The 1984 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in the

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

1984 NCAA Division I-A season. Oklahoma Sooners football participated in the former Big Eight Conference at that time and played its home games in

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football tea ...

where it has played its home games since 1923. The team posted a 9–2–1 overall record and a 6–1 conference record to earn a share of the Conference title under

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Barry Switzer Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...

who took the helm in 1973. This was Switzer's ninth conference title in twelve seasons. The team was led by All-American

Tony Casillas Tony Steven Casillas (born October 26, 1963) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 through 1997. While at the University of Oklahoma he helped win the 1985 NCAA National Championship. He ...

, After winning a share of conference title, it earned a trip to the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

for an appearance against the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-1 ...

. During the season, it faced five ranked opponents (In order, #17 Pitt, #1

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, #1

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, #3

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and #4 Washington). The last three of these opponents finished the season ranked in the top 10. It endured a tie against Texas in the

Red River Shootout The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been renewed annually and uninterrupted since 1929 for a tota ...

, a loss against a 2–5 Kansas Jayhawks team and a bowl game loss to Washington.

Lydell Carr Lydell Maurice Carr (born May 27, 1965) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Phoenix Cardinals. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He ...

led the team in rushing with 688 yards, Danny Bradley led the team in passing with 1095 yards, Derrick Shepard led the team in receiving with 392 yards,

Placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

Tim Lashar Timothy Alan Lashar (born September 5, 1964) is a former placekicker in the National Football League. Early life and high school Lashar was born in Santa Monica, California, and moved several times growing up. He started high school in Barrington ...

led the team in scoring with 68 points, Casillas had 10

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

s, freshman

Brian Bosworth Brian Keith Bosworth (born March 9, 1965), nicknamed "The Boz," is an American former football linebacker and actor who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A two-time Dick Butkus Award winne ...

led the team with 133

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and Gary Lowell posted 4

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s. The defense set a school record that would only be eclipsed by the 1986 team when it allowed only 2.2 yards per rush over the course of the season.

Schedule

Personnel

Season summary

Stanford

Pittsburgh

Baylor

Kansas State

Texas

Iowa State

Kansas

Missouri

Colorado

Nebraska

Oklahoma State

Orange Bowl

Rankings

Awards and honors

* All-American:

, *Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year: Casillas *UPI National Lineman of the Year: Casillas *Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year: Danny Bradley *Big Eight Conference MVP: Danny Bradley

Postseason

NFL draft

The following players were drafted into the National Football League following the season.

References

External links

1984 season
at SoonerStats.com {{Big Eight Conference football champions

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Oklahoma Sooners football seasons Big Eight Conference football champion seasons

Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (forme ...