1971 OU vs USC Game to Air on Sooner Network

NORMAN, Okla. -- This may be an open date for the Oklahoma football team, but there will be a Sooner football broadcast nonetheless. The Oklahoma Historical Society in association with Sooner Sports Properties will broadcast the University of Southern California at Oklahoma game from Oct. 2, 1971.

The game will be broadcast on the Sooner Sports Network Saturday, Sept. 25 beginning at noon. It is being offered to all the radio stations affiliated with the Sooner Network. The network flagship stations in Oklahoma City, KOKC AM-1520, and in Tulsa, AM-1170 KFAQ, will carry the broadcast. Most of the other affiliate stations are expected to also carry the broadcast.

“We are really excited to partner with the Oklahoma Historical Society to present this great classic football game,” said Sooner Sports Properties General Manager Eric Barnhart. “This game captures the excitement of the first year of the wishbone offense led by quarterback Jack Mildren and running back Greg Pruitt.

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“This game is of special interest because of the current ranking with USC No.1 in the nation and Oklahoma ranked No. 2.”

The game comes from the collection of radio broadcasts donated to the Oklahoma Historical Society this summer by veteran play-by-play announcer Bob Barry.

“The Oklahoma Historical Society is extremely pleased that the network asked us to provide one of the games Bob Barry donated to us for broadcast. This is one of the ways we are reaching out to Oklahomans throughout our state to let people know what we are doing to make our state's history come alive,” said Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Oklahoma won the game 33-20. Priutt rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns, while Mildren rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown.

A total of three All-Americans were playing for the Sooners that day. In addition to Pruitt and Mildren, center Tom Brahaney were All-Americans. Other All-Big Eight Conference selections in that game included tight end Albert Chandler, offensive guard Ken Jones, defensive end Raymond Hamilton, linebacker Steve Aycock and defensive back John Shelley.

Two other Sooner players in the game were named All-Americans later in their careers in defensive tackles Derland Moore and Lucious Selmon. The game also featured future All-America receiver Lynn Swann for USC.

Barry donated 110 tapes of OU football broadcasts from 1962 to 1971. None of the games have ever been rebroadcast.

Sooner Sports Properties is a division of Learfield Sports.