Johnny Rodgers,
Nebraska All-American wide receiver, 1972
Heisman Trophy winner:
“I knew Jack was sick
because I interviewed him for my book. He was a tremendous player and a great
man. He had great physical abilities and great mental abilities. He was one of
the first great option quarterbacks in the country, and we knew he could beat
you in so many different ways. In 1971, in the Game of the Century, he killed us
with the pass and did absolutely everything he could to beat us.
“He had such great
character, and that’s what helped him become one of Oklahoma’s finest and so
successful in the political world.
Nebraska and
Oklahoma compete with class and mutual respect. To me, that’s what sports
should be – great competition on the field and great cooperation off the field.
“There always has been and
always will be a bond between
Nebraska and
Oklahoma because both of us pushed each other to greater heights than
either one of us could have reached by ourselves. We’re great rivals, but we’re
also great friends. We even root for each other because we know we’re in this
elite group together. That’s why Eric Crouch, Mike Rozier and I were in
Oklahoma last weekend to help support Tulsa Sports Charities.
“My heart goes out to Jack
Mildren’s family and to the entire Oklahoma family. I just want them to know we
feel a part of their family, too, and we mourn their loss.”
Former OU
head football coach Barry Switzer:
“Jack’s conduct
through his illness was one of the most courageous things I’ve ever witnessed.
The way he lived his last years was a testament to the kind of man Jack Mildren
was. Of course, Jack was the father of the wishbone. He came to us at the
perfect time. We could not have accomplished the things we did without him. He
helped create the greatest rushing machine in college football. What a complete
player, a complete person. He was a runner, a passer and a great leader. We
recruited a lot of superstars out of the state of Texas and Jack was the first
one.”
OU head football coach
Bob Stoops:
“First and foremost,
we send our deepest sympathies to Jack’s family. For all that he represented to
this university and this state, he meant so much more to his loved ones. We
want them to know that we are close to them at this difficult time. From the
perspective of our football program, Jack was a role model for every young man
who wears the Sooner uniform. He was gifted both athletically and
intellectually yet was defined by his toughness and fortitude. He found his
personal stardom by placing the team first and viewed his academic
responsibilities as another opportunity to excel. After graduation he achieved
his goals, while remaining loyal to his family and serving others. I don’t know
how any man could aspire for much more. We will miss him tremendously.”
Tom Osborne, former
Nebraska head football coach and now athletic director:
“Jack Mildren represented
the best of qualities in a student athlete. He had talent, drive and integrity
and showed great sportsmanship, on and off the field. He played some of his
best games against us, and we had nothing but respect for the way he competed
and represented himself and his university.
“As a quarterback coach, I
spent a lot of time analyzing his decision-making in the film room, and I can
understand why he was an Academic All-American and later inducted into the
Academic All-America Hall of Fame. I believe Jack was the first
Oklahoma player to receive a post-graduate scholarship. To me, his
emphasis on academics says a lot about the way he prioritized his life, and it
helps explain why he was so successful after football.
“I have always respected
Oklahoma football, and it’s because of leaders like Jack Mildren. I want his
family and the
Oklahoma athletic family to know that they will be in our thoughts and
prayers this weekend.”
Former OU player Joe Washington:
“You know, it’s funny that
I never played with Jack, but it always felt like I did. I watched him coming
up as a high school player and just always felt a kinship with him. I always
viewed Jack as sort of a swashbuckler, that daring guy swinging from the ship.
He had that chin strap buttoned, but never fitted. I knew he snapped it because
those were the rules, but by wearing it loose he made a statement. If it hadn’t
been a rule, he probably wouldn’t have worn a chin strap. He was the kind of
guy you’d want to be in a fox hole with. He fought to the end, and he
approached everything in his life that way. There is always great solace in
knowing guys like him are around. There is a comfort in knowing the members of
our family. He was always the guy in charge. A lot of guys ran the wishbone,
but they didn’t have the pizzazz Jack had. He is respected as one of our
foremost winners and he is one of those ghosts on the wall. When I was playing,
his picture was on the wall and you knew that he was watching to make sure you
were doing things the right way.”
Former OU player Greg
Pruitt:
“He was the
architect of what we did in the wishbone and he set the bar of what
Oklahoma expected in a wishbone quarterback. There were guys that were
faster and more elusive than Jack, but there were none that were better at
running the offense. On most offenses, the toughest guy is the fullback or a
lineman, but on our team I think the toughest guy was Jack. We called timeouts
some times just so he could get his head cleared. He would do anything to make
a play. Jack demanded that you everyone else approach the game the same way.
There has been a tradition at OU that you are a great football player on the
field and a gentleman off the field. That’s what Jack represented. I was
shocked when I heard (Jack had passed), but I knew he had an uphill battle. I
know he had no regrets. God doesn’t make mistakes. We had him for a while.
Maybe God was ready to have him now.”
Jack Mildren (OU Athletics Department Photo)
Jack Mildren, Barry Switzer & Roy Bell (OU Athletics Department Photo)
Jack Mildren (OU Athletics Department Photo)
Jack Mildren (11) option to Greg Pruitt (30) vs. Kansas, 1971 (OU Athletics Department Photo)
Joe Castiglione, Jack Mildren & Joe Washington (OU Athletics Department Photo)
Jack Mildren, 1949-2008 (OU Athletics Department Photo)