The 1980 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...

 in the college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 1980 NCAA Division I-A season

1980 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Georgia take its first national title since World War II.The Georgia Bulldogs starred freshman running back Herschel Walker, who made his NCAA debut against Tennessee. Down 15-2 at halftime, Georgia sent in Walker, the third string running back at the...

. Oklahoma Sooners football

Oklahoma Sooners football

The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

 participated in the former Big Eight Conference

Big Eight Conference

The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...

 at that time and played its home games in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma. The official capacity of the stadium, following recent renovations, is 82,112, making it the 16th largest college stadium in the United States and the third...

 where it has played its home games since 1923. The team posted a 10–2 overall record and a 7–0 conference record to earn the Conference title outright under head coach

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...

 Barry Switzer

Barry Switzer

Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...

 who took the helm in 1973. This was Switzer's eighth conference title and fifth undefeated conference record in eight seasons.

The team was led by All-Americans Terry Crouch, and Louis Oubre

Louis Oubre

Louis Byron Oubre III is a former American football guard in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma. Oubre also played for the Miami Dolphins.-External links:*...

, After winning the conference title outright, it earned a trip to the for a rematch with . During the season, it faced four ranked opponents (In order, #3 , #6 North Carolina

1980 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 1980 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A college football season.-Regular season:...

, #4 Nebraska

1980 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 1980 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...

 and #2 Florida State). The last three of these opponents finished the season ranked. It endured two early season losses against and Texas in the Red River Shootout. The Sooners finished the season with a eight consecutive wins.

David Overstreet

David Overstreet

David Arthur Overstreet was a running back in the Canadian Football League and National Football League.A native of Big Sandy, Texas, Overstreet prepped at Big Sandy High School, where one of his teammates was Lovie Smith. Big Sandy won three consecutive Class B state championships 1973-75...

 led the team in rushing with 720 yards, J.C. Watts

J.C. Watts

Julius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th...

 led the team in passing with 1037 yards, Bobby Grayson

Bobby Grayson

Bobby Grayson was an American football player. He was a two-time consensus All-American player who led the Stanford University football team to three consecutive Rose Bowl Games from 1933 to 1935....

 led the team in receiving with 389 yards, Watts led the team in scoring with 108 points, Mike Coats led the team with 126 tackles

Tackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

 and Gary Lowell posted 4 interceptions.
The team set the current school records of 82 points and 875 total yards against Colorado.

Schedule

External links

• 1980 season at SoonerStats.com