Woody Lore

[jwlcosu]

In the run-up to this Saturday's OSU vs. Oklahoma game I learned a couple Woody stories I wasn't aware of. These go back to 1977 when Barry Switzer took a #3 ranked Sooner squad to Columbus and left town with a last second win:

Jerry Pettibone [Oklahoma assistant (1972-78)]: It was pandemonium. The week of the game, our managers had put this plan together, that if we won, they were going to run across the field and steal Woody's hat and bring it back to Norman. After the dog pile and all that stuff, I'm trying to find our managers, to see if they were actually going to do it. Then I caught Woody stomping across the field, hot as he could be. The managers started toward him, but saw the look on his face and big-time chickened out. In the locker room, I said, 'You cowards, I thought you were going to get Woody's hat?'

Could you imagine Woody throwing punches on managers before strangling the one with his hat to death? Because that's what would've happened. The managers would've died trying.

Switzer, for as much as he swashbuckled, didn't want any part of the fire-breather, either:

Barry Switzer: Here's what happened. The game was over, everybody was on the field. Next thing I know, I'm walking out there looking for Woody. Right in front of me, Doug Kennon, one of our managers, stuck his arm out, and Woody just back-handed him and knocked him out of the way. I said, 'Hell, I don't want him to forearm me, too. I think I'll just head on over to the locker room.' Woody was a great guy, a great coach. But game day, he had his game face on, and he was all business. But I saw that all happen.

 

[Michchamp]

these days, we'd point out the fact that he obviously suffered from mental illness, and needed psychological help. I think he may have been bipolar. but in those more primitive times they chalked up assaulting other coaches, fans, players to things like "over-competitiveness" or "melacholia" or something like that.

 

[byco42]

^^^^^^ Woody was diabetic. Don't slag Woody. He was no crazier than any other college football coach. ^^^^^

 

[Michchamp]

^^^^^^ Woody was diabetic. Don't slag Woody. He was no crazier than any other college football coach. ^^^^^

the twinkie defense!

 

[jwlcosu]

these days, we'd point out the fact that he obviously suffered from mental illness, and needed psychological help. I think he may have been bipolar. but in those more primitive times they chalked up assaulting other coaches, fans, players to things like "over-competitiveness" or "melacholia" or something like that.

Woody was fired only a year later, after the Clemson episode. It was painfully obvious that he hung on or was allowed to hang on a couple years too long. Early Alzheimer's may have been setting in although back then, the condition was referred to as hardening of the arteries. But yes, those were completely different times. In the same way that Alzheimer's was not a known or commonly used term, neither was pussification.