 Classic SI photo by Damian Strohmeyer |
Ridin' high
Bashful Barry Sanders romped into the record books in 1988, rushing for 2,296 yards and breaking or tying 18 NCAA yardage and scoring records. The Oklahoma State running back's spectacular numbers earned him the Heisman Trophy.
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GREATEST ATHLETES |
Jim Thorpe, Keokuk Falls
Gold medalist in heptathlon and pentathlon at 1912 Olympics; Pro Football Hall of Famer; played in majors for six years.
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Mickey Mantle, Spavinaw
Three-time AL MVP; 536 career homers; 1956 Triple Crown winner with .353 average, 52 homers, 130 RBIs.
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Johnny Bench, Binger
1968 NL Rookie of the Year won two World Series as Reds catcher; earned two MVPs and 10 Gold Gloves in 17 years.
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FLASHBACK |
2001: Sooner Boomers
Near-perfect execution by a crunching defense clinched an unbeaten, untied, unbelievable season for Oklahoma
To other people, the only thing that seemed preordained going into the Orange Bowl, which pitted Oklahoma against heavily favored Florida State in a battle for the national championship, was that the game would be marked by a ton of offense. The 11-1 Seminoles had averaged 42.4 points and a nation's best 549.0 yards per game going into this season finale against the 12-0 Sooners, who had averaged 39.0 and 429.3.
FULL STORY
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SI COVERS |
Norman conquest
The Nov. 18, 1957 issue of Sports Illustrated proclaimed the University of Oklahoma, which was sailing along on a 47-game unbeaten streak and a two-time defending national champion, infallible. The infamous SI jinx felled the Sooners the following week, as host OU lost 7-0 to Notre Dame, ending modern-day college football's greatest streak.
Click here to view a gallery of every Oklahoma cover
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THE SI POLL |
Who do Oklahomans root for? SI asked the Sooner State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
St. Louis Cardinals | 14% |
New York Yankees | 11% |
Texas Rangers | 10% |
Favorite NFL team
Dallas Cowboys | 37% |
Kansas City Chiefs | 7% |
Oakland Raiders | 7% |
Favorite NBA team
Los Angeles Lakers | 15% |
Dallas Mavericks | 14% |
San Antonio Spurs | 7% |
No favorite | 40% |
Favorite NHL team
Dallas Stars | 11% |
No favorite | 62% |
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Favorite pro team
Dallas Cowboys | 28% |
St. Louis Cardinals | 9% |
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
Jim Thorpe | 43% |
Barry Sanders | 16% |
Mickey Mantle | 10% |
Troy Aikman | 5% |
State's biggest rival
Oklahoma-Okla. St. | 79% |
Oklahoma-Texas | 14% |
More a fan of college or pro sports?
College | 44% |
Pro | 31% |
Equal | 25% |
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Favorite sport to play
Fishing | 18% |
Golf | 16% |
Swimming | 16% |
Baseball/softball | 12% |
Hunting | 8% |
Favorite sports to watch on TV**
Summer Olympics | 53% |
Winter Olympics | 50% |
Favorite announcer
John Madden | 23% |
Bob Barry | 8% |
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*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 416 Oklahoma residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/- 5%.
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Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary |
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STATITUDES |
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4 Professional championships won by Muskogee native Gene Conley, the only player to win a World Series championship (as a pitcher with '57 Milwaukee Braves) and an NBA title (three in a row with the Boston Celtics from 1959-61).
6 Oklahoma-born players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Johnny Bench (Oklahoma City), Mickey Mantle (Spavinaw), Negro Leaguer Joe Rogan (Oklahoma City), Willie Stargell (Earlsboro), and brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner (both from Harrah) all hailed from the Sooner State.
7 Golf major championships hosted by Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. No U.S. course -- other than Augusta National, site of the Masters -- has been the site of as many majors since 1958, when Tommy Bolt won the U.S. Open at Southern Hills. The course has been awarded the 89th PGA Championship in 2007, making it the first to host four such events.
12 Number of times Mantle appeared on SI's cover -- nine as a player, and three more after his retirement. The Commerce Comet first graced the June 18, 1956 issue under the coverline "The Year of the Slugger."
17 Consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing games by Oklahoma running back Steve Owens during the 1968 and '69 seasons. Owens shares the NCAA Division 1-A record with Michigan's Tyrone Wheatley (1984-87), Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett (1973-76) and Army's Glen Davis (1943-46).
31 NCAA wrestling titles won by Oklahoma State University, the most ever collected by a school in one sport. The Cowboys have also produced 124 individual national champions.
$250 Amount Jim Thorpe earned per week as the highest-paid player in pro football in 1915. After starring in the 1912 Olympic Games, winning a national collegiate football championship and playing six years of major league baseball, Thorpe led the Canton Bulldogs to unofficial world championships in 1916, 1917 and 1919.
.910 Career winning percentage of Bertha Teague, who coached the Byng High girls' basketball team from 1927 to '69. During those 42 years Oklahoma's "Mrs. Basketball" compiled an astonishing 1,152-115 record.
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ENEMY OF THE STATE |
Mack Brown
Almost every football coach or owner associated with Texas is despised in the Sooner State. (Fourth in the voting was Jimmy Johnson.) Oklahomans' most hated foes: the Texas Longhorns (75%), Nebraska Cornhuskers (11%) and Texas A&M Aggies (4%).
Mack Brown | 21% |
Jerry Jones | 12% |
Darrell Royal | 10% |
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FAST FACTS |
Admission to statehood: Nov. 16, 1907 (46th state)
Area: 69,903 square miles
Bird: Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Capital: Oklahoma City
Economy: Agriculture -- Cattle, wheat, milk, poultry, cotton. Industry -- Transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, food processing.
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Flower: Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)
Nickname: Sooner State
Population: 3,450,654 (27th)
Pro sports teams: None
Major college programs: Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, Tulsa Golden Hurricane
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