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When I woke up this morning, the realization dawned on me that I can now count on one hand how many days there are until the Oklahoma Sooners kick off the 2018 season. With only five days left to go in our Countdown to Kickoff, I want to take this opportunity to look back one of the greatest winners the game has ever seen. I’m talking about two-time national championship-winning quarterback Steve Davis.
Born in Louisiana, a young Steve Davis moved to and was raised in Sallisaw, OK. In 1973, Barry Switzer was entering his first season as the head coach of Oklahoma, and he couldn’t have asked for a better QB to kick start that tenure. Davis played with a blend of savviness as a passer and creativity as a runner, and that turned out to be quite a winning formula.
Crazy Stat: Steve Davis went 32-1-1 for the #Sooners in his career.
— Switzer Statue (@switzerstatue) July 31, 2015
(P.S.- guy on the right looking sharp) pic.twitter.com/N0f4l08i7o
Just how much did Davis win? In 34 games, he led the Sooners to a 32-1-1 record from ‘73 to ‘75, including back-to-back national titles in ‘74 and ‘75. If it wasn’t for a 7-7 tie against USC in 1973 and an inexplicable 23-3 loss to Kansas in 1975, we could be talking about a record run that would be almost impossible to match.
For his career, the signal caller rushed for 2,058 yards and 27 touchdowns, and passed for an additional 1,973 yards and 21 more TDs. There are several reasons why Oklahoma was so dominant in the mid 70s, and Steve Davis was one of them.
Sadly, in March of 2013, Davis perished after a flight he was on crashed in South Bend, Indiana. Even before he passed, he was a beloved figure in Oklahoma, and the wealth of success he attained as a Sooner will forever be held in high regard.
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