After guiding Oklahoma to back-to-back Sugar Bowl wins, Chuck Fairbanks saw a golden opportunity to move to the NFL with the New England Patriots.
Fairbanks hoped he could lure prized offensive coordinator Barry Switzer with him to New England but to no avail, he remained in Norman and was promoted to head coach.
Switzer entered the 1980s with an impeccable resume.
From 1973-1979, Oklahoma dominated their rivals in Texas and Nebraska, won the Big 8 in every one of Switzer’s first seven seasons, and won back-to-back national championships in 1974 and 1975.
The 1980s saw Oklahoma get passed by Nebraska in the early part of the decade and then in the middle part of the decade become the Big 8 power under iconic All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth and was dueling the new power Miami in the decade.
Through it all, Switzer had a bravado and it was on full display leading up to the 1980 contest against rival Nebraska.
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As Oklahoma landed in Lincoln, most Nebraska fans and boosters were confident that the Huskers would get to the Orange Bowl and Oklahoma would be relegated to the Sun Bowl.
Billboards around Lincoln had plastered on them, “Oklahoma loves Tex-Mex.”
Known in Oklahoma lure as “The Taco Bowl,” fueled by the slight of going to the Sun Bowl, Switzer showed up to The Bob Devaney Show taping and gave the Hall of Fame coach a sack of tacos.
Much like how Switzer and Oklahoma did winning seven of eight contests against Nebraska, Oklahoma handled Nebraska a bitter 21-17 loss and a trip to the Sun Bowl against Mississippi State.
Switzer would ask his Sooners in the locker room, in a now infamous quip, “Are there any good Mexican restaurants in Miami?”
While Nebraska was able to catch up with Oklahoma between 1981 to 1983, Switzer engineered the next great Sooners era, personified most by a punishing defense led by two-time Butkus Award-winning linebacker Brian Bosworth, two-time All-American nose tackle Tony Casillas, and All-American defensive end Kevin Murphy.
During their lone defeat to Miami in 1985, Switzer lost starting sophomore quarterback Troy Aikman to a broken ankle and turned to freshman Jamelle Holieway and reverted back to a familiar wishbone offense that steamrolled against Big 8 competition 264 to 46.
In the 1986 Orange Bowl against Penn State that was to decide the national championship, Oklahoma took advantage of a Penn State team that was not ready for the bright lights and had a few tricks up their sleeves, including a deep bomb Holieway connected with future NFL tight end Keith Jackson that secured a third national championship for Switzer.
During this second golden era for Switzer at Oklahoma, the Sooners went 33-3, played for two national championships, winning the 1985 championship, and three more Big 8 conference titles.
Much like how Switzer was the vex for Tom Osborne and Nebraska, 12 of 17 matchups against the Huskers, Switzer’s vex was the Miami Hurricanes who handed Oklahoma all three losses in very high profile games, including the 1988 Orange Bowl that was for the national championship.
Following the 1988 season, the world for Switzer and Oklahoma came crashing down between the solicitation of drugs and illegal payments by boosters.
Switzer’s resignation marked an end of a golden run in Norman, something the Sooners wouldn’t experience again until the Bob Stoops.
In all, Switzer won nearly 84% of his games at Oklahoma, and won 12 Big 8 Conference Championships in 16 seasons, including his three national championships, but it was his charisma, and ability to win the biggest games during the 1980s that place him in our Top 5.
