It’s starting to get serious, folks. There are only 35 days — or five weeks — left until the Oklahoma Sooners officially kick off the 2018 season. For today’s edition of our Countdown to Kickoff, I’m going to take a look back on the first Heisman Trophy winner in Oklahoma history, and I’ll also aim the spotlight on a Sooner who was in the program at the turn of the century.
Before Billy Vessels, Oklahoma didn’t know what it was like to be able to boast a Heisman Trophy winner. That’s a far cry from where the program is today, but how exactly did Vessels become the first Heisman recipient in school history?