List of Oklahoma Sooners head football coaches
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma. The team has had 22 head coaches since organized football began in 1895. The Sooners have played in more than 1,200 games in its 121 seasons. In those seasons, nine coaches have led the Sooners to postseason bowl games: Thomas E. Stidham, Jim Tatum, Bud Wilkinson, Gomer Jones, Chuck Fairbanks, Barry Switzer, Gary Gibbs, Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley. Nine coaches have won conference championships with the Sooners: Bennie Owen, Stidham, Dewey Luster, Tatum, Wilkinson, Fairbanks, Switzer, Stoops and Riley. Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops have also won national championships with the Sooners. Stoops is the all-time leader in games coached and won, Owen is the all-time leader in years coached, while Switzer is the all-time leader in winning percentage. John Harts is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Sooners have had as he lost the only game he coached. John Blake has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game with .353 in his 34 games.
![](../I/OklahomaSooners-TulsaGoldenHurricane-2009-Stoops.jpg.webp)
Of the 22 Sooner coaches, Owen, Lawrence Jones, Tatum, Wilkinson and Switzer have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Wilkinson, Switzer, and Stoops have each received National Coach of the Year honors from at least one organization. The current coach is Lincoln Riley, who replaced Bob Stoops when he stepped down on June 7, 2017.[1]
Key
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Coaches
- Statistics correct as of the end of the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season
# | Picture | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CCs | NCs | National awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John A. Harts | 1895 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
2 | Vernon Parrington | 1897–1900 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | .792 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
3 | Fred Roberts | 1901 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
4 | Mark McMahon | 1902–1903 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 3 | .595 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
5 | Fred Ewing | 1904 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .593 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
6 | Bennie Owen[5]† | 1905–1926 | 192 | 122 | 54 | 16 | .677 | 28 | 20 | 7 | .573 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | |
7 | Adrian Lindsey | 1927–1931 | 44 | 19 | 19 | 6 | .500 | 11 | 12 | 2 | .480 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
8 | Lewie Hardage | 1932–1934 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 4 | .481 | 8 | 6 | 1 | .567 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
9 | Biff Jones[6]† | 1935–1936 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | .583 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
10 | Thomas E. Stidham | 1937–1940 | 38 | 27 | 8 | 3 | .750 | 15 | 4 | 1 | .775 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
11 | Dewey Luster | 1941–1945 | 48 | 27 | 18 | 3 | .594 | 19 | 4 | 2 | .800 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | |
12 | Jim Tatum[7]† | 1946 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
13 | ![]() |
Bud Wilkinson[8]† | 1947–1963 | 178 | 145 | 29 | 4 | .826 | 93 | 9 | 3 | .900 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 – 1950, 1955, 1956 |
AFCA Coach of the Year (1949)[9] |
14 | Gomer Jones | 1964–1965 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 1 | .452 | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | |
15 | Jim Mackenzie | 1966 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
16 | Chuck Fairbanks | 1967–1972 | 68 | 49 | 18 | 1 | .728 | 34 | 8 | 0 | .809 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — | |
17 | Barry Switzer[11]† | 1973–1988 | 190 | 157 | 29 | 4 | .837 | 100 | 11 | 1 | .897 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 3 – 1974, 1975, 1985 | ||
18 | Gary Gibbs | 1989–1994 | 69 | 44 | 23 | 2 | .652 | 26 | 14 | 2 | .643 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | |
19 | Howard Schnellenberger | 1995 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
20 | John Blake | 1996–1998 | 34 | 12 | 22 | — | .353 | 8 | 16 | — | .333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
21 | ![]() |
Bob Stoops | 1999–2016 | 238 | 190 | 48 | — | .798 | 121 | 29 | — | .807 | 9 | 9 | — | 10 | 1 – 2000 |
AFCA Coach of the Year (2000)[9]
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2000)[13] |
22 | ![]() |
Lincoln Riley | 2017–Present | 53 | 45 | 8 | — | .849 | 30 | 5 | — | .857 | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | — | — |
Notes
- A running total of the number of coaches of the Sooners. Thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is counted only once.
- Oklahoma did not join a conference until 1915.[2]
- Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[3]
- When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[4]
References
- General
- "Football Coaches". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- "OU Football Tradition: Head Coaches". SoonerSports.com. 2009-09-19. Archived from the original on 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- "Oklahoma Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing L.L.C. ISBN 1-58261-699-X. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
- Specific
- http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/19571249/bob-stoops-steps-coach-oklahoma-sooners
- "2009 OU Football Guide". University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- Whiteside, Kelly (2006-08-25). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
- Finder, Chuck (1987-09-06). "Big Plays Help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- "Bennie Owen". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- "Lawrence "Biff" Jones". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- "Jim "Big Jim" Tatum". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- "Bud Wilkinson". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- "AFCA Coach of the Year Award – Past Winners". American Football Coaches Association. 2008-01-15. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- Carter, Bob (2006-10-18). "Oklahoma makes turtle soup". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- "Barry Switzer". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards". Walter Camp Football Foundation, Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- "Bob Stoops". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- "Stoops Named AP National Coach Of The Year". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- "Stoops Presented With Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- "Past Winners". Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award. Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- "Stoops Named Walter Camp's 2003 Coach Of The Year". SoonerSports.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2009-09-26.