Bart Connor - U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist

Here is another story about some of the interesting people who we have met since we moved to Oklahoma.  Tonight I re-acquainted myself with Bart Connor, former U.S. Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast (from 1984).  The black tie optional event was the annual induction ceremony for the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (which is located in OKC), and my old friend Bart Connor was the ceremony emcee.

 

You may wonder how I know Bart Connor.  Bart and I were in freshman Physics classes together at OU, (way) back in 1976.  I did not know who the kid sitting next to me was, but I noticed he tended to miss classes often (not good habit in freshman Physics).  I recall Bart saying to me one time, after he was out of class for several weeks; "Tanner, can I borrow your notes?  I'm really behind".

I gladly shared my notes, but said something to the effect of: "How can you possibly miss three weeks of Physics class, and hope to catch up?" 

"Oh, man; I've been in Russia", Bart replied!

At the time, I didn't know how great a gymnast he was, and would go on to become.  Bart was a qualifier for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, but did not attend, due to the U.S. boycott.  In 1981, Conner won the Nissen Award (the "Heisman" of men's gymnastics).  He went on to participate on the gold-medal winning Men’s Gymnastics team at the Los Angeles Olympics, in 1984.   He also won an individual gold medal in the Parallel Bars, there.  

          

 

So last night, I re-introduced myself to Bart, and met his lovely wife, the former gold medal winning gymnast from Romania - Nadia Comaneci.  Bart and Nadia run a successful gymnastics studio, down in Norman.  We also got to meet Olympic gold medalist, Jordyn Wieber, from last year’s London Olympics.  

We also shared our table with Edward Azaryan, the son of one of the Hall-of-Fame inductees.  His father, Albert Azaryan, was a gold medalist from Armenia, representing the “then” Soviet Union.  Edward, himself was a gold medal gymnast, who now lives in LA.  We spoke, at length, about Armenia, the former Soviet Union, my many visits to Armenia's neighbor, Azerbaijan.

I really enjoyed re-connecting with Bart, and am happy that he and Nadia are now proud Oklahomans!

NFL Draft Day

Well today is the first day of the NFL draft!  The question I have every year, at this time, is:

When will Jordan come off the board?

 

 

Bud, did you wear a suit and tie, like the old days?  For those of you who have never heard the story, Jordan used to love watching the NFL Draft each year.  As a pretty decent High School Football player, and lifelong football fan, Jordan looked forward to the draft each year.  On “Draft Day”, he would put on a suit & tie and watch the draft, dreaming of hearing his name called.  So, for Jordan, like so many little boys around the country who grow up dreaming about being a pro football player, and the NFL draft is where those dreams come true.

Both OU and Texas A&M will likely have a player drafted near the very top of the draft this year.  Read on to learn more!

Luke Joeckel, of A&M, is projected by many, to be the first overall pick in the draft.   If this happens, it will be the first #1 overall pick for the Aggies, although the Aggies have had a whopping (or is that “whooping”) 4 - #2 picks (most recently Von Miller).   What a year it’s been for Aggie football.

 Lane Johnson, from OU, is projected to be in the top 7as an offensive tackle.  What a career for him.  He went to Jr. College in Kilgore, Texas as a QB.  While there, he converted to a TE.  After he transferred to OU, he was moved to a DE.  As he grew bigger and stronger, the OU coaches converted him to an Offensive Tackle.   His quick feet and speed (4.7 seconds in the 40) is what earned him the high rating, as he’s only been an OT for 2 years.

With TAMU moving to the SEC, it will likely make Lane Johnson the first Big 12 pick, so I appreciate you guys allowing him that honor!

It will be interesting to see where former, Oklahoma QB, Landry Jones will go.  He would have likely gone higher in last year’s draft, despite that being a year of great QB depth in the draft (think Andrew Luck, RGIII, Russell Wilson, Weeden, & Tannehill).  Landry actually had a pretty decent year, stat-wise as a senior, but his lack of poise and slow feet, will likely cost him.  Interestingly, his wife, Whitney Hand a former OU women’s basketball player, despite a torn ACL, was drafted in the 3^rd round of the WNBA draft.  The question is: “Will Landry get drafted earlier or later than his wife was?" It would be tough to not even have bragging rights in your own home!  He’ll probably have to do dishes for a year!

Anyway, enjoy the draft, and this little tribute to former Katy linebacker, Jordan Tanner (#50), and good luck to both the Aggies and the Sooners!

Chuck & Loma’s Excellent Adventure

Oklahoma is a beautiful and diverse state.  There are many interesting and beautiful places, and some of them I’ve never seen!  So, when we moved back to Oklahoma, in 2010, I decided that I would make a concerted effort to visit and see them. 

   Oklahoma has 77 counties, and I have made it a goal to visit every one of them over the next few years.  Many, along the I-35 corridor are easy.   One trip to watch Susan’s nephew play a high-school football game in the Tulsa area: check.   Susan, Erin, and I drove the famous Talimena drive, in eastern Oklahoma and, and saw some beautiful mountains and scenery, and visited a dozen counties; check, check!   A fun weekend with our friends, the Broussard’s, at Lake Broken Bow, in far southeast Oklahoma:  check, check, double-check!   But you can imagine that there are still a few corners that may be harder to get to without a dedicated effort.

As I do consider myself a true “Oklahoman”, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I had never been to the Oklahoma panhandle.  The former Cherokee Strip holds three of Oklahoma’s largest counties, some admirable vistas, and probably ten times more cattle than people!  Susan had to make a weekend trip out to west Texas to visit her cousins, after their mother died.  This left me with a long, lonely, weekend to travel, so off we (Loma and I) went to explore!

There are many rustic views in this part of Oklahoma.  West of Alva, the plains turn into hills, and you pass the broad Cimarron River.  Not much water, but a wide swath through the plains as the river meanders south towards Guthrie, and ultimately into the Arkansas River near Tulsa.  Past Freedom, I detoured south to the Alabaster Caverns State park.  It was only 4 PM, so I took the last tour of the day into the caverns.  It lasted about 45 minutes, and included the obligatory “total dark” moment, some great alabaster crystals, and bats on the ceiling.  It was a perfect nature hike for future grandkids.  Note to self…… 

 

Well, since Loma got equal billing in the title of this adventure, she needs to get her story out too.   To that end, I’ll include three short Loma stories to share her highlights of the trip.  So, you’ll find three Loma anecdotes included in this report, including stories about horses, cows, and a modern day Oklahoma land run!

 

Loma (horses):   I pulled off on a country road to let Loma out.  We both stepped out of the car to stretch our legs.  Loma looked up at the nearby field and took off to chase two horses that were in the field.  Oh-no, I said.  I yelled for her to come back, but she kept on chasing them towards the far end of the field where a house was at.  I could just see me having to walk to the other end, dodging horse droppings, just to have to explain to some shotgun toting farmer, that my dog doesn’t come when called.  She finally heeded my calls (likely after she got close enough to know that horses are BIG) and ran back to the car leaving me in the field.  I swear she had a grin on her face. 

 The sun had set before I got into Guymon. Wow, that glare was brutal, as I drove due west into the setting sun! I had no problem finding the Super 8 Motel, along the highway. The Super 8 Motel, was only $59, with a hot breakfast, and a $7 pet fee. I found Martha’s Diner, which advertised a Green Chile Chicken Fried Steak. You couldn’t have suggested anything better! It was really good. Later that evening, Loma helped me choose which Book-on-Tape to listen to during the drive. Loma and I fell asleep watching the Lakers lose on ESPN. It was a good day!

I am a notorious early riser (sorry Loma).  By 7 AM, I had showered, eaten a (very good) hot breakfast, walked Loma, loaded up, and checked out.  Today’s agenda includes the rest of the Oklahoma panhandle, including Texas and Cimarron Counties (Please see table for the (lack of) density stats), the Black Mesa, the city of Kenton, and the tri-state border of Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico; all before heading home. 

It was cool (21 degrees) and crisp as we headed west towards Boise City, Colorado, and New Mexico!  The picture, above, is actually the sun rising behind us as we drove west from Guymon towards Boise City.  The horizon is very flat, with only telephone lines to give perspective in front of a sunrise that glowed like a burning fire across the horizon.  It was breathtaking.  I sat there for about ten minutes watching the colors and hues shift around.  After a 2^nd cup of coffee in Boise City at “Quick Stop” (there is no McDonald’s, and definitely no Starbucks), we headed west and north through the prairies.

I stopped at the Black Mesa State Park and spoke with the Ranger for about 10 minutes.  He told me I was only the 3^rd person that had stopped by his lonely office all year!  He gave me a map (hand drawn) to the Dinosaur tracks and the tri-state marker.  Both of these are on private land, so I wouldn’t have found them without his help!

We followed the trail out of the State Park, up through Kenton, Oklahoma.  This is a very small town (current population, 18)!  It used to be an important town (established in 1891), during the Santa Fe Trail days.  In those days there was a cattle trail (think “The Chisholm Trail”) that connected the Santa Fe area and famous Kansas City stockyards.  Today, Kenton is famous for it being the only town in Oklahoma that is on Mountain Time, like Colorado (3 miles north) or New Mexico (2 miles west).   

After driving north for a few miles, we were on the edge of the beautiful and majestic Black Mesa.  This beautiful geologic feature is the result of a hard layer of volcanic basalt that has resisted erosion, leaving the flat “table-like” feature.  Mesa is the Spanish word for table.  There is a parking lot (in the middle of nowhere) where you can park while you can hike (4.2 miles each way) and climb the mesa to the highest point in Oklahoma, at 4,973 feet (almost one mile).  As it was still pretty cold and lonely out there, I decided Loma and I didn’t need an 8 mile hike.  Instead, we visited found the Dinosaur footprints in the creek-bed, and visited the point where the states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas meet. 

In the book Mapheads, that Sarah gave me, the story is told that this tri-state marker, which sits in the middle of a field has been moved five different times, as more sophisticated mapping techniques have shifted the “exact location” of the marker.  Maybe they should have put it on wheels!  I should have called my friend Ali, completing her senior year at Colorado School of Mines, to tell her that Kenton is on Mountain time!

Having reached Colorado before 10:00 (okay 9:00 MST!), it was time to turn around and head back towards home.  We stopped and played at the dinosaur footprints for a while.  It is interesting that Loma can fit inside these steps.  Somehow I can’t imagine her chasing one of these monsters around the fields, can you? 

Loma (and cows):  As I drove up to the tri-state marker, a herd (is herd the right word???) of big black cows started chasing the car.  In this part of the world, cattle get fed “cubes” of protein from the back of a car or truck.  So when they see a car, they think; “Food”!  Anyway, on my way back to the highway, I had to drive through all these cows on the road.  They moo’d and bawled, and moved off the road, but only at cow speed, so slowly!  I had the windows down so Loma could look at the cows which were only 3 feet away from the windows.  Loma wanted no part of it!  Instead of looking out the window, she was laying on the floor in the backseat with a look on her face that said:  “Get me out of here”!   

 

We ventured back through Boise City, and the Oklahoma panhandle, heading east.  As I had never driven through Texhoma (population ~926), a city that is half in Texas and half in Oklahoma.  Texhoma is the home town of Steve Pugh (one of my groomsmen).  So, I swung south into Texas for a short drive, then by about 11:00, we were heading back to Edmond.  

With nothing but flat scenery around we made pretty good time, leaving the panhandle.  The three panhandle counties (Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron) are some of the largest counties in Oklahoma, at over 1,800 sq. miles, each (only Osage County, at 2,251 sq. miles, is larger).  The roads are long and straight, allowing for speeds over 80 mph (thankfully I was the only one who noticed)! 

Loma (and the Land Run)  Oklahoma is famous for its Land Run, in which pioneers lining the Oklahoma-Kansas border rode south, into Oklahoma, to claim land, in 1889.  Well, at one point, I saw a memorable outcrop of rocks on the side of the road; so I stopped, opened my door and stepped out to get a picture.  After I got in the car and started driving away, I looked in the back seat to see if Loma had woken up to look out the window.  To my surprise (and horror), she wasn’t in the back of the car!  In fact, she wasn’t in the car at all!  I looked up into the rear-view mirror, and there was Loma, about a hundred yards behind me, running for all she was worth to catch up!  She had, apparently, slipped out of the car when I got out to take the picture, thinking it was an “environmental break”.  I don’t know who was more surprised and worried as she jumped back in the car and hunkered down in her bed!  I couldn’t stop laughing at the look of Loma running in the mirror.  She was reenacting the Oklahoma land run; the four legged variety!

 

We arrived home around 6 PM on Saturday evening.  We covered right as 900 miles, and I added 11 new counties to my list.  So far (I think), I have visited 56 of the 77 counties in Oklahoma.  One group is in the NE corner of the state.  I am hoping that Susan and I get to go canoeing the Arkansas River around Tahlequah sometime this spring.  The other corner is the far SW part of the state.  Maybe I can visit those counties on my way to see Erin & Hutt in Graham.  If you know me, you know I love to plan new trips!

Happy traveling!

An Exercise in Exercise

An Exercise in Exercise

(My mini-triathlon)

This past weekend, my two sisters (Sue and Lauren) and I, along with about 60 other people, participated in a mini-triathlon in Duncan Oklahoma.  I’ve always been a pretty decent athlete, and I typically enjoy exercise, so this seemed like a good way to start the year.  For those who don’t know what a mini-triathlon includes (I didn’t until lately), it involves a 300 meter swim, an 8 miles bike ride, and a 5k run.  As this event  is all done inside, February is a good time for it.  This one was hosted in Duncan’s Simmons Center, which is a nice facility.

Sue, my sister from Amarillo, had done a mini-triathlon last year, and enjoyed the event.  She challenged (my sister) Lauren, and (my brother) Andrew, and I to join here this year.  As I was a pretty good swimmer (many, many) years ago, and I still work out with both spinning classes and running, I thought that I would be able to pull this off.  After the first of the year, I started serious training in each event, and worked on building up my endurance for the combo of the three.  I’ll briefly discuss each event, and my training regime.

The race started at 6:30 AM, so Sue, Lauren and I met at Lauren’s house in Chickasha on Saturday night for carb-loading.  We had spaghetti, salad, and Jell-O with blueberries, for dessert.

I was an Oklahoma state champion in swimming way back in 1976.  Back in “the day”, I could swim 100m in just under a minute.  I was definitely a sprinter, meaning that I would fade fast as the distance increased.  The swim was a 300m swim, snake-style, up and down the pool for 6 laps (or 12 lengths).  For training, I swam 500-660m two-three times a week, since January.  I hoped that I would be able to do the 300m in about 6 minutes, and I did really well, finishing in 5 minutes and 20 seconds.  This was the strong suit of my race.  In-fact, only one swimmer beat my time, and he was 19 years old.  As pleased as I was with my own performance, I was awed by Lauren’s.  She finished just a few seconds behind me, and if it weren’t for the trouble she had getting out of the pool, she might have beaten me!

The biking was done on a stationary bike, for 8 miles.  To train, I attended spinning classes, about once a week, in which you ride the bike anywhere from 8-15 miles in under an hour.  I had hoped to do this 8 mile ride in about 20 minutes, as I was pedaling at low resistance.  I did get a bit of a cramp in one calf about halfway through, but still finished in a decent split of 22 minutes for the 8 mile ride.  The transition time between the swim and bike was about 5 minutes, but I started breathing hard after only a mile or so.  I jumped off the bike dripping sweat, but I did get to drink down a Gatorade before moving to the run.  Sue had a nice run on her bike, beating a number of competitors.

Last on the list was the run.  It’s a 5k, or 3.1 mile route on an indoor running track.  I do not like to run, period.  I do not like to train to run, double period.  Last year, I ran two 5K races, one as part of the Memorial Marathon relay and one as part of the Turkey Trot.  Both of these were outdoors, with hills, and unpredictable weather.  What’s to complain about running on a nice, smooth, indoor, level track, right?  Still, I died!  After swimming and biking, my legs were worn out after only a mile or so.  I ran this 5k in just under 31 minutes.  My split time for the Memorial Marathon (outdoors, in weather) was 29:57, so considering that I had already done the swim and bike, I should be happy with the 31 minute time.  But I know that I was really tired, and I had to walk a few of the 33 laps around the track.  I was ever so glad when the race was over!

In all, I accomplished my goal of beating a one hour time, by finishing in 58 minutes and 20 seconds!  Woohoo!  I was also lucky enough to win first place in my age group, so I got a gold medal.  Had I been 55 years old, instead of 54, I would have finished third in my age group!  I was very proud of my sisters too.  Sue finished first in here age group, and Lauren finished second in hers.  I think we all agreed that the woman who beat Lauren was really a robot.  In all, it was a fun experience and I’m glad we did it together.  Whether I’m crazy enough to ever do it again is debatable!  We’ll see

So you know what I did on my weekend.  What did you do on yours?

When it rains it pours....

I (we) am so excited that both Sarah (late July)and Erin Paige (late August) are expecting their first babies!  One of the last lines in our Christmas letter was:  So far all the kids have stayed too busy to produce any grandkids, so we continue to wait patiently to spoil our many future grandchildren.  I’m glad to see that my “suggestion” produced such quick results!  I never guessed that I could be so persuasive!  Maybe I should have said something earlier.....

One of the reasons that I am excited about this public news, is that it was getting hard to keep track of who knew what, and what I could say, and to whom!  So, for the benefit of my reader(s),  let me tell you this story about what I knew, and when, in chronological order.

We love Christmas, as it’s the best chance we have of getting all the kids and their spouses together at the same time.  In 2012, all the kids spent Christmas with their “in-laws”, we all planned to get together in Edmond for New Year's, and we looked forward to that. 

Jordan and Erin Paige arrived the day before the others, after visiting Erin’s parents and grandparents.  We were sitting in the living room chatting, when Jordan said he had some news for us.  As the lease on their apartment is going to be up in June, Susan and I were wondering if they might be coming back closer to home, so I thought I knew where this was going.  Instead, Jordan surprised and delighted us by announcing that Erin was pregnant!  Of course we are thrilled and excited with the  news, as we know that they’ll be great parents (and shucks, we’ll be great grandparents.  I guess, in this case, my parents and Susan's mom will be great-grandparents, so we'll just be very-good grandparents).  They went on to say that they were thinking the timing would be late summer, but they requested that we not say anything or make any announcements until they had confirmed all of this at their upcoming doctor appointment, back home in California.  Of course, we agreed.  Each couple has to decide when and how to pass on this news, and we were happy to comply.  We were, and are, terribly excited for them! 

The next day Sarah and Ryan, and Erin and Hutt arrived the next day, so we had a houseful!  That was also the day we agreed to do our Christmas gift exchange.  So everyone grabbed a seat, and the piles of gifts grew as Erin handed out gifts, and then gradually got smaller as we each opened our presents.  Towards the end, Ryan, who is always a good joke teller, announced that there was one more present, but that it would be delayed until July for delivery.  Now, we’ve all had gifts over the holidays that don’t make it on time, but a July delivery deserved more explanation.  To which, Ryan held up a Sonogram picture and said: “Merry Christmas!”        

Of course, you can imagine how happy we all are for the Rat Pack!  Everyone clapped and cheered and hugs went all around.  They told us that they were thinking that the timing would be late July, and that they had been saving the news for Christmas as a surprise!  What exciting news around the room! 

 

                              

Now here comes th complicated part.  Of course, Jordan and Erin Paige had just shared their news the night before, but had asked to hold off with public announcement.  Susan said she was worried that I would say something like “You too?” and spoil the surprise, but I didn’t.  Jordan and Erin Paige were great sports, congratulating and complimenting Sarah and Ryan, but knowing their announcement day was coming someday soon.  But all of the surprises weren’t out yet  (No, I’m not announcing that Erin and Hutt are expecting too!).   Susan, later, told me that she has known about Sarah’s pregnancy since Erin and Hutt’s wedding, all the way back in November!  I can’t believe that she kept this secret for so long without telling!  As excited as Susan is about the prospects of grandchildren, it must have been so hard for her to not leak the news!   I’ve underestimated her “secret-keeping” capability!    I won't any more.....

Since Jordan and Erin Paige have returned to California, they have now had their doctor appointment, and confirmed dates.  They have also, now, shared their wonderful news with everyone. 

Make no mistake;  I am very excited about the upcoming grandchildren (and that these two grandchildren will have built-in cousins the same age)!  But, I am also glad that I don’t have to worry about who knows and who doesn’t.  Or, who I can talk to and who I can’t talk to! 

Many of us in this part of the country have been experiencing a long-time drought conditions.  It seems that we all need rain these days.  It’s true;  When it rains it pours!  All I can say on the grandkid front, is:          Let it Rain!

 

On the eve of the Sugar Bowl, matching up Florida State and Northern Illinois, I want to share With all due respect to my Illinois friend, Jeff Dahl, and Ryan’s Uncle Charles, I don’t like Illinois or the BCS much these days.

Illinois:

                             

 

First, let’s talk about Illinois. I did enjoy the movie “Lincoln” (saw it Thanksgiving weekend). Even more, I liked Bill O’Reilly’s 2011 book called “Killing Lincoln.” But the state that brought us one of our greatest Presidents, also has brought the following:

 

·   The former Illinois Senator, who will remain nameless

·     Former Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and is now serving a 14 year prison sentence for attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by the nameless one. What a joke!

·    Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who used his public platform to start a smear campaign against Chik-fil-A (the best chocolate Chip cookies I’ve ever eaten) for their pro-Christian policies. Joke #2!·    Speaking of Chicago, how many murders this year, Rahm? I read an article that claimed that there have been more murders in Chicago this year than deaths in Afghanistan. Good reason to focus your attention on Chik-fil-A-gate!

·    Lastly the Illinois State Employees Retirement Fund is going bankrupt due to mis-management. So what does the state of Illinois do? They have recently petitioned the Federal Government saying that “other states” should pay their deficit! The gall!

Illinois is the new “Mistake-by-the-lake!”

To top it all off, The Northern Illinois Huskie’s football team is going to the a BCS Bowl, knocking the Oklahoma Sooners out of a prestigious BCS Bowl game! To be fair, this is not the fault of the N. Illinois football program. They have had a great year, finishing 12-1 in the MAC Conference, and beating the likes of (mighty) Akron, Toledo, and Buffalo, soundly. But they lost to Iowa (at 2-6, one of the worst teams in a bad Big 10 Conference (did you know that the BCS rep from the Big 10 conference is a 5 loss Wisconsin team?). The N. Illinois “marquee” win was by 7 points against a University of Kansas team that finished 1-11, losing their last 11 games. Does this sound like a BCS resume?

Again, the N. Illinois Huskies had a great year, and have earned a bowl game. But a BCS Bowl, against Florida State? Ouch! Embarrassing!

The BCS:

Okay, so my beef is not so much against N. Illinois (although I can’t say much about the state they represent). My beef is really against the BCS. Because of (a number of) recent rule changes, Northern Illinois received a BCS Bowl bid, likely replacing the Oklahoma Sooners in a BCS Bowl.

Although Oklahoma has lost two games this year, one loss was to Notre Dame, the undefeated #1 team in the country, who is (deservedly) playing in the National Championship game. The second loss was to Kansas State, by 5 points (24-19) way back in September. In that game, OU had two costly fumbles, one by Landry Jones in the end zone (KSU recovered for a TD), and the second on an OU first & goal from the 3 yard line (that KSU recovered preventing an OU touchdown). If either of those fumbles hadn’t happened, likely a different outcome. However, KSU won the game fair and square, and has had a great season!

KSU will be representing the Big XII in a BCS Bowl (the Fiesta). They finished with the same 8-1 Big XII record as Oklahoma. OU has won 8 straight Big XII games, since losing to KSU in September. This is the same Big XII that has 9 of 10 teams going to a Bowl games, so we’re not talking lightweight opponents here!

Anyway, I just thought I’d get it off my chest. I’m not happy with Illinois or the BCS! My apologies to Jeff Dahl!

 

Cotton Bowl:

OU will be playing Texas A&M, led by Heisman hopeful Johnny “Football” Manzeil, in the Cotton Bowl. Interestingly, this will be the third Heisman hopeful OU will face this season (KSU’s Colin Klein, and Notre Dame’s Manti Teo). Will the Heisman curse (it is said that the team that wins the Heisman typically has a bad bowl game) continue? We’ll see! As I have three kids (and their three spouses) all as Texas A&M grads, it will be interesting to see what happens!

 

Boomer Sooner!          

 

Football Recruiting

Today's topic:  Football recruiting                

 

I’m sure that all “rivalry schools” have intense recruiting battles, but the two teams playing in this year’s Cotton Bowl have had their share as well. Here is a chronological history of some of the interesting battles on the recruiting trails:

2006:

• DeMarco Murray: Rumored to be going to TAMU, Murray signed w/ OU, had a great college career (all time TD leader at OU), and now stars for the Dallas Cowboys
• E.J. Shankle: An OU Commit for many months, Shankle, a WR, switched to TAMU a month before signing day. No real impact over the years w/ TAMU

2008:

• Jeff Fuller: This tall lanky WR was committed to OU for many months, before switching to A&M, where his Dad played. Fuller is now with the Dolphins (0 catches this year, so far)

 2010:

• Corey Nelson: From Dallas Skyline (FB pipeline). Stuck with A&M until signing day, when he flipped to OU. Will be a Sr. next season, and a 3 year starter at LB

2011:

• Brandon Williams: Heralded RB from Brookshire. Signed with OU and played as a freshman, then transferred to TAMU and is sitting out 2012 due to transfer rules.

2012:

• De’Vante Harris (from Hutt’s school in Mesquite): Was a long-time OU commit, before switching to TAMU, where he started at CB (and played well)

2013:

• Justin Manning: His brother played for OU, and OU “assumed” he would too, but this huge DT committed to TAMU just a couple of weeks ago
• Kerrick Huggins: Interesting story. After Manning commits to TAMU, Huggins, another huge DT, switched from TAMU to OU (probably more playing time w/o Manning)

The year is not over yet. We’ll see what mystery and intrigue the last 6-7 weeks of recruiting has in store. With OU and A&M playing in the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas (where both schools recruit well), it will be a race to the finish line!

Enjoy the ride!