BISON FOOTBALL REFLECTIONS

Familiar Opponents

By John W. Parrish

           A study of the 222 OBU football games (115-90-17 record) played between 1911 and 1940 reveals a significant number of familiar opponents, plus a few surprises.

           The surprises would be opponents who now play NCAA Division I football, including Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Wichita State, University of North Texas, and Tulsa University.

           The Bison were 1-2 versus Arkansas, winning in 1925 and losing in 1928 and 1933. All the games were on the road. OBU played Baylor only once, in Shawnee in the 1930 Homecoming game, which the Bears won. In 1921 OBU lost at Wichita to Fairmount College, which later became Wichita State, and in 1920 the Bison traveled to Denton, Tex., where they lost to North Texas.

           OBU and the University of Tulsa played 11 times, from 1919-22 and 1926-32. The Golden Hurricane dominated the series 9-1-1, with OBU's only victory coming in 1926. OBU lost its only meeting with OSU, 12-0, in 1934, but did defeat OSU's B team and freshmen team.

OBU's record against familiar four-year college foes in Oklahoma was 64-42-11: University of Central Oklahoma, 3-15-3; East Central, 10-8; Northeastern, 11-2-1; Northwestern, 4-2-2; Oklahoma City, 13-5-1; Southeastern, 13-3-2; and Southwestern, 10-7-2.

           The record against state junior college competition at that time was 16-7: Bacone (now four-year), 4-1; Cameron (now four-year), 0-2; Catholic University (now St. Gregory's and four-year), 0-1; Connors, 1-0; Eastern, 6-1; and Murray, 5-2.

           Results versus Oklahoma schools no longer in existence include Kingfisher College, 2-2; Phillips, 5-6; Oklahoma Baptist College (Blackwell), 0-1; and Tonkawa State Business College, 0-1.

           Some of the familiar out-of-state opponents were Arkansas Tech, 1-1-1; Austin College (Tex.), 1-0; Central Arkansas, 1-0; Fort Hays (Kan.), 1-1; Friends (Kan.), 2-0; Hardin-Simmons (Texas), 0-1; Haskell Indian Nations, 0-2; Kansas Wesleyan, 1-0; McPherson (Kan.), 2-0; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 2-2-1; Ozarks (Ark.), 1-0; Southwestern (Kan.), 4-3; St. Mary's (Texas), 1-0; and Texas Wesleyan, 1-4.