boys reached their height in 1976 : they went 9-3 with a Bedlam win , Big 8 co-champion honors and a 49-21 Tangerine Bowl victory against BYU . As the sports director at KTUL TV in Tulsa , Chris Lincoln was the play-by-play announcer when Miller and the Cowboys pulled off their 31-24 upset of Oklahoma .
“ That was something that just didn ’ t happen very often ,” Lincoln said . “ And Terry Miller was just the best athlete on the field , both sides .”
In 1977 , though the Cowboys had a 4-7 season after losing several key players such as Turner and Gofourth , Miller nearly became OSU ’ s first Heisman Trophy winner , garnering the second-most votes while the honor went to Texas rusher Earl Campbell .
Miller ’ s resume shows why he is joining the esteemed group in the College Football Hall of Fame , but he wasn ’ t alone on the field . Sitting between Gofourth and Turner , he directed the attention toward his teammates .
“ If I can ’ t get to running , what difference do I make ?” Miller said . “ You gotta have support . They gave me an opportunity every time .” He chuckled . “ Well , not every time , but most of the time . They gave me that opportunity . I tried to take advantage of it … there ’ s just so many people that were a part of our group that deserve credit for what I ’ m getting rewarded for . It ’ s all about them . They have earned ( a place ) in the hall of fame .”
They capitalized on their big breaks , too .
Learning on the fly
Robert Turner watched many of OSU ’ s touchdowns from the ground .
Turner had opportunities to run – he contributed to the decisive Tangerine Bowl victory with 80 yards and a touchdown . But he often paved the way for Miller , tussling with a defender as Miller ate up yards and zoomed into the end zone . While Turner took care of the blocking , he caught a glimpse of Miller flying by with a hapless pursuer trailing him .
“ I ’ ve seen this happen too many times ,” Turner said . “ I was watching the movies .”
If the blockers played their parts , then Miller could handle the rest . In this era of football , the Cowboys rarely threw the ball , often operating in the wishbone and veer formations . Everything revolved around the run game , and players such as Turner and Gofourth , who was honored in the first class of “ Big 12 Legends ” in 2008 , opened up plenty of room for Miller to shred defenses . When Turner and Gofourth arrived at OSU in 1973 , one year before Miller , they hadn ’ t expected to play offense .
Gofourth , from Parsons , Kansas , was recruited as a linebacker . He narrowed his top schools to OSU and Alabama , and despite the Crimson Tide ’ s prestige , he chose the Cowboys .
“ You just kind of went where ( you ) felt comfortable , and I felt comfortable here ,” Gofourth said .
Turner hails from the rural community of Wynnewood , a southern Oklahoma town known for its oil refinery . The Cowboys recruited him as a strong safety / linebacker . Several of his cousins played for “ that other school ” – Turner didn ’ t acknowledge the university in Norman by name – but he ventured a little farther from home , settling into Stillwater .
“ I really liked the attitude of the people when I came here ,” Turner said .
Although Turner and Gofourth clicked with the easygoing Stillwater lifestyle , they said they ’ re not sure they ever felt comfortable in football practice .
At any time , someone could lose his starting job to a promising backup . Gofourth and Turner had to navigate not only the position battles , but also the challenge of switching to the other side of the ball .
Gofourth , a future NFL lineman , said he had no offensive line experience when Stanley decided to shift him from linebacker to right tackle . Tall , but weighing about 225 pounds , he lacked the bulky frame of most effective O-linemen . Gofourth said he asked himself , “ Why me ?”
But the O-line ’ s depth had diminished in the spring . The starting right tackle suffered a knee injury ; then the backup right tackle hurt his knee , Gofourth said .
Gofourth , a rising sophomore , stepped in like an actor in an improv class .
“ I ’ d be in the huddle and they ’ d call a play , and I ’ d look at Coach Boyce ,” Gofourth said . “ He ’ d just say , ‘ Hit him on the right number , hit him down the middle , hit him on the left number , go through for the linebacker .’ I didn ’ t even know the plays .”
The coaches saw something in him . While his teammates recovered , Gofourth remained as the starting right tackle , making up for lack of size with skill and effort .
“ I think I got up to a whole 228 pounds by the time the season got here or something ,” he said .
Turner also overcame doubts . He said he had to push past his insecurities about coming from a small town , but he learned it didn ’ t matter where someone played high school ball : all of the Cowboys were on a level field when
ALTHOUGH TURNER AND GOFOURTH CLICKED WITH THE EASYGOING STILLWATER LIFESTYLE , THEY SAID THEY ’ RE NOT SURE THEY EVER FELT COMFORTABLE IN FOOTBALL PRACTICE .
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