From Crimson & Cream to Camouflage

NORMAN, Okla. -- Joe McNair knew he would be in uniform come January 2005. After Friday, though, the uniform will be a much different one than the Bartlesville native expected to be wearing.

On Friday afternoon, McNair will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. On Saturday, he will graduate with his bachelor's degree in history. And on Jan. 4, he will report to Fort Sill, Okla., to begin training at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School.

While the uniform of a U.S. Army officer is one he is proud to wear, McNair expected to be in a Sooner track uniform during the second semester, finishing his final two seasons of track eligibility. He had applied for graduate school in adult and higher education, had been accepted and was already enrolled in nine hours.

“I asked for a delay, to extend my report date and complete my athletic eligibility,” McNair explained. “I knew it was a possibility that the request would be denied but I was surprised when I was notified of the decision. I really wanted to run my last season of track but it didn't work out that way. After getting through that and taking care of all the loose ends I had to tie up, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to serve and to fulfill my commitment.

“I had worked hard to get ready to compete and I was looking forward to graduate school. It was an opportunity and I would have been the first in my family to do a graduate degree. I had an understanding that I would probably be told to report in June or July, but it was also a possibility that my request might be denied. After I took a couple of days to process what had happened, I'm ready to do what I need to do,” he continued. “It certainly is going to be a different life than I was planning. I've been a pampered student-athlete for more than four years and that's all I know but I'm ready for the next challenge.”

McNair redshirted in indoor track as a true freshman in January 2001 and then was granted an injury hardship earlier this fall for the 2004 outdoor season. A nagging groin injury occurred before the 2004 indoor season and never fully healed. McNair competed during the indoor season at less than 100 percent, then took some time off during the start of the outdoor season. He ran one leg of the distance medley relay in one race at the Texas Relays in April, and then headed to the sidelines for the rest of the outdoor season.

The only cure for the injury was rest and rehabilitation. McNair committed himself to both, knowing there was the possibility to have a full final year on the track.

“Joe was so diligent in his rehab efforts,” said Anita Clark, an associate trainer at OU and the head trainer for track and field. “He was in here every day for 60-75 minutes and he did everything he needed to do to be able to run. I'm so proud of him for his efforts to get back on the track and for the way he accepted what has happened. Joe is one of those people who understands and respects what a commitment means. He might have been able to get out of this early report date but he told us that it wasn't the right thing to do. We are all so proud of him and the legacy he is leaving.”

That legacy extends beyond doing the right thing. When McNair signed with the Sooners, he was one of the first distance runners from the Oklahoma high school ranks to stay in Oklahoma. Since his arrival, the Sooners have developed a solid distance program, including all-time best team and individual finishes in the Big 12 Championships in cross country over the last three years.

“I suppose I was part of starting something special,” McNair said. “This was an opportunity and some day I will be able to say I was part of reviving the distance program at OU. The success now, though, is as much a reflection of the efforts of the athletes and the coach. It takes someone to start things and I guess I was one of those people.”

“When Joe signed with OU, he broke a trend of outstanding high school distance runners leaving the state,” explained co-head coach Jill Lancaster, a member of the coaching staff since McNair's arrival. “After Joe signed with us, we became an real option for distance runners. Joe helped lay the groundwork and the current athletes and coach Rothoff (Rodney Rothoff, OU's cross country coach) are continuing to add to the story of success.”

While OU's success in distance events is fairly recent history, McNair's Sooner story is a lifelong one. He received a Congressional appointment to West Point. He had the opportunity to run for the Corps of Cadets while earning his degree and his commission. Something brought him back to Oklahoma.

“I am an Oklahoman and this is the University of Oklahoma,” McNair explained. “I was given the opportunity to compete for OU, earn my degree here and participate in the Army ROTC program. It seemed like a way that I could do all the things I wanted to do and still have a life outside of the Army.

“I decided early that running was going to be the best way for me to earn a college degree. Since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be in the Army. My grandfather, uncle and cousin were enlisted men. ROTC at OU gave me the chance to do both.”

Family is important to McNair and his family has had to adjust to the change in plans as well.

“My dad really wasn't surprised when the orders came down but my mom was. Still, they support what I am doing and me. They have always supported me and the decisions I have made about my life.”

Field artillery school lasts 19 weeks, according to McNair. During that time, he will be immersed in training with field artillery, from equipment maintenance to instruction in their actual use. He also will continue his preparation to take over a platoon as an officer. His final orders will tell him what unit he has been assigned to. After graduating from field artillery school, he will report to that unit, wherever that unit is sent, most likely the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colo.

“When I got started with ROTC, it was September 2000, 13 months before the attacks of 9-11. It was a peacetime Army and we weren't involved in any conflicts. Presently, a lot of people have been sent overseas to serve and even more will go. This is definitely more real now than it was even two years ago. I didn't think I would go two years ago but now I know that it is a real possibility.”

McNair says that it has helped having a former Army officer, retired Lt. Colonel Randy Garibay, to talk to throughout the process. Garibay is an assistant director of athletic academic affairs and coordinator of academic services.

“Having Lt. Colonel Garibay to talk to has helped a lot. He understood how important it was for me to finish my athletic career but he also understands the commitment I made. He's a former artillery officer himself and he has been very influential in my life. He understands what this all means, what the reality is.”

It's that reality that McNair expects to hit him when he takes his oath on Friday.

“When you are in ROTC, everything you do each semester is geared toward your commissioning. It's something you do every day, every semester. Tomorrow, I will walk in as a cadet and leave as an officer. I expect taking the oath tomorrow will be more significant than I ever realized it was going to be.”

For future Sooners who might want to follow in his footsteps or boot prints, McNair says balancing academics, athletics and ROTC can be done if a person is committed.

“I have been able to fully participate in practices and ROTC. We worked that out as we went and it can be done. You have to put your full effort into becoming an officer and that also helps you as an athlete. I was able to use some of my leadership training from ROTC while serving as a captain of the cross country and track and field teams. It gave me an opportunity to see how people reacted to my leadership style.

“It's important, though, to understand there are no guarantees. I regret that I won't be able to finish my track and field career but that was always a possibility once I used an indoor and outdoor redshirt. Still, I wouldn't exchange these last four and a half years for anything.”

From Boomer Sooner to Duty, Honor, Country ... Joe McNair is proving that it isn't that long a trip.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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