Games Aren’t Always “Fair” at the Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma–Texas in 1976

Games Aren’t Always “Fair” at the Cotton Bowl 

1976 Oklahoma – Texas Game

By Denis M. Crawford, College Football Hall of Fame Historian 

With the Red River Rivalry being renewed this weekend at the State Fair of Texas, it is a great 
time to revisit a feud between two Hall of Fame coaches who were giants of the game but 
acted like bratty children having tantrums on the Midway.  

50 years ago this weekend, the Sooners and Longhorns played to a 6-6 tie before a national 
television audience and a sell-out crowd that included President Gerald Ford. This was the 
last match-up of coaches Barry Switzer (OU) and Darrell Royal (UT) and it was the 
culmination of four years of accusations and bickering over tactics, recruiting, and spying. 

The Wishbone

Royal and Texas offensive coordinator Emory Bellard brought the wishbone offense to 
college football in 1968 and rode the unique ground game to the 1969 national 
championship. A former Oklahoma QB under Bud Wilkinson, Royal was sympathetic to OU 
head coach Chuck Fairbanks’ struggles in the early 1970s. Royal allowed Bellard to teach 
young OU assistant Barry Switzer the intricacies of the offense. While unorthodox, Royal 
did this to help his friend Fairbanks keep the OU job.  

No good deed goes unpunished, however. Fairbanks left Norman for the NFL in 1972, and 
Switzer was promoted to the top job. Switzer and OU perfected the wishbone, winning 
back-to-back national championships and five straight games against Texas, often by 
overwhelming scores. The Sooner success ate away at Royal’s stomach like a plate full of 
cheese curds, especially the 1973 loss. OU had a 35-6 fourth quarter lead and kept pouring 
it on for a 52-13 result. Switzer claimed he did not run up the score, but that he also would 
not just put his reserves in for mop-up duty. Royal felt that the one-sided game was the 
result of Switzer’s illegally recruiting players in the state of Texas.  

Probation Over Texas Recruits 

Royal viewed Switzer as a coach who said outlandish things and skirted rules to gain an 
advantage in any way possible. He pointed out the punishment recently handed out to the 
Sooners. Oklahoma was put on probation for altering the transcripts of two Galveston, TX 
recruits to satisfy eligibility requirements. While Royal had run afoul of the NCAA himself at 
Texas in 1962, and although the Sooner transgressions occurred while Fairbanks was 
coach, he claimed Switzer and OU were causing the game to “lose its soul.” Switzer 
countered that Royal just couldn’t compete with OU in recruiting the state of Texas. “Some 
coaches don’t want to coach anymore. They’d rather sit home and listen to guitar pickers.” 
Worse than the illegal recruiting to Royal was his belief that the Sooners were engaged in 
intrigue.  
Spying 

In 1972 the Longhorns were practicing quick kicks (having a QB or RB punt on third down to 
catch an opponent off-guard to change field position). According to ESPN, then Sooner 
defensive coordinator Larry Lacewell had a friend of his pose as a construction worker to 
look at the Longhorns practice at Memorial Stadium, which was undergoing renovations. 
When Royal called for the quick kick, the Sooners recognized the formation and adjusted 
accordingly, blocking the punt for a touchdown in a 27-0 victory. 

Royal publicly went after Switzer and the OU staff for spying. So confident in the accusation 
was Royal, that he offered Switzer $10,000 if he could take and pass a polygraph test. 
Switzer denied the charges adamantly and mocked Royal for his paranoia, saying “it’s 
worth more than ($10,000) to have Royal looking for ghosts.” Royal counted, “I don’t trust 
those sorry bastards on anything.”  

Switzer eventually admitted to spying in his 1990 autobiography Bootlegger’s Boy. Using 
very nuanced language, he stated it was not his staff that spied, but Fairbanks’ staff, 
overlooking the small fact that Switzer was on Fairbanks’ staff! With this as the backdrop, 
Switzer and Royal had to start the game by walking onto the field together with President 
Ford. In one of the most awkward photos in college football history, Switzer and Royal 
stand on opposite sides of the President with the same facial expression as someone who 
had one deep-fried Oreo too many.  

Aftermath 

Royal retired at the end of the 1976 season exhausted with the current state of the game. 
Switzer remained at Oklahoma until 1988, forced to resign among a litany of NCAA 
violations.  
This weekend the Sooners and Longhorns will meet with positioning in the SEC and CFP on 
the line, but even with those heightened stakes, the emotions pale in comparison to the 
1976 meeting, a game that had more drama than any action found at the fair.