Greatest Sooner Running Backs, Number Four: Greg Pruitt

To qualify this ranking of running backs at Oklahoma, I have included only players that I have personally seen in person at the stadium or live on television.  I began watching Sooner football in 1958 and my remembrances go back to 1961.  With that, I have not included any player before 1961. This is the first part of a series of greatest Sooner football players by position.  Please comment on my lists and argue your best Sooner players.  There are no right or wrong rankings.   The lists, started with Joe Don Looney (10th best running back), will include offensive and defensive positions.  Statistics, abilities, and overall significance to the OU football program are all included in picking the ten, but when all things are equal, my personal preference is the tie breaker. 

Greg Pruitt  (All-America 1971-1972)

Greg Pruitt didn’t win the Heisman trophy.  He didn’t need to.  Pruitt was as good a speed back OU has ever had, and his contribution to the program’s resurgence to the national scene in the 1971 season should never be overlooked.  His “hello” on the front of a tee-shirt to the “goodbye” on the back says it all.  A man that averaged almost a first down every time he carried the ball in 1971 (9.4 per rush), Greg Pruitt was a man of speed, moves, and more speed. The perfect halfback in the wishbone, Pruitt was deadly to the opponent, and not even Ed Marinaro (1971 Heisman winner) or Johnny Rodgers (1972 Heisman winner) were the better football player. That was born out in the NFL. Pruitt was the best in those two years, not only in Norman but across the country.  It was strange that Pruitt finshed third in the Heisman in his better year of 1971 than his 2nd place finish in the following year. The fact that he didn’t win the Heisman Trophy was a oversight, as Pruitt was the best back college football those two years.  (http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000441757)

My first game to see Pruitt is person was in 1971 when my Dad took me to the OU/USC game in Norman.  The Sooners were beginning their run for the National title and Pruitt’s performance in the 33-20 win was magnificent.  OU ran the ball 72 times for 516 yards on the Trojans that day.  They averaged 7.2 yards per rush.  OU tried a single pass that day and it fell incomplete.  Talk about a diverse offense. OU’s wishbone was unstoppable. Pruitt had 205 yards on 16 carries that day with three touchdowns. Just a beginning of the historic statistical marks that he made in 1971.

A nice article on Greg Pruitt can be found here:  http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/12/greg-pruitt-reliving-yesteryear/

From this writing by Greg Popelka:  “Greg Pruitt was a very cool Greg. At 5-foot-7, 156 pounds in college, he was smaller than almost everyone else on the field. He was also the fastest. I couldn’t believe it when my Cleveland Browns selected him with the 30^th-overall pick;  Switzer had tee-shirts made in Pruitt’s honor that said “Hello” on the front and “Goodbye” on the back. The shirt was publicized nationally, and Switzer warned him that one of those shirts would be hanging in the locker room of the opponent in their next big game, against USC. Pruitt gained over 200 yards in the Oklahoma win;  In 1971, with Pruitt as the featured runner, the Sooners set the all-time NCAA rushing average record of 472.4 yards per game, a record which still stands;

Pruitt held the single game rushing record at OU with 296 yards until it was broken in 2014 by Samaje  Perine, which is the  National record today.

The gold toothed great one had a successful career in the NFL and many believe he should be in the NFL Hall-0f-Fame.

Rushing

Season				Att		Yards		TD		Long		Y/A		100Y		200Y
1971		JR		196		1,760		18				9.0		7		3
1972		SR		173		1,024		13				5.9		5		0
Totals				369		2,784		31		0		7.5		12		3