The 1979 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

in the college football 1979 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 an 11–1 overall record and a 7–0 conference record to earn the Conference title outright 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 seventh conference title and fourth undefeated conference record in seven seasons. The team was led by All-Americans

Billy Sims Billy Ray Sims (born September 18, 1955) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Sims played college football for the Uni ...

and

George Cumby George Edward Cumby (born July 5, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, t ...

. After winning the conference title outright, 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 a bout with

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. During the season, it faced three different ranked opponents (In order, #4

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, #3

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 sout ...

and #4 Florida State). All three of these opponents finished the season ranked. It endured its only defeat of the season against Texas in the Red River Shootout. The Sooners started the season with a four consecutive wins before losing to Texas and then won their remaining seven games. Sims and J.C. Watts both posted for 100-yard games in the Orange Bowl. Sims led the nation in scoring with 138 points (based on per game average of 12.0, which includes 132 in 11 games). Sims led the team in rushing with 1670 yards, Watts led the team in passing with 821 yards,

Freddie Nixon Frederick Lenar Nixon (born September 22, 1958) is an American former footballer who played as a wide receiver for the National Football League (NFL). Biography Nixon was born Frederick Lenar Nixon on September 22, 1958, in Camilla, Georgia, U ...

led the team in receiving with 293 yards, Cumby led the team with 160

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

Bud Hebert Daryl Ray "Bud" Hebert (born October 12, 1956) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New York Giants. He played football and baseball at University of Oklahoma , mottoeng ...

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 ...

set numerous Oklahoma offensive records that still stand including career 200-yard games, single-season rushing touchdowns (tied)

Schedule

Personnel

Season summary

Iowa

Tulsa

at Rice

Colorado

Oklahoma faced its former coach

Chuck Fairbanks Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...

for the first time since his departure following the 1972 season.

vs Texas

at Kansas State

Iowa State

at Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)

Kansas

at Missouri

*Oklahoma's 100th win of the 1970s (

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

only other school to do so)

Nebraska

Orange Bowl (vs Florida State)

Rankings

Awards and honors

* All-American:

, and

, *Big 8 rushing champion: Sims *NCAA DI scoring champion: Sims *Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year: Cumby

1980 NFL Draft

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

References

External links

1979 season
at SoonerStats.com {{Big Eight Conference football champions Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners football seasons Big Eight Conference football champion seasons Orange Bowl champion seasons Oklahoma Sooners football