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. In the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma trailed by six at halftime, and then outscored Maryland, 20–0, in the second half. 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.
| 1955 Oklahoma Sooners football | |
|---|---|
Consensus national champion Big 7 champion Orange Bowl champion | |
Orange Bowl, W 20–6 vs. Maryland | |
| Conference | Big Seven Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 11–0 (6–0 Big 7) |
| Head coach |
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| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Oklahoma $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Sooners played their home games at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | at North Carolina* | No. 3 |
| W 13–6 | 26,638 | ||
| October 1 | No. 12 Pittsburgh* | No. 5 |
| W 26–14 | 55,412–58,000 | ||
| October 8 | vs. Texas* | No. 3 |
| W 20–0 | 75,504 | ||
| October 15 | Kansas | No. 3 |
| W 44–6 | 39,789 | ||
| October 22 | No. 14 Colorado | No. 3 |
| NBC | W 56–21 | 57,663 | |
| October 29 | at Kansas State | No. 2 |
| W 40–7 | 18,263 | ||
| November 5 | at Missouri | No. 1 |
| W 20–0 | 32,289 | ||
| November 12 | Iowa State | No. 1 |
| W 52–0 | 46,455 | ||
| November 19 | at Nebraska | No. 1 |
| W 41–0 | 36,576 | ||
| November 26 | Oklahoma A&M* | No. 1 |
| W 53–0 | 40,182 | ||
| January 2, 1956 | vs. No. 3 Maryland* | No. 1 |
| CBS | W 20–6 | 76,561 | |
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Rankings
| 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) |
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. The Sooners also finished with the No. 1 ranking in the final UPI coaches poll. 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.: 113
Honors and statistical leaders
Guard Bo Bolinger was a consensus first-team pick on the 1955 All-America college football team.
Halfback Tommy McDonald led the team with 102 points scored, 715 rushing yards, and 284 passing yards. 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); assistant coach Gomer Jones (inducted 1978); Tommy McDonald (inducted 1985); assistant coach Pete Elliott (inducted 1994); and center Jerry Tubbs (inducted 1996).
Personnel
Players
- Hugh Ballard, end
- John Bell, end
- Bo Bolinger, guard
- Henry Bonney, guard
- Chuck Bowman, center
- Bill Brown, fullback
- J. Broyles, center
- Bob Burris, back
- Roland Butler, guard
- Steve Champlin, tackle
- Gene Cockrell, tackle
- Bobby Darnell, center
- Billy Davis, guard
- Ernie Day
- Dale DePue, quarterback
- Robert Derrick, halfback
- Wilbur Derrick, end
- Carl Dodd, quarterback
- John Ederer
- Tom Emerson, tackle
- Jerry Fronterhouse, center
- Duane Goff, end
- Ed Gray, end
- Wayne Greenlee, fullback
- Kenneth Hallum, tackle
- Bill Harris, end
- Jimmy Harris, quarterback
- Jim Heard, fullback
- Fred Hood, end
- Doyle Jennings, tackle
- Mickey Johnson
- Charles Joseph, halfback
- Bill Krisher, guard
- Benton Ladd, tackle
- Delbert Long, halfback
- David Loop, end
- Robert Loughridge, tackle
- Bob Martin, end
- Tommy McDonald, halfback
- Gerald McPhail, halfback
- Frank Merkt, halfback
- Joe Mobra, end
- Cecil Morris, guard
- Dennit Morris, linebacker
- Don Nelson, fullback
- Ken Northcutt, guard
- Jay O'Neal, quarterback
- Joseph Oujesky, guard
- Edward Parry, tackle
- Tommy Pearson, end
- Billy Pricer, back
- Billy Rhodes, halfback
- Byron Searcy, tackle
- Dale Sherrod, halfback
- Dan Smith, halfback
- Don Stiller, end/guard
- Bill Sturm, quarterback
- Rodger Taylor, halfback
- Clendon Thomas, halfback
- Bob Timberlake, end
- Jerry Tubbs, center
- Barry West, guard
- Woody Wolverton, center
- Calvin Woodworth, tackle
Coaches
- Head coach: Bud Wilkinson
- Assistant coaches: Pete Elliott, Gomer Jones, Sam Lyle
NFL draft
The following Sooners were selected in the 1955 NFL draft following the season.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 44 | Cecil Morris | Guard | Green Bay Packers |
| 6 | 68 | Bob Burris | Back | Green Bay Packers |
| 13 | 149 | Bo Bolinger | Guard | Chicago Cardinals |
| 20 | 241 | Joe Mobra | End | Cleveland Browns |
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