But there was a time in the not-that-distant OU gridiron past when the Sooners were better known for recruiting and developing outstanding running backs. That tends to be a natural byproduct of running a wishbone offense — at least Oklahoma’s version of that offense.
In all candor, we could build several Mount Rushmore-like monuments memorializing the great history of Oklahoma running backs, but for this exercise we have narrowed it down to the four that we feel are the best of the best to represent the Crimson and Cream.
The Sooners’ first three Heisman Trophy winners (Billy Vessels in 1952, Steve Owens in 1969 and Billy Sims in 1978) were all running backs.