Barry Switzer

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Barry Switzer
Sport	Football
Born	October 5, 1937 (1937-10-05) (age 70)
Place of birth	Crossett, AR
Career highlights
Overall	40–24 (NFL) 157–29–4 (College)
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Championships
3 National Championships (1974, 1975, 1985) 12 Conference Championships
Awards
1974 Walter Camp Coach of the Year
Playing career
1956-1960	Arkansas
Position	C / LB
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961-1965 1966-1972 1973–1988 1994–1997	Arkansas (assistant) Oklahoma (assistant) Oklahoma Dallas Cowboys
College Football Hall of Fame, 2002 (Bio)

Barry Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former football coach, in the college and professional ranks, between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history,^[1] and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl (the other being his college teammate and rival head coach Jimmy Johnson.^[2])

[edit] Early life and career

Born in Crossett, Arkansas, the son of a bootlegger, Switzer accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas. After graduation, he did a brief stint in the U.S. Army and then returned to Arkansas as an assistant coach. ^[2]

[edit] University of Oklahoma

Following the 1966 season, Switzer moved to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant coach under new Head Coach and good friend Jim Mackenzie, who died of a heart attack following spring practice of 1967. Switzer continued as an assistant under former University of Houston assistant and new Oklahoma Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks.

Switzer quickly made a name for himself by perfecting the Wishbone Offense and developing it into the most prolific rushing offense in college football history. Under Switzer's Wishbone, the Sooners set an NCAA rushing record of 472 yards per game in 1971 and scored over 500 points in two different seasons, 1971 and 1986. [1]

When Fairbanks accepted the position of Head Coach of the New England Patriots following the 1972 season, Switzer was the obvious choice to succeed him.^[2]

Switzer became head coach at Oklahoma in 1973, leading the team to undefeated seasons that year and the next. Oklahoma won national championships in 1974, 1975 and 1985 under Switzer's leadership. The team won or shared in the Big 8 championship every year from 1973 to 1980. During his sixteen years as head coach at Oklahoma, his teams won eight of the thirteen post-season bowls games they played in, and 54 of his players were selected as All-Americans. In 1978 Billy Sims won the Heisman Trophy. Switzer resigned as head coach in 1989 after Oklahoma was placed on probation by the NCAA.^[2] His overall record was 157-29-4.

Switzer was known as an outstanding recruiter of high school talent, particularly in the neighboring state of Texas. However he only managed to beat the University of Texas 9 times in 16 tries and finished with a losing record over 10 years against UT coach Fred Akers. Switzer had a bitter relationship with legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal. Royal (who had dominated the Sooners during most of his tenure) lost to Switzer in their first three meetings. Royal's support of NCAA rules restricting recruiting practices led Switzer to say that some coaches didn't want to work anymore and would rather "listen to guitar pickers" (a perceived reference to Royal's friendship with musician Willie Nelson). Shortly before Switzer and Royal's fourth and final meeting in 1976, Royal blithely accused Switzer's staff of spying on his practices and it dominated the sports news during the week of the game. In the pre-game, the two coaches made a brief appearance with then-president Gerald Ford and neither spoke to the other. The game ended in a 6-6 tie.

Switzer's time at OU ended among a cascade of scandal highlighted by a Sports Illustrated cover with the title "Oklahoma, a sordid story". Switzer was forced to resign and was not sought after by other schools afterward because of the multiple player scandals and NCAA probations he oversaw at OU.

[edit] Dallas Cowboys

Barry Switzer resurfaced in coaching in 1994 with the Dallas Cowboys, owned by Jerry Jones. Switzer stepped in following the sudden departure of Jimmy Johnson, who as head coach had won the previous two Super Bowls. Johnson had clashed with owner Jerry Jones (leading to his departure) and many felt that Switzer was more apt to go along with Jerry's ideas. Switzer was successful with the Cowboys, going 12-4 his first season in 1994 (losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship). In Switzer's second season of 1995, the team went 12–4. Dallas won Super Bowl XXX over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27–17. Switzer resigned as Cowboys' coach after a 6-10 1997 season with a 45–26 career NFL coaching record.^[2]

[edit] After football

Switzer was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.^[1] In 2004, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. Switzer still resides in Norman, Oklahoma.^[2] In August 2007, XMSN added Barry Switzer^[3] as a part of the channel's expanded college sports coverage. On 2007-09-09, Barry Switzer joined the FOX NFL Pregame show.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Switzer Is Honored To Be Inducted". The New York Times. August 10, 2002. Retrieved April 17, 2007
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Barry Switzer". The Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
3. ^ XM Satellite Radio (2007-02-15). "College Football Kicks Off on XM Satellite Radio with the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, and SEC". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.