I Remember Bud Wilkinson: Personal Memories and Anecdotes about an Oklahoma Sooners Legend as Told by the People and Players Who Knew Him

by Mike Towle

Boomer Sooner! Bud Wilkinson was one of America’s greatest football coaches. His incredible achievements at the helm of the Oklahoma Sooners set a new benchmark for all college football coaches. During his seventeen years as the Sooners’ head coach, Wilkinson amassed a stellar 145-29-4 record that included winning streaks of 31 and 47 games, three national titles, four undefeated seasons, and thirteen consecutive conference championships. His career .826 winning percentage surpassed that of other coaching legends of the era, including Woody Hayes and Paul “Bear” Bryant. But it wasn’t just the victories and titles that distinguished Wilkinson. The handsome and debonair former star quarterback was well-liked by colleagues, players, and football fans throughout the nation. In addition to his career as a college coach, he worked as a network-television commentator in the sixties and seventies, served as head of the President’s Council on Youth Fitness, made a foray into politics, and briefly returned to coaching in the late seventies with the Saint Louis Cardinals of the National Football League. I Remember Bud Wilkinson offers hundreds of anecdotes and memories of Wilkinson by dozens of people who knew him well, including former players, fellow coaches, television personalities, friends, and many others. These recollections go into the locker room, between the white lines, and behind the scenes to explore and explain what made the multitalented Wilkinson a legend in his own time and beyond.

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002