Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Mount Rushmore 10 of Sooner GOATS of modern era

By Chip Rouse

KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA - JULY 02: The busts of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln tower over the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Monument on July 02, 2020 near Keystone, South Dakota. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the monument and speak before the start of a fireworks display on July 3. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
KEYSTONE, SOUTH DAKOTA - JULY 02: The busts of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln tower over the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Monument on July 02, 2020 near Keystone, South Dakota. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the monument and speak before the start of a fireworks display on July 3. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /
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Oct 11, 1975; Dallas, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oklahoma Sooner returner Joe Washington (24) returns a punt for a touchdown during the Red River shootout against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners beat the Longhorns 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 1975; Dallas, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Oklahoma Sooner returner Joe Washington (24) returns a punt for a touchdown during the Red River shootout against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners beat the Longhorns 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 10 — RB Joe Washington

“Little Joe” Washington’s career at Oklahoma coincided with Barry Switzer’s ascendancy to the head-coaching job. His quickness and ability to change direction in a split instant made him an ideal fit for Oklahoma’s vaunted Wishbone offense.

Switzer once called Washington, “my greatest player…he was probably the fastest man in the world for 15 yards.”

Washington ended his OU career with a record 4,071 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns. He is currently third all-time at Oklahoma in career rushing yards. He played on two of the Sooners’ national championship teams (1974 and 1975) and was a two-time All-American both years.

He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1974 and fifth in 1975.

One of the most memorable plays in Washington’s stellar Sooner career, and one I was able to witness personally, came late in the1975 season in a game at Missouri. OU was losing by seven points late in the fourth quarter when Washington broke off a 70-yard touchdown run. With the game on the line and the Sooners’ national championship hopes on the line, Washington scored on a two=point conversion to give OU a 28-27 win.

In 2006, “Little Joe” was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

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