Jack Santee died last weekend, and Barry Switzer will speak at Santee’s memorial service Saturday in Tulsa. Which is only fitting. Santee once spoke up for Switzer.
“I know I wouldn’t be the head coach at Oklahoma if not for Jack Santee,” Switzer said this week.
After the 1972 season, when Chuck Fairbanks left OU for the New England Patriots, Switzer was not an automatic choice to succeed Fairbanks. At least that’s Switzer’s perception.
Switzer said some factions wanted to chase Vince Dooley (Georgia) or Doug Dickey (Florida) or even Darrell Royal, the latter in an eternal quest to bring back the Sooner alum.