Obviously there’s no point debating this football thing, we can all make the numbers work to our advantage and I can’t change your mind anymore than you can change mine (and fwiw football does seem on topic to me). I’m fine leaving it at this: There’s nothing like college football and the passion it brings. It is a sure enough religion in the Deep South and that’s a beautiful thing. Kind of like high school football in Texas (at least back in the day, hopefully it’s still as passionate). Your passion for OU football is also a beautiful thing.
Truce. *** Interesting thing about the state of Oklahoma is that really isn't a particularly deep history or legacy of hot rodding there. I mean, the NHRA Nats were there a bit, but... Even so, their newspapers did a fantastic job of covering the culture. Maybe the best I've found? At least between 1950 and 1960 or so... So many great full page spreads to read and discover:
Even compared to the great state of California, Oklahoma held their own with their coverage. Check out this Olds powered high school ride from Miami, OK: But even just their ads were well done... My dad grew up in Ada, OK... They were dirt poor. His dad ran Cochran Garage, but died when my old man was just 12 or so. So my grandmother had to make the beans and run the house. She was crazy smart, but had a stutter and folks saw that as a sign of stupidity somehow... That really hurt her job prospects. Anyway, he got a copy of Hot Rod Magazine for Christmas one year. It's the only one he had until he got out of medical school, because he couldn't afford another and still eat. Because of that single copy, he always dreamed of living in California simply because that's where all the hot rods were. Unlike Lincoln Riley, however, my dad was loyal... and Oklahoma never left his heart.
One last example and then I'll stop... I gotta save some of this content! This was posted in a tiny Durant, OK newspaper in 1952!!!! Now, hot rodding was certainly popular nationally by 1952... but not so popular that a newspaper in fucking Durant, OK should be covering Bonneville on their FRONT page... and then tying it to psychology? Like going deep with it? Not even LA area papers were covering it with such pizzazz.
Very cool!! While your down that 'rabbit hole'..........see if you can dig up some MOKAN Dragway or Kansas City Timing Association pix. Chris
@Ryan im assuming you know the Trone coupe still exist and still in the same form other than the yellow paint job!
See? This may as well be ancient Samarian or sandskrit to me. Or like... But hey, y'all like it so more power (or wah wah wonk wonk) to ya.
A'ight I'll play too. My HS grad ride was this 38 Dodge 1 ton with a 9' box. Came from a PA oil rig so it was as clean as a southwestern truck. Powered by a 65 429 Caddy eng, trans, rear axle, dear ol Dad even weld-mated the Cad spindles to the OG Dodge stuff and we had Cad power brakes. All in all a kool truck. In HS history class I worked out doing power steering so it would all fit under the closed hood instead of listening to the teacher. I've posted it before but what the hell, I graduated in it.
Hello, Such fascination with college football was/is catching. Soon after our high school graduation in 1962, we were still fascinated with the world of football, especially college. Several of us had hopes to play in college. Some of us had college offers, but were in out of state locations and the lure of the west coast was too strong to be away for 4 years. I declined three offers from the East, Ivy league and Arizona. They were good, but too far away from the Westcoast. A new Ocean activity/sport started to take over our whole era of fun. One of the memorable football games happened right after high school graduation. It was held in the Coliseum in Los Angeles and we had tickets to see the game, despite being on TV. It was hot and not too crowded. One of our own high school football stars two years ahead, was now the running back star for USC’s national champion team in 1962. But, for some reason, OU came in and won the game in the hot afternoon. Bud Wilkinson 1947-1963 USC VS OKLAHOMA USC: Pete Bethard with Willie Brown from L.B. Poly H.S. As a little kid, with sports aspirations, we scoured our dad’s newspapers for any article on football. As we all were sandlot football players and my friends all wanted to be the quarterback, I wanted to run with the ball. My early college football star was Tommy McDonald from the University of Oklahoma. There were college football stars on the Westcoast, (Jon Arnett, etc.) but this OU guy was turning heads and making a name for himself. He was an all around athlete/multi sport star and that was what I wanted to be as a teenager. Hot rods were still there in the scene, but sports keeps one active and healthy. 1962 Jnaki So, with an envious thought about a star athlete at OU, who would have known that in 10 years, I would meet someone from Oklahoma and had an extensive history in OKC and Norman. What a small world. My wife’s grandmother lived in OKC and Norman back in those early days. As a little kid, my wife went to a local elementary school in OKC and grew up with a slight tang to her speaking language. It is gone, now, but every time we hear Blake Shelton, we think funny thoughts about how her So Cal language now, could have been a twang from the OKC. Norman, OK 1930’s The grandmother moved to a small 1000 sq. ft. house several blocks away from the University on E. Brooks Street, until she moved to a senior living facility. During the time she was active, she was employed at the university and always had great things to say about Bud Wilkinson and the OU football team. She even liked Barry Switzer and was friends with their family, back then. It never ceases to amaze me that we live in such a small world, all interrelated in some form of the “6 Degrees of Separation” Theory. High school hot rods to sports activities, all in the name of staying healthy and wise.
Ryan I feel your vibe spent some time in Clinton as a youth family in Elk City Pahuska and Sayre. The family had a greenhouse nursery business in Clinton grand daddy was in on the land rush and got the contract to landscape that city. Good folks back that way on and off the field or Derrick Once a Sooner now a prune picker with a sweet 40 Ford pickemuptruck
Started with the yellow '37 sedan as a sophomore in high school, and moved up to the orange '40 Chevy by my senior year. The silver '37 coupe was my good friend and pal's. 265" in the '37 sedan and a 292" Chevy in the '40. Still at it....
Good stuff Ryan, I saw my first OU game in person when I was eight(1954). All three of our kids played in the Pride and graduated from OU during the John Bleak, Howard Smellsofbourbon years. This last week has been tough with the whole family burning up the text lines with every hint and rumor. I think we’ve hired a home run and the nice folks at Clemson have been very gracious about it. If you haven’t seen USCs welcome event for Lincoln check it out, it looks like an early SNL skit https://twitter.com/TheWilliamRamos...usc-welcoming-lincoln-riley-is-cringe-worthy/
37 Chevy coupe I drove in my junior and senior years of High School in 1965,,and66 ...Wish I had this one back...
The Jalopy Journal
