Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
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Football
35
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3
University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU to Honor Prentice Gautt, Wear 'Unity' Uniform vs. Kansas
October 12, 2022 | Football
NORMAN — On Saturday against Kansas, the University of Oklahoma football team will debut its new alternate uniform, designed by a group of OU student-athletes to emphasize the importance of togetherness and building relationships to better society. The "Unity" uniform, which has been in the making since 2020, will also honor former running back Prentice Gautt, who was the first Black scholarship football player at OU.
Saturday's uniform will feature anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets, crimson trim and lettering, the word "TOGETHER" sewn on the collar, the word "UNITY" on the back-of-the-jersey nameplate and an outline of the state of Oklahoma amid a triple-stripe on both sleeves.
This past summer, the Kansas game was designated as the 2022 contest the Sooners would wear the new alternate uniform.
One of the suggestions of the student-athlete group — which featured football players Pat Fields, Jeremiah Hall, Creed Humphrey, Caleb Kelly and Chanse Sylvie — was to create a "Unity" uniform for each of OU's varsity sports.
"We wanted to make a statement that was way broader, something that stood out more than just a practice jersey," said Kelly, a former OU linebacker who is now a director for the football team's SOUL Mission program. "When we're all together wearing that 'Sooners,' we're all one. We wanted to make sure we exemplified unity in our uniform."
The student-athlete group also expressed a desire to use the new football uniform to honor the trailblazing Gautt. From Oklahoma City, he arrived at OU in 1956 and starred on Hall of Fame head coach Bud Wilkinson's varsity teams from 1957-59. Gautt was twice an All-Big Eight Conference selection and was an Academic All-American in 1958. He earned his undergraduate degree from OU in 1960 and later earned a doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Missouri. The Orange Bowl Hall of Fame inductee played professionally for the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961 to 1967.
Gautt joined the Big Eight as assistant commissioner in 1979, rising through the ranks to the position of associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. His commitment to student-athlete wellbeing and welfare is reflected by his origination and development of the Big 12's life skills program, which was initiated to assess and encourage services to assist current and former student-athletes in transitioning to life after sports.
Gautt's widow, Sandra Gautt, who lives in Lawrence, Kan., and Gautt's son, Roger, will be recognized on the field Saturday during a first-half timeout.
"We wanted to honor Prentice for being the first African American scholarship football player here," said Kelly. "He stood for unity, he stood for doing things the right way. He stood for making sure that you handled academics and football. He was one of the founding fathers who made Oklahoma football what it is and gave all the African American players who have come through OU that opportunity."
OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione praised the work of the student-athlete group.
"I have so much respect for our current and former student-athletes for their leadership during this process and for how they really wanted to — and continue to want to — make a difference by bringing people together within our university and beyond," said Castiglione. "As an athletics department, we value student-athlete engagement and include their voice in strengthening their experience as well as ways they can positively impact others. In this case especially, we were proud of their efforts and eager to support the endeavor.
"Additionally, I was able to witness firsthand Dr. Prentice Gautt become the leading voice in championing student-athlete welfare across the country with his magnificent leadership in that space. His impact as a young pioneer at OU and as a visionary for student-athlete development and success later in his life blazed a trail that will positively impact lives forever. He left an amazing legacy for all of us to follow."
OU's other varsity sports are slated to wear "Unity" uniforms during their seasons this academic year.
Saturday's uniform will feature anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets, crimson trim and lettering, the word "TOGETHER" sewn on the collar, the word "UNITY" on the back-of-the-jersey nameplate and an outline of the state of Oklahoma amid a triple-stripe on both sleeves.
This past summer, the Kansas game was designated as the 2022 contest the Sooners would wear the new alternate uniform.
One of the suggestions of the student-athlete group — which featured football players Pat Fields, Jeremiah Hall, Creed Humphrey, Caleb Kelly and Chanse Sylvie — was to create a "Unity" uniform for each of OU's varsity sports.
"We wanted to make a statement that was way broader, something that stood out more than just a practice jersey," said Kelly, a former OU linebacker who is now a director for the football team's SOUL Mission program. "When we're all together wearing that 'Sooners,' we're all one. We wanted to make sure we exemplified unity in our uniform."
The student-athlete group also expressed a desire to use the new football uniform to honor the trailblazing Gautt. From Oklahoma City, he arrived at OU in 1956 and starred on Hall of Fame head coach Bud Wilkinson's varsity teams from 1957-59. Gautt was twice an All-Big Eight Conference selection and was an Academic All-American in 1958. He earned his undergraduate degree from OU in 1960 and later earned a doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Missouri. The Orange Bowl Hall of Fame inductee played professionally for the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961 to 1967.
Gautt joined the Big Eight as assistant commissioner in 1979, rising through the ranks to the position of associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. His commitment to student-athlete wellbeing and welfare is reflected by his origination and development of the Big 12's life skills program, which was initiated to assess and encourage services to assist current and former student-athletes in transitioning to life after sports.
Gautt's widow, Sandra Gautt, who lives in Lawrence, Kan., and Gautt's son, Roger, will be recognized on the field Saturday during a first-half timeout.
"We wanted to honor Prentice for being the first African American scholarship football player here," said Kelly. "He stood for unity, he stood for doing things the right way. He stood for making sure that you handled academics and football. He was one of the founding fathers who made Oklahoma football what it is and gave all the African American players who have come through OU that opportunity."
OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione praised the work of the student-athlete group.
"I have so much respect for our current and former student-athletes for their leadership during this process and for how they really wanted to — and continue to want to — make a difference by bringing people together within our university and beyond," said Castiglione. "As an athletics department, we value student-athlete engagement and include their voice in strengthening their experience as well as ways they can positively impact others. In this case especially, we were proud of their efforts and eager to support the endeavor.
"Additionally, I was able to witness firsthand Dr. Prentice Gautt become the leading voice in championing student-athlete welfare across the country with his magnificent leadership in that space. His impact as a young pioneer at OU and as a visionary for student-athlete development and success later in his life blazed a trail that will positively impact lives forever. He left an amazing legacy for all of us to follow."
OU's other varsity sports are slated to wear "Unity" uniforms during their seasons this academic year.
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