Brent Clark walked out of Ohio Stadium jubilant on Sept. 24, 1977. He was in the minority.
A couple of thousand Sooner fans were floating out of the Horseshoe, buoyed by OU's 29-28 victory over Ohio State. The rest of the crowd of 88,119 was stunned.
“Only time in my life I've seen fans cry,” Clark said.
Clark, then a young lawyer working for the NCAA, walked down the Columbus streets to the Holiday Inn, where Oklahoma Congressman Tom Steed was hosting a postgame party.
When Clark arrived, the Holiday Inn already had used its marquee to comment on the proceedings.