OU Student-Athlete, Pilot, Hero

Former OU student-athlete Scott Crockett (right) in the cockpit for football's flight to Nebraska on November 6, 2009.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Scott Crockett had completed a degree in education and a year of student teaching, but found himself back on the Oklahoma campus torn between the career for which he had prepared or the pursuit of an MBA. So he did the next logical thing. He became a Marine pilot.

The Norman native, who now resides in Fort Worth, Texas, later re-trained for ground duty and eventually won the Bronze Star while serving in Fallujah, an Iraqi city located 43 miles west of Baghdad. The journey to that destination began on the track.

"It was the fall of '83 and I was back on campus when I bumped into a guy (Carlos Cribbs) I had run against from Baylor," recalled Crockett, who ran the mile and cross country while a student at OU. "He had become a Marine recruiter. As we talked, he asked if I had ever thought of becoming a pilot."

It was a random question to man who had flown just once, at the age of 12, on a family vacation to Washington, D.C.

"I thought it might be interesting so I took the test," Crockett said. It was the district screening test designed to measure the aptitude for becoming a pilot. He scored first out of a class of 120. Crockett entered Officer's Candidate School then flight school and was trained to fly the C130 Hercules, the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide.

From 1984-91, Crockett served in the Marines, including a deployment to Desert Storm. He left full-time service and maintained residence in Miami, Fla., while taking a job with American Airlines in 1992. He still holds that job today as a co-pilot and has already flown the Oklahoma football team to Miami and Nebraska this year. He also has flown other college programs, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

But life as a commercial pilot alone was not in the cards. Semper Fidelis continued to ring in Crockett's mind and he remained "always faithful" to his Marine calling.

When his father, Norman, a former chair of OU's History Department, passed away in 2003, Crockett decided to re-enter the service. Unfortunately, his squadron had just returned from deployment and he was "out of cycle," with his unit. They wouldn't be going back to Iraq for some time.

"If I was going to deploy, it was going to have to be with a ground unit," he said.

At the age of 48, he passed his fitness exam by knocking out 100 crunches in two minutes and finishing a three-mile run in 21:05. Crockett went with the 4th Civil Affairs of the Fifth Marine Division and was assigned to the city of Fallujah.

"We worked to do things like build relationships with civilians, organize city government and get utilities back online," Crockett said. "Suddam Hussein had ignored that area and it was in disrepair. We finished two hospitals, a sub-station for electricity and the main sewer, just a lot of infrastructure."

The duty was not without peril.

"We were attacked several times," he said. "I stopped keeping track of the number of engagements. We didn't lose any, but we had one who was wounded and several other injuries."

For his efforts, he was awarded the Bronze Star. When danger is not imminent, football is a favorite past time for those who such serious work. The games were often shown in the chow hall and Crockett said it was one of the few times when any division in loyalties was noticeable among the ranks.

"Once the game ends, it's back to one team, one fight," he said. "But the games are so important. You're not worried about getting hurt. It reminds you of family, the holidays and home."

Crockett could have stayed home and still served, but that notion was an affront to his sense of responsibility.

"I wanted to take my turn," he said. "I take great pride in being a Marine and in being a Marine officer. I looked around and said to myself, "This just isn't right."

"You cannot lead if you won't take your turn. I felt I could have an impact with younger people."

Scott Crockett running for the Oklahoma Sooners.

And Crockett grew to adore the next generation.

"This generation grew up faster, but they're bright, fiercely loyal and brave, exactly what you want in a Marine," he said. "They're extremely brave young men."

Crockett is now a Lieutenant Colonel, who has been a maintenance officer with the C130 unit. He plans to take an administrative tour, and next year will be in the zone for command of a squadron. The days as a runner at Norman High School and the University of Oklahoma served as a good entrée into Marine life.

"Nobody wants to get up at five and run eight miles before class," he admits. "The habits of discipline that I got from running track were important and, of course, Marine life has reinforced those things."

Decorated Marine, commercial co-pilot and an OU letter-winner. It's an intriguing resume. But there's more. Crockett patrols the east sideline as a member of the chain gang for Oklahoma's home football games.

"I grew up six blocks from campus so being a Sooner fan has been a part of my whole life," he said. "When you're on the chain gain, though, you've got an impartial job to do. We don't say anything or react. We have to be respectful of the game."

Because he has flown the team, Crockett has gotten to know some of the players. Several have been invited to the cockpit for a more in-depth explanation. It has earned the former Sooner track athlete a measure of recognition. Crockett smiled as he recalled one of those instances.

"I saw Gerald McCoy the other day and he said, "Hey, aren't you my pilot?"

Indeed he is, Gerald. And a fellow Sooner. And our defender.

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