Billy Vessels - University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK - Community Commemoration on Waymarking.com

This statue honoring OU Football Great Billy Vessels is located among several other statues in Heisman Park, on the east side of the OU football stadium. The statues line the east side of Jenkins, just north of Lindsey. It is one of many projects as part of the Oklahoma Centennial Celebration to celebrate 100 years of statehood.

Billy is shown in a running position, leaning foward bent at the waist, with his left leg bent and behind him. He is holding the football in his right hand, and his left hand is helping propel him forward.

Billy Vessels was born in Cleveland, OK in 1931. In addition to playing for OU, he also played for the Edmondton Eskimos and the Baltimore Colts.

According to wikipedia, after football he was employed by The Mackle Company, one of Florida's leading developers. In the 1970's he became involved in horse facing, and served several positions in that field. In Sept. 2003, Cleveland, OK renamed its high school football stadium "Billy Vessels Memorial Stadium", in honor of the football great.


Text on foundation:

Billy Vessels
Dedicated September 9, 2005
A project of the Oklahoma Centennial
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Billy Vessels
March 22, 1031 - November 17, 2001

Billy Vessels electrified University of Oklahoma football fans with his lightening-quick bursts of speed to rush for 2,085 yards and 35 touchdowns in 24 games for the Sooners from 195052, despite missing most of the 1951 season with an injured knee. He rushed for 1,072 yards and scored 108 points as a senior in 1952 to win the Heisman Trophy and All-American honors. He entered the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1974, and is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Vessels started at left halfback in his third game as a sophomore in 1950. He scored the winning touchdown in a 14-13 victory over Texas and three touchdowns against Nebraska while gaining 208 yards.

His 870 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1950 helped the Sooners win their first National Championship. In 1952, Vessels won national fame when he stunned a coast-to-coast television audience against Notre Dame, scoring on a pass and exploding for touchdown runs of 62 and 44 yards. In 1953, while playing for Edmondton, Vessels won the Shenley Award as the outstanding player in the Canadian Football League. He played for the Baltimore Colts in the National Football Leagure before a leg injury ended his football career.

Billy lived with his wife, Susie, in Coral Gables, Florida, where he remained a loyal Sooner until his death. Their three children are Jane, Chase and Lance.
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Sculpted by Shan Gray of Edmond, Oklahoma
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The Oklahoma Centennial Commission and the University of Oklahoma wish to thank the following friends and teammates of Billy Vessels for making this possible.

Sam Allen; Clayton I. Bennett; G.T. Blankenship; Edwin W. de Cordova; Buck McPhail; Lee Allan Smith; Claude Arnold; Gaylord Graham Bennett; Eddie Crowder; Richard Ellis; Steve Owens; Gene Torbett; Oklahoma University Football Letterman's Association; Sigma Nu Fraternity

Subject: State/Province Commemoration: 100 year anniversary of Oklahoma's statehood Date of Founding: November 16, 1907 Date of Commemoration: November 16, 2007 Address: Heisman Park, northeast corner of Jenkins and Lindsey, just east of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Overview Photograph: Yes Detail Photograph: Yes Web site if available: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   03/17/2011 Max and 99 visited it