Bud Wilkinson - University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com

Nov. 2018 I found the statue in a different location and updated coords. It is now on the south side of the stadium.

This bronze statue of OU football coach Bud Wilkinson is located in from of the Bud Wilkinson House, on the east side of the Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. The football stadium is on the northwest corner of Jenkins and Lindsey, and the Wilkinson statue/house is on the northeast corner of the same intersection. There is also a bench dedicated to Bud Wilkinson at this same location.

Coach Wilkinson is shown standing, holding a football directly in front of him, and a whistle hanging on his neck. He is assuming a very relaxed position, his left foot forward a few inches, and a slight smile on his face. He is clothed in his football coaching attire. The marble base has text on all four sides, giving information on this famous OU coach.


Text on statue base:

Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson
Dedicated November 13, 2010
Oklahoma Centennial '07 (symbol)
A project of the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Centennial
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Bud Wilkinson
1916-1994
Bud Wilkinson's remarkable tenure at Oklahoma, which included three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak, is forever etched among the most successful eras in college football. Oklahoma's 13th football coach produced teams that won the national title in 1950, 1955 and 1956. Along the way, the Sooners fashioned amazing streaks of success. Not only did they win 47 games in a row (1953-57), they played 74 conference games without a loss (72-0-2) from 1946-1959. After the 1947 season, the Sooners won 12 straight conference championships.

But Wilkinson, a scholar in his own right, did far more than simply sculpt a winner on the field. In 17 seasons at Oklahoma, he fostered racial integration for the OU program and a graduation rate of almost 90 percent.

Wilkinson played collegiately at Minnesota where he helped the Golden Gophers win three national championships in football, captained the golf team and was a goaltender in hockey. He won the Big Ten Medal of Honor as the outstanding scholar-athlete in 1937. After serving as an assistant at Syracuse, where he received his master's in English Education, Wilkinson coached at Minnesota and with the Navy's Pre-Flight School Seahawks. He also served in the Navy during World War II.

He was persuaded to join the Oklahoma football staff as an assistant coach to Jim Tatum in 1946. One year later, Wilkinson ascended to the athletic director and head football coach positions at OU. In 1964, he resigned and ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. Wilkinson was a sports analyst for almost 20 years with NBC, ABC and ESPN. He was appointed by President Kennedy as the first head of the Council on Physical Fitness. He also served as a consultant to President Nixon and was a member of the White House Staff from 1969-71.
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Sculpted by John Gooden
MTM Recognition
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David L. Boren, President, and Joseph R. Castiglione, Director of Athletics, wish to express their gratitude to Lee Allan Smith and J. Blake Wade for their leadership on this project and to the following sponsors for their generous support in making this statue possible.

Nancy and Claude Arnold; Clay Bennett and Family; G.T. and Libby Blankenship; Doug and Peggy Cummings; David Davenport; Ed deCordova Family; Tom Dulaney, Jr.; Richard Ellis; Jean I. Everest Foundation; Josephine Freede; Angie and Jimmy Harris; Kirk and Danna Humphreys; Herman and LaDonna Meinders; The Oklahoman; Jakie Sandefer; Bob and Carol Stoops; Regent Jon R. Stuart; The Touchdown Club of Oklahoma

URL of the statue: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.

Recent Visits/Logs:

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