Barry Switzer, who led the Sooners to three national championships, 12 Big Eight Conference titles, eight bowl wins in 13 appearances and a 157-29-4 overall record in 16 seasons as head coach, remains one of the most popular figures in Oklahoma Football history. A member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, Switzer was named OU head coach ahead of the 1973 season and went undefeated in his first 30 games (29-0-1). He directed the Sooners to national titles in his second and third seasons (1974 and '75), and another in 1985. He coached OU through the 1988 campaign.

Switzer produced a winning record in each of his 16 seasons at OU and finished his collegiate head coaching career with an .837 winning percentage, the fourth highest among NCAA I-A coaches at the time. His teams outscored opponents by an average score of 32-13 per game and spent 148 weeks in the AP poll's top five and 43 weeks at No. 1. Employing the "Wishbone" offense, Switzer's squads were annually among the nation's leaders in scoring, rushing offense and total offense. But he produced some of the country's best defenses, as well. His players earned 28 consensus All-America honors (12 on offense and 16 on defense). Running back Billy Sims won the 1978 Heisman Trophy.