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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Oklahoma Sooners fans wait to enter the east side of the stadium before the game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
Oklahoma Sooners fans wait to enter the east side of the stadium before the game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

No. 9 — LB Rod Shoate

Rod Shoate was the most accomplished linebacker at the University of Oklahoma, at least in the last 75 years if not all-time. He played in the early 1970s and is one of just two three-time All-Americans in Sooner football history (1972, ’73 and ’74).

Oklahoma compiled a record of 29-4-1 during Shoate’s time as a Sooner player and never finished with a national ranking lower than No. 3. The Sooners were Big Eight champions all three seasons he played at OU.

Shoate’s play on defense was one of the major contributors to Oklahoma’s national championship season in 1974. He combined the speed of a running back (4.5 in the 40-yard dash) with exceptional strength and versatility. He was a dominant force in the middle of an outstanding Oklahoma defense.

Shoate was twice named Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, and he led the team in tackles for three straight seasons. He was drafted in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and played six seasons in the NFL, all with New England.

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