Oklahoma football: Sooners mourn loss of another from football family
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma football fans are mourning the loss of another member of its extended football family.
Grant Burget, a starting halfback on Barry Switzer’s first Oklahoma team as head coach died last Friday at his home in Chandler, Oklahoma. He was 69 years old.
Burget is the third former Sooner player in the past month. Darius Johnson, a defensive back who played for both Gary Gibbs and Howard Schnellenberger in the early 1990s, died the day before Burget. And George Bradfield, who played for Bud Wilkinson and was a member of Oklahoma first national championship team in 1950, died on Feb. 14.
A backup his sophomore season in 1972, while Switzer was offensive coordinator and Chuck Fairbanks was in his final season as the Sooners’ head coach, Burget moved up to a starting role his junior season. As a backup, he gained 244 yards, scored three touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry in a backfield that also included Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington, Leon Crosswhite and Joe Wylie.
In his first game as a starter, however, Burget suffered a season-ending knee injury. He gained 30 yards on four carries. His fourth carry was for 23 yards, when the injury occurred.
Burget was able to return his senior season in 1974. By then he was sharing rushing duties with Washington and Elvis Peacock, Jim Litrell and quarterback Steve Davis.
His senior season, Burget enjoyed his best season as a Sooner with 379 rushing yards, eight touchdowns and a 5.8 yards-per-carry average as a member on the first of back-to-back Oklahoma national championships (1974 and 1975).
“He was fun, man,” said Washington of his teammate to John Hoover, who covers Oklahoma sports for Sports Illustrated. “But he was a tough SOB, I’ll tell you that.
“Big and strong and didn’t have any qualms when it came to blocking on that belly play,” Washington said. “Never thought twice about it. When you got a guy like that, it puts even a little bit more pressure to make sure you make a block for him.”
Burget suffered from multiple ailments and health issues over the years, including cancer.
“He’s had a rough few years, particularly in recent months,” his younger brother Barry, who followed Grant to Oklahoma to play football, told The Oklahoman.