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Born on April 23, 1916 in St. Louis, MO. In 1923, Bud lost his mother. After her passing, his father decided to send him to the Shattuck Military Academy in Minnesota. Where he played five different sports and graduated in 1933. After graduating from the Shattuck Military Academy, he decided to attend the University of Minnesota. While playing for the Golden Gophers, Bud helped lead the team to three national championships. After graduating college, Bud went to work for his father before taking up coaching at Syracuse and later Minnesota. In 1943, Wilkinson decided to join the US Navy to aid in WWII. After the war ended, then Oklahoma coach Jim Tatum persuaded Bud to come to Oklahoma. Bud Wilkinson served as an assistant under Tatum until Tatum decided to take the Maryland job. In 1947 Bud became 13th head coach of the Sooners. As the coach of the Sooners, Wilkinson built a program feared by many and intimidated by none. He amassed a 145-29-4 record. In 1949, OU had its third undefeated season of all time. This would not be the last however.It was not until 1960, where a Sooner coached team under Bud Wilkinson did not win or share the conference title. In that stretch, Bud Wilkinson would engineer a winning streak that still stands as the longest in NCAA FBS division history, at 47. He also produced a 31 game winning streak. He also engineered the first three national championships for the Sooners. His offensive style was ball control, better known as the split T. His defensive style was just dominance. In fact, of the 17 years he spent as the head coach of Oklahoma, his defenses allowed an average of 10.15 points per game. And his offense averaged 28.65 points per game. In 1969, Bud Wilkinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. After his time at Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson tried his bid at the US Congress, (1964) but lost. It was also at that time, where he legally changed his name to Bud. After working with ABC Sports as a color commentator for college football, Bud Wilkinson decided to give his try at the NFL. In 1978, he coached one season for the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a disastrous outing for a great college coach. On February 9, 1994, he passed from this world as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. And those that love college football will speak his name as one of the greats forever. |
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