Oklahoma football: Numbers that have shaped, solidified the Sooner brand
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma football history dates back to 1895, a dozen full years before what was then known as the Oklahoma Territory became the 46th state of the United States.
Although the totality of Sooner football goes back 125 years, the last 75 are the ones we’ve heard about the most. And there is a simple reason for that. Very few schools have accomplished on the gridiron what OU has over the past 75 years.
Oklahoma has won 908 games in its history. That is tied with Notre Dame for the sixth most in college football history, and the Sooners began play eight years after the Fighting Irish. OU’s .725 winning percentage is the fifth best all-time, trailing only Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Alabama, several of the blue bloods of the sport.
Seventy-three percent, or 664, of the Sooners’ 908 all-time wins have come in the last 75 years, along with their seven national championships.
Here is the story of the last 75 years of Oklahoma football as told by the numbers:
.895 — Winning percentage of Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners teams in the 1950s decade (93-10-20), the best in any decade in program history.
7 — Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winners, all since 1950. That’s tied with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most from any one school.
11 – Number of Oklahoma head coaches (out of 23 total) in the last 75 years.
26 — Oklahoma leads all college teams with 26 seasons of no fewer than 11 wins.
40 — Oklahoma has 40 10-wins seasons in its history, the most in college football. Alabama is second with 39. Thirty-eight of those 10-win seasons have occurred since 1946.
47 — OU’s record-setting consecutive wins from 1953 to 1957, still an NCAA record and one that may never be broken.
52 — Oklahoma has made 53 bowl appearances since 1946 (only one prior to that) with a record of 29-23-1. Only Alabama (71) and Georgia (56) have played in more bowl games than the Sooners.
101 — Weeks ranked in No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll (since 1936), third most in college football.
411 — Weeks ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Poll, No. 1 in college football.
664 — Oklahoma’s 664 wins since 1946 is the most in college football. Ohio State is second over that time span with 621; Alabama third with 619.
36. 383 — Points scored all-time by Oklahoma (all 125 years), No. 1 in college football.