How first-year head coaches have fared at the Red River Shootout

Both Texas and Oklahoma made head coaching hires ahead of the 1947 season. The Longhorns tapped then-assistant Blair Cherry to succeed the multi-time Southwest Conference champion Dana X. Bible. The Sooners made a similar move promoting Bud Wilkinson to replace Jim Tatum, who left Norman after one year to take over at Maryland.

The two coaches met on October 11, 1947 at the Cotton Bowl, with No. 3 Texas topping No. 15 Oklahoma 34-14 in the first post-WWII Red River Shootout with at least one coach making his debut in the storied rivalry.

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That would be Cherry’s only win over the Sooners, losing the next three contests to Wilkinson’s teams by 13 total points. Cherry retired following the 1950 season, while Wilkinson went on to become an Oklahoma legend.

Since that 1947 contest, on one other occasion have two coaches made their Red River Shootout debut during the same game. Lincoln Riley topped Tom Herman in 2017 during Year 1 at their respective schools.

Since Cherry left Texas, nine different head coaches have led the Longhorns. Since Tatum left for Maryland, nine different head coaches have led the Sooners.

Saturday will mark Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s first appearance in the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Shootout. How have coaches on both sides fared in their State Fair debut?

1951 – Texas HC Ed Price – Texas 9, Oklahoma 7

Texas amassed all the points it needed in the first quarter on a safety recorded by Bobby Dillon and a one-yard touchdown run by Carl Mayes. Texas held the Sooners to under four yards per carry and intercepted two of Oklahoma’s nine passes. Price would not beat Oklahoma again.

1957 – Texas HC Darrell Royal – Oklahoma 21, Texas 7

Royal’s debut against his alma mater started well with a Walter Fondren touchdown pass to Monte Lee, but the Sooners scored three touchdowns in the succeeding three quarters to extend their RRS winning streak to six games.

1964 – Oklahoma HC Gomer Jones – Texas 28, Oklahoma 7

Jones succeeded Wilkinson after 17 years as one of his assistant coaches. He was welcomed to the rivalry by the defending national champion Longhorns who rushed 41 times for 245 yards in the win.

1966 – Oklahoma HC Jim Mackenzie – Oklahoma 18, Texas 9

Jones resigned as head coach but stayed on as the Sooners’ athletic director and hired Jim Mackenzie. This would be Mackenzie’s only appearance in the rivalry before passing away the following April at the age of 37.

1967 Oklahoma HC Chuck Fairbanks – Texas 9, Oklahoma 7

Fairbanks served as one of Mackenzie’s assistants during the 1966 season. Four days after Mackenzie’s death, the 33-year-old Fairbanks was promoted to head coach. A third quarter field goal by Rob Layne and an early fourth quarter seven-yard run by Bill Bradley was enough for Texas to take home bragging rights once again.

1973 – Oklahoma HC Barry Switzer – Oklahoma 52, Texas 13

Fairbanks left Oklahoma to become head coach of the New England Patriots, and the Sooners promoted offensive coordinator Barry Switzer to head coach. This transition was nearly seamless, as Switzer won the Big 8 during his first year, a national title in his second year, and another national title in his third season. Switzer went 9-5-2 against Texas during his Sooner career.

1977 – Texas HC Fred Akers – Texas 13, Oklahoma 6

Earl Campbell overcame an interception on the only pass attempt of his college career to rush for 124 yards and two touchdowns to defeat the Sooners during his Heisman Trophy season. The 13-6 win was Campbell’s only victory over the Sooners during his time at Texas, losing his first two and tying Oklahoma during his junior year.

1987 – Texas HC David McWilliams – Oklahoma 44, Texas 9

After replacing Fred Akers, McWilliams suffered the first of two defeats at the hands of Switzer. Though his tenure lasted five years, McWilliams finished with a 3-2 record against the Sooners. 

1989 – Oklahoma HC Gary Gibbs – Texas 28, Oklahoma 24

Gibbs, an Oklahoma assistant from 1975 through 1988, took Switzer’s place following his departure from Norman. He notched just one win against the Longhorns in 1993 and was the victim of all of Peter Gardere’s Red River successes.

1992 – Texas HC John Mackovic – Texas 34, Oklahoma 24

Gardere’s record-setting fourth win over the Sooners was yet another upset over Oklahoma, ranked No. 16 at the time. “Peter the Great” was 18-of-32 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Phil Brown added two touchdown rushes for the Longhorns.

1995 – Oklahoma HC Howard Schnellenberger – Texas 24, Oklahoma 24

The last tie. The last non-conference Red River Shootout. Ricky Williams’ Red River debut. Schnellenberger’s lone appearance in the rivalry. A lot of weird in this game.

1996 – Oklahoma HC John Blake – Oklahoma 30, Texas 27 (OT)

The first Red River Shootout to go to overtime came one year after the last Red River Shootout to end in a tie. Tied at 24 at the end of regulation, Phil Dawson kicked a 43-yard field goal on the first possession, but James Allen scored from two yards out to give OU what would be its final win in the rivalry in the 1990s.

1998 – Texas HC Mack Brown – Texas 34, Oklahoma 3

Donning Doak Walker’s No. 37 in “the House that Doak Built,” Ricky Williams rushed for two touchdowns on his way toward his second Doak Walker Award and Texas’ second Heisman Trophy.

1999 – Oklahoma HC Bob Stoops – Texas 38, Oklahoma 28

Though Stoops would lead Oklahoma to the national championship the following season, his defense could not handle an offensive explosion from the Longhorns in 1999. Hodges Mitchell rushed for 204 yards and a score, while Major Applewhite went 22-for-47 with three touchdowns, two to Ryan Nunez and one to Kwame Cavil. This matchup began a long war between Brown and Stoops, with Stoops winning nine of the 15 contests between the two national champion coaches.

2014 – Texas HC Charlie Strong – Oklahoma 31, Texas 26

Following a surprising upset the year prior, Texas could not comeback to defeat the Sooners after trailing 17-3 in the second quarter. A Tyrone Swoopes touchdown run late in the fourth brought Texas to within five, but the Sooners were able to hang on for their fourth win in five years.

2017 – UT HC Tom Herman/OU HC Lincoln Riley – Oklahoma 29, Texas 24

Sam Ehlinger and Baker Mayfield went toe-to-toe in a thrilling contest that came down to the very end. After trailing 20-10 at the half, the Longhorns scored via a Chris Warren III run in the third quarter and an Ehlinger run in the fourth. OU was able to respond with a go-ahead 59-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to Mark Andrews, and Riley took the first of three wins over Herman in the Cotton Bowl.

The record for Texas first-year head coaches is 4-4. For Oklahoma first-year head coaches, it is 4-4-1.