The Beginning of Another Dynasty? 

by: Justin Waganer

December 17, 2000

With the unbelievable hoopla surrounding the 12-0 season and trip to the Orange Bowl for the National Championship there are many stating that it is the beginning of the 3rd Dynasty in Oklahoma Football.  With all do respect to writers and speakers on this subject I beg to differ.  I agree with the statement that it is the beginning of a dynasty, but I would call it the 4th in OU football history.

For some reason, whether it be a lack of knowledge of his accomplishments or that there was too little organization for the crowning of a champion, when speaking of Oklahoma football lore people forget about Bennie Owen.  Bennie was coach from 1905-1926 and athletic director from 1907-1934, laying the groundwork for one of the most dominant programs in the country.

Bennie, who was 122-54-16 at OU with an average victory of 27-7, came from Bethany College (a school he built into a power) and turned down the job at Pittsburgh University to come to OU for September, October, and November for $900.  Owen learned from one of the greats in college coaching history while playing for Fielding Yost at Kansas and Michigan with the feared hurry-up offense.  

Like Barry Switzer and Bud Wilkinson, Bennie Owen was a innovative offensive mind in a time when football more resembled rugby.   In 1910 rule changes made it where you could run through the opponent's line at any point instead of just up the middle and the forward pass was a legal tool.  At a time when good football teams meant big, strong teams Owen started using smaller, faster players and the rest was offensive football history.  

Oklahoma scored over 100 points 8 times and 50 or more points 31 times during the Owen tenure.  Just as Bud Wilkinson brought the Split-T to Oklahoma and Barry Switzer brought the Wishbone, Owen brought the element of speed and the forward pass to a game that before had required only brute strength.  While none of them invented the offense they ran to success, they were all credited with using it to a degree of success that it hadn't seen before.  Just as the Bob Stoops air attack is attempting to do now.  

During the time Owen was at the top in Oklahoma there were very few media outlets that crowned a national champion and none of them were remotely close to Oklahoma.  However, Owen had a Missouri Valley Championship team in 1920, the school's first championship of any kind.  The Sooners were undefeated in 1911, 1915, 1918, and 1920 under Owen.  

Despite all his successes you might say that the greatest contribution Bennie Owen made to the University of Oklahoma was his foresight in 1920 to raise $340,000 to build a 30,000 (with plans to expand to 52,000) seat stadium in Norman.  The stadium was labeled Memorial Stadium in memoriam of the Oklahomans who died in World War I and the field was later named after Owen himself.  

So now Bob Stoops must play on a field named after Bennie, house his players in a dorm named after Bud, and work out his players in a weight room named after Barry.  It could be the beginning of the 4th Dynasty in Oklahoma football history, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  

Many thought Jim Tatum was the 2nd Dynasty at OU, but left after a year for Maryland and Wilkinson took over.  Then when Jim Mackenzie took over it was thought to be the 3rd Dynasty as was Chuck Fairbanks after him, but it was Switzer who became the "King."  It appears as if Bob will be the leader of the next Dynasty and if he wins on January 3, it will definitely be considered the beginning. 

So if you are a hardcore Sooner fan who loves to talk it up at the water cooler and prove his knowledge throw this around the next time Sooner history comes up.  It's not just Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer that Bob Stoops is chasing for Sooner Supremacy. With a victory on January 3 the lineup is Bennie, Bud, Barry, then Bob.