Tuesday, 03 December 2024

    Bud Wilkinson

    • Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2024
    • Embed from Getty Images
    • Sport(s): Football
    • Statistics: 3 NCAA National Championships (1950, 1955 & 1956)
      14 Big Eight Championships (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 & 1962)
      1 AFCA Coach of the Year Award (1949)
      409-136-3 NCAA Record
      6-2 Bowl Record
      9-20 NFL Record
      Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
    • In 1947, Bud Wilkinson did not receive a lot of hype when he was named the head coach at Oklahoma. At only 31, Wilkinson had never been a head coach before, and he was only with the Sooners for one year as an assistant. To say what Wilkinson accomplished next would be a gross understatement.

      The Sooners won the Big Eight in 1947 and rattled off the next 12. Wilkinson led Oklahoma to three National Championships (1950, 1955 & 1956) and was the head coach of a 47-game winning streak (1953-57) that is still a record today. The Sooners also never lost a conference game from 1948 to 1958, another mark that remains a record.

      Wilkinson retired in 1963 and would later go into politics and broadcasting. He made a comeback in the NFL with a two-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals, but Wilkinson did not fare well, and he went back into the broadcasting booth.

      We are proud to nominate Bud Wilkinson for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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