Barry Switzer facts for kids
Switzer in 2006
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1937 Crossett, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1956–1960 | Arkansas |
| Position(s) | Center, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1965 | Arkansas (RB) |
| 1966–1972 | Oklahoma (OC) |
| 1973–1988 | Oklahoma |
| 1994–1997 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 157–29–4 (college) 40–24 (NFL regular season) 5–2 (NFL playoffs) |
| Bowls | 8–5 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Super Bowl champion (XXX) 3 national (1974, 1975, 1985) 12 Big 8 (1973–1980, 1984–1987) |
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| Awards | |
| Sporting News College Football COY (1973) Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1974) 4× Big Eight Coach of the Year (1973, 1974, 1986, 1987) |
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| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2001 (profile) |
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Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a famous American former football coach. He coached college teams and professional teams. He led the University of Oklahoma football team for 16 years. Later, he coached the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL) for four years.
Switzer won three national championships with Oklahoma. He also guided the Cowboys to win Super Bowl XXX. He is known for having one of the best winning records in college football history. He is also one of only three head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl. The other two are Jimmy Johnson and Pete Carroll.
Contents
Early Life and College Playing Days
Barry Switzer was born on October 5, 1937, in Crossett, Arkansas. He grew up with his parents and younger brother, Donnie.
Barry was a talented football player. He earned a scholarship to play at the University of Arkansas. During his senior year in 1959, he was a "Tri-Captain" for the Razorbacks. His team had a great season, finishing with a 9–2 record. They also won a share of the Southwest Conference championship. The team also won the 1960 Gator Bowl against Georgia Tech. After college, he served a short time in the U.S. Army. Then, he returned to Arkansas to become an assistant coach.
Coaching at the University of Oklahoma
In 1966, Switzer moved to the University of Oklahoma to be an assistant coach. He worked under head coach Jim Mackenzie. After Mackenzie passed away, Switzer continued as an assistant coach under Chuck Fairbanks.
Switzer became well-known as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator. He helped perfect the wishbone offense. This made Oklahoma's running game incredibly strong. In 1971, his offense set an NCAA record for rushing yards per game. They also scored over 500 points in two different seasons.
When Chuck Fairbanks left to coach in the NFL in 1972, Switzer became the head coach at Oklahoma in 1973. He was very successful right away. His teams had undefeated seasons in 1973 and 1974. Under Switzer, Oklahoma won national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985.
His teams also won or shared the Big Eight Conference championship every year from 1973 to 1980. During his 16 years as head coach, his teams won eight of their 13 post-season bowl games. Many of his players, 54 in total, were named All-Americans.
In 1989, Barry Switzer decided to resign as Oklahoma's head coach. This decision came after some challenges involving the team. Switzer had an impressive record against other famous coaches. He beat Tom Osborne 12 times and Jimmy Johnson 5 times. He is one of only four coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma.
Switzer was also known for being great at finding talented high school players. He was especially good at recruiting players from Texas. His record against the Texas team was 9–5–2.
Coaching the Dallas Cowboys
On March 30, 1994, Barry Switzer was hired to coach the Dallas Cowboys. This happened right after Jimmy Johnson, who had won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys, left the team. Many people thought the Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones, wanted a coach who would work well with his ideas.
Switzer's first season with the Cowboys in 1994 was very good. The team finished with a 12–4 record. They made it to the NFC Championship Game but lost to the San Francisco 49ers. During that game, Switzer had a moment where he accidentally bumped an official while arguing a call. This led to a penalty against the Cowboys.
The 1995 season was exciting for the Cowboys. They brought in new players like Deion Sanders. The team won seven of their first eight games. They finished the season 12–4 and earned home-field advantage for the playoffs.
The Cowboys played well in the playoffs. They beat the Green Bay Packers 38–27 in the NFC Championship Game. This was their third NFC title in four seasons. They then faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
The Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX by a score of 27–17. This victory made Switzer the second coach to win both a college national championship and a Super Bowl. After this big win, Switzer thought about retiring. However, a friend convinced him to keep coaching.
The 1996 season had high hopes, but it was a bit of a challenge. Key players faced issues, and the team lost some games early on. They still finished with a 10–6 record and won their division. They beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round. However, they lost to the Carolina Panthers in the next round, ending their Super Bowl defense.
In August 1997, Switzer had an incident at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. A loaded gun was found in his luggage. He explained that he had put the gun in his bag to keep it away from children at his home and forgot it was there. He pleaded guilty and was fined.
During the 1997 season, Switzer faced some disagreements with quarterback Troy Aikman. Aikman felt the team needed more discipline. The Cowboys started the season well but struggled later, losing five straight games. On January 9, 1998, Switzer resigned as the Cowboys' head coach. His NFL coaching record was 40–24.
After Coaching
After his coaching career, Barry Switzer remained active. In 2002, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2004, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award.
Switzer lives in Norman, Oklahoma, with his wife, Becky. Becky was a gymnast on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and coached gymnastics at Oklahoma.
Switzer also appeared in movies and TV shows. He played a coach in the 1998 movie Possums. He also guest-starred in an episode of TNT's Saving Grace. In 2006, Switzer helped start First Liberty Bank in Oklahoma City. He also owns several businesses in the Norman area.
Head Coaching Record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Sooners (Big Eight Conference) (1973–1988) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Oklahoma | 10–0–1 | 7–0 | 1st | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1974 | Oklahoma | 11–0 | 7–0 | 1st | 1 | ||||
| 1975 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Orange | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1976 | Oklahoma | 9–2–1 | 5–2 | T–1st | W Fiesta | 6 | 5 | ||
| 1977 | Oklahoma | 10–2 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 6 | 7 | ||
| 1978 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1979 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1980 | Oklahoma | 10–2 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1981 | Oklahoma | 7–4–1 | 4–2–1 | 2nd | W Sun | 14 | 20 | ||
| 1982 | Oklahoma | 8–4 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Fiesta | 16 | 16 | ||
| 1983 | Oklahoma | 8–4 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1984 | Oklahoma | 9–2–1 | 6–1 | T–1st | L Orange | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1985 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1986 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1987 | Oklahoma | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1988 | Oklahoma | 9–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Florida Citrus | 14 | 14 | ||
| Oklahoma: | 157–29–4 | 100–11–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 157–29–4 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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National Football League
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| DAL | 1994 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game |
| DAL | 1995 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XXX champions |
| DAL | 1996 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Carolina Panthers in NFC Divisional Game |
| DAL | 1997 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC East | – | – | – | |
| Total | 40 | 24 | 0 | .625 | 5 | 2 | .714 | |||
Coaching Tree
Here are some of the head coaches Barry Switzer worked under:
- Frank Broyles: Arkansas (1961–1965)
- Jim Mackenzie: Oklahoma (1966)
- Chuck Fairbanks: Oklahoma (1967–1972)
Here are some assistant coaches who worked for Barry Switzer and later became head coaches themselves:
- Tim Billings: Southeast Missouri State (2000–2005), Southern Mississippi (2020)
- John Blake: Oklahoma (1996–1998)
- Mack Brown: Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985–1987), North Carolina (1988–1997, 2019–2024), Texas (1998–2013)
- Dave Campo: Dallas Cowboys (2000–2002)
- Jim Donnan: Marshall (1990–1995), Georgia (1996–2000)
- Donnie Duncan: Iowa State (1979–1982)
- Gary Gibbs: Oklahoma (1989–1994)
- Galen Hall: Florida (1984–1989)
- Larry Lacewell: Arkansas State (1979–1989)
- Brad Lambert: Charlotte (2011–2018)
- Wendell Mosley: Texas Southern (1976–1978)
- Jerry Pettibone: Northern Illinois (1985–1990), Oregon State (1991–1996)
- Charlie Sadler: Northern Illinois (1991–1995)
- Mike Shanahan: Los Angeles Raiders (1988–1989), Denver Broncos (1995–2008), Washington Redskins (2010–2013)
- Mike Zimmer: Minnesota Vikings (2014–2021)
