Barry Switzer Named To SEC Legends Class

Former University of Oklahoma football head coach Barry Switzer was announced Tuesday as a member of the SEC’s 2024 Football Legends class, a group of former football standouts.

Tuesday, October 22nd 2024, 3:51 pm

By: OU Athletics

NORMAN, Okla. -

Former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer has been named a member of the SEC’s 2024 Football Legends class, to be honored at events around the SEC Football Championship Game in December.

Switzer, who coached the Sooners from 1973 to 1988, led Oklahoma to three national championships (1974, 1975, 1985) and finished with a 157-29-4 record, boasting an .837 winning percentage, the fourth highest among NCAA I-A coaches at the time. His teams won 12 Big Eight titles and maintained a winning record in all 16 seasons.

Starting as an offensive coordinator in 1966, Switzer’s first 30 games as head coach were unbeaten (29-0-1). His teams ranked in the AP Top 5 for 148 weeks and finished in the Top 10 for 12 seasons. Notably, Switzer’s wishbone offense and strong defenses produced record-setting rushing and defensive stats.

He holds a remarkable 77-10-1 home record and 63-9-1 on the road, with his players earning 28 consensus All-America honors and winning 18 individual national awards. Eight of his players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and he produced 94 NFL Draft picks, including two No. 1 overall selections.

Switzer also coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 to 1997, leading them to a Super Bowl title in 1995. He is recognized in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and OU’s football operations facility is named The Barry Switzer Center.

The SEC Football Legends class will be honored during the “Weekend of Champions” in Atlanta on December 6-7, including recognition at the SEC Championship Game on December 7.