WHEREAS, Barry Switzer joined the University of Oklahoma football staff as an assistant coach before the 1966 football season, was named offensive coordinator in 1967, and served as the program's 17th Head Coach from 1973 through 1988; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer is tied with Bud Wilkinson for the most national championships in program history, winning titles in 1974, 1975, and 1985; and

WHEREAS, he finished his head coaching career with a 157–29–4 record, good for an .837 winning percentage, the fourth highest among NCAA I–A coaches at the time; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer's teams won twelve Big Eight Conference titles in his sixteen years as head coach and finished with a winning record each season; and

WHEREAS, under his leadership, OU's Wishbone attack produced some of the most prolific rushing offenses in college football history, and Sooner defenses were routinely among the nation's best; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer went undefeated in his first thirty games as head coach, posting a 29–0–1 record; and

WHEREAS, his Sooner teams were ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 5 for one hundred forty-eight weeks and were ranked No. 1 for forty-three weeks; and

WHEREAS, twelve of his sixteen squads finished their season ranked in the AP Top 10, ten finished in the AP Top 5, and nine in the AP Top 3; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer thrived against OU's biggest rivals, posting a 12–5 record as Head Coach against the University of Nebraska, going 9–5–2 versus the University of Texas, and 15–1 against Oklahoma State University; and

WHEREAS, his penchant for knocking off quality opponents was also reflected in his 47–21–4 record against top 20 teams; and

WHEREAS, his 1986 and 1987 football teams led the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer's squads posted a robust 77–10–1 (.886) home record and were nearly as successful in road games, going 63–9–1 for the most true road wins and the best true-road-game winning percentage (.870) in program history; and

WHEREAS, his players earned twenty-eight consensus All–America honors (twelve on offense and sixteen on defense), including 1978 Heisman Trophy-winning running back Billy Sims; and

WHEREAS, he coached OU players to a total of eighteen individual national honors, such as the Butkus and Jim Thorpe Awards and the Outland Trophy; and

WHEREAS, eight of Coach Switzer's players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, he produced ninety-four NFL Draft picks as OU's head coach, including sixteen first-rounders and No. 1 overall selections Lee Roy Selmon in 1976 and Billy Sims in 1980; and

WHEREAS, he served as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 through 1997, posting the best winning percentage in franchise history and leading the 1995 squad to a Super Bowl title; and

WHEREAS, Coach Switzer is one of only three coaches to win a college national championship and a Super Bowl; and

WHEREAS, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, OU's football operations facility at the Gaylord Family—Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was named after him; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his legendary contributions to the OU football program and to the university as a whole, Coach Switzer has been a pillar in the Oklahoma community. He has always heavily involved himself with community service efforts, even in retirement. Chief among the organizations with which he's aligned himself, he has served as an honorary coach for Special Olympics for over forty-five years, and the group's annual Award of Excellence is named after him; and

WHEREAS, now for more than five decades, Sooner Nation has rallied behind Coach Switzer, inspired by his iconic leadership, legendary confidence, and deep loyalty to the University of Oklahoma.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 59TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives recognizes and honors Barry Switzer for his many contributions to the University of Oklahoma and the State of Oklahoma.

THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to Joseph Harroz, Jr., President of the University of Oklahoma.