Three of the biggest college football programs in the SEC -- and even the country -- have common ground for why it still thrives today, and ESPN will reveal that story soon.
ESPN will release SEC Storied: “Wishbone” at 6 p.m. CT Thursday on SEC Network. The film, directed by Chip Rives, will dive into the story behind how the triple-option offense rescued Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama, all of which are now in the same conference and still thriving years later.
SEC Storied: “Wishbone” premiering Thursday
According to ESPN's press release, "It's a tale of desperation, rivalry and friendship, and it vibrates with irony and intrigue." It explains how Texas head coach Darrell Royal got desperate enough to try out a brand new scheme that his offensive coordinator, Emory Bellard, created and made the Longhorns nearly unbeatable.
Ironically, Royal played quarterback at OU, Texas' biggest rival. The rivals eventually both rose to greatness because of the triple-option offense after Barry Switzer also got ahold of it thanks to Royal and Bellard.
Alabama also started using it in 1971 after Royal shared the knowledge with his friend, Paul "Bear" Bryant, who ended up being one of the greatest coaches in college football history after five losing seasons in a row before he implemented the triple-option.
“The Wishbone was a strategy of last resort for three of the greatest programs in college football history,” Executive Producer Keith Dunnavant said in the release. “So, in that sense, you can feel the desperation pulsating through our story. It’s interesting to wonder what might have happened at Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama without Emory Bellard’s history-bending invention.”
The film follows the offense getting to Texas A&M and Mississippi State, two more SEC programs.
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