In an article last week in the Oklahoma City Oklahoman, sports columnist Berry Tramel compared Riley’s first day in the new job to that of Sooner coaching great Barry Switzer, when the latter stepped into the new role in 1973, replacing Chuck Fairbanks, who had been hired as the new head coach of the NFL New England Patriots.
Tramel recalled that Switzer stood before the team and started calling out names, in roll-call fashion, of several of the Sooner stars at the time (Lee Roy Selmon…Joe Washington…Rod Shoate).