SPORTS O.U.'s Golden Boys Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice The Sooners head for the Sugar Bowl with the ginger that made them the number two team in the nation hen Oklahoma's `sweet' football school football at Enid in 1941-43 and then squad pair's off against Louisiana spent two years in the navy. State to do battle January 2 in the New Co-captain Jim Owens was one of the Orleans Sugar Bowl, it will be putting its finest downfield blockers on entire squad. consecutive game won record of 20 against He's a rangy senior who stands 6-3 and a team which has shown no inclination to weighs 195 . Owens is married, 22 years old read the form charts . and a veteran of navy duty. Played high- Oklahoma will have more at stake than school ball at Oklahoma City's Classen. vein No. 21 since they will b° trying to Darrell Royal is the man who was sup- retain their throne as Sugar Bowl kings posed to find the shoes of Jack Michell, 49, won last year from the North Carolina too big. His sparkling selection of plays Tarheels, 14-6. dispelled the doubts and played no little Their opposition will have their caps set part in the season's clean sweep. He's 25, to dctrone the kings and add the scalp 5-10, 170 pounds, senior, married, two chil- of still another conference champ. Louisi- dren, and played highschool football at ana State throughout the season stopped Hollis. Royal is Oklahoma's best pass de- Kentucky, Rice, and North Carolina all fense man of modern times. conference champs in their respective areas. Charley Dowell, senior, 21, In fact, it can be readily seen that State 6-1'/z , 186, center, was one of the most stopped both of the Cotton Bowl opponents underrated men on the squad. A and one of the Orange Bowl participants . consistently good team man. He was named Not bad for a team which came out of no- outstanding player of 0 EORGE 'I HOMAS 1946 state high where with a triumph over highly-regarded school all star game. He's from Tulsa and Tulane to cop the host bid to the Sugar attempts for a 6.5 yard average per carry. is majoring in history. Bowl . His four year totals go something like this: Bobby Goad, lightweight end from Mus- But Sooner partisans need not be dis- Rushing-334 attempts for 2,106 yards kogee, tips the scales at 170 but gets his mayed. Leading the Big Red crew into the which averages 6.3 net yards per try. blocking done so neatly that opponents suspect classic will be five All-Americans-Wade Pass Receiving-8 for 117 net yards and him of using explosives . He's 25, 6-1, Walker, tackle; Stan West, guard; Jim 5 touchdown catches included . married and a physical education Owens, end ; major. George Thomas, halfback, Pass interception-6 for 156 yards in and Darrell Royal, quarterback. runbacks. Leon Manley, senior tackle from Hollis, They will also be carrying the defensive Punt Returns-5 for 81 yards. is described as the hardest worker on Okla- homa squad rushing crown for all teams in the U.S . Kickoff Returns-10 for 257 yards. He's 23, 6-2, 207 and married. as well as runnersup for the rushing crown. Thomas' offense adds up to a grand total Dee Andros, senior guard from Okla- Throughout the season O.U. has held its of 2,717 yards. homa City, is short, squat, 210 pounds . opponents to 55 .6 yards per game on the Wade Walker naturally shares in Ranks close to Wade Walker as the squads ground and has gained 320.5 net yards per Thomas' glory. Time and time again Walk- best blocker in close line play. He's 24, 5-10, game via the same route . These figures help er cleared a hole for the Fairland Flash to married. "Little" brother of Plato Andros, demonstrate why Oklahoma successfully help him compile his record . Walker Oklahoma's All-American guard of 1946. defended its Big Seven championship and helped Thomas' predecessors, Joe Golding Buddy Jones, defensive back from Hold- came through the past campaign without a in 1946 and George Brewer in 1947 to enville, has a year's eligibility remaining blemish . similar Big Seven conference individual but will not return following graduation Some of the personalities who will be scoring and yards gained rushing cham- this spring . He's 22, 5-10, married and playing their last game for the University pionships. He's a quiet, thoughtful senior a geology major. He should qualify for deserve more than a casual look. from Gastonia, North Carolina . He's con- Oklahoma's best defensive back of the year. Junior Thomas, a blond, 177-pound sidered Oklahoma's greatest b 1 o c k 1 n g Kenneth Tipps, senior end from Okla- right halfback, has an enviable record to tackle of modern times. Walker is 25, 6-0, homa City, has done conversion kicking for show for his college football years. He 203, married. the Sooners. He's 26, 6-3, 197 and married. broke the conference scoring record by Co-captain Stanley West is described by He's a petroleum engineering major. totaling 117 points. The old record was Harold Keith, '29ba, '39ma, Sooner sports These then are the standout senior per- 97. Thomas led the Big Seven in rushing publicist, as the biggest (236 pounds) and formers . They were the veteran performers for the second straight year. His total for hungriest man on the squad. He's 22, 6-1, who paced the 1949 team. The season rec- 1949 was 859 net yards on a total of 133 business major and married. Played high- ord which they helped compile includes SOONER MAGAZINE (Sooner scores listed first : neighboring states brittle for the ten-gallon 46 Boston College 0 hat. Texas put up a great fight but the 33 Texas Aggies 13 power of the Sooners seemed to go when- 20 Texas 14 ever a touchdown was needed . Against 48 Kansas 26 Missouri the team demonstrated their mid- 48 Nebraska 0 season form and were never seriously 34 Iowa State 7 threatened . 39 Kansas State 0 Santa Clara was a different situation . 27 Missouri 7 The Broncos from the West Coast boasted 28 Santa Clara 21 a fine record of but one defeat and one 41 Oklahoma A .&M. 0 tie. The -,y knew that a bowl bid awaited How did they do it? It must be pretty the outcome of the contest. If they could obvious despite the nomination of 5 Soon stop mighty Oklahoma they were in . And ers for All-American honors that the an- try to stop them they did . Playing inspired swer should be that the victories were ball, the Broncs demonstrated spectacular achieved by squad play . That's the way football while Oklahoma dug in to take Wilkinson calls it and that's the way it the contest away from the only team to was. stop them in two seasons of play . It was In the opener against Boston College, not the greatest game of the season for the Oklahoma was missing the services of Jack Sooners but for sheer thrills for the spec- Michell, Myrle Greathouse and Buddy tators it was probably unsurpassed. It was Burris-all considered great players who Oklahoma's tightest spot, not excepting STAN WEST Texas, and they showed their calibre by winning 28 to 21 . Since they slid not accept, the matter is open for The upcoming Sugar Bowl tussle will all forms of speculation. Fluid Olds, sports editor find two teams playing each other who of the Omaha World Herald, speculated along these use much of the wine tactics. Louisiana lines: State and Oklahoma both are strong rush- "If these No . I and No . 2 teams in the nation were to meet-and what a shame they're not going ing squads who use the forward pass spar- to- we'd be inclined to think a break here or ingly. It may very well prove a battle for there would (IUMIC the winner . supremacy of the two lines. It should also "Since they 'r c not going to settle the argument prove that Oklahoma has more than an on the fichl, were sticking with out notion that imaginary right to consider themselves the the Big Seven kings deserve rating on an equal best in the nation . basis with Notre Dome ." 'I'hat's a brief story on bow the team was ranked . It is apparent why comments on the team were given before a round-up of the All-American se- A New All-America Record lections was made . Throughout the season the ith the sound and fury of another football success of the Big Red depended on its excellent squad play rather than the performance of any. season away individual. However, there were individuals who dying temporarily, football ex-perts from coast to coastandsonicnotso expert the stuff All-Americans are made of and who caught their breath long enough to tell the sports had fan what teams in the final concensus were the greats of 1949 and to choose a varict\ of All- American teams. Probably the poll most Sooner partisans con- sider the most authentic is the team rankings of the Associated Press. For most of the season Notre WADE WALKER Dame, Oklahoma, California and Army stood out as the top four teams . Notre Dame led most of the had graduated .