NORMAN — Kid Nichol hit the road last week, ending his Oklahoma quarterback career before it ever really began, and dime-store analysis will say that modern phenoms just aren't patient or tough or willing to invest the time necessary for success.
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Remember one thing. Just because it comes from the dime store — am I dating myself with that term? — doesn't mean it's not solid.
But truth is, football players have been seeking greener grass for going on a century. And those who stuck around didn't always do it because of allegiance to the old alma mater and the good raising they got from mom and pops.
Did Nichol make the right decision? No way of knowing, even if we could climb inside his head and heart. No way of knowing even four years from now, when the Kid's college script will be written.
And sometimes, the guys who did stick it out and became championship quarterbacks didn't endure because of patience. Three quick stories from Sooner QBs who we figured had every reason to transfer but didn't:
1. Paul Thompson. Tall Paul quarterbacked OU to the 2006 Big 12 title in his fifth season as a Sooner but his lone year as the starter.
Thompson said transferring never entered his mind, but not for the reason you think. PT stuck around because he always thought he was on the verge of starting.
As a freshman backing up Nate Hybl in 2002, and with Jason White's career in ravaged-knee jeopardy, Thompson figured he could have the job quickly.
"That's what kept me around,” Thompson said Sunday. "I always felt possibly next year.”
You know the rest. White came back, terrorized college football for two years, then when Thompson finally got his shot, in the 2005 season opener against TCU, disaster ensued, and Bob Stoops handed the job to Rhett Bomar.
With only one year left, Thompson decided to shift to flanker. Bomar's fall from NCAA grace gave Thompson another chance, and thus came the 2006 Big 12 title.
Thompson's take on Nichol?
"After Sam (Bradford) has the year he has, that's a big chunk of your future,” Thompson said. Now comes another tall drink of water, freshman Landry Jones, and "that puts a lot of quarterbacks in there with a lot of great talent,” Thompson said.
"I knew someone was going to have to go. Too many talented quarterbacks all within a year of each other.
"If I would have been buried on the depth chart, I probably would have gone somewhere else.”
2. Dave Robertson. Arrived at OU in 1969, Jack Mildren's sophomore year, which is not conducive to quick quarterback ascension.
Robertson played second-team in 1970 and 1971, then took over a wishbone wholly unsuited to his skills. He also had an ultra-talented freshman, Kerry Jackson, nipping at his heels.
"I never thought I was a bad wishbone player,” Robertson told me a couple of years ago. "I just wasn't a good runner.”
A blessing for Robertson: OU in 1972 played its weakest non-conference schedule of the ‘70s. The Sooners beat three outmanned foes by a combined 169-6.
What if a USC or Ohio State, or even Pitt or Stanford, had awaited before the Texas game, as it did in other seasons of the ‘70s? As Paul Thompson can attest, tough times can bring changes. Jackson might have been called upon for more than spot relief, and Robertson's patience could have gone for naught.
3. Claude Arnold. OU's first national-title quarterback was a record-setting passer as a 1950 senior, after backing up Jack Mitchell in 1948 and Darrell Royal in 1949.
But long-forgotten is that Arnold actually walked away from football. He was like Robertson, a thrower in a running offense, and Arnold was stuck behind talented QBs.
Arnold came to OU in 1942, then the war arrived. Arnold returned in 1946 and later told Sooner historian Harold Keith "I was sorry I came to Norman.”
Arnold left the football team but didn't leave OU — and didn't leave football. In 1947, Arnold quarterbacked Delta Tau Delta to the intramural campus championship.
Bud Wilkinson had assumed command in '47, persuaded Arnold to return in ‘48, and in 1950 came a national championship. So there's the trivia question of the day.
What national championship quarterback was recruited not out of a high school, but a frat house?
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Jacob, you know that was not me writing all those things below, we all know it was you, using my name, the great thing about this is, what goes around comes around Jacob.
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - May 15, 2008 at 7:45 am
OU isn't stockpiling QB's. The QB's know it is the only real option in the state. Look @ what Gundy did to the Reid's. After that ESPN story it is obvious why they are here. OSU is a joke right now. Kansas is a better opportunity for a quarterback that the Cowboys. If pro wrestling was real OSU would be a great place to be.
I think Nichol leaving will actually help the Sooners by boosting the morale of our new QB from Artesia, N.M., Landry Jones. Even when Sam got the job and torched all the stats last year, Landry stuck with his commitment to OU. One thing that kind of sticks in my craw though, is you are only an injury away from playing as a second string QB and Joey is no better than Keith and a very short amount of playing time would have proven that eventually if anything would have happened to Sam. One injury + 1 bad half of football from Joey and the coaches would have yanked Joey in a heartbeat. That's not that much of a stretch. If he's not confident enough in himself to hold off Landry, well, that's his business, but I wish him well no matter what his reasons are.
"why you gotta be insulting me like that" Once again you prove my point. Everyone makes mistakes, but thats just bad english. Second, why is he a loser (noticed it is spelled correctly, not looser) for leaving OU. People have to do what is best for their own instead of blindly following a person/school/team/country, what have you. Someday you may grow up and realize that OU football is not the end all, be all in life and wishing death or harm on anyone for it is absurd. My priorities, listed in order are God, family, country, career, then OU football fits in somewhere after those. I am also a fan of football in general. I, for one, hope that Nichol can catch on somewhere and be successful. We should support our own and not throw them under the bus just for trying to improve their life. He took a big risk coming to OU and many Michigan St fans felt betrayed and bashed him like you are. It didnt work out here. So what. Learn to spell LOSER!
danny/itmustsucktobeyou..Everyone that has been on here longer than a day knows that you only went to Cameron. Not OU. Matter of fact you were quite proud of that. So don't start claiming now that you attended OU, it cheapens the school. -------------------- MATT in Moore - Nope...He is all Sooner and you are welcome to him!!! It is really sad that he thinks it is funny that people die of AIDS and that merely because someone chose a school other than OU, they should be struck down by a horrible disease. What an IDIOT!!!
"Tall Paul" also dates you Berry. Some day we might have a kid with the last name of Ho, will you then call him Ho Ho the Clown? I guess not because you'd be bringing back memories of KOCO, not KWTV huh? "Disaster ensued" in the TCU game yes, but that wasn't just Paul's fault. Paul was given about 10 minutes to prove his worth and then the coaching staff handed the job to the King of Cars without ever looking back. Paul might have stayed because of the chance to play, but he also thought he was the #2 waiting for the #1 spot. Nichol has a lot of respect for OU and leaves on good terms. I wish him well no matter where he ends up. Who knows, he may find the perfect fit and end up becoming a star. Ask Troy if he would have stayed to be an option/running QB had he not gotten injured.
Why did OU burn scholarships on so many good QBs? Is a talented QB just so rare that they felt they needed to stockpile them? Probably not a bad idea I suppose...just wondering.
matt, moore, why you gotta be insulting me like that by calling me an OSUcks fan? I was just in a hurry and made some typos. I am very educated and went to both OU and Cameron. I'm an OU fan just like you, and Nichols is a looser for leaving the great program that is OU!
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - May 12, 2008 at 3:44 pm
itmustsuckto be OSU. Your bad grammar and your general point of view are an embarrasment to OU fans and decent human beings in general. Wishing AIDS on anyone for any reason is beyond outrageous. Now, the grammar "wanna be an Sooner", "sumpin", "we don needs him" "Looser" ???? All I can figure is that you are an OSU fan with a weak sense of humor trying to lampoon OU fans. Either that or you are stupid in the extreme.
if he dont wanna be an SOONER, then I hope he dies of aids or sumpin like that. We don needs him in the SOONER NATION!!! We are #1!!! I know King Bob Stoops could take that homo Bobby Reed and make him another Joe Montana effen he had chose OU! Any player that does not choose OU is a LOOSER! YOUR A LOOSER NICHOL!!!
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - May 12, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I don't blame anyone for leaving if they are good enough to play. I do think they should honor their word and go to school where they commit but I can certainly understand leaving a program where you can't play. After all we are just fans and these players have to either make it in football or get a real job like the rest of us.
Barry, please write something intelligent. Stop thinking your cute with your nicknames and analogies. Print something factual and has some substance for once. I read the same caliber writing in a high school newspaper. Don't write in the same sense as your sitting with your buddy drinking a beer. Stop the slang, bad grammar, annoying nicknames and analogies.
Best of luck, Keith. You've worked hard and have been a class act the whole way. Sorry, things didn't work out for you in Norman, but I'm sure you'll fit in someplace where you can show your talents. God bless!
I wish Nichol the best of luck. As for the remaining...I hope to heck that they see playing time during blowout games so when Sam goes down with a concussion, we won't get our arses handed to us because the backup QB has not played a down! Note to Stoops, backups need playing time too, to gain experience for the bigger games!
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You--being an expert in journalism and all--surely realize that the "sentence" above is a stinker, don't you?