NORMAN — John Blake was a popular choice to replace Howard Schnellenberger as the Oklahoma football coach. Blake was announced on New Year's Eve 1995, and he was everything Schnellenberger wasn't.
Young. Fresh. Vivacious. A Sooner. Beloved by players.
David Boren had been OU's president for about 13 months and introduced Blake with enthusiasm.
“This is a great day for the University of Oklahoma, and I think it's a great day for the state of Oklahoma,” Boren said 22 ½ years ago. “Because we're naming one of our own … above all, he'll be a players' coach.