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My old friend, OU's legendary football coach Barry Switzer, always used to say, "They only remember November." A reference to the fact that that is the month where championships are decided in conference play. That's when the polls really count and bowl games are earned. But this, truly has been a "September to Remember" in college football here in the state of Oklahoma. Not since 1947 (wow, that was the year I was born!) have our three big football state schools Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa been undefeated going into October. And it really can be said it's the first time it's happened in the modern era when you consider that in '47 OU and TU played only one game in September and OSU two games.
As we head to October all three of our schools are 4-and-0!
OU ends the first full month of the 2008 college football season ranked #1 in all three national polls. The first time the Sooners have held that top spot since the final game of the regular 2003 season.
A strange thing happened this week during my two hours of taking calls and talking to sports fans on 97.1FM The Sports Animal. No one called to talk about OU or OSU football! Not a single call. Not one. Not a Sooner. Not a Cowboy. Every caller talking football only wanted to talk about one team -- the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Al Jerkens, who hosts the show, said in his ten years of working on sports radio, he doesn't ever remember that happening. Ever.
TU Football is the talk of the town. The 3-0 Hurricane, soon to be 4-0 after their scrimmage with Central Arkansas (1-AA) this Saturday night at 6 p.m., currently are in the top five in college football in four major offensive categories. Tulsa is number one in pass efficiency with a rating of 224.75 and ranks second in both passing offense (416.7 yards per game) and total offense (587.3). The Golden Hurricane is also fourth in scoring offense averaging 52.3 points per game.
That's TU -- enrollment 4,174. Not OSU (enrollment 31,800), not OU (enrollment 29,721).
I personally think senior quarterback David Johnson is one of the great individual success stories in college football this season. The 6-3, 220-pound, three-year letter-winner from Portland, Oregon spent three years waiting behind TU's former record-setting quarterback, Paul Smith. Before this season, he had seen limited action in 18 games and the last time he saw any extended time on the field was the season opener against Minnesota -- in 2005!
All he's done in three games as a starter in this his final season is lead TU to a perfect 3-0 record and he is number one in all of college football in passing efficiency, passing yards per game and most points responsible for at 32. He has completed 72% of his passes for 1,219 years and 15 touchdowns.
David is now getting some national attention. Coach Lou Holtz on ESPN's College Football Wrap-Up show gave Johnson a "helmet sticker" after he lit up New Mexico last week for 469-yards completing 24-of-39 passes and six touchdowns. And that was the second week-in-a-row that he had gone over the 400-yard passing mark with six scoring passes!
This is a young man who has earned Conference-USA Academic Medalist honors for three straight years. Has been named to the President's List in five-semesters at TU. He is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His favorite book is the Bible. His favorite sport to watch and play (besides football) is golf. If he could play a role in any movie it would be Kevin Costner in Tin Cup.
It's not just the team and Head Coach Todd Graham and his staff getting all the praise from the Sports Animal callers. The $24-million dollar renovated Chapman Stadium and the rest of the improvements to the facilities on the campus of Tulsa's private University was drawing rave reviews.
Yes, TU is the talk of Tulsa. And it's well deserved. They make us all proud to be Tulsans.
GO TU !
In the Bronx, in New York City, it has always been known as, "The Stadium". It is Yankee Stadium, the first stadium in American sports. That's right, when it was opened in 1923 it was the first sports venue ever called a stadium. It was also the first baseball park built with three decks.This American sports icon, the home of the legendary New York Yankees, hosted its final game on Sunday night, September 21st. "The House That Ruth Built" took its final curtain call after 85 seasons.
In that inaugural season of 1923 the Yankees hosted the first of a record 33 World Series. They hung championship banners after 26 of those. In the first game ever played at "The Stadium" it was Babe Ruth, of course, who hit the first home run.
Next season the Yankees move across 161st street in the Bronx to the new Yankee Stadium.
It was our sales and promotion staff that really got behind the idea of doing our Big 4 College Football Preview show here on our KTUL.com website. Initially, I admit, I was a bit concerned. But now, thanks mostly to our web master, Kevin King, I have become a believer.
The new .com version is by far the best for you fans. Once you are on our website your just type in "big 4" in the key word box and it goes to the front preview page. Here are the game helmets of our Big 4 teams, Oklahoma, Okahoma State, Tulsa and Arkansas. You just click on your favorite team or teams and go right to the information you want.
We built an introduction for each team with a look back at 2007 season hilites and then a look ahead at the 2008 team by the numbers and the season schedule. Next you can click on any of the head shots of coaches and/or players to hear what they have to say about their position, their team and this season.
Some notes from the pre-seson meetings.
Ten of the Big 12 teams return their starting quarterbacks from last season including: OU, OSU, Missouri,Texas, Texas A & M, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado and Baylor. It also should be noted that Nebraska's quarterback, Joe Ganz started the last three games of 2007 for the Cornhuskers.
There will be three new head coaches in the Big 12 this fall-- Bo Pelini (Nebraska); Mike Sherman (Texas A & M) and Art Briles (Baylor).
Five Big 12 teams are ranked in eight pre-season national polls. They include Oklahoma (ranked as high as #3); Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Texas Tech.
The Big 12 has sent eight teams to bowl games in six of the last seven years including 2007.
Oklahoma and Texas have combined to win nine of the last ten Big 12 South Division titles. OU has won a conference best five Big 12 Championships including back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 -- the first time that has ever been done.
All-time the South Division has a 119-to-97 winning advantage vs. the North but the North edged the South last season 10-to-9.
For 2008 the Big 12 returns 167 full-time starters from 2007 --a 59.0 return percentage.
It all adds up to be an exciting 2008 Big 12 Football season and it begins Thursday, August 28th with two games -- Baylor hosting Wake Forest and Iowa State hosting South Dakota.
Be sure to follow our Big 12 College Football features here on New Channel 8 Sports.
Sports Illustrated just recently ranked the top 50 money earning American athletes based on their total on-and-off the field income. Number one, and this should come as no surprise is Tiger Woods. It is estimated that Tiger will earn nearly $112-million this year which makes his sports top money earner for a fourth consecutive year. And his yearly increases in income have ranged from 13% to 15% since this list was first compiled in 2004.
Along with Tiger’s incredible earnings in golf tournaments and appearance fees of $3-million dollars for exhibition events all over the world (a.k.a. Dubai) he is also the king of endorsements with multi-million dollar deals with Nike, General Motors, American Express, etc.,etc.,etc.
Behind Tiger, and this might surprise you given the current state of the sport but it is boxer. Oscar De La Hoya, “The Golden Boy”, is number two on the list at $55-million.
Not only is the Belmont the oldest of the Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby #134 and Preakness #133) but it is the longest at a mile-and-a-half. It's why they call this race, "The Test of the Champion".
In the history of thoroughbred racing there have been 29 all-time Triple Crown bids at the Belmont. Only 11 have completed the sweep of the three classic races, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont stakes in the five week period.
This will be my ninth attempt to cover a triple crown winner. It began for me in 1987 with Alysheba (finished 4th to Bet Twice); 1989 Sunday Silence (2nd to Easy Goer); 1997 SIlver Charm (2nd to Touch Gold); 1998 Real Quiet (2nd to Victory Gallop); 1999 Charismatic (3rd to Lemon Drop Kid); 2002 War Emblem (8th to Sarava); 2003 Funny Cide (3rd to Empire Maker) and 2004 Smarty Jones (2nd to Birdstone).
Now in 2008 we have Big Brown. He has dominated this class of 3-year-old thoroughbreds winning all five of his starts by a combined 40 lengths plus. In the Kentucky Derby he beat 19 with a winning margin of 4 1/4 lengths and in the Preakness he crushed 11 others winning easily by 5 3/4. Not since Whirlaway, the 1941 triple crown winner, has a horse dominated the first two jewels of the Triple Crown like Big Brown.
Among his expected rivals is our "Tulsa Horse", Denis of Cork. He is owned by Bill and Suzanne Warren and ran a fast closing third in the Kentucky Derby. Now he has an extra quarter-of-a-mile at the Belmont.
The biggest challenge of the new shooters is Casino Drive. This colt from Japan got racing experts attention with his impressive victory at Belmont Park in the Peter Pan stake in his American debut.
All the talk about this Japanese invader drew this comment from Big Brown's always confident trainer, Richard Dutrow, "Number one, he looks like a nice horse. Number two, I believe that he can't beat our horse. So all the Japanese people are going to come over here, they thought Godzilla was dead. They're going to find out he's not dead. He's here!"
Horse racing fans everywhere are cheering for a Triple Crown winner. We haven't had one in 30-years since Affirmed in 1978. That's the longest gap ever between Triple Crown winners.
Do I think Big Brown can become the 12th in history to wear the crown? Absolutely. He is clearly the best of this 3-year-old class in 2008. BUT I've been disappointed eight times and I think back to something the late, great Hall of Fame trainer, Woody Stephens, who won five consecutive Belmont Stakes, once told me "In my over 60-years of training thoroughbred race horses I've only found one way to win a race-- and a thousand ways to lose one!"
The Sports of Kings needs someone to once again wear the crown. This just might be the one!
Be sure to follow my special reports on NewsChannel 8 Sports leading up to the June 7th race and then watch the Belmont "Live" right here on ABC!
TU had 161 student-athletes named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll for 2007-2008. Ten TU student-athletes were National Merit Scholars. That's the highest academic recognition among graduating high school students.
Quarterback Paul Smith, now trying to continue his career in the National Football League, earned the Wuerffel Trophy. That's the national award presented to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding athletic and academic achievement.
The Golden Hurricane is also justifiably proud of its athletic achievements. In its three years in Conference USA the University of Tulsa has won more league championships than any other conference school, 14 season or tournament titles in nine sports:
There was the triumph of the winning favorite, Big Brown. The horse that proved his very confident trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. knew what he was talking about when he told all of us earlier in the week that this horse "couldn't lose. I haven't seen any other 3-year-old with my own eyes who can beat him. I guarantee he'll be the favorite."
He was right. Big Brown was the Kentucky Derby favorite. The public believed in him almost as much as his trainer. Although there were some reports that Dutrow himself bet $4,000 to win on his own horse.
Most of us media "experts" were throwing him out for two solid reasons. One - he had only run two races this year, three in his entire life. The last time a thoroughbred won the Kentucky Derby after only three races was 93-years ago, 1915! And there was that #20 post. Only one horse had ever won from the furthest outside post.
What we should have paid more attention to is the fact he won those three races by a combined 29-lengths and had the fastest speed figures of any of the 20 horses in the field. We also should have played more of a hunch bet on his name alone, Big Brown. Named in honor of the United Parcel Service Company "Big Brown" that just happens to have its hub right here in the city of Louisville!
Then, as the race was over and the field was pulling up around the turn, we had the tragedy. The gallant filly, Eight Belles, who finished second to Big Brown by four-and-a-half lengths broke down on the race track. She fractured both front ankles and had to be euthanized on the track. The on-call veterinarian, Dr. Larry Bramlage said, "In all my years of racing, I have never seen this happen."
Before we realized the tragedy we had been celebrating the big effort of Tulsa's horse, Denis of Cork. Suzanne and W.K. Warren, Jr's. thoroughbred came from last to third with a rail skimming ride by last year's Derby winning jockey, Calvin Borel.
Coming into this race we had 20, three-year-old thoroughbreds who had dreams of the Triple Crown. Only twenty from 37,000 registered foals and 450 nominated to the Triple Crown were good enough and lucky enough to make it into the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby. Now there is only one that has a chance at thoroughbred racing's holy grail - sweeping the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in a five week period. It's only happened 11 times in the history of the sport and not since 1978, 30-years ago.
That one is named Big Brown and what he showed on Derby day has many thinking, wishing that maybe this is the year. Maybe this one is the one that can be the sport's 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed.
We'll be in Baltimore in two weeks to see if he can continue on that road to immortality in the Sport of Kings. Right now though we'll have to just appreciate what he did in the Kentucky Derby.
- Money, Money, Money!There’s no denying today that Sports is about Money. Money, Money, Money! Sports today is big business. No, it’s huge business!
- Triple Crown ChallengeThe Sports of Kings needs someone to once again wear the crown. This just might be the one!
- 'True' Student AthletesJust in case you missed it, I wanted to let you know how proud we should all be of the true student-athletes at the University of Tulsa.
- Derby Day WrapHow can an event be so triumphant and so tragic at the same time?
- Run For The RosesWe're back for this 134th running of the Kentucky Derby and glad to have a thoroughbred with Tulsa connections in America's most famous race.
- Salute To The ORU Golden EaglesIt’s time to salute the ORU Golden Eagles men’s basketball team for 2007-2008. The final numbers show a season record of 25-8 including an incredible 16-2 Summit League championship run.
- NCAA Tournament HistoryOn the "Road to the Final Four" the media gets overwhelmed with media guides, press releases, transcriptions of press conferences, etc. One of the most interesting sections I've found searching through these volumes of information is appendix 7 of o
- On The Road To The Final FourFrom Denver, Colorado and the start of our News Channel 8 coverage of the 2008 NCAA College Basketball Championship tournament -'The Road to the Final Four".
- Marriage Or Divorce?Should the Women's championship split away from the Men's tournament and play at a totally different site and on a different week then the Men's championship?
- How 'Bout Them Cowboys?It's time for Athletic Director Mike Holder and OSU's biggest booster, T. Boone Pickens, to stand-up for their coach and show support that is crucial now in recruiting. Sean and these Cowboys deserve that.
- Super Bowl TicketsHere's a sample of what you would have to pay to have a seat inside the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona this Sunday.
- Tip It Up! Finally!Now, it's finally time to talk basketball!
- Ford Award ShowAfter that horrible December ice storm wiped out our planned Ford Award announcment of the area's top high school football player, the show will go on Tuesday, January 15th at 7:30pm here on News Channel 8.
- TU's TurnFollowing OSU's 49-33 Insight Bowl triumph and then the major letdown of OU's beating at the hands of underdog West Virginia, we need a TU win to finish off our bowl season.
- We're Going Bowling!Hello again everyone and welcome to the fourth season of college football.
- Ford Award Time!!It's Ford Award Time at News Channel 8!
- Big Football Weekend AheadHow lucky are we? We have not one - not two - but six championship opportunities with local football teams this weekend.
- Bedlam #102How fierce is this rivalry? Well, consider this. The two school's can't even agree on the won-loss record in the series!
- Thanks Paul Smith!A salute to the 15 senior football players at the University of Tulsa and a special thank you to record setting quarterback, Paul Smith.
- Playoffs? Playoffs? Let's Talk About Playoffs!The high school football season may have started more than two months ago, but the games that really matter start this week.
- Cowboys & Sooners Saturday On 88 is your place for college football this Saturday, November 3rd. Both OSU and OU will be featured by ABC and here on NewsChannel 8.
- Tulsa's Big Stake In The World SeriesThe boys of summer have become the boys of fall and may well be playing as the boys in winter before the end of the 2007 World Series.
- Big 12 Basketball Media DaysCan you believe the college football season is at the halfway point? That can mean only one thing -- basketball is fast approaching.
