The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate BattleThe acclaimed author of Duel in the Sun, hailed as "a perfect golf time machine" by USA Today, takes readers into the bleachers and onto the playing field for an inside look at the legendary face-off between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. On Thanksgiving Day 1971, a record fifty-five million homes tuned in to watch two powerhouse college football teams collide. Defending national champion University of Nebraska was squaring off against the country's second-ranked team, the Oklahoma Sooners. The Huskers were riding a twenty-nine-game unbeaten streak; the Sooners had the number one offense in the country. Both teams were loaded with All-Americans and future NFL stars. The legend of the game that became known as the single finest ever played actually began a few years earlier in Texas, when coach Emory Bellard came up with an innovative plan of attack that would level defenses and give coaches sleepless nights for the next twenty years. The Texas wishbone offense became the talk of sporting America, and when Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks adopted it for his team in 1970, the groundwork was laid for the epic confrontation with Nebraska. Combining a meticulously researched history of college football with in-depth interviews, author Michael Corcoran tells it all: the play-by-play strategies and techniques, the personalities of the players and coaches who conceived the plans and executed them, the formations and intricate blocking schemes that spelled victory or defeat. Highlights include: Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers's storied punt return, Rich Glover's incomparable twenty-two tackles, Oklahoma's furious comebacks each time they trailed in the game, and the poignant memories of the game after it was over. Nebraska radio play-by-play man Lyell Bremser echoed the nation when he proclaimed, "I never thought I would live this long to see this kind of a football game." Filled with vivid details and nail-biting suspense, this book takes us behind the scenes and into the rich history of this practically mythical battle. From the roots of both football teams, to the players, coaches, reporters, spectators, and fans, The Game of the Century is a story that will resonate with football fans all across America. |
From inside the book
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Page 4
... Kansas for the sixth game of their sea- son . With a 5-0 record , the Sooners were ranked second in the national polls behind Nebraska , and in the minds of many it was difficult to see how any team could be ranked ahead of Oklahoma ...
... Kansas for the sixth game of their sea- son . With a 5-0 record , the Sooners were ranked second in the national polls behind Nebraska , and in the minds of many it was difficult to see how any team could be ranked ahead of Oklahoma ...
Page 5
... Kansas State game , Oklahoma's inter- pretation of the wishbone was clearly working , but the mind- numbing heights it reached on October 23 , 1971 , were incomprehensible . In the years to come after that day , when Okla- homa teams ...
... Kansas State game , Oklahoma's inter- pretation of the wishbone was clearly working , but the mind- numbing heights it reached on October 23 , 1971 , were incomprehensible . In the years to come after that day , when Okla- homa teams ...
Page 6
... Kansas State made voters in the poll think twice about which team was number one, and the Sooners received 21 first-place votes. For Oklahoma fans, the move toward the top of the national rankings was a welcome relief after several ...
... Kansas State made voters in the poll think twice about which team was number one, and the Sooners received 21 first-place votes. For Oklahoma fans, the move toward the top of the national rankings was a welcome relief after several ...
Page 8
... Kansas the previous week. The incident was one of many that eventually (in 1905) compelled President Theodore Roosevelt to summon to the Oval Office the most influential minds in the game to ask them to play nice. Roosevelt did not (nor ...
... Kansas the previous week. The incident was one of many that eventually (in 1905) compelled President Theodore Roosevelt to summon to the Oval Office the most influential minds in the game to ask them to play nice. Roosevelt did not (nor ...
Page 11
... Kansas . After scouting Nebraska , assistant coach Rockne informed the Notre Dame team not to lose any sleep over Chamberlin . He was a pedestrian runner who , Rockne told his team , “ never cut back . " On October 23 , 1915 ...
... Kansas . After scouting Nebraska , assistant coach Rockne informed the Notre Dame team not to lose any sleep over Chamberlin . He was a pedestrian runner who , Rockne told his team , “ never cut back . " On October 23 , 1915 ...
Other editions - View all
The Game of the Century: Nebraska Vs. Oklahoma in College Football's ... Michael Corcoran Limited preview - 2005 |
The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in College Football's ... Michael Corcoran Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
assistant coach athletes Barry Switzer beat Bellard Bill Kosch block Bob Devaney Brahaney called Chuck Fairbanks Coach Devaney college football Colorado cornerback Cornhuskers Dame Darrell Royal Dean Unruh defense Devaney's end zone Epley football players football team fullback Galen Hall Greg Pruitt head coach high school homa Huskers Jack Mildren Jeff Kinney Jerry Tagge Jim Anderson Joe Blahak Joe Wylie Johnny Rodgers Jon Harrison Kansas knew Larry Jacobson later Leon Crosswhite LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR linebacker lineman looked Lucious Selmon Mackenzie Michigan Monte Kiffin national champions national championship Nebraska never night Norman Okla Omaha option Orange Bowl Osborne Owen Field pass pitch poll practice quarterback recruited Rich Glover running back score scrimmage season Selmon sidelines Steve tackle talk Texas thing thought tight end Tom Brahaney took touchdown University varsity wanted watched week Wilkinson wishbone yards