Oklahoma Remembers Jack Mildren

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- He survived battles with football powerhouses like Nebraska and Texas and weathered a few political skirmishes in Oklahoma government's second-highest office, but Jack Mildren couldn't beat his toughest opponent: stomach cancer.

The former lieutenant governor and pilot of the University of Oklahoma's vaunted wishbone offense died from complications of the disease at an Oklahoma City hospital on Thursday. He was 58.

Mildren was diagnosed two years ago with cancer but had continued to serve as a vice chairman for Arvest Bank and host a daily sports radio show on WKY 930-AM.

"It had gone into remission and then they did tests sometime in the middle of last summer, and unfortunately it came back," his brother, Richard Mildren, said by telephone early Friday. "Then they went through another round of chemotherapy and that didn't work. He went to (University of Texas) M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and I don't know what became of that.

Mildren Feature | Highlights (Silent) | Birth of the Wishbone | 1971 Highlights |

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"He kind of just didn't make through the day, you know? He was going through a bad time. It didn't look good for the home team," his brother said.

Legislators at the state Capitol observed a moment of silence for Mildren, a Democrat who walked the halls there in the 1990s. Mildren was elected lieutenant governor in 1990 and decided to run for governor, drawing Republican Frank Keating and independent Wes Watkins as opponents in 1994. Keating was the eventual winner.

Mildren came to Oklahoma from Abilene, Texas, where he set passing records at Cooper High School. After a record-setting sophomore year, the Sooners got off to a sluggish start during his junior year in 1970, prompting coach Chuck Fairbanks to switch to the wishbone offense.

The Sooners racked up 5,196 yards on 813 rushes the following year, finishing 11-1 by defeating Auburn in the Sugar Bowl.

Oklahoma's only loss came in the so-called "Game of the Century," when top-ranked Nebraska beat the No. 2 Sooners 35-31 despite four touchdowns from Mildren -- two rushing and two passing.

Mildren completed the season with 1,289 yards rushing -- the most in school history for a quarterback -- and 20 touchdowns before being drafted by the Baltimore Colts. He worked in the oil and gas industry before trying his hand at politics.

"He was more than just a great athlete. He was a great political mind, and he will be sorely missed," former state House Speaker Pro Tempore Danny Hilliard told The Oklahoman.

Hilliard, director of government relations for the University of Oklahoma, heard about Mildren's death while he was at the state Capitol on Thursday.

"He called me last month to tell me he wanted me to know he was going through a radical procedure at M.D. Anderson. He was positive and upbeat," Hilliard said.

Although his family had roots in Texas, Richard Mildren said they decided to move to Oklahoma after his brother's successful college career.

"I followed him, then our parents moved up here after that. That's how we became Oklahomans."

Services are pending for Mildren, who is survived by his wife, Janis, three children, two brothers and his mother, Mary, Richard Mildren said.

OU President David Boren

"Jack Mildren represented all of the best qualities that define what it means to be a "Sooner." As an athlete he played with great heart and as a public official he always acted out of a deep love for our state."

OU Head Coach Bob Stoops

"First and foremost, we send our deepest sympathies to Jack's family. For all that he represented to this university and this state, he meant so much more to his loved ones. We want them to know that we are close to them at this difficult time. From the perspective of our football program, Jack was a role model for every young man who wears the Sooner uniform. He was gifted both athletically and intellectually yet was defined by his toughness and fortitude. He found his personal stardom by placing the team first and viewed his academic responsibilities as another opportunity to excel. After graduation he achieved his goals, while remaining loyal to his family and serving others. I don't know how any man could aspire for much more. We will miss him tremendously."

OU Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione

"Jack Mildren was a legendary figure, yet his warmth and humility made him so very personable. That's what makes this loss so heart-breaking. I hope that Janis and the rest of Jack's family, all of whom are in our prayers today, know that while we admired him as a great Sooner athlete, we always valued Jack so much more as a friend.

"The young people that will follow in our program would be wise to look to Jack's memory for inspiration. We will forever hold him up as an example of dedication, selflessness, achievement and the dozens of fine qualities he embodied. He is a model of what it means to be a Sooner and he will always be missed."

Former OU Head Coach Barry Switzer

"Jack's conduct through his illness was one of the most courageous things I've ever witnessed. The way he lived his last years was a testament to the kind of man Jack Mildren was.

"Of course, Jack was the father of the wishbone. He came to us at the perfect time. We could not have accomplished the things we did without him. He helped create the greatest rushing machine in college football. What a complete player, a complete person. He was a runner, a passer and a great leader. We recruited a lot of superstars out of the state of Texas and Jack was the first one."

OU 1974 & 1975 All-American RB Joe Washington

"You know, it's funny that I never played with Jack, but it always felt like I did. I watched him coming up as a high school player and just always felt a kinship with him. I always viewed Jack as sort of a swashbuckler, that daring guy swinging from the ship. He had that chin strap buttoned, but never fitted. I knew he snapped it because those were the rules, but by wearing it loose he made a statement. If it hadn't been a rule, he probably wouldn't have worn a chin strap.

"He was the kind of guy you'd want to be in a fox hole with. He fought to the end, and he approached everything in his life that way. There is always great solace in knowing guys like him are around. There is a comfort in knowing the members of our family. He was always the guy in charge. A lot of guys ran the wishbone, but they didn't have the pizzazz Jack had. He is respected as one of our foremost winners and he is one of those ghosts on the wall. When I was playing, his picture was on the wall and you knew that he was watching to make sure you were doing things the right way."

OU 1971 & 1972 All-American RB Greg Pruitt

"He was the architect of what we did in the wishbone and he set the bar of what Oklahoma expected in a wishbone quarterback. There were guys that were faster and more elusive than Jack, but there were none that were better at running the offense. On most offenses, the toughest guy is the fullback or a lineman, but on our team I think the toughest guy was Jack. We called timeouts some times just so he could get his head cleared. He would do anything to make a play. Jack demanded that you and everyone else approach the game the same way.

"There has been a tradition at OU that you are a great football player on the field and a gentleman off the field. That's what Jack represented. I was shocked when I heard (Jack had passed), but I knew he had an uphill battle. I know he had no regrets. God doesn't make mistakes. We had him for a while. Maybe God was ready to have him now."

Larry Jacobson, Nebraska All-American DT, 1971

"I was saddened by the news. I just remember what a classy guy Jack Mildren was. In the Game of the Century, both teams were as high as we could get, and it's unfortunate somebody had to lose. Even though he had to be disappointed, I remember him coming over and shaking every hand he could on our team. That says a lot about him, and, I think, explains why he went on to do so many good things in life."

Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska 1972 Heisman Winner

"I knew Jack was sick because I interviewed him for my book. He was a tremendous player and a great man. He had great physical abilities and great mental abilities. He was one of the first great option quarterbacks in the country, and we knew he could beat you in so many different ways. In 1971, in the Game of the Century, he killed us with the pass and did absolutely everything he could to beat us.

"He had such great character, and that's what helped him become one of Oklahoma's finest and so successful in the political world. Nebraska and Oklahoma compete with class and mutual respect. To me, that's what sports should be - great competition on the field and great cooperation off the field.

"There always has been and always will be a bond between Nebraska and Oklahoma because both of us pushed each other to greater heights than either one of us could have reached by ourselves. We're great rivals, but we're also great friends. We even root for each other because we know we're in this elite group together. That's why Eric Crouch, Mike Rozier and I were in Oklahoma last weekend to help support Tulsa Sports Charities.

"My heart goes out to Jack Mildren's family and to the entire Oklahoma family. I just want them to know we feel a part of their family, too, and we mourn their loss."

Tom Osborne, Former Nebraska Head Coach & Current A.D.

"Jack Mildren represented the best of qualities in a student athlete. He had talent, drive and integrity and showed great sportsmanship, on and off the field. He played some of his best games against us, and we had nothing but respect for the way he competed and represented himself and his university.

"As a quarterback coach, I spent a lot of time analyzing his decision-making in the film room, and I can understand why he was an Academic All-American and later inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame. I believe Jack was the first Oklahoma player to receive a post-graduate scholarship. To me, his emphasis on academics says a lot about the way he prioritized his life, and it helps explain why he was so successful after football.

"I have always respected Oklahoma football, and it's because of leaders like Jack Mildren. I want his family and the Oklahoma athletic family to know that they will be in our thoughts and prayers this weekend."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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