1950 Oklahoma Sooners football team

American college football season

1950 Oklahoma Sooners football
Consensus national champion Big 7 champion
Sugar Bowl, L 7–13 vs. Kentucky
Conference	Big Seven Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	10–1 (6–0 Big 7)
Head coach	Bud Wilkinson (4th season)
Captains	Norman McNabb Harry Moore
Home stadium	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Seasons← 1949 1951 →

1950 Big Seven Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Oklahoma $	6	–	0	–	0	10	–	1	–	0
No. 17 Nebraska	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	2	–	1
Missouri	3	–	2	–	1	4	–	5	–	1
Kansas	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	2	–	3	–	1	3	–	6	–	1
Colorado	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	1
Kansas State	0	–	6	–	0	1	–	9	–	1

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1950 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1950 college football season, the 56th season of Sooner football. Led by fourth-year head coach Bud Wilkinson, they played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, and competed in the Big Seven Conference.

The Sooners finished the regular season 10–0 (6–0 in Big 7), and won their fifth consecutive conference championship, and eleventh overall. Both major polls (AP writers, UP coaches) awarded the Sooners with their first national championship at the end of the regular season. They were invited to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year's Day, but were upset 13–7 by the Kentucky Wildcats, halting their winning streak at 32 games.

Five Sooners received All-American honors following the season: Frankie Anderson, Buddy Jones, Leon Heath, and Jim Weatherall. In addition, eight sooners won all conference honors, Anderson, Claude Arnold, Tom Catlin, Heath, Norman McNabb, Harry Moore, Billy Vessels, and Weatherall.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 30	Boston College*	No. 6	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	W 28–0	36,049
October 7	Texas A&M*	No. 5	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	W 34–28	36,586
October 14	vs. No. 4 Texas*	No. 3	Fair Park Dallas, TX (rivalry)	W 14–13	75,959
October 21	Kansas State	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	W 58–0	38,546
October 28	at Iowa State	No. 3	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	W 20–7	16,883
November 4	at Colorado	No. 3	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 27–18	30,001
November 11	at Kansas	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 33–13	37,621
November 18	Missouri	No. 2	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)	W 41–7	46,463
November 25	No. 16 Nebraska	No. 1	Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)	W 49–35	53,066
December 2	at Oklahoma A&M*	No. 1	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK (Bedlam)	W 41–14	28,530
January 1, 1951	vs. No. 7 Kentucky*	No. 1	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	L 7–13	80,206
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	6 (3)	5 (17)	3 (29)	2 (47)	3 (35)	3 (25)	3 (48)	2 (63)	1 (173)	1 (213)

Roster

Game summaries

Texas (Red River Shootout)

Late in the contest, a low punt snap gives Oklahoma the ball at the Texas 11. Billy Vessels dashes around right end for the touchdown while Texas native Jim Weatherall kicks the game-winning extra point for the 14–13 victory. Minutes earlier, Longhorns defensive back Bobby Dillon had returned at interception 50 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Texas lead. Twice during the contest Texas had goal-line scoring opportunities, once stopped by Oklahoma's defense at the one-yard line and another ended with a fumble at the five.

NFL draft

Main article: 1951 NFL draft

The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
1	4	Leon Heath	Back	Washington Redskins
8	95	Clair Mayes	Guard	Chicago Bears
9	107	Nolan Lang	Back	Los Angeles Rams
11	128	Frankie Anderson	End	Detroit Lions
12	229	Ed Lisak	Back	Chicago Bears

References

"Oklahoma choice to grab 32nd grid win". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 1, 1951. p. 4, part 2.
"Kentucky passes upset Oklahoma, 13-7". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 2, 1951. p. 3, part 2.
"2014 Oklahoma Football Records Supplement" (PDF). University of Oklahoma. 2014. pp. 90–5. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
"Oklahoma again humiliates Eagles, 28–0". The Boston Globe. October 1, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners overtake Aggies, 34–28". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 8, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners are later but better than Texas, 14 to 13". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. October 15, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners trounce K-State 58–0 to open title bid". Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle. October 22, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Oklahoma takes Iowa State 20–7". Argus-Leader. October 29, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners set grid record; Win, 27 to 18". The Nebraska State Journal. November 5, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners rip Kansas, 33–13". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 12, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sooners race by Missouri, 41–7". The Montana Standard. November 19, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Oklahoma outscores Nebraska, 49 to 35, for 30th straight triumph". The Baltimore Sun. November 26, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Arnold flips Sooners past battling Aggie club, 41–14as Big Red hits for No. 31". The Chickasha Daily Express. December 3, 1950. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Kentucky wins, 13 to 7, and ends Oklahoma's 31-game victory streak". The Courier-Journal. January 2, 1951. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Palm Beach Post
"1951 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
"Oklahoma Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.

v t e 1950 Oklahoma Sooners football—consensus national champions
Frankie Anderson Claude Arnold Melvin Brown Dick Bowman Tom Catlin Bert Clark J. W. Cole Eddie Crowder Bob Ewbank Leon Heath Buck McPhail John Reddell Billy Vessels Jim Weatherall Head coach: Bud Wilkinson Assistant coaches: Bill Jennings Gomer Jones Pop Ivy

1950 Oklahoma Sooners football—consensus national champions

Head coach: Bud Wilkinson

Assistant coaches: Bill Jennings
Gomer Jones
Pop Ivy

v t e Oklahoma Sooners football
Venues	Boyd Field (1905–1923) Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (1923–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Missouri Nebraska Oklahoma State: Bedlam Series Texas: Red River Rivalry
Culture & lore	T formation Wishbone formation 1971 Nebraska game 2008 Big 12 South 3-way tie controversy 2016 Texas Tech game Oklahoma drill Sooner Schooner RUF/NEKS Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass Boomer and Sooner "Boomer Sooner" Marching band The Kick Play Like a Champion Today
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (AFCA) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Miami (FL) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)

v t e Big Eight Conference football champions
MVIAA	Iowa & Nebraska (1907) Kansas (1908) Missouri (1909) Nebraska (1910) Iowa State & Nebraska (1911) Iowa State & Nebraska (1912) Missouri & Nebraska (1913) Nebraska (1914) Nebraska (1915) Nebraska (1916) Nebraska (1917) Missouri (1919) Oklahoma (1920) Nebraska (1921) Drake & Nebraska (1922) Kansas & Nebraska (1923) Missouri (1924) Missouri (1925) Oklahoma A&M (1926) Missouri (1927)
Big Six	Nebraska (1928) Nebraska (1929) Kansas (1930) Nebraska (1931) Nebraska (1932) Nebraska (1933) Kansas State (1934) Nebraska (1935) Nebraska (1936) Nebraska (1937) Oklahoma (1938) Missouri (1939) Nebraska (1940) Missouri (1941) Missouri (1942) Oklahoma (1943) Oklahoma (1944) Missouri (1945) Kansas & Oklahoma (1946) Kansas & Oklahoma (1947)
Big Seven	Oklahoma (1948) Oklahoma (1949) Oklahoma (1950) Oklahoma (1951) Oklahoma (1952) Oklahoma (1953) Oklahoma (1954) Oklahoma (1955) Oklahoma (1956) Oklahoma (1957) Oklahoma (1958) Oklahoma (1959)
Big Eight	Missouri (1960) Colorado (1961) Oklahoma (1962) Nebraska (1963) Nebraska (1964) Nebraska (1965) Nebraska (1966) Oklahoma (1967) Kansas & Oklahoma (1968) Missouri & Nebraska (1969) Nebraska (1970) Nebraska (1971) Nebraska (1972) Oklahoma (1973) Oklahoma (1974) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1975) Colorado, Oklahoma, & Oklahoma State (1976) Oklahoma (1977) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1978) Oklahoma (1979) Oklahoma (1980) Nebraska (1981) Nebraska (1982) Nebraska (1983) Nebraska & Oklahoma (1984) Oklahoma (1985) Oklahoma (1986) Oklahoma (1987) Nebraska (1988) Colorado (1989) Colorado (1990) Colorado & Nebraska (1991) Nebraska (1992) Nebraska (1993) Nebraska (1994) Nebraska (1995)
National championships in bold

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