The John Wayne of OSU Football

Jim Stanley and I had a great working relationship. We enjoyed an even better friendship. True, I was a member of the media during Stanley’s six years at the helm, but we respected one another from day one. I didn’t tell him how to coach (although I offered some advice from time to time), and he didn’t tell me how or what to write.

Every year there was a fourto-six week window when things became a little tense. Keep in mind, the recruiting process was much different back in the 1970s. Unless OSU was going after a recognizable state high school or junior college prospect, the general public didn’t have a list of names to scrutinize weeks before signing day. For the most part, Cowboy fans didn’t have any idea who was coming on board until national signing day. There weren’t many recruiting services, websites, recruiting gurus or recruiting magazines that predicted the every move of a potential recruit.

But, part of my job was to name names for Cowboy fans. It wasn’t easy under Stanley. He kept a tight grip on that list. The circle of people who knew OSU’s recruiting targets was small. While there was no social media or hat games back then, there was still a need for both the school and recruit to enjoy the taste of publicity. So in exchange for names and telephone numbers, I promised to quote “sources” when writing about a high-level young man thinking about making his way to Stillwater.

Each column seemed to irritate Stanley even more. To this day, I’ve never given up the name(s) of those on the Cowboy football staff who provided me the information I needed. But it was a win-win situation. I got the “scoop,” and OSU got the publicity.

Over the years, Jim and I laughed about how I managed “to get those names when that list was locked away in my desk.” He probably knew but chose to humor me.

I never met Bear Bryant , but after spending three and sometimes four days a week in the football office, I feel as if I knew him personally. Stanley was a Bryant disciple and former player. He learned how to play and coach when the game was not for the faint of heart. He was hard-nosed but fair. He was intense but sensitive when he needed to be. He believed in both mental and physical toughness. He had a John Wayne persona.

He took Oklahoma State to two bowls, tied for the Big Eight championship in 1976 (one play away from an outright title) and beat Oklahoma in Norman in 1976 to end a long Bedlam drought. His teams were as tough as they came. They reflected their coach.

Journalism professors will cringe when they read this, as will sports editors who warn against this very thing, but I knew Jim would be let go following OSU’s 62-7 loss in Norman in the ’78 finale. It was one of the two toughest columns that I ever sat down to write (the other predicting Paul Hansen would not return). Critics will point out the pitfalls of getting “too close” to the story.

I can assure you those people never met Jim Stanley.

Jimmy Johnson and his confident, talented staff of assistant coaches hit Stillwater shortly after Stanley emptied out his office. This group, for the most part, came from the University of Pittsburgh and took north central Oklahoma by storm. Jimmy’s energy level was in stark contrast to Stanley’s laid-back approach. OSU fans longed for the brash personality that this staff brought to Cowboy country. Over the next five years, Oklahoma State would become a legitimate player in the Big Eight and would go to two bowls.

Lost in Johnson’s five-year stay at OSU was the fact that many of his assistant coaches went on to become head coaches, and some even found their way to the National Football League. While their bravado ruffled a few feathers in and out of the league, these coaches walked the walk after talking the talk.

Perhaps it was Jimmy’s Arkansas background. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he never accepted the notion that Oklahoma State had to play second fiddle to Oklahoma. He knew, coached with and bantered back and forth with Barry Switzer. Although he never beat OU during his stay in Stillwater, he helped reshape the thought process when it came to playing the Sooners. He respected the Big Red of the south but didn’t fear the football monster that for decades had owned the state.

Jimmy’s “Press On” battle cry was quickly adopted by Cowboy fans. To be sure, there were highs and lows. The improbable road win (14-13) at Missouri in his first year set the tone for a 7-4 season (5-2 in the Big Eight) and Big Eight Coach of the Year honors for Johnson. I’ll forever remember Terry Suellentrop’s Herculean effort in Columbia that day. Fresh out of healthy backs after two physical losses at Arkansas and South Carolina, Sully came over from the defense to rush for over 200 yards. The Cowboy nation saw a great future for the program following that game.