1983 Oklahoma Sooners football team

The 1983 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and competed as members of the Big Eight Conference. They were led by head coach Barry Switzer.

1983 Oklahoma Sooners football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	8–4 (5–2 Big 8)
Head coach	Barry Switzer (11th season)
Offensive coordinator	Galen Hall (11th season)
Offensive scheme	Wishbone
Defensive coordinator	Gary Gibbs (3rd season)
Captains	Danny Bradley Rick Bryan Scott Case Paul Parker
Home stadium	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Nebraska $	7	–	0	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Missouri	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Oklahoma	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Colorado	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	at Stanford*	No. 2	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA		W 27–14	62,778
September 17	No. 6 Ohio State*	No. 2	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	ABC	L 14–24	76,520
September 24	Tulsa*	No. 8	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 28–18	75,500	[1]
October 1	at Kansas State	No. 9	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	Raycom	W 29–10	35,800
October 8	vs. No. 2 Texas*	No. 8	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Red River Shootout)		L 16–28	75,587	[2]
October 15	at Oklahoma State	No. 15	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK (Bedlam Series)		W 21–20	50,440
October 22	Iowa State	No. 16	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 49–11	75,008
October 29	Kansas	No. 14	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		W 45–14	75,008
November 5	at Missouri	No. 11	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (rivalry)	ABC	L 0–10	57,133
November 12	Colorado		Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	KWGN	W 41–28	75,008
November 26	No. 1 Nebraska		Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)	CBS	L 21–28	75,008
December 3	at Hawaii*		Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI		W 21–17	45,143
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Rankings

See also: 1983 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	2 (11)	2 (3)	2 (2)	8	9	8	15	16	14	11	—	—	—	—	20т	—
Coaches Poll	5 (6)	4 (2)	2 (2)	10	7	7	17	17	14	11	—	20	16	20	20	—

Game summaries

At Stanford

#2 Oklahoma Sooners at Stanford Cardinal

1 2 3 4 Total • Oklahoma 3 13 9 2 27 Stanford 0 7 0 7 14 Date: Saturday, September 10 Location: Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, California Game attendance: 62,778 Game weather: 80 degrees

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#6 Ohio State

#6 Ohio State Buckeyes at #2 Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total • #6 Ohio State 7 7 7 3 24 #2 Oklahoma 0 7 7 0 14 Date: Saturday, September 17 Location: Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma Game attendance: 76,520 Television network: ABC

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Tulsa

Tulsa Golden Hurricane at #8 Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total Tulsa 0 0 0 18 18 • Oklahoma 14 14 0 0 28 Date: Saturday, September 24 Location: Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma Game attendance: 75,500

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At Kansas State

#9 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas State Wildcats

1 2 3 4 Total • Oklahoma 0 13 16 3 32 Kansas State 10 0 0 0 10 Date: Saturday, October 1 Location: KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas Game attendance: 35,800

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Vs. Texas

#2 Texas Longhorns vs #8 Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Texas 0 7 21 0 28 #8 Oklahoma 7 0 3 6 16 Date: Saturday, October 8 Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas Game attendance: 75,587 Game weather: 68 degrees Television network: ABC

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At Oklahoma State

See also: 1983 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma	0	3	0	18	21
Oklahoma St	7	7	3	3	20

Game information

First quarter OSU – Montgomery 14-yard blocked punt return (Larry Roach kick). Oklahoma St 7–0. Second quarter OU – Tim Lashar 42-yard field goal. Oklahoma St 7–3. Drive: OSU – Shawn Jones 5-yard run (Larry Roach kick). Oklahoma St 14–3. Drive: Third quarter OSU – Larry Roach 43-yard field goal. Oklahoma St 17–3. Drive: Fourth quarter OSU – Larry Roach 31-yard field goal, 13:49. Oklahoma St 20–3. Drive: OU – Derrick Shepard 73-yard pass from Danny Bradley (Tim Lashar kick). Oklahoma St 20–10. Drive: OU – Spencer Tillman 5-yard run (pass good), 2:50. Oklahoma St 20–18. Drive: OU – Tim Lashar 46-yard field goal, 1:14. Oklahoma 21–20. Drive: Top passers OU – Danny Bradley – 8/16, 147 yards, TD, INT OSU – Ike Jackson – 6/10, 39 yards, INT Top rushers OU – Earl Johnson – 25 rushes, 105 yards OSU – Shawn Jones – 19 rushes, 76 yards, TD Top receivers OU – Derrick Shepard – 3 receptions, 94 yards, TD OSU – John Chesley/Shawn Jones – 2 receptions, 13 yards

#15 Oklahoma Sooners (2–2) at Oklahoma State Cowboys

at Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma

• Date: October 15
• Game attendance: 50,440
• ^[9]

• Marcus Dupree left team during the week ^[10]

Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones at #16 Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total Iowa State 3 0 0 8 11 • #16 Oklahoma 14 21 7 7 49 Date: Saturday, October 22 Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma Game attendance: 75,008

Scoring summary 1 Iowa St Bachrodt 34-yard field goal Iowa St 3-0 1 Oklahoma Tillman 2-yard run (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 7-3 1 Oklahoma Bradley 19-yard run (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 14-3 2 Oklahoma Ledbetter 13-yard run (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 21-3 2 Oklahoma Johnson 2-yard run (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 28-3 2 Oklahoma Tillman 16-yard pass from Clopton (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 35-3 3 Oklahoma Case 67-yard interception return (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 42-3 4 Iowa St Wodka 2-yard pass from Archer (Jacobs pass from Archer) Oklahoma 42-11 4 Oklahoma Clopton 1-yard run (Lashar kick) Oklahoma 49-11

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Kansas

Kansas Jayhawks at #2 Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total Kansas 7 7 0 0 14 • #16 Oklahoma 21 7 14 3 45 Date: Saturday, October 22 Location: Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma Game attendance: 75,008 Game weather: 65 degrees

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At Missouri

#11 Oklahoma Sooners at Missouri Tigers

1 2 3 4 Total #11 Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 0 • Missouri 3 7 0 0 10 Date: Saturday, November 5 Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri Game attendance: 57,133

^[13]

Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes at Oklahoma Sooners

1 2 3 4 Total Colorado 0 7 7 14 28 • Oklahoma 13 21 7 0 41 Date: Saturday, November 17 Location: Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma Game attendance: 75,008

^[14]

Nebraska

#1 Nebraska at Oklahoma

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Nebraska 7 7 14 0 28 Oklahoma 0 14 7 0 21 Date: November 26 Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma Game start: 2:30 p.m. CST Game attendance: 75,008 Referee: John McClintock TV announcers (CBS): Gary Bender and Pat Haden

At Hawaii

Oklahoma Sooners at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

1 2 3 4 Total • Oklahoma 0 0 14 7 21 Hawaii 0 10 0 7 17 Date: Saturday, December 3 Location: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu Game attendance: 45,143

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Personnel

1983 Oklahoma Sooners football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 85 Darrin Berryhill Sr QB 1 Danny Bradley (C) Jr OL 69 Brent Burks Jr WR 82 Paul Clewis Jr QB 15 Mike Clopton Jr OL 59 David Dillingham Jr OL 65 Sidney Dodd Jr RB 22 Marcus Dupree So TE 94 Bill Earthman Jr TE 83 Johnny Fontenette Sr RB 32 Percy Hines Fr RB 5 Earl Johnson Fr RB 20 Jerome Ledbetter Jr G 62 Paul Parker (C) Sr OL 71 Jeff Pickett Fr OL 63 Eric Pope So WR 4 Buster Rhymes Jr RB 25 Alvin Ross So WR 13 Steve Sewell Jr WR 3 Derrick Shepard Fr OL 73 Chuck Thomas Jr FB 34 Spencer Tillman Fr RB 30 Darrell Weddington Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 38 Thomas Benson Sr DT 80 Rick Bryan (C) Sr DB 10 Scott Case (C) Sr DL 92 Tony Casillas So DB 33 Dwight Drane Sr DL 46 Darryl Goodlow Sr DE 39 Kevin Murphy Jr DB 2 Jim Rockford Jr LB 49 Jackie Shipp Sr DT 68 Bob Slater Sr DB 19 Keith Stanberry Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 28 David Culver So K 31 Tim Lashar  Fr	Head coach Barry Switzer Coordinators/assistant coaches Gary Gibbs (DC) Galen Hall (OC) Merv Johnson (OL) Chuck Lester (LB) Rex Norris (AHC) Lucious Selmon (DL) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

NFL draft

The following players were selected in the 1984 NFL draft following the season.^[16]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
1	9	Rick Bryan	Defensive tackle	Atlanta Falcons
1	14	Jackie Shipp	Linebacker	Miami Dolphins
2	31	Bob Slater	Defensive tackle	Washington Redskins
2	32	Scott Case	Defensive back	Atlanta Falcons
2	36	Thomas Benson	Linebacker	Atlanta Falcons
12	325	Paul Parker	Guard	St. Louis Cardinals

References

1. "Switzer wins No. 100; Sooners survive Tulsa". Wichita Falls Times. September 25, 1983. Retrieved November 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Longhorns come alive in 3rd quarter to down OU, 28–16". The Marshall News Messenger. October 9, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Seasons: 1980s". Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
4. "1983 Oklahoma at Stanford Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
5. "1983 Oklahoma vs. Ohio State Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
6. "1983 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
7. "1983 Oklahoma at Kansas State Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
8. "1983 Oklahoma vs. Texas Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
9. Gainesville Sun. 1985 Oct 16. Retrieved 2020-Nov-24.
10. "Big Sooner Rally Nips Oklahoma St.; Texas Routs Hogs." Gainesville Sun. 1985 Oct 16. Retrieved 2020-Nov-24.
11. Gainesville Sun. 1983 Oct 23.
12. "1983 Oklahoma vs. Iowa State Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
13. "1983 Oklahoma at Missouri Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
14. "1983 Oklahoma vs. Colorado Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
15. "1983 Oklahoma at Hawaii Football Box Score - SoonerStats.com". www.soonerstats.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
16. "1984 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.