Red River Rivalry History

Originally Published: Oct 13, 2009 8:8 PM CDT

Andrew Topps
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

The 2009 version of the Red River Rivalry kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday in Dallas.

Since 1945, one or both of the two teams has been ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation coming into 60 out of 65 games.

Texas leads the all-time series 58–40–5, with a 45–36–4 edge in Dallas. Five of the last nine showings featured one of the participants in the BCS National Championship Game (2000, 2003–2005, and 2008), including national titles won by Oklahoma in 2000 and by Texas in 2005.

Before the No. 18 Sooners clash with the No. 2 Longhorns Saturday, Oklahoma Sports takes a look back at some of the most memorable games in the series.

Texas and Oklahoma first met in 1900. Oklahoma had yet to achieve statehood and neither school had nicknames. The Texas “Varsity” as it was called then, won 28-2.

UT sneaked out a one-point victory in 1958. Texas coach Darrell Royal was the Sooners’ quarterback 10 years earlier and defeated his former coach and mentor Bud Wilkinson. Wilkinson would lose to Texas the next five years before retiring in 1963.

Royal accused OU coach Barry Switzer of spying on the Longhorns practice in 1976. The game was attended by then-U.S. President Gerald Ford, who made an appearance with Royal and Switzer before the game. Both coaches spoke to Ford, but not to each other. Royal’s final Red River Shootout ended in a 6–6 tie.

In 1984, Switzer led his No. 3 (No. 2 in some polls) Sooners onto the field wearing a hat that read “Beat Texas”. Future UT head coach Mack Brown served as OU’s offensive coordinator. Top-rated Texas jumped to a 10–0 halftime lead. However OU came back taking a 15–12 lead in the closing moments.

With 10 seconds remaining, UT was driving for a game-tying field goal. But instead of kicking it right away, the ‘Horns took one more shot at the end zone. Texas quarterback (and current North Texas head coach) Todd Dodge appeared (in replays) to be intercepted in the end zone by OU's Keith Stanberry, but the officials ruled it incomplete. Texas' Jeff Ward kicked a field goal and the game ended in a 15–15 tie.

OU and UT made history in 1996. The two schools played in the Big 12 Conference’s first overtime game. In the extra frame, Texas settled for a 43-yard Phil Dawson field goal. The Sooners’ James Allen took a pitch, and crossed the goal line to give OU a 30-27 victory.

The Sooners literally ran all over Texas in 2000 en route to a 63-14 victory. Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffin scored six touchdowns, tying the all-time NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns in a game. Oklahoma went undefeated, and won the 2000 National Championship. That was the biggest margin of victory in the series until 2003, when OU beat UT 65-13.

Texas snapped Oklahoma’s five-year winning streak in the 100th meeting of the Red River Rivalry with a 45-12 victory. The Longhorns went undefeated, and won the Rose Bowl for the 2005 National Championship.

For more on the series over the last five years click here.