Mussatto: Barry Switzer's first game as OU football coach 50 years ago kicked off epic era

Barry Switzer was only given a nine-month contract when OU hired him as its head football coach in 1973, but Switzer didn’t care.

“Hell, I don’t need a contract,” Switzer told the Board of Regents. “We’re gonna win.”

And on Sept. 15, 1973 — 50 years ago to the day — Switzer got the first of his 157 wins as OU head coach. Switzer, who roamed the Sooner sidelines until 1988, led OU to three national championships (1974, 1975, 1985), 12 conference championships and an 84% winning percentage.

Before OU plays at Tulsa this weekend — the Sooners’ third game of the season — The Oklahoman caught up with Switzer to look back at OU’s 1973 season opener at Baylor, Switzer’s first game as head coach. The Sooners didn’t quite hang half a hundred on the Bears, but close enough. OU trounced Baylor 42-14.

It was a coronation of sorts. The King was crowned, and what a reign it would be.

“I just left that game knowing we were gonna be a good football team,” Switzer said.

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Barry Switzer's first game ‘wasn’t much of a contest’ 

Before The Sports Animal’s Al Eschbach began his legendary radio career, Eschbach was covering the Sooners for The Oklahoma Journal. And on the eve of OU’s 1973 season opener, Eschbach was having a drink with Switzer.

“It’s one of the memories I’ll never forget,” Eschbach said, “especially in a hell hole like Temple, Texas.”

The Sooners were staying at a Holiday Inn 35 miles south of Waco. Eschbach remembers Switzer being confident — imagine that — before his debut, but Switzer wasn’t sure if the Sooners were set with Steve Davis at quarterback.

“But I had enough confidence in the people surrounding him, we could protect him until we could find out how well he could do,” Switzer said. “We didn’t have to rely on him to throw the football to win games. We could rely on him to pitch it or hand it off, or run with it, which he could do.”

Davis, it turns out, would be just fine quarterbacking the wishbone offense. Davis, who died in a plane crash 10 years ago, went 32-1-1 as OU’s starting quarterback. Davis’ first win was Switzer’s first win.

Davis ran 17 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. He completed 3-of-6 passes for 39 yards.

Davis was one of three Sooners who crossed the century mark that day. While starting halfback Grant Burget suffered a season-ending injury, star running back Joe Washington had two touchdowns on 113 yards rushing, and junior college transfer Waymon Clark was the surprise breakout, also tallying 113 rushing yards on more than 10 yards per carry at fullback.

“That night, other than Joe Washington, he was probably the best back on the field,” Switzer said of Clark. “He proved he was going to be an outstanding talent for us.”

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Clark, who died in 2014, was dismissed from the team a year later due to disciplinary reasons, and he spent most of his life in and out of jail and mental health facilities.

“He would’ve been an NFL guy,” Eschbach said.

Tinker Owens, a sophomore receiver who did a heck of a lot more blocking than pass catching on that ‘73 team, doesn’t remember much from that Baylor game.

“Wasn’t much of a contest,” Owens said.

What Owens does remember is the stark contrast in personalities from his old head coach, Chuck Fairbanks, to Switzer, who had been on Fairbanks’ staff as offensive coordinator.

“It was almost like he was one of the players,” Owens said. “He was so much different than Chuck Fairbanks, and I love Chuck, but Chuck, he didn’t like to come around much or talk a whole lot other than out on the field. He wasn’t really that social with any of the players. Switzer was obviously the opposite with his personality.”

Eschbach remembers Fairbanks watching practice from a tower, surveying his squad.

“He thought he was Bear Bryant,” Eschbach said.

“I got along fine with Chuck, but Chuck was one of the most intimidating OU football coaches I ever remember, and I’ve been around a lot of them,” Eschbach added.

Meanwhile, Switzer was, and still is, magnetic.

“We’re still close friends today,” Owens said, “and have been since the day he became head coach.”

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Success wasn’t guaranteed for Barry Switzer

It’s easy to look back at Switzer’s first season and take it for granted — he has one of the best winning percentages in college football history, after all — but the Sooners opened the 1973 season on probation for playing an ineligible player the year prior.

Fairbanks had left for the New England Patriots head job, and Switzer wasn’t considered a slam-dunk hire.

“When Barry got the job, as I look back, it wasn’t like a Lincoln Riley taking over, where everybody knew this guy is gonna be a good coach,” said Eschbach, who organized a Sports Animal gathering for Switzer last week in Norman. “I don’t think then people focused as much on the offensive coaches as they do now.

“You could tell with his personality, he was so dynamic, you could tell in that regard he had a chance to be special, but gosh, you look back 50 years now and no one in their right mind would’ve predicted well, yeah, it’s gonna be his third year until he loses a game.”

After demolishing Baylor, the Sooners went to Southern Cal two weeks later and tied the Trojans 7-7 in a game the Sooners dominated yards-wise, but were held back by costly missed field goals.

OU, in Year 1 under Switzer, finished 10-0-1

Like he told the Board of Regents: “We’re gonna win.”

And so the Sooners did under Switzer, all starting with that win in Waco 50 years ago.

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Barry Switzer coaching record

• 83.7%: Among Division-I coaches (minimum 10 years experience), Switzer ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage behind only Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Urban Meyer and George Washington Woodruff.

• 157: Switzer’s 157 wins as Sooner head coach rank second behind Bob Stoops’ 190 wins.

• 11/8/75: Switzer didn’t lose as head coach until Nov. 8, 1975 — late in his third season. Kansas upset the Sooners 23-3.

• 68.6: OU rushing attempts per game in 1973.

• 361.4: OU rushing yards per game in 1973

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football's Barry Switzer reflects on Sooners coaching debut in 1973