University of Oklahoma Athletics

Hall of Famers

OU Football History & Tradition

Great players and coaches built the Oklahoma football tradition.OU has placed 24 players and six former coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

College Football Hall of Fame
Player Position Seasons Inducted
Dewey Selmon DL 1972-75 2024
Roy Williams S 1998-2001 2022
Rickey Dixon S 1984-87 2019
Brian Bosworth LB 1984-86 2015
Rod Shoate LB 1972-74 2013
Clendon Thomas RB 1955-57 2011
Tom Brahaney C 1970-72 2007
Joe Washington RB 1972-75 2005
Tony Casillas MG 1982-85 2004
Keith Jackson TE 1984-87 2001
Kurt Burris C 1951-54 2000
Greg Pruitt HB 1970-72 1999
Jerry Tubbs C 1954-56 1996
Billy Sims HB 1975-79 1995
J.D. Roberts G 1951-53 1993
Jim Weatherall T 1948-51 1992
Steve Owens HB 1967-69 1991
Lee Roy Selmon DT 1972-75 1988
Waddy Young E 1936-38 1986
Tommy McDonald HB 1954-56 1985
Jim Owens E 1946-49 1982
Billy Vessels HB 1950-52 1974
Forest Geyer FB 1913-15 1973
Claude Reeds FB 1910-13 1961
Coach Seasons Inducted
Bob Stoops 1999-2016 2021
Barry Switzer 1973-88 2001
Jim Tatum 1946 1984
Bud Wilkinson 1947-63 1969
Lawrence "Biff" Jones 1935-36 1954
Bennie Owen 1905-26 1951

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two players, Tommy McDonald and Lee Roy Selmon, went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tommy McDonald

Wide receiver Tommy McDonald was a third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957. An All-America choice at Oklahoma, he won the Maxwell Award in 1956 as college football's player of the year. During his three years of varsity play at Oklahoma, the Sooners never lost a game.

A six-time Pro Bowl selection (1959-63 and 1966), McDonald played seven seasons with the Eagles (1957-63), one with the Dallas Cowboys (1964), two with the Los Angeles Rams (1965-66), and one each with the Atlanta Falcons (1967) and the Cleveland Browns (1968).

Although he was just 5-9 and 176 pounds, McDonald was extremely durable and missed only three games in his first 11 seasons. He had elusive speed and used his running skills brilliantly after making his catches, finishing his career with an average of 17 yards per catch and 84 touchdowns.

A sure-handed receiver, McDonald had few peers when it came to putting the ball in the end zone. In the years 1958-62, he had 56 touchdown receptions in 63 games, including a 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in the 1960 NFL Championship Game in which the Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-13.

His career ratio of touchdowns-to-receptions is an impressive 1 in 5.9. He also caught at least one pass in 93 consecutive games. Used primarily as a kickoff and punt-return specialist during his rookie season, McDonald ranked sixth all-time in receptions (495), fourth in yards receiving (8,410) and second in touchdown catches (84) when he retired following the 1968 season.

McDonald, who was born in Roy, New Mexico, had an outstanding season in 1961. Not only did he lead the NFL in reception yardage (1,144) and in touchdowns (13), but in a game against the New York Giants he caught seven passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns, which is still an Eagles' single-game best.

Lee Roy Selmon

Lee Roy Selmon, a 6-3, 256-pound consensus All-America in 1975 at the University of Oklahoma, was the first-ever draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise in 1976. The winner of both the Lombardi and Outland trophies as the outstanding college lineman in 1975, the defensive right end immediately established himself at as the leader of the Buccaneers defensive unit that would eventually produce two NFC Central Division championships in the team's first six seasons.

Selmon, who was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, joined his brother Dewey on the first Tampa Bay team. Dewey, a year older, was a second-round draft pick. A defensive tackle/linebacker, he played in Tampa Bay until 1980.

Although he missed six games due to injuries as a rookie, he was named the Bucs' Rookie of the Year and the team's Most Valuable Player. He battled injuries during two of his first three seasons, but starting in 1978 he was named first- or second-team All-Pro five times. He also was also All-NFC choice five times, and was named to six straight Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1985. With four sacks, he was co-Player of the Game in the 1982 Pro Bowl.

Four times the NFL Players Association named Lee Roy the NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and he was a unanimous choice as NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. Selmon was a major factor in the Bucs' first winning season, which was concluded with a 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. Lee Roy had 11 sacks and a career-best 117 tackles that year. He had three sacks in one game four times. A back injury, which forced him to miss the entire 1985 season, brought a premature end to his outstanding career.

Text courtesy Pro Football Hall of Fame

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame

Closer to home, the Sooners have placed 30 former players and four coaches in the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame administered by the Jim Thorpe Association.

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Player Position Seasons Inducted
Ken Mendenhall OL 1966-69 2019
Bill Krisher OL, DL 1954-57 2017
Jason White QB 2001-04 2017
Brian Bosworth LB 1984-86 2016
Leon Heath FB 1946-49 2016
Kurt Burris C, LB 1951-54 2015
Steve Zabel TE, DE, P 1965-69 2015
J.C. Watts QB 1977-80 2014
Jimmy Harris QB 1954-56 2013
Lucious Selmon DT 1971-73 2011
Rick Bryan DT 1980-83 2009
Tony Casillas DT 1982-85 2008
Keith Jackson TE 1984-87 2006
Eddie Crowder HB 1950-52 2003
Jack Jacobs QB 1939-41 2002
Jim Weatherall T 1948-51 2001
Paul Young C 1930-31 2001
Prentice Gautt HB 1957-59 2000
Jerry Tubbs C 1954-56 1999
Jack Mildren QB 1969-71 1998
Greg Pruitt HB 1970-72 1997
J.D.Roberts G 1951-53 1997
Clendon Thomas B 1955-57 1995
Billy Sims HB 1975-79 1994
Joe Washington HB 1972-75 1993
Darrell Royal QB 1946-49 1992
Lee Roy Selmon DT 1972-75 1992
Tommy McDonald B 1954-56 1991
Steve Owens HB 1967-69 1991
Billy Vessels B 1950-52 1989
Coach Seasons Inducted
Bob Stoops 1999-16 2019
Bennie Owen 1905-26 2001
Barry Switzer 1973-88 1990
Bud Wilkinson 1947-63 1986