Best pick of the draft
- Thread starter veritas59
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A few years back Drew spoke at the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce luncheon along with Roger Staubach and both where really good. The highlight of the meeting was when Roger threw Drew a pass the length of the room that Drew had to make a finger tip stretching reception. Roger, being the class guy he is, said "that's just another example of how great he made me look". I've attended a lot of commerce luncheons but none were as enjoyable as that one. Two true NFL stars.
I believe Drew Pearson played college football with the Tulsa Hurricanes
Drew was at Tulsa and a freshman there the same year I was a freshman at OU. The first Boomers' game of their four game schedule was at Tulsa. That was an unbelievable OU class. Joe Wylie, Greg Pruitt. Leon Crosswhite. Tom Brahaney. Eddie Foster, Dean Unruh, Al Chandler, Ray Hamilton (Sugar Bear) Larry Roach, Dave Robertson, and a half dozen other great players who arrived in Norman a year after Jack Mildren's stellar class.
Drew Pearson put on a show in then called Skelly Stadium. I believe the final was 28-24, and Drew scored three touchdowns on sprint out keeps and darn near beat the Boomers by himself. But we held on for the win on a Monday night. The Boomers ended up 4-0 and beat a great KU freshman team, recruiting on the heels of their 1968 co-title with OU when they went to Miami and lost to Penn State 15-14, after first stopping the Lions first two point try in the last minute, only to be penalized for 12 defenders playing the snap. Can't remember the name of the KU freshman quaterback, but he was a stud. David something. We beat them 50-12 or something like that. It was a fun game in Norman, back when the lights on Owen Field weren't as bright as some high school stadiums.
But the one guy who almost screwed up the Boomers' undefeated season was Drew Pearson. he was a quarterback back then. Later in his career, TU changed HC's and moved Drew to receiver. Worked out pretty well for him.
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You jogged my memory. I'd almost forgotten (or maybe I did forget) that he started out as a quarterback in college. Here's another interesting tidbit on him, which I never knew:
Pearson was born and raised in South River, New Jersey,[1] and began his football career at South River High School as one of the wide receivers of Joe Theismann. As a junior, he succeeded Theismann as the starting quarterback.
I knew Theismann was two years older. And I knew Drew was from Jersey, but I didn't know that Drew caught passes from Joe in high school.
During that time frame, there was a famous author/journalist/ American diplomat named Drew Pearson who had some notoriety in the 50's and 60's. I'd heard his name often. When I heard of this kid from jersey who played quarterback for Tulsa, I wondered if they were related.
Drew Pearson the diplomat died September 1, 1969, about the time OU and Tulsa football players were starting their college careers if they were freshmen.
BTW, the coaches of that OU freshman team were Don Jimmerson and Jerry Pettibone. The latter was maybe the best recruiting coordinator ever.
During that time frame, there was a famous author/journalist/ American diplomat named Drew Pearson who had some notoriety in the 50's and 60's. I'd heard his name often. When I heard of this kid from jersey who played quarterback for Tulsa, I wondered if they were related.
Drew Pearson the diplomat died September 1, 1969, about the time OU and Tulsa football players were starting their college careers if they were freshmen.
BTW, the coaches of that OU freshman team were Don Jimmerson and Jerry Pettibone. The latter was maybe the best recruiting coordinator ever.
The Kansas freshman stud quarterback you referenced must have been David Janes (sp), who was AA before he graduated in '72 or '73. He followed Bobby Douglass and was a Heisman finalist....I think. His passing records at Kansas were still intact until Mangino's qb broken them a few years back (that's how I remember the guy). I don't think he ever played in the NFL, but he was a stud college qb.
Don Jimerson had a couple of sons that were pretty good athletes. One of them was in my younger brother's wedding way back in the day. Can't remember which one. Probably Jody, as he was closer in age.
Plaino, I thought you might like this link......
https://theonlyblogthatmatters.com/2016/05/06/sooner-coaching-legend-bobby-proctor/
https://theonlyblogthatmatters.com/2016/05/06/sooner-coaching-legend-bobby-proctor/
K2C, I've been around a whole lot of coaches in my life. I can think of very few that I disliked, but I thought he was crazy, and in the one semester I was around him, I disliked him more than a little. I was over on the O side, assigned to Billy Michael, until he left during the spring of '73, Barry's first time as HC. So I wasn't around Coach Proctor much. But I'm not a big fan of screamers. I think you can teach, without screaming. And Bobby wasn't just a screamer. He was a crazy screamer. Maybe the only coach I was around during three years in high school and four years in college that I disliked. not that it would matter. But we all have opinions.
It's one thing about Bob that was part of his M.O. when he arrived. I believed he's toned it back in two decades.
But I don't think Proctor would have had a job anywhere for that long, if Barry hadn't loved him so much as his old frosh coach at Arky. It was a different time. You didn't have pass coverage responsibilities like you do now. OU's DB's were mostly selected because they could play good zone, and mostly because they could tackle a running back in the option games of the Big 8. Teams that could throw it very well, lit us up. Elway did it. Hostetler and especially Miami did it. I never thought Proctor was much of a coach. So I don't blame Gibbs for letting him go, at all.
It's one thing about Bob that was part of his M.O. when he arrived. I believed he's toned it back in two decades.
But I don't think Proctor would have had a job anywhere for that long, if Barry hadn't loved him so much as his old frosh coach at Arky. It was a different time. You didn't have pass coverage responsibilities like you do now. OU's DB's were mostly selected because they could play good zone, and mostly because they could tackle a running back in the option games of the Big 8. Teams that could throw it very well, lit us up. Elway did it. Hostetler and especially Miami did it. I never thought Proctor was much of a coach. So I don't blame Gibbs for letting him go, at all.
You are correct. But I could be wrong about that. My soph year, I was the manager for the freshman team. We were actually in Lawrence on Friday afternoon, returning home from the freshman game on a bus, the day of the Wichita State plane crash. My brain is now trying to figure out if Janes was their freshman quarterback in 70 or 69. All those guys in the Wylie class were 69. Janes maybe have been 70. I was at both games. The trip in 70 to Lawrence was the only day game I remember the Boomers playing.
My brother and me were at a Sooner scrimmage when Barry was there. You know, Barry allowed fans to come watch a few of his scrimmages back then. I can't remember the players involved or the year for the sake of me, but I do remember the play that I thought I was going to see one of the biggest OTs knock Proctor O-U-T. The OT basically blocked one of Bobby's DB too rough and Proctor started screaming and clawing at the guy until the big OT had enough. We were so close that we heard the guy tell Proctor, and I will clean it up, "take your ********hands off me or I will kick your *****white *** right ******* now, you c****s********". He grabbed Proctor and the next thing I saw was Barry running like some husband just walked in on him and the other guy's wife....coming to Proctor's defense. Barry kinda chewed on the OT, but not much. Sorry I can't remember the guy's name but he wasn't some walk-on. My brother turned to me and said "did you see how big Proctor's eyes got when that big SOB grabbed him around the throat?" Bobby was pretty quite the rest of the scrimmage. My Bro and I still laugh about that. Great to be a Sooner in the right place at the right time.
Well, I had to look it up. The guy I remembered was Dave Jaynes and he was a Heisman finalist in 1973. So that would make him a freshman in 1970. He might not be the player that you referenced. But he was a damn good quarterback leading a not so good Jayhawk team(s). John Riggins would have been on a few on those squads.
That's right. So it was 1970. KU's 1969 team was undefeated coming to Norman, and running the Diamond Tee (remember that) and getting about a 90 yard punt return by wide receiver Gregory D Pruitt, we stomped em bad in 69. I know we won up there in 70. But it wasn't a blow out.
That Boomer team had Grant Burget, Lucious Selmon, Tim Welch, Ken Pope, Clyde Powers, Gary Gibbs, Ron Waters, Joe Wylie's high school teammate Sidney Riley, Richard Mildren who later got his brother into Oklahoma state politics, Bob Berg, Mark Lundquist, James Stokely was the quarterback. But having the two great classes the two previous seasons, OSU got the better in state talent and beat us in Norman. And Tech had the two best quarterback recruits in the SWC and beat us in Lubbock. So we went 2-2.
That Boomer team had Grant Burget, Lucious Selmon, Tim Welch, Ken Pope, Clyde Powers, Gary Gibbs, Ron Waters, Joe Wylie's high school teammate Sidney Riley, Richard Mildren who later got his brother into Oklahoma state politics, Bob Berg, Mark Lundquist, James Stokely was the quarterback. But having the two great classes the two previous seasons, OSU got the better in state talent and beat us in Norman. And Tech had the two best quarterback recruits in the SWC and beat us in Lubbock. So we went 2-2.
I went through Norman schools with all of them. Jeff...Jay and Jody