Making History

Last fall as students began to attend class and report to the Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center, Oklahoma men's gymnastics head coach Mark Williams had guarded optimism for the 2003 season and back-to-back NCAA titles. He was unsure of a few things. Could his senior class of All-Americans lead? Could his team find the same fire to repeat as they did to win their first? Would the injury bug bite and spoil what many in the sport were predicting?

"We have a lot of work to do if we want to defend our national championship from last year," said Williams after hearing the Sooners took the top ranking in the preseason poll.

The majority of head coaches picked OU over arch-rival Ohio State to defend its national title in the preseason GymInfo poll.

Based on the Sooners' dominating performance in 2003, it should have been a unanimous vote.

William's squad strutted to a perfect season, 26-0, while trailing only three times all year and never after more than three of the six rotations. By running the table, they accomplished a feat only one other school, Ohio State in 1996, has reached in 66 years of NCAA sponsorship.

The records did not stop there.

Oklahoma set the NCAA team scoring record (March 7, Ohio State), only to top it again three weeks later (March 28, MPSF Championships). The Sooners would post the top three NCAA team scores before the 2003 season ended. Getting in on the NCAA record-breaking was Daniel Furney, who set the individual all-around record at 56.350 on March 7, against Ohio State.

OU was the 13th team in NCAA history to repeat a national championship, while also becoming the ninth team to walk off with at least four individual national championships. All totaled, the Sooners claimed five NCAA Championships in 2003, ironic because it marked the program's fifth NCAA Team Championship.

When OU was not setting records, it was winning awards. Williams won NCAA Coach of the Year for the second straight season, giving him a total of six coach of the year awards (conference included) since taking over the program four years ago.

Williams became the first coach in NCAA history to win two titles in his first four years at the helm, while also becoming the second Sooner leader to claim back to back titles (Paul Ziert also did it in 1977-78). He reached 80 and then 90 wins (during NCAA's) faster than any coach in the sport's history.

Since taking over in 2000, Williams has watched the Sooners walk out of the gym triumphant 93 times against 100 career opponents. His winning percentage (93 percent) is tops among active coaches and would rank right up there against any collegiate coach in any sport.

Over the last three seasons the Sooners have won 29 All-America honors. They set a school record with 11 in 2003, while the awards were given to a program-best six individuals each of the last three years.

Like Williams, Furney snagged every award that tumbled his way in 2003. He won the Nissen Emery Award, given to the NCAA's top gymnast, while also claiming the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Year and the all-around championship on the conference and NCAA levels.

"I felt like we went in with the best team and came out with a lot of believers." Coach Mark Williams

Furney tied Olympic and Sooner legend Bart Conner with nine All-America honors, the most in OU history. He also became just the second Sooner, literally minutes after fellow senior Josh Landis achieved the record, to win two individual NCAA Championships in the same season. The fifth Sooner to win the Nissen Award leaves OU with his name and legacy all over the Sooner record book, including ownership of four individual event school records.

"He is one of the top three gymnast of all time at OU," said Williams after the NCAA's, "if not the very best."

This team, which etched itself in stone as one of the best in program's history, broke six of the seven-team scoring records, while also re-writing five of the seven individual records.

Success wasn't achieved only in the gym. OU led the MPSF with six student-athletes on the All-Academic First Team.

With the season now in the rear view mirror, it is no surprise Williams has changed his tune a bit since the fall.

"I felt like we went in with the best team," said Williams, "and came out with a lot of believers."

The team that answered all of its coach's questions in 2003, will enter 2004 with NCAA best winning streaks of 42 overall, 28 on the road and 15 at home as they attempt to set another record. Becoming the first Sooner team in the athletic department's history to win three straight NCAA Championships.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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