Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson went 145–29–4 as a head coach, 1947–1963, at Oklahoma. His teams claim three national titles: Oklahoma in 1950, 1955 and 1956. Share
- Record
- 145–29–4 career
- Seasons
- 17
- Schools
- 1
- National titles
- 3 claimed: 1950, 1955 and 1956
- Hall of Fame
- 1969 inducted
- Best season
- 1955 11–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Oklahoma | 7–2–1 | 1st | 16 | ||
| 1948 | Oklahoma | 10–1 | 1st | Sugar Bowl W | 5 | |
| 1949 | Oklahoma | 11–0 | 1st | Sugar Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1950 | Oklahoma | 10–1 | 1st | Sugar Bowl L | 1 | |
| 1951 | Oklahoma | 8–2 | 1st | 10 | ||
| 1952 | Oklahoma | 8–1–1 | 1st | 4 | ||
| 1953 | Oklahoma | 9–1–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 4 | |
| 1954 | Oklahoma | 10–0 | 1st | 3 | ||
| 1955 | Oklahoma | 11–0 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 1 | |
| 1956 | Oklahoma | 10–0 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 1957 | Oklahoma | 10–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 4 | |
| 1958 | Oklahoma | 10–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 5 | |
| 1959 | Oklahoma | 7–3 | 1st | 15 | ||
| 1960 | Oklahoma | 3–6–1 | 5th | |||
| 1961 | Oklahoma | 5–5 | 4th | |||
| 1962 | Oklahoma | 8–3 | 1st | Orange Bowl L | 8 | |
| 1963 | Oklahoma | 8–2 | 2nd | 10 |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
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Bill Vessels1952 Heisman- Kurt BurrisSecond in the 1954 Heisman vote
- Jerry TubbsFourth in the 1956 Heisman vote
- J.D. Roberts1953 Outland Trophy
- Dave BakerNo. 5 pick, 1959
- Bo BolingerConsensus All‑American, 1955
- Bob HarrisonConsensus All‑American, 1958
- Jim GrishamConsensus All‑American, 1963
- Buddy BurrisConsensus All‑American, 1948
- George ThomasNo. 6 pick, 1950
- Jack MitchellNo. 8 AAFC pick, 1949
- Stan WestNo. 12 pick, 1950
1 more
Joe Don Looney (No. 12 pick, 1964).
18 of the 19 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 42 | 25–16–1 | 61% |
| Against top-10 teams | 25 | 11–13–1 | 46% |
| Against rivals | 85 | 73–12 | 86% |
| Conference games | 103 | 91–9–3 | 90% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 8 | 6–2 | 75% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 55 | 34–17–4 | 65% |
| At home | 80 | 69–10–1 | 87% |
| On the road | 73 | 61–9–3 | 86% |
| At neutral sites | 25 | 15–10 | 60% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 147 | 130–14–3 | 89% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 31 | 15–15–1 | 50% |
His own 178 games on file, 1947–1963, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Faurot 1947–1956 | 10–0 | Missouri | 10 | |
| Dallas Ward 1950–1958 | 8–0–1 | Colorado | 9 | |
| Cliff Speegle 1955–1962 | 8–0 | Oklahoma State | 8 | |
| Abe Stuber 1947–1953 | 7–0 | Iowa State | 7 | |
| William Glassford 1949–1955 | 7–0 | Nebraska | 7 | |
| Darrell Royal 1957–1963 | 1–6 | Texas | 7 | |
| Jules Sikes 1948–1953 | 6–0 | Kansas | 6 | |
| Edwin Price 1951–1956 | 5–1 | Texas | 6 | |
| Dan Devine 1958–1963 | 5–1 | Missouri | 6 | |
| Clay Stapleton 1958–1963 | 4–2 | Iowa State | 6 |
Bud Wilkinson’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Stateseries | 17 | 17–0 |
| Kansas Stateseries | 17 | 17–0 |
| Missouriseries | 17 | 16–1 |
| Iowa Stateseries | 17 | 15–2 |
| Nebraskaseries | 17 | 14–3 |
| Kansasseries | 17 | 14–1–2 |
| Texasseries | 17 | 9–8 |
| Coloradoseries | 14 | 11–2–1 |
Also a player: Bud Wilkinson’s playing career.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937–41 | Syracuse | Assistant coach | |
| 1942 | Minnesota | Assistant coach | |
| 1943–44 | Iowa Pre-Flight service team | Assistant coach | |
| 1946 | Oklahoma | Assistant coach | |
| 1947–63 | Oklahoma | Head coach | |
| 1978–79 | St. Louis Cardinals NFL | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Ossie SolemSyracuse
- George HauserMinnesota
- Don FaurotIowa Pre-Flight
- Jack MeagherIowa Pre-Flight
- Jim TatumOklahoma
Assistants who became head coaches
- Gomer JonesOklahoma
- Dee AndrosIdaho, Oregon State
- Pete ElliottNebraska, California, Illinois, Miami
- Ray NagelUtah, Iowa
- Eddie CrowderColorado
- Clive RushToledo, Boston Patriots, Merchant Marine
- Rudy FeldmanNew Mexico
- Jerry PettiboneNorthern Illinois, Oregon State
- Jim SweeneyWashington State, Fresno State, Montana State
Worked under (5)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ossie Solem | Syracuse | 1937–41 | Assistant coach | |
| George Hauser | Minnesota | 1942 | Assistant coach | |
| Don Faurot | Iowa Pre-Flight service team | 1943 | Assistant coach | |
| Jack Meagher | Iowa Pre-Flight service team | 1944 | Assistant coach | |
| Jim Tatum | Oklahoma | 1946 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (9)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gomer Jones | Oklahoma, 1947–63: line coach | Oklahoma | |
| Dee Andros | Oklahoma, 1951–52: assistant coach | Idaho, Oregon State | |
| Pete Elliott | Oklahoma, 1951–55: assistant coach | Nebraska, California, Illinois, Miami | |
| Ray Nagel | Oklahoma, 1954: assistant coach | Utah, Iowa | |
| Eddie Crowder | Oklahoma, 1956–62: offensive backs coach | Colorado | |
| Clive Rush | Oklahoma, 1958: backfield coach | Toledo, Boston Patriots, Merchant Marine | |
| Rudy Feldman | Oklahoma, 1958–62: ends coach | New Mexico | |
| Jerry Pettibone | Oklahoma, 1962: graduate assistant | Northern Illinois, Oregon State | |
| Jim Sweeney | St. Louis Cardinals, 1979: assistant coach | Washington State, Fresno State, Montana State |
Other assistants under him (1)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Chet Franklin | Oklahoma, 1960: graduate assistant; 1961: freshmen coach; 1962: assistant coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.