco Murray.

With so many rushing attempts, why then isn’t Owens the all-time rushing leader at Oklahoma?

To begin with, the 1968 and 1969 Oklahoma teams weren’t the best of Sooner teams. OU was a combined 13-8 those two seasons. Owens had above average speed, but he averaged only 4.3 yards per carry running primarily north and south behind a somewhat average OU offensive line those two seasons.

Owens seemed impervious to injury while he was at Oklahoma, but his pro career was cut short with the Detroit Lions after five seasons when he suffered a serious knee injury.