Sooners Forever: Coach Merv and the Stat Man

The OU Radio broadcast team was in the Cotton Bowl press box in 2011, waiting for the obligatory 11 AM kick off between OU and Texas. Coach Merv Johnson was talking of the rain soaked 15-15 game in 1984, and how OU actually won. ＂We had the ball on a fumble before the (controversial) Stansberry play＂, Merv said. I later looked at the highlights and he was correct.

It dawned on me that I need to write this down. (I was in my 5th game as the new statistician with the OU radio group.) I then started privately recording interesting interactions and a recap after Sooner games.

Coach Merv had famously said he would not write a book, because he did not want to move, but I would still document happenings that maybe my daughters and Coach’s family may appreciate. I later decided Sooner fans may enjoy some of this stuff too, and we would still not have to relocate.