American college football season
The 1955 Oklahoma Sooners football team was an
American football team that represented the
University of Oklahoma in the
Big Seven Conference (Big 7) during the
1955 college football season . Led by ninth-year head coach
Bud Wilkinson , the Sooners compiled an 11–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 385 to 60, won the Big 7 and
national championships , and defeated No. 3
Maryland , 20–6, in the
1956 Orange Bowl .
[1] In the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma trailed by six at halftime, and then outscored Maryland, 20–0, in the second half.
[2] Oklahoma's 1955 season was the school's tenth consecutive conference championship and part of a
record-setting 47-game winning streak that lasted from October 10, 1953, through November 9, 1957.
[3]
The Sooners played their home games at
Owen Field in
Norman, Oklahoma .
National championship
In the final
AP Poll released on November 28, 1955, Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 with 3,581 points, more than 300 points ahead of No. 2
Michigan State .
[4] The Sooners also finished with the No. 1 ranking in the final
UPI coaches poll .
[5]
[6] The team was also recognized as the 1955 national champion in rankings and analyses issued by
Berryman (QPRS) ,
Billingsley Report ,
College Football Researchers Association ,
DeVold System ,
Dunkel System ,
Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) ,
Helms Athletic Foundation ,
International News Service ,
Litkenhous ,
National Championship Foundation ,
Poling System ,
Sagarin Ratings , and
Williamson System .
[7] : 113
Honors and statistical leaders
Guard
Bo Bolinger was a consensus first-team pick on the
1955 All-America college football team .
[8]
Halfback
Tommy McDonald led the team with 102 points scored, 715 rushing yards, and 284 passing yards.
[9] McDonald received first-team All-America honors from the
Associated Press .
Three of the coaches and two of the players on the 1955 Sooners were later inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame : coach Wilkinson (inducted 1969);
[10] assistant coach
Gomer Jones (inducted 1978);
[11] Tommy McDonald (inducted 1985);
[12] assistant coach
Pete Elliott (inducted 1994);
[13] and center
Jerry Tubbs (inducted 1996).
[14]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 24 at
North Carolina * No. 3 W 13–626,638
[15]
October 1 No. 12
Pittsburgh * No. 5 W 26–1456,907
[16]
October 8 vs.
Texas * No. 3 W 20–075,504
[17]
October 15
Kansas No. 3 W 44–639,789
[18]
October 22 No. 14
Colorado No. 3
NBC W 56–2157,663
[19]
October 29 at
Kansas State No. 2 W 40–718,263
[20]
November 5 at
Missouri No. 1 W 20–032,289
[21]
November 12
Iowa State No. 1 W 52–046,455
[22]
November 19 at
Nebraska No. 1 W 41–036,576
[23]
November 26
Oklahoma A&M * No. 1 Owen Field Norman, OK (
Bedlam ) W 53–040,182
[24]
January 2, 1956 vs. No. 3
Maryland * No. 1
CBS W 20–676,561
[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from
AP Poll released prior to the game
[25]
Personnel
Players
Bo Bolinger , guard
Bob Burris, back
Gene Cockrell , tackle
Robert Derrick
Carl Dodd
Tom Emerson , tackle
Ed Gray , end
Jimmy Harris , quarterback
Bill Krisher , guard
Tommy McDonald , halback
Joe Mobra , end
Cecil Morris
Dennit Morris , linebacker
Jay O'Neal
Billy Pricer , back
Don Stiller , end/guard
Clendon Thomas , halfback
Jerry Tubbs , center
Coaches
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
AP 2 (32) 3 (10) 5 (12) 3 (13) 3 (21) 3 (29) 2 (53) 2 (54) 1 (115) 1 (103) 1 (114) 1 (218)
After the season
NFL Draft
The following Sooners were selected in the
1955 NFL Draft following the season.
[26]
[27]
References
^
"1955 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
a
b Jimmy Burns (January 3, 1956).
"Oklahoma Takes the Merry Out of Maryland: The Sooners The Better, 20-6: Terrapins Grab 6-0 Lead, Then Lose Their Snap" . The Miami Herald . pp. 1A, 2A – via
Newspapers.com .
^
"Irish snap Sooners' streak, 7-0" . Milwaukee Sentinel . Associated Press. November 17, 1957. p. 1C.
^ Hugh Fullerton Jr. (November 29, 1955).
"Oklahoma Voted Nation's Top Grid Team" . The South Bend Tribune . p. 24 – via
Newspapers.com .
^
"Final UP poll" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). United Press. November 29, 1955. p. 2B.
^ Miller, Norman (December 4, 1956).
"Oklahoma voted grid champion in final AP and UP polls" . Reading Eagle . (Pennsylvania). United Press. p. 23.
^
2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018 .
^
"Football Award Winners" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017 .
^
"1955 Oklahoma Sooners Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
"Bud Wilkinson" . National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
"Gomer Jones" . National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
"Tommy McDonald" . National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
"Pete Elliott" . National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^
"Jerry Tubbs" . National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 4, 2022 .
^ Wayne Bishop (September 25, 1955).
"Third-Ranked Sooners, In Spite Of Carolina Goal Line Defense, Topple Tar Heels, 13-6 In Rough, Tough Second Half Performance" . The Daily Tar Heel . pp. 1, 3 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Jerry Magee (October 2, 1955).
"58,000 See OU Smack Ponderous Pitt 26-14: McDonald Earns Spot With Greats" . The Norman Transcript . pp. 1, 7 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Flem Hall (October 9, 1955).
"Oklahoma Storms Past Longhorns, 20-0" . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . p. II-1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Jerry Magee (October 16, 1955).
"Sooners Slap Kansas 44-6 in Big 7 Opener: Jayhawks Fade After Scoring 1st Touchdown" . The Norman Transcript . p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Jerry Magee (October 23, 1955).
"Sooners Fell Buffaloes In 56-21 Bombardent: Colorado Wilts After Storming Into 14-0 Lead" . The Norman Transcript . p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Dick King (October 30, 1955).
"Relentless Oklahoma Pulverizes K-State" . The Manhattan Mercury . p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^
"Sooners Slap Mizzou 20-0 To Run Longest Winning Streak to 26: 51st Big Seven Victory Features Rough Tackling" . The Norman Transcript . November 6, 1955. p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Jerry Magee (November 13, 1955).
"Big Red Knocks Wind Out of Cyclones 52-0: Long McDonald Run Highlights Scoring Parade" . The Norman Transcript . p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Dick Becker (November 20, 1955).
"Terrifying Sooners, Rip Huskers 41-0, for Title: Bill Glassford's Finale, Tremendous Effort Not Enough for Game N.U." Lincoln Journal and Star . pp. 1B, 2B – via
Newspapers.com .
^ Jerry Magee (November 27, 1955).
"OU Warms Up for Bowl By Chilling A&M 53-0: Sooners Show Confidence With Aerial Attack" . The Norman Transcript . p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com .
^
"1955 OU Football Season Schedule - SoonerStats - Historical scores, records, and stats for Oklahoma Sooners football, basketball, baseball, and softball" .
^
"1955 NFL Draft Listing" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved November 29, 2020 .
^
"Oklahoma Drafted Players/Alumni" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved April 23, 2023 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People
Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1936–1949 1950s 1960s
1960 :
Minnesota (AP, Coaches,
NFF ) /
Ole Miss (FWAA)
1961 :
Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) /
Ohio State (FWAA)
1962 :
USC
1963 :
Texas
1964 :
Alabama (AP, Coaches) /
Arkansas (FWAA) /
Notre Dame (NFF)
1965 :
Alabama (AP, FWAA) /
Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1966 :
Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) /
Michigan State (NFF)
1967 :
USC
1968 :
Ohio State
1969 :
Texas
1970s 1980–1991
MVIAA Big Six Big Seven Big Eight National championships in bold