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Oklahoma football: Which 4 Sooner GOATs are Mount Rushmore worthy?

By Chip Rouse

circa 1960: Mount Rushmore in Dakota where four presidents' faces have been sculptured out of the rocks, known as the Shrine Of Democracy. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
circa 1960: Mount Rushmore in Dakota where four presidents' faces have been sculptured out of the rocks, known as the Shrine Of Democracy. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /
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Bud Wilkinson

Bud Wilkinson is best known as the head coach who made Oklahoma football relevant on a national level. Under his watch, the Sooners won the school’s first three national championships (1950, 1955 and 1956) and put together an NCAA record 47-game winning streak, a remarkable achievement that has stood for 62 years.

Wilkinson compiled a 147-29-4 (,826) coaching record in 17 seasons at Oklahoma (1947-63). During that time, his Sooner teams won 14 Big Six/Seven/Eight championships, 13 in succession. Between 1948 and 1958 under Wilkinson’s leadership, Oklahoma’s record was 107-8-2.

In addition to the 47-game winning streak, OU also had a 31-game win streak under Wilkinson between 1948 and ’50.

Wilkinson is the third winningest coach in the 125-year history of Oklahoma football and also third in terms of tenure (Bennie Owen was the Sooners’ head coach for xx seasons in the early 1900s, and Bob Stoops was in place for 18 seasons).

There is little question that Oklahoma’s recognition as a national college power began under Wilkinson.

Wilkinson died in 1994 at the age of 77.

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