Barry Switzer

Bio

Barry Switzer started football at Crossett High School, then played at the University of Arkansas. He was center, linebacker, and captain of the 1959 team which won the Southwest conference and the Gator Bowl. At Arkansas he played under two famous coaches, Jack Mitchell and Frank Broyles. Switzer spent one year in the U.S. Army, then worked as an assistant coach at Arkansas 1961-65 and Oklahoma 1966-72. He became Oklahoma head coach in 1973. For the period 1972-75 the Sooners had a 37 game unbeaten streak. Seven of those games were in 1972, the rest were in Switzer's time. Switzer's team won three national championships-in 1974, 1975, and 1985. In his 16 seasons as coach, Oklahoma won the Big Eight Conference 12 times. The Sooners were in 13 bowls with an 8-5 record. They scored 6093 points to opponents 2429. This was an average score of 32.1-12.8 per game. When he retired after the 1988 season, his winning percentage, .837, was the fourth highest in history among FBS coaches. He coached the wishbone formation and his teams were annually among the national leaders in scoring, rushing offense, and total offense. Switzer returned to coaching with the Dallas Cowboys. In four years 1994-97 his record was 45-26. His 1995 team won the Super Bowl. Switzer retired again and set up home in Norman, Oklahoma. He volunteered for the Special Olympics, Society to Prevent Blindness, scholarship help for minority students, and various local charities. In 1999, the University of Oklahoma dedicated a new athletic facility and named it the Switzer Center.