November 25, 1971: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, "The Game of the Century"

Number 20: Johnny Rodgers

November 25, 1971: One of college football's occasional "Games of the Century" is played.

They seemed to be coming every year. 1966 saw Michigan State vs. Notre Dame, in the Big Ten region if not a Big Ten game in its own right. 1967 saw USC vs. UCLA, in the league now known as the Pac-12. 1969 saw Texas vs. Arkansas, in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. In 1971, it was the turn of the league then known as the Big 8, now the Big 12.

For many years, the University of Nebraska's big rival was the University of Oklahoma. The rivalry was usually played on Thanksgiving weekend. In 1959, Nebraska beat Oklahoma, ending the Sooners' 74-game conference winning streak. In 1963, Nebraska won a game that the Big 8 refused to postpone, despite President Kennedy's assassination the day before.

On November 25, 1971, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Oklahoma Sooners met at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, a.k.a. Owen Field, in Norman. The 'Huskers had won the National Championship the season before, were riding a 28-game unbeaten streak (27-0-1, without losing since October 11, 1969), and were ranked Number 1 in the country. The Sooners ranked Number 2. The entire country was watching that Thanksgiving Day.

Each team had a superstar running back. Nebraska, coached by Bob Devaney, had Johnny Rodgers, also a great receiver, from Omaha, known as "Johnny the Jet" and "Johnny R Superstar." The nickname clearly came from the theme song to the Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar, although it's not known if Nebraska fans made up a song for it, the way fans of London soccer team Arsenal made one up for "Charlie George, superstar."

Oklahoma had Greg Pruitt, a Houston native, running out of the wishbone offense, installed by coach Chuck Fairbanks, after he was impressed at how the Sooners' other big rivals, the University of Texas, ran it under coach Darrell Royal. (Ironically, Royal had played quarterback at Oklahoma.)

Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson, who had established the Oklahoma dynasty before retiring (there were 2 other head coaches between him and Fairbanks), called the game for ABC, and the largest college football audience ever to that point, 55 million people, watched. It kicked off at 2:00 PM Central Time (3:00 Eastern, the ABC broadcast beginning 10 minutes before).

Nebraska stopped Oklahoma's 1st possession, and the Sooners had to punt. Rodgers returned the punt 72 yards for a touchdown. Twice in the 1st half, the Sooners fumbled the ball away. Rich Glover, the 'Huskers' middle guard, toyed with the Oklahoma offensive line.

The Sooners kicked a field goal, then teach team scored a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. But quarterback Jack Mildren led the Sooner offense on a long drive at the end of the 1st half, and Oklahoma had a 17-14 lead. It was the 1st time Nebraska had been behind all season long.

But a 3rd Sooner fumble led to the 'Huskers retaking the lead, and they expanded it to 28-17 late in the 3rd quarter, on Jeff Kinney's 3rd touchdown of the day. But near the end of the 3rd quarter, Mildren led the Sooners on another drive, and it was 28-24 'Huskers. He did it again, and with 7:10 left in regulation, Oklahoma led, 31-28.

The 'Huskers made the most of the time they had left. They got to the Sooner 48, and Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge through to Rodgers, who made a 2nd "signature play" in 1 game, breaking tackles and getting to the 15. Kinney scored his 4th touchdown of the game with 1:38 left. Oklahoma got the ball back, but the 'Huskers sacked Mildren on 3rd and 4th down to put it away. Final score: Nebraska 35, Oklahoma 31.

Nebraska thus clinched the Big 8 title, kept the Number 1 ranking, and set themselves up for the National Championship. They did have 1 more regular-season game, traveling to Hawaii, and they won, 45-3. They closed with another Number 1 vs. Number 2 matchup, beating Alabama in the Orange Bowl in Miami, 38-6.

Oklahoma only dropped to Number 3, and also had 1 more regular-season game, against in-State rival Oklahoma State. They traveled to Stillwater, and beat the Cowboys, 58-14. The aforementioned Alabama beat their big rivals, Auburn, in "the Iron Bowl" in Birmingham, 2 days after Thanksgiving, and Auburn, holding their Number 5 ranking, played Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Oklahoma won, 40-22. Nevertheless, they finished the season with only the Sugar Bowl trophy, while Nebraska were the National Champions and the Big Eight Conference Champions.

Nebraska's 31-game unbeaten streak (30-0-1) ended with the opening game of the 1972 season, 20-17 against UCLA at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Then they went 9-0-1, with only a tie against Iowa State further marring their record. They had gone 40-1-2 over 3 years, a staggering total, for a .942 winning percentage. Then they hosted Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Thanksgiving, and the Sooners got some revenge, 17-14. 

After beating Notre Dame in the 1973 Orange Bowl, Devaney retired as Nebraska head coach, becoming athletic director, and elevating his offensive coordinator Tom Osborne to the head job. Osborne had a great deal of success, winning 13 Conference Championships, and 12 bowl games including 9 of those traditionally contested on New Year's Day; but also some staggering near-misses for the National Championship, before winning it in the 1994, 1995 and (in a split poll) 1997 seasons.

Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers was awarded the Heisman Trophy for the 1972 season. The San Diego Chargers took him with their 1st round pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. Instead, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He won a Rookie of the Year award, 2 Most Valuable Player awards, and the 1974 Grey Cup (CFL Championship.)

In 1977, with the Chargers still holding his NFL rights, he signed with them. But he was plagued with injuries, and retired after the 1978 season, having played only 17 NFL games.

Oklahoma's Greg Pruitt had a much better pro career. He made 5 Pro Bowls, 4 with the Cleveland Browns and 1 with the Los Angeles Raiders, and was a member of the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII winners in 1984. Both Rodgers and Pruitt were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, but neither made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In 1978, Nebraska won the regular-season game, as Number 4 beating Number 1 Oklahoma, but a rematch was set up in the Orange Bowl (which then took the Big 8 winner), and Oklahoma won it. In 1987, Oklahoma were Number 2 when they beat Number 1 Nebraska.

The Big 8's 1996 conversion into the Big 12 put the teams in separate divisions, as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were put in with the 4 teams brought in from Texas to form the South Division, to balance the divisions out, ending Huskers-Sooners as an annual rivalry.

Nebraska's 2011 move to the Big Ten made the matchup even rarer: They stopped playing each other after Oklahoma beat them in the 2010 Big 12 Championship Game. They finally met again on September 18, 2021, in Norman, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of that Game of the Century. Oklahoma won, 23-16.

Overall, Oklahoma leads the rivalry 46-38-3, but it's 43-23 Oklahoma since 1943, 11-8 Nebraska since 1988, and 7-2 Oklahoma since 2000.

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November 25, 1971 was Thanksgiving Day, so it was a Thursday. 'Huskers-Sooners was 1 of 4 college football games played that day. Number 7 Georgia beat Georgia Tech, 28-24 at Grant Field in Atlanta. Number 12 Texas beat Texas A&M, 34-14 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. And Number 18 Mississippi, a.k.a. Ole Miss, beat Mississippi State, 48-0 at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (It's now named Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.)

In the NFL doubleheader, NBC telecast the opener, and the Detroit Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 32-21 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. (Remember: This was 50 years ago.) CBS aired the nightcap, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Rams, 28-21 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving Texas.

There were 3 games played in the NBA. The Phoenix Suns beat the Detroit Pistons, 122-103 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Golden State Warriors, 112-111 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 139-115 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

There were 2 games played in the American Basketball Association. The New York Nets lost to the Kentucky Colonels, 133-117 at Freedom Hall in Louisville. And the Virginia Squires beat the Pittsburgh Condors, 131-118 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

And 1 game was played in the NHL: The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2 at the Boston Garden.

Also, actress Christina Applegate was born.

November 16, 1957: Notre Dame Ends Oklahoma's 47-Game Winning Streak

November 16, 1957: The University of Oklahoma football team takes a 47-game winning streak into a home game with the University of Notre Dame, the last team to have beaten them.

Notre Dame had beaten Oklahoma on September 26, 1953, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (a.k.a. Owen Field, now Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium) in Norman, Oklahoma, en route to a National Championship. The following week, Oklahoma were held to a tie by the University of Pittsburgh. The week after that, they beat arch-rival Texas, and it was off to the races from there. Coach Charles "Bud" Wilkinson's Sooners ran the table, finishing 9-1-1.

They won all 10 games in 1954, but finished behind both Ohio State and UCLA in the last national poll. They won all 11 games in 1955, and this time, they were rewarded with the National Championship. They won all 10 games in 1956, and were again awarded the National Championship. Running back Tommy McDonald was the star of these teams, before going on to a Hall of Fame career as a flanker with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1956, McDonald finished 2nd to Paul Hornung of the Notre Dame for the Heisman Trophy, and, in a rare height for an offensive lineman, Oklahoma center Jerry Tubbs finished 3rd.

The Sooners kept going in 1957, winning away to Number 8 Pitt, then beating Iowa State at home, Texas in the Cotton Bowl, Kansas and Colorado at home, then Kansas State and Number 19 Missouri on the road. That made them 7-0, with a 47-game winning streak, and a 48-game unbeaten streak, both all-time records in college football.

Notre Dame began the 1957 season by winning their 1st 4 games, over Purdue, Indiana, then-Number 10 Army and Pittsburgh. But they lost their next 2, home to Number 16 Navy and away to Number 2 Michigan State. They entered the game unranked, but perhaps harshly so.

Still, Oklahoma were a 19-point favorite and the Number 2-ranked team in the nation going in, so anyone predicting that Notre Dame would beat Oklahoma was just guessing. Sports Illustrated, founded 3 years earlier, was not guessing: They put the Sooners on the cover, with the headline, "WHY OKLAHOMA IS UNBEATABLE."

Notre Dame didn't get the memo. Their defense proved every bit as tough as Oklahoma's. Midway through the 4th quarter, the game was still scoreless. The Fighting Irish launched an 80-yard drive, and, on the drive's 20th play, on 4th and goal from the 3-yard-line, quarterback Bob Williams pitched the ball to running back Dick Lynch, later an All-Pro for the New York Giants, and put Notre Dame on top, 7-0.

Oklahoma had one last chance, but, with less than 1 minute left, Williams intercepted a pass, and the 7-0 score held to the final gun, and most people in the crowd of 63,170 were stunned.

Oklahoma shook the loss off, beating Nebraska and Oklahoma State, winning the Big Seven Conference title, and they beat Duke in the Orange Bowl. They finished the season ranked Number 4. Notre Dame weren't as lucky: The win over Oklahoma raised them to Number 9, but they lost their next game, home to Iowa. They beat USC at home, and then beat SMU in the Cotton Bowl (the stadium, not the game), and finished Number 9.

In a weird twist of events, the longest winning streak in the history of men's college basketball is 88 games, set by UCLA from 1971 to 1974. The last team to beat them before the streak began, and the team that beat them to end it? In each case, it was Notre Dame. Unlike Oklahoma football, however, both UCLA losses to Notre Dame were on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana.

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November 16, 1957 was a Saturday. Among the other college football games played that day were these:

* Oklahoma may have had the most shocking defeat of the day, or even of the decade, but they weren't even the highest-ranked team to lose that day. Texas A&M went in ranked Number 1, but were upset by Number 20 Rice, 7-6 at Rice Stadium in Houston. Rice went on to win the Southwest Conference title.

* Number 3 Auburn beat Georgia, 6-0 at Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Georgia.

* Number 4 Michigan State beat Minnesota, 42-13 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

* Number 5 Iowa were slightly upset by Number 6 Ohio State, 17-13 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Ohio State won the Big Ten Conference title.

* Number 7 Tennessee were slightly upset by Number 8 Mississippi, 14-7 at Crump Stadium in Memphis. "Ole Miss" went on to win the Southeastern Conference title, and beat Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

* Number 9 Navy beat George Washington University, 52-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Navy beat Rice in the Cotton Bowl, in large part due to running back Pete Dawkins, who won the Heisman Trophy the next season.

* Number 10 Army beat Tulane, 20-14 at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York.

* Number 11 Duke beat Number 14 Clemson, 7-6 at Duke Stadium (now Wallace Wade Stadium) in Durham, North Carolina.

* Number 15 Illinois were upset by Wisconsin, 24-13 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

* Number 16 Oregon beat Southern California (USC), 16-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oregon won the Pacific Coast Conference title. But the Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl, and were awarded the National Championship by UPI.

* In New York City, Columbia lost to the University of Pennsylvania, 28-6 at Baker Field in Manhattan.

* And in New Jersey, Rutgers lost to William & Mary, 38-7 at Cary Field in Williamsburg, Virginia; and Princeton lost to Yale, 20-13 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

There were 3 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Detroit Pistons, 109-105 at the old Madison Square Garden.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 111-89 at the Boston Garden. Bill Russell scored 28 points and set a new NBA record with 49 rebounds. Three years later, with the Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain said a record which has never seriously been approached, against Russell and the Celtics, with 55 rebounds. But the Celtics won the game.

* And the St. Louis Hawks beat the Syracuse Nationals, 118-101 at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

And the NHL's entire "Original Six" were in action:

* The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 1-0 at the Chicago Stadium.

And in English soccer, Arsenal beat Hampshire team Portsmouth, 3-2 at Highbury in North London.