Daniel J. Brush - University of Oklahoma Football: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports

a ny conversation concerning football at the University of Oklahoma will quickly turn to the numbers. We can recite them by heart seven national championships, 40 conference titles, 142 All-Americans, 47 straight victories, four Heisman winners, and on and on.

The impressive numbers dont necessarily define the program, but they certainly illustrate the achievement and dominance that the Sooners have enjoyed for so many years.

The definition is found then in the peoplethe players, the coaches, the administrators, the support staff, the fans, and many others who have given of themselves so we might enjoy the great OU tradition that exists today. For me, the authors of this bookDaniel J. Brush, David Horne, and Marc CB Maxwellfound a way, through the numbers, to remind us of those people.

Long-time Sooner fans will revel in the flood of memories that flow from these pages. Youll think back to a defining momentthat favorite player, an afternoon next to the radio, or that special day at Owen Field. And the information contained here is so thorough that youll relive those memories many times. We love the greats and the victories they won, but tradition is such a wonderful thing because of what it means to each one of us individually and within our families.

Another group that is sometimes known by its numbers, yet defined by its people, is the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation. We established the foundation in 2000 to assist organizations that help disadvantaged or ill children in the Norman and Oklahoma City areas. Since its inception, the Champions Foundation has contributed more than $700,000 to worthy causes, and has made a profound impact on the lives of many children and their families.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Champions Foundation, and with that money we hope to add more special moments, similar to the ones you have enjoyed with Sooner football, for young people facing significant challenges.

As you thumb through this book, I invite you to do as I did and think back on those who made it all possible. At the same time, be reminded of what you can do to improve the lives of those around you.

If youd like more information on the Bob Stoops Champions Foundation, please contact us at 405-325-2345.

Now, enjoy a great read, and Boomer Sooner!

O ur Sports by the Numbers (SBTN) journey began in the summer of 2006 on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

In the middle of a psychological statistics course taken as a part of our doctoral studies, our professor began a discussion of pi that so intrigued us, we continued it that night as we sat in front of a big screen TV watching ESPN at Rudys Country Store and Bar-B-Q.

Of course, in the most simplistic of definitions, pi is a number that never ends (pi = 3.14159265 )

Our professor made us realize the implications of that statement: In pi, every statistic from every sporting event in the world can be found in the correct sequence in which they occurred.

If that seems like a bold statement, we thought so too. It turns out though, he is right. If you look far enough, at some point in pi you can find any sequence of numbers you want.

So how did that lead us to SBTN? Its pretty simple, really.

We were sitting in front of ESPN, with the scores from all the ball games rolling across the ticker at the bottom of the screen. We had unlimited refills of the best sweet tea in all of Oklahoma at our disposal and some free time. It began as a challenge among three diehard sports fans.

I will give you a number, one of us announced, and you give me a sports story that goes with it.

Pick any sport, and any number, it doesnt matter because just like pi, it never ends. It could have been as much as three or four hours latereven though we were drinking sweet tea we cant say for surebut our game continued long after the game we were watching on the big screen ended.

Some of our most cherished childhood memories came flooding back to us in the middle of our game, and because of that our game soon shifted just a bit.

Pick a number and tell us why it means so much to you. We all nodded in agreement.

That was an easy one for Marc. Seventy, he announced.

It turns out he made a seventy-foot buzzer beater as a freshman in high school to help get his basketball team into the state playoffs. (When he told us, we didnt believe him either! But he later produced footage from Good Morning America of all placesthat backed up his number. Now that was pretty amazing stuff!)

Dan didnt hesitate either. Ninety-eight.

He let us chew on it long enough to realize it was one we should get, but he didnt give us enough time before he exclaimed, The Drive!

His was not a happy ninety-eight, though. John Elway broke his heart when he orchestrated a memorable playoff drive to beat the Cleveland Browns in 1986and Dan is not even from Cleveland. He grew up in Europe in a military family and adopted the Browns as his favorite team. Then, along with his father, he rooted desperately for Cleveland during the playoffs that season.

It was basketball for Marc, football for Dan, but for David it was baseball and Hall of Fame legend Johnny Bench. The catcher for the Cincinnati Reds wore jersey number five. As a kid, David posed for a spring training picture with Bench.

So it was number five for David, and he told of wearing that same jersey number throughout little league, of begging his coaches to let him play catcher, and of listening to Reds games on the radio.