OU Has Storied History in Miami

OU's History in Miami

Top-ranked Oklahoma meets No. 2 Florida in the Fed Ex BCS National Championship Game on Thursday, Jan. 8 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

Daily Coverage | Bowl Central | Fan Primer

Technically, it's not the Orange Bowl, but it feels like OU's familiar post-season stomping ground. Following are some interesting facts and figures regarding OU's history in Miami.

By the Numbers

19 - Times the Sooners have played a bowl game in Miami. Their 18 previous trips have been for the Orange Bowl.

12 - Oklahoma wins in those 18 contests.

5 - Times the Sooners have faced a Florida-based school in Miami for a bowl game.

4 - OU national championship seasons that have concluded with a victory in Miami (1955, '75, '85 and 2000).

3 - Times Miami has hosted the BCS National Championship Game (2001, '05, and '09). The Sooners have been there each time.

1 - Oklahoma is the only program to compete in all five BCS games: the Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls, and the stand-alone national championship game.

Did You Know?

OU's first-ever bowl appearance came in the 1939 Orange Bowl, a 17-0 win vs. Tennessee.

Legendary head coach Bud Wilkinson's last bowl game came in the 1963 Orange Bowl.

Chuck Fairbanks coached his first bowl in the 1968 Orange Bowl, a 26-24 win over the Vols.

Barry Switzer won his first bowl game, and first national championship, with a 14-6 victory over Michigan in the 1976 Orange Bowl.

The 1986 Orange Bowl was Switzer's 154th game as head coach at Oklahoma. Ironically, through 154 games, he and Bud Wilkinson shared the exact same record: 126-4-4 with three national championships.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Technically, the Sooners aren't in the Orange Bowl, but it sure feels like Oklahoma's familiar post-season stomping ground.

The 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship game marks OU's third trip to Dolphin Stadium and its 19th trip to Miami all-time for a bowl game.

Oklahoma is making its fourth appearance in the BCS title game. In fact, each year the BCS Championship has been contested in Miami (2001, '05, '09), OU has been one of the participants.

In 2001, OU claimed the program's seventh national title with a 13-2 victory over Florida State. In all, four of Oklahoma's seven national championship campaigns (1955, '75, '85 and 2000) have concluded with victories in Miami, including each of its last three.

As the Sooners prepare for this year's national championship game, we take a look back at some of OU's most memorable Miami moments from our video archives.

2001 Orange Bowl Highlights
OU finished unbeaten and claimed its seventh national title with a 13-2 shutdown of FSU...

1987 Orange Bowl Highlights
Switzer finally avenged an embarrassing loss to Arkansas with a 42-8 win over the Hogs...

1986 Orange Bowl Highlights
Oklahoma captured its sixth national title with a 25-10 win over Penn State...

1981 Orange Bowl Highlights
OU turned to a foreign weapon, the pass, to notch its third straight Orange Bowl win...

1979 Orange Bowl Highlights
After losing to the Huskers during the regular season, OU won the rematch over its rival...

Sooners on YouTube | OU YouTube Channel
Although not produced by the OU Athletics Department, here are more classic OU bowl moments in Miami:

2001: The Strip & Score vs. Florida State

2001: Orange Bowl by Quarter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

1986: Holieway to Jackson Home Run Ball

1986: Oklahoma vs. Penn State Highlights
1981: Oklahoma vs. Florida State Highlights
1979: The Rematch: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska
1978: Orange Bowl Selects OU-NU Rematch

1976: OU vs. Michigan First Half | Second Half

OU Athletics Video Library | View More
View more great videos in the OU Athletics Video Library. Hundreds of highlights, interviews, special features & more!

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