OU Unveils White's Heisman Statue

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma honored its fourth and most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Jason White, on Saturday prior to the 51-13 victory against Miami. The OU Athletics Department, in concert with the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, dedicated White's statue in the park just east of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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White's statue joins those of Billy Sims, Steve Owens and Billy Vessels which already overlook the grounds. Jason White was also honored at halftime of the Oklahoma-Miami game. View the video above for footage from the cermony.

White was OU's first quarterback to win the Heisman. Billy Sims (1978), Steve Owens (1969) and Billy Vessels (1952) all ran the ball for the Sooners.

JASON WHITE (2003)

Oklahoma quarterback Jason White capped his return from two serious knee injuries by becoming Oklahoma's fourth Heisman Trophy winner. White, the nation's top-rated passer, led the third-ranked Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game in the Sugar Bowl.

White completed 278 of 451 passes for 3,846 yards, with 40 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. And that's despite missing about six quarters of playing time in the Sooners' blowouts. It's easy to forget that White was one of the few question marks for the Sooners coming into this season. His two previous years ended with knee injuries, robbing him of the speed that was considered a real asset. After recovering from his second knee surgery, White had to fight off a challenge from three other quarterbacks to reclaim his starting spot. That competition lasted through spring practices and was expected to resume during the fall, but coach Bob Stoops ended the doubt by making White his starter. Once in the starting lineup, White flourished.

"He's had one of the greatest years of any quarterback ever," Oklahoma offensive coordinator Chuck Long said. ``It's a great story for anyone. People could learn a lot from his determination."

Year	G-GS	Att	Cmp	Int	Pct	Yds	TD
2000	2-0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
2001*	7-2	113	73	3	64.6	681	5
2002*	2-2	34	20	2	58.8	181	1
2003	14-14	451	278	10	61.6	3,846	40
Totals	25-18	598	371	15	62.5	4,708	46

* Injured during season

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BILLY SIMS (1978)
Billy Sims, a 6-0, 205-pound junior from Hooks, Texas, swept through defenses like a tornado flying across the Oklahoma landscape.

He set a Big Eight single-season rushing record in 1978 with 1,762 yards on 231 carries. Sims led the nation in rushing, averaging more than 7.0 yards per carry. He topped the 200-yard mark in four different games (a school best) during the 1978 season.

Sims led the Sooners to an 11-1 record, Orange Bowl Championship and third-place finish in the final poll. OU opened with a 35-29 win over Stanford and then crushed West Virginia and Rice by a combined score of 118-17. The Sooners rolled over Texas and the first five games of the conference schedule heading into the Nebraska game. Sims ran for 153 yards, but it was not enough as the Sooners fell 17-14.

OU responded by clubbing OSU, 62-7, and then was rematched with the Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl. OU edged Nebraska 31-24 in the second meeting between the top-10 schools.

Sims holds the school record for rushing yards in a season (1,762), most 200-yard games in a season (4) and a career (6). He finished his career with 3,813 yards and stands third on the all-time rushing list.

Year	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	TD
1975	15	95	6.3	2	0	0	0
1976*	3	44	14.6	0	0	0	0
1977	65	406	6.2	6	0	0	0
1978	231	1,762	7.6	20	1	35	1
1979	224	1,506	6.7	22	1	42	1
Totals	538	3,813	7.1	50	2	77	0

* injured and granted additional year of eligibity

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STEVE OWENS (1969)
Steve Owens was a 6-2, 215-pound powerhouse from Miami, Okla., who ravaged defenses from 1967-69, setting four conference records of the day.

OU's workhorse carried the ball 358 times (a Sooner record) in 1969 for 1,523 yards while scoring 23 touchdowns (another school record).

Playing on a 1969 squad that had been hurt badly by graduation in 1968, Owens carried the load for the Sooner offense. Owens had two 200-yard plus games while leading the Sooners to a 6-4 season. Spurred by Owen's effort, OU averaged 28.5 points a game in 1969.

The great career of Steve Owens left its mark on the OU record book. Owens holds five Sooner records. He is the school's all-time leading scorer with 56 touchdowns during his career. Owens holds the record for the most carries in a game (55) and career (905). He finished his career with 3,867 yards on the ground, the second most in school history.

Year	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	TD
1967	190	808	4.2	12	2	10	0
1968	357	1,536	4.3	21	10	94	0
1969	358	1,523	4.3	23	4	32	0
Totals	905	3,867	4.3	56	136	77	0

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BILLY VESSELS (1952)
Billy "Curly" Vessels was the man who started it all. The first Sooner to win college football's most prestigious individual achievement award, Vessels led the Sooners to a 26-4-1 record during his tenure. The 1950 Sooners, under the direction of head coach Bud Wilkinson, went 10-1 to give the Sooners their first of seven national championships. A sophomore, Vessels started on the 1950 squad, scoring 15 touchdowns.

But Vessels' most successful individual season came during his senior campaign when he won the Heisman Trophy. Vessels rushed for 1,072 yards on 167 carries and scored 17 touchdowns. Creating a new meaning for the word "versatile," the Cleveland, Okla., slasher was part of every phase of the Sooner offensive attack. Vessels was even a threat from above. "Curly" connected on seven passes for two touchdowns in 1952.

The 1952 Sooners went 8-1-1, finishing fourth in the nation, and won the university's ninth conference title. OU opened with a 21-21 tie with Colorado and then reeled off five straight wins, averaging 46.0 points a game. OU dropped a 27-21 loss to Notre Dame, and then finished strong by sweeping the last three games.

Vessels, one of the first great Sooners, stands as OU's 19th- ranked rusher with 2,085 yards.

Year	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	TD
1950	135	870	6.4	15	11	229	2
1951	27	143	5.3	1	3	-3	1
1952	167	1,072	6.4	17	7	165	1
Totals	329	2,085	6.3	33	21	391	4

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