Sooners' AD is on a 'mission'

[Husker_Power]

Jack Mildren would have loved everything about this idea.

 

Perhaps "mission" is a better fit than "idea" for what University of Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione reportedly has in mind for Nov. 1, when OU hosts the University of Nebraska for the first time in four football seasons.

 

Castiglione was unavailable for comment. But sources confirmed the Sooner AD desperately wants to restore the long-held goodwill between the storied rivals. That respect was badly tarnished the last time the Cornhuskers visited Owen Field on Nov. 13, 2004, a game that produced profane slurs and a lawsuit.

 

Castiglione's plan is to celebrate the legendary 1971 meeting of the two "Big Reds." He reportedly intends to invite and honor everyone from both teams involved in "The Game of the Century."

 

The invitation list for a Friday night dinner and a ceremony at halftime of Saturday's game will include players, coaches, trainers, managers and any other personnel who played a role in that remarkable Thanksgiving Day shootout on Owen Field, which ended in a 35-31 Husker win.

 

Sadly, Mildren won't be there. The OU quarterback, later dubbed the "Godfather of the Wishbone," lost a two-year battle with cancer in May.

 

Mildren personified everything that made both that game and the OU-Nebraska series special.

 

A ferocious competitor who stunned Nebraska's vaunted Blackshirt defense by shredding its secondary with his passing, Mildren was forever gracious in defeat.

 

For more than 30 years, Mildren was always the go-to guy from OU when media members did stories on that 1971 classic. And he always delivered, representing the Sooner program with class, respect and dignity by consistently praising Nebraska's effort, even though the sting of that bitter defeat was permanent.

 

Those qualities, also displayed through the years by many players and officials from both universities, were the bedrock of the OU-Nebraska series. It is the crack in that foundation, which was created by two incidents four years ago, that Castiglione hopes to mend when the Huskers return to Owen Field for the first time since 2004.

 

The first problem occurred in pregame warmups, when a Nebraska player collided with a member of the Ruf/Neks, an OU spirit group. The Husker later faced felony charges of assault and battery for deliberately running into the student, who was knocked unconscious, lost two teeth and was hospitalized.

 

A jury in Norman acquitted the player six months later, agreeing with the defense attorney's contention that his client was wrongfully accused and the injuries that the student sustained were accidental.

 

The not-guilty verdict proved a Cornhusker can get a fair trial smack dab in the middle of Sooner country. But it didn't ease the strained relationship between the schools, which was created when Nebraska officials criticized the lack of game management by their counterparts at OU, who traditionally have allowed the Ruf/Necks on the sidelines.

 

The pregame incident was just a warmup act for Nebraska coach Bill Callahan's profanity-laced postgame performance. Angered that OU supporters tossed oranges on the field to celebrate the Orange Bowl-bound Sooners' 30-3 victory, Callahan called the fans "(expletive) hillbillies."

 

Just like the Ruf/Neks situation, the orange-tossing was a tradition. In this case, a tradition Nebraska fans often have practiced when the roles were reversed and a win over the Sooners sent the Cornhuskers bowling in Miami, Fla.

 

Callahan added another ugly incident to the series when the Sooners won at Nebraska in 2005. Incensed over what he thought was a missed holding call on an OU touchdown, Callahan appeared to make a throat-slashing gesture to the game's referee.

 

Callahan denied any wrongdoing. But the Big 12 Conference disagreed when it publicly reprimanded Callahan, saying his gesture is prohibited by NCAA football rules.

 

Because of the Big 12's scheduling format, that 2005 contest was the last time the two schools played. Unlike when they were members of the Big Eight, the Sooners and Cornhuskers do not meet every year because they are in opposite divisions.

 

The loss of the annual OU-Nebraska showdown was a casualty of the Big Eight becoming the Big 12. But in this case, perhaps the two-year break was a blessing . . . a cooling-off period for both schools.

 

It was during that period Castiglione made it his mission to restore the series tradition of good sportsmanship. While the OU-Nebraska series is as intense and competitive as any in college football, it has never been marked by the hate and hostility associated with many rivalries.

 

Castiglione's plan was aided when Nebraska fired Callahan last season. It also helped that the Cornhuskers replaced Callahan with Bo Pelini, who was on OU's staff for one season.

 

Sources said that when Castiglione approached Nebraska AD Tom Osborne at the Big 12 spring meetings in May to gauge his opinion of celebrating the 1971 Game of the Century, the legendary former Husker coach "loved the idea."

 

Oh, how Jack Mildren would have loved it, too.

 

So, hopefully, both schools will also celebrate Mildren's memory on Nov. 1 by embracing Castiglione's plan with the spirit Mildren displayed in the Game of the Century and the dignity he brought to it the rest of his life.

[Husker_x]

F'ing A Cotton.

 

That would be great to bring back another tradition. (And another yearly national television appearance wouldn't hurt).

 

If Nebraska doesn't take down the Sooners, I sure hope they can bring some glory in the vein of a national championship back to the Big XII.

[huskeraddict]

Because of the Big 12's scheduling format, that 2005 contest was the last time the two schools played

 

Uh....2006 Big 12 Title Game

 

Anyway, this sounds like a great idea and I'm really looking forward to the fruition of the plan.

[Kruzu]

Because of the Big 12's scheduling format, that 2005 contest was the last time the two schools played

 

Uh....2006 Big 12 Title Game

 

Anyway, this sounds like a great idea and I'm really looking forward to the fruition of the plan.

Any word on whether this game will be televised this year?

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Man if this all happens...I may have to sell my left nut for some tickets to this game

[BIGREDIOWAN]

That's very classy.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Because of the Big 12's scheduling format, that 2005 contest was the last time the two schools played

 

Uh....2006 Big 12 Title Game

 

Anyway, this sounds like a great idea and I'm really looking forward to the fruition of the plan.

Any word on whether this game will be televised this year?

If Castiglione (and Osborne for that matter) are able to make this happen, I'd be willing to bet this will be a nationally televised game complete with a nice (30 minute) commentary covering that game.

[BOBELIEVER]

HOW COULD THIS GAME NOT BE TELEVISED ??!!

[bbhusker]

This is good to see. Cally was such a dips##t and made to University look bad.

[huskernumerouno]

This would be awesome if they can pull it off and then we shock the world of college football and leave with a win. I know far fetched but a guy can dream

[DJR313]

Just like the Ruf/Neks situation, the orange-tossing was a tradition. In this case, a tradition Nebraska fans often have practiced when the roles were reversed and a win over the Sooners sent the Cornhuskers bowling in Miami, Fla.

 

I don't know why everyone points to this as peeing on tradition. The significance of throwing the oranges was that the game between OU and NU was the final game of the season, FINAL, meaning LAST. The winner went on to the Orange Bowl. In 2004, OU still had 1 regular season game, then the conference championship game. There was no guarantee they were going to the Orange Bowl at that point, not by a longshot. In this case, they were f'ing HILLBILLIES.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

And wasn't that the same year KSU beat the crap out of them in B12 championship?

[BigRedfxtoy]

Just like the Ruf/Neks situation, the orange-tossing was a tradition. In this case, a tradition Nebraska fans often have practiced when the roles were reversed and a win over the Sooners sent the Cornhuskers bowling in Miami, Fla.

 

I don't know why everyone points to this as peeing on tradition. The significance of throwing the oranges was that the game between OU and NU was the final game of the season, FINAL, meaning LAST. The winner went on to the Orange Bowl. In 2004, OU still had 1 regular season game, then the conference championship game. There was no guarantee they were going to the Orange Bowl at that point, not by a longshot. In this case, they were f'ing HILLBILLIES.

 

 

Regardless of what was going on, the Head Coach should have some class and maturity. Osbourne would never have called them anything that would be considered degrading. NU lost alot of credibility, respect and all tradition under Calaclown and Peterheadson. They were a dam discrace to the university and college football altogether. When time moves on and the stories are told in full, I think everyone will look back and think.... What the hell was going on there, how can people get a way for this kind of crap for 4 years. Just reading this, I thought wow that really did happen, I saw it, and read about it and still can't believe the classless bunch we had here at NU.

[zoogs]

Just like the Ruf/Neks situation, the orange-tossing was a tradition. In this case, a tradition Nebraska fans often have practiced when the roles were reversed and a win over the Sooners sent the Cornhuskers bowling in Miami, Fla.

 

I don't know why everyone points to this as peeing on tradition. The significance of throwing the oranges was that the game between OU and NU was the final game of the season, FINAL, meaning LAST. The winner went on to the Orange Bowl. In 2004, OU still had 1 regular season game, then the conference championship game. There was no guarantee they were going to the Orange Bowl at that point, not by a longshot. In this case, they were f'ing HILLBILLIES.

 

 

Regardless of what was going on, the Head Coach should have some class and maturity. Osbourne would never have called them anything that would be considered degrading. NU lost alot of credibility, respect and all tradition under Calaclown and Peterheadson. They were a dam discrace to the university and college football altogether. When time moves on and the stories are told in full, I think everyone will look back and think.... What the hell was going on there, how can people get a way for this kind of crap for 4 years. Just reading this, I thought wow that really did happen, I saw it, and read about it and still can't believe the classless bunch we had here at NU.

 

 

But then, go back to 2003, and Bo Pelini cussing out Bill Snyder is just him being "fiery." And that's good, right?

[huskeraddict]

And wasn't that the same year KSU beat the crap out of them in B12 championship?

That was the '03 season. 2004 was the season that USC creamed them in the National Title game.