Archives: February 2009

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Thursday, February 26

Sooner fans took us up on our request to look over the football history and tradition section at SoonerSports.com. In response to their email suggestions, we've updated and expanded several areas including adding recaps for all Big 12 Championship victories. It's a big project considering the Sooners have earned six championships while no other Big 12 team has more than two. Great suggestion and we were more than happy to get it done.

Six OU Big 12 Titles | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2002 | 2000

• From College Football News: "I'm not going to dog Texas too much for the game against an Ohio State that finally played like it was supposed to, and I'm certainly not going to dog Oklahoma for losing the national title in a tight battle with a team like Florida. Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri might not have looked great..."

• Ivan Maisel of ESPN: "For the first time in the 74-year history of the Heisman Trophy, the top three vote-getters return to play another season. Just to enjoy the return of three proven stars, two of them Heisman winners, would be enough. But on top of that, all three are good citizens and great role models..."

Friday, February 20

Eight Sooners: Branndon Braxton, Jon Cooper, Nic Harris, Lendy Holmes, Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson, Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson, are participating in the annual NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

For six days, players are put through a series of drills, tests and interviews with more than 600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers and scouts.

Read NFL.com Bios on Sooner Combine Participants

You can watch drills live on the NFL Network and view complete coverage online via the NFL links below. The 2009 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25-26 in New York City.

2009 Scouting Combine | 2009 Draft | OU in the 2008 Draft

Thursday, February 19

David Bassity from OU Athletics Media Relations provided this football note for Sooner fans. Robert Beck, a Sports Illustrated photographer based in Southern California, was in Norman last December to shoot a feature on OU's offensive line and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Excuse his "UO" reference and enjoy Beck's account of his day spent working with our Sooners:

Beck Finds Great Athlete to Photograph in Oklahoma

Wednesday, February 18

We're asking Sooner fans to take a look through our online football history and tradition section to spot any inconsistencies and let us know. At the same time, please feel free to recommend any new areas that you think we should include in this section.

OU Football History & Tradition | Email Us

The OU Athletics Department is currently renovating the football team locker room at Memorial Stadium. A limited number of authentic, team-used lockers are up for bid in this online auction. An original locker from OU would be the ultimate centerpiece for any Sooner fan's collection, serving as a tangible connection with the Oklahoma football tradition and specifically, OU's dominance over the past 10 seasons (1999-2008).

Authentic Oklahoma Football Lockers Up for Auction

Tuesday, February 17

Sam Bradford accepted the Davey O'Brien Trophy (for the nation's top college quarterback) Monday night at the Fort Worth Club. View plenty of press coverage of the event from Texas and OU media:

• Trae Thompson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford met Joe Theismann for the first time Sunday night, and the two got to talking football. "There's a second when you take a breath and you're kind of like, 'Whoa,' " Bradford admitted. Bradford and Theismann were..."

• Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "The significance of winning the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award didn't hit Sam Bradford until Sunday when he met Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Theismann. "It's pretty crazy," Bradford said. "After my conversation with Joe Theismann, I went..."

• John Hoover of the Tulsa World: "Sam Bradford, this time without a crimson cast over his thumb, can actually take home the Davey O'Brien Trophy. He won it back in December at an awards show in Orlando, but had to give it right back. On Monday, during a banquet at the downtown Fort Worth Club..."

Local and National Headlines for Sooner Football

Monday, February 16

Sooner fans will have several changes to watch during spring ball, including 10 returning players with different jersey numbers. Numbers have also been assigned to newcomers already on campus:

Returner	New Number	Old
Dominique Franks (DB)	No. 1	15
Ryan Reynolds (LB)	No. 4	8
Joseph Ibiloye (DB)	No. 5	41
Ben Sherrard (QB)	No. 10	6
Corey Wilson (WR)	No. 13	11
Lamar Harris (DB)	No. 15	19
Turner Troup (LB)	No. 41	45
Sean Morrison (DS)	No. 58	56
Jarvis Jones (OL)	No. 76	75
James Winchester (DS)	No. 86	46
Newcomer	Number
Drew Allen (QB)	No. 15
Javon Harris (DB)	No. 30
Tom Wort (LB)	No. 42
Jaydan Bird (LB)	No. 55
Ronnell Lewis (LB)	No. 56

• From the Oklahoman: "Not only was former Sooner center Jon Cooper not surprised quarterback Sam Bradford returned for his junior season at Oklahoma, Cooper fully expects Bradford to stay for his senior year, too. "Me and him have gotten to be pretty good friends. He loves it at OU, there was no doubt he was..."

• Tim Griffin of ESPN: "The Sooners had a strong signing day, but an even better one a couple of weeks earlier when Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham and Gerald McCoy, among others, decided to return for the 2009 season. But the Sooners still need to find some playmakers at wide receiver..."

• From Athlon Sports: "Bob Stoops addressed all three levels of his defense. He landed four lineman, four linebackers and five defensive backs. Each level claimed two AC100 prospects. Jamarkus McFarland leads the way and will continue the recent run of super star defensive tackles. Chaisson played great in..."

Local and National Headlines for Sooner Football

Friday, February 13

In football's down time between Signing Day and Spring Ball, here are a few nuggets from across the web. Tim Griffin of ESPN recently selected his "Mount Rushmore" for each Big 12 team, essentially the four biggest names all-time for each conference football program. Can you guess which four represented the Sooners?

ESPN: Oklahoma Football's Mount Rushmore | Big 12 Teams

Previously, ESPN had announced a Mount Rushmore for sports in the state of Oklahoma and one Sooner former coach made the list while six other coaches and players were in the conversation:

ESPN: State of Oklahoma's Sports Mount Rushmore

Mark Schlabach of ESPN also released his early Top 25 for the 2009 football season. It doesn't look too much different from last season with Oklahoma coming in at No. 2 behind Florida and ahead of Texas while Olin Buchanon of Rivals says not to expect much shakeup in the Heisman Trophy race either.

The OU Athletics Department is currently renovating the football team locker room at Memorial Stadium. A limited number of authentic, team-used lockers are up for bid in this online auction. An original locker from OU would be the ultimate centerpiece for any Sooner fan's collection, serving as a tangible connection with the Oklahoma football tradition and specifically, OU's dominance over the past 10 seasons (1999-2008).

Authentic Oklahoma Football Lockers Up for Auction

Thursday, February 12

Coach Stoops announced that OU's Pro Day will be held on March 10. The event provides NFL scouts an opportunity to inspect Oklahoma's pro prospects in Norman. The day is not open to the public but SoonerSports.com will provide complete coverage.

Review: 2008 Pro Day | 2007 Pro Day | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

The NFL extended invitations to its scouting combine to Jon Cooper and Branndon Braxton. That brings the total number of Sooners to eight for the event on February 18-24 in Indianapolis.

2009 Scouting Combine | 2009 Draft | OU in the 2008 Draft

The OU Athletics Department and Head Coach Bob Stoops released the 2009 spring football practice schedule. The Sooners will open spring ball on Tuesday, March 3, and conclude with the annual Spring Game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 11.

2009 Spring Practice Central | 2008 Spring Practice Review

Monday, February 9

• From the Oklahoman: "In an effort to get the best players on the field, Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops said last week he anticipates using third-string running back Mossis Madu in the slot next season. "It'll be one of those cases where we'll have him ready to be," Stoops said. "To some degree, you could..."

• From College Football News: "Everyone in the Big 12 went heavy on the secondary, seeing it as a must after the offensive explosion of this year, but Oklahoma got the best ones of the bunch. Gabe Lynn might be the nation's best corner, and Marcus Trice isn't all that far behind. Javon Harris and Kevin Brent..."

• From Rivals: "He landed two national top-50 prospects with Gabe Lynn and Jamarkus McFarland. Shipp pulled off one of the biggest surprises by landing McFarland. When McFarland and his family first visited Norman, they said they never would be back, but seven months later, they can't stop gushing about the town..."

• From the Associated Press: "Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson carried the ball eight times for 51 yards and scored a third-quarter touchdown that lifted the NFC squad to a 30-21 win over the AFC in the 2009 Pro Bowl Sunday. Peterson got help from Vikings teammate..."

Local and National Headlines for Sooner Football

Friday, February 6

Did you miss our live Signing Day webcast presented by Oklahoma Farm Bureau Insurance on SoonerSports.com? Here's your opportunity to watch host Kenny Mossman, Bob Stoops and the OU coaching staff discuss the 2009 class, provide analysis on signee highlights and preview the upcoming season. Also watch interviews with new Sooner linebackers Jaydan Bird, Ronnell Lewis and Tom Wort only on SoonerSports.com.

2009 Signing Day: Bios, Highlights, Live Webcast Archives

The OU Athletics Department and Head Coach Bob Stoops released the 2009 spring football practice schedule. The Sooners will open spring ball on Tuesday, March 3, and conclude with the annual Spring Game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 11.

2009 Spring Practice Central | 2008 Spring Practice Review

• From Rivals: "The defensive backs the Sooners are bringing in include a physical safety in Kevin Brent, a versatile big corner in Gabe Lynn, four-star cornerback Demontre Hurst and one of the top true cover men and pure athletes in the country in Marcus Trice. Moving up to linebacker, Oklahoma has one of the best..."

• From the San Antonio Express-News: "As for Oklahoma -- well, the Sooners just pointed to the lettering on their jerseys. Tradition, buoyed by OU's recent surge into the BCS national championship game, helped the Sooners land another top-15 class. OU signed 22 players Wednesday..."

• John Hoover of the Tulsa World: "Gabe, I love the athlete he is," Stoops said. "I love how hard he plays. It's exciting to also, as a corner, the length he has. He has really good size. He reminds you out of high school of a guy like (2008 starter) Brian Jackson, who has a lot of length and size to him. And again, a natural corner..."

Local and National Headlines for Sooner Football

Thursday, February 5

• Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman: "Classes were called off Wednesday morning in Dewar. Even dressed out the band for this one. It's not every day one of its own signs a letter of intent to play college football. In fact, never has a native son of Dewar, population 919, signed a letter of intent. Before a standing...

• From the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung: "While three of his teammates held a National Signing Day party at New Braunfels High School, Tom Wort was nowhere to be found. The All-American linebacker was one of five members of Oklahoma's signing class who enrolled early at the university, starting..."

• From the Gwinnett (Ga.) Daily Post: "Way out in Garden City, Kan., Cameron Kenney had a more low-key ceremony when he signed with Oklahoma. It lacked the pomp and circumstance of the local parties, but the eventual destination made the former Dacula standout just as happy, even if it took him a little longer..."

• From the Scranton Times: "Suddenly, there is a 1,410-mile pipeline between Scranton and Norman, Okla. For the second consecutive year, Lackawanna College is sending a football player to the University of Oklahoma. Offensive lineman Jeff Vinson signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday to continue his..."

• From the Las Vegas Sun: "It has been nearly a year since Justin Chaisson decided he wanted to be an Oklahoma Sooner. Bishop Gorman's hulking defensive end made it official Wednesday, signing a letter of intent to continue playing football in Norman, Okla. He committed last January. Chaisson was one of..."

Local and National Headlines for Sooner Football

Wednesday, February 4

Oklahoma inked another outstanding class during National Signing Day on Wednesday. We issued updates from the football fax machine all morning and introduced new linebackers Tom Wort, Ronnell Lewis and Jaydan Bird to the Sooner Nation on our live webcast along with interviews with Coach Stoops and the Sooner coaching staff. If you missed the live webcast, check back tomorrow when we'll post the free segments for viewing online.

2009 Signing Day Central: Signee Highlights & Bios

The OU Athletics Department released the 2009 spring football practice schedule this afternoon. The Sooners will open spring ball on Tuesday, March 3, and conclude with the annual Red/White Game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 11.

In addition to the spring game, Oklahoma will hold two additional scrimmages on Thursday, March 12 and Saturday, March 28. Watch for the complete spring practice schedule online soon.

Tuesday, February 3

We're busy preparing for our coverage of Signing Day 2009 slated to begin at 7 a.m. CT on Wednesday. We'll have our laptop stationed next to the fax machine in the OU football office and provide immediate official updates as the letters of intent arrive.

You can also prepare for Wednesday. If you don't already have your All-Access account, sign up now so that you don't miss our live webcast beginning at 8 a.m. Kenny Mossman will host Head Coach Bob Stoops, members of the Sooner coaching staff and special guests plus take an in-depth look at signee highlights at the top of each hour leading up to OU's Signing Day press conference at 3 p.m.

2009 Signing Day Central | Get Your All-Access Account

If you can't be at your computer, sign up for Signing Day text alerts delivered by AT&T and receive immediate updates from the OU football office on any mobile device. Text "OU" to 72645.

AT&T Text Alerts to Any Phone | 2008 Signing Day Review

Monday, February 2

The OU Athletics Department is currently renovating the football team locker room at Memorial Stadium. A limited number of authentic, team-used lockers are up for bid in this online auction. An original locker from OU would be the ultimate centerpiece for any Sooner fan's collection, serving as a tangible connection with the Oklahoma football tradition and specifically, OU's dominance over the past 10 seasons (1999-2008).

Authentic Oklahoma Football Lockers Up for Auction

The NFL extended invitations to its scouting combine to Jon Cooper and Branndon Braxton. That brings the total number of Sooners to eight for the event on February 18-24 in Indianapolis.

2009 Scouting Combine | 2009 Draft | OU in the 2008 Draft

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