John Blake had a big personality. Friendly and warm and genuine. If he had any animosity in his bones, no one between Sand Springs and Norman ever saw it.
Maybe that’s how Blake achieved the rarest of football titles: He was a popular losing coach.
Easier to find a single wing offense or capital H goal posts than a losing coach in good standing at a place that cares about football. But that’s what Blake was during his dismal three seasons as the OU head coach.
Blake died Thursday at age 59, and he’s been out of the Oklahoma psyche virtually since his last day on the job in November 1998.