Oklahoma State University Athletics
1998 Football Spring Game Notes
April 07, 2003 | Cowboy Football
THE FORMAT -- Today's Orange-White Game will feature the offense vs. the defense. The offense will score via regular means...touchdowns, field goals. The defense will be given points for interceptions, interceptions returned for touchdowns, fumble recoveries and stops.
POINTS FOR THE DEFENSE -- The following situations will give the defense points in today's Orange-White Game:
Points Situation 1 Three plays and out. 3 Blocked Field Goal 5 Fumble 10 Fumble return for TD 7 Interception 14 Interception return for TD
INJURED LIST -- A couple of prominent OSU players will not participate today because of injuries suffered this spring. Quarterback Chris Chaloupka and linebacker Jake Riffe will watch from the sidelines. Chaloupka suffered a fracture of his left wrist while Riffe has a sprained right knee. Offensive lineman Jeremy Offutt should is expected to participate in the Orange-White Game. Offutt returned to practice on Thursday after missing several workouts with a sprained left knee.
ON THE AIR -- Today's Orange-White Game is being broadcast live by 104.9 FM in Oklahoma City and 640 AM in Norman. Jim Traber is calling the action for 104.9 while Robert Allen is on the air for 640 AM.
AT THE HALF -- At halftime of today's Orange-White Game, former players and others who are back for the weekend will be introduced and Coach Simmons will address more than 1,500 kids in attendance for DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).
Oklahoma State Football 1998 Spring Outlook
OSU Quick Facts Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma Enrollment: 19,200 Founded: December 25, 1890 President: Dr. James Halligan Faculty Representative: Dr. Gerald Lage Athletics Director: Terry Don Phillips Conference: Big 12 Colors: Orange and Black Nickname: Cowboys Mascot: Pistol Pete
OSU Football Facts Head Coach: Bob Simmons (Bowling Green) Years at OSU: Three Record at OSU: 17-18 Bowl Appearances: 1 1997 Record: 8-4 Conference Record/Finish: 5-3 (T 2nd) Stadium: Lewis Field Capacity: 50,616 Surface: Artificial
OSU Football, By the Numbers Lettermen Returning: 35 Offense: 16 Defense: 16 Specialists: 3 Lettermen Lost: 12 Starters Returning: 17 Offense: 8 Defense: 7 Specialists: 2
OSU Football, Historically All-Time Record: 431-451-48 All-Time Home Record: 251-160-27 All-Time Road Record: 162-273-21 Bowl Appearances: 13 Bowl Record: 9-4 Last Appearance: 1997 Builders Square Alamo Oklahoma State Football
1998 Schedule
Date Opponent Site Time Series Sept. 12 Tulsa Tulsa TBA OS 35-26-2 Sept. 19 Mississippi State Stillwater 6 p.m. 1-1-0 Sept. 26 Southwestern Louisiana Stillwater 6 p.m. OS 3-0 Oct. 3 Nebraska Kansas City TBA NE 33-2-1 Oct. 10 Texas Tech Lubbock TBA TT 14-8-3 Oct. 17 Kansas State Manhattan TBA OS 32-18-0 Oct. 24 Oklahoma Stillwater 6 p.m. OU 72-13-7 Oct. 31 Texas A&M Stillwater 2 p.m. A&M 9-4 Nov. 7 Texas Austin TBA UT 10-2 Nov. 14 Kansas Lawrence TBA KU 28-23-3 Nov. 21 Baylor Stillwater 2 p.m. BU 11-5
All Times Central Times and Dates Subject to Change Oct. 3 game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City
1997 Results Date Opponent Score Att. Rec. Ranking Aug. 30 at Iowa State W 21-14 43,841 1-0 NR Sept. 6 at USL W 31-7 16,724 2-0 NR Sept. 13 FRESNO STATE W 35-0 36,000 3-0 RV Sept. 27 NE LOUISIANA W 38-7 35,200 4-0 RV Oct. 4 TEXAS W 42-16 43,100 5-0 RV Oct. 11 COLORADO W 33-29 50,100 6-0 20 Oct. 25 MISSOURI L 51-50 2OT 33,300 6-1 12 Nov. 1 at Texas A&M L 28-25 1OT 60,776 6-2 19 Nov. 8 at Oklahoma W 30-7 72,422 7-2 23 Nov. 15 TEXAS TECH L 27-3 39,400 7-3 21 Nov. 22 at Baylor W 24-14 34,794 8-3 RV Dec. 30 Purdue% L 33-20 55,552 8-4 25
%Builders Square Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, Texas
Oklahoma State Football 1998 Spring Depth Chart
April 18, 1998
Offense Defense
WR Sean Love (5-9, 180, Jr.) OR LE Alton Weaver (6-4,273, Jr.) Terrance Richardson (5-9, 180, Jr.) Taber LeBlanc (6-2,260, Jr.)
LT David Camacho (6-7, 300, Jr.) DT Zak Akin (6-1, 230, Fr.) Josh Lind (6-6, 279, Fr.) Eric Stevenson (6-2, 279, Fr.)
LG Adam Davis (6-4, 274, So.) DT Cortney Mallory (6-1, 289, So.) Blaine Cook (6-3, 275, So.) Taber LeBlanc (6-2, 260, Jr.)
C Jeremy Offutt (6-5, 295, Jr.) RE Andrel Waddle (6-2, 240, Jr.) Reynell Lavigne (6-1, 286, So.) Zac Warner (6-4, 239, Fr.)
RG Jorge Arceo (6-5, 297, Jr.) WLB Tarrell Knauls (6-1, 235, So.) Jason Johnson (6-3, 275, Fr.) Justin Thomas (6-3, 237, Fr.)
RT Andrew Golembiewski (6-5, 288, So.) MLB Kenyatta Wright (6-1, 232, So.) Bryan Phillips (6-5, 285, Fr.) Raymond Cato (6-1, 240, So.)
TE Garrett Steggs (6-3, 235, So.) SLB Jack Golden (6-1, 230, Jr.) Sean Barry (6-4, 234, Fr.) Dewayne Levels (6-3, 220, Fr.) Marcellus Rivers (6-4, 225, Fr.) CB Adam Edwards (6-0, 220, So.) WR Willie Grissom (5-11, 190, Jr.) J.B. Flowers (6-2, 180, So.) Joe Phears (6-1, 200, Jr.) FS Ricky Thompson (6-1, 180, Jr.) QB Tony Lindsay (6-2, 190, Fr.) Chris Carter (6-3, 220, So.) Chris Chaloupka (6-2, 218, So.) SS Trent Alexander (6-0, 195, Jr.) TB Nathan Simmons (5-10, 197, Jr.) Jason Howard (6-2, 180, Fr.) Jamaal Fobbs (5-10, 180, Fr.) CB Evan Howell (6-1, 175, So.) FB Brian Aikins (6-1, 245, Jr.) Marcus Jones (5-9, 175, Fr.) Jeremy Halferty (6-0, 225, So.)
Specialists
P Russ Schwettmann (6-3, 204, Fr.) PK Tim Syndes (6-2, 195, So.) KOR Terrance Richardson (5-9, 180, Jr.) Jamaal Fobbs (5-10, 180, Fr.)
Bob Simmons Head Football Coach Oklahoma State
When Bob Simmons was named Oklahoma State's 20th Head Football Coach just three years ago, it wasn't a matter of if OSU would once again realize football success, it was simply a matter of when.
There was no doubt in the minds of the decision makers at OSU that the right choice for head football coach had been made.
Going into year number four, it has become obvious to everyone that Bob Simmons not only knows the formula for success, he knows how to implement.
Oklahoma State wrapped up its third season of football under Simmons with amazing results. Consider the following:
Oklahoma State completed the regular season at 8-3 after winning six straight to open the 1997 campaign.
The Cowboys were ranked in the nation's top 25 seven of the last eight weeks.
O-State made its first post season bowl appearance since 1988.
Among Oklahoma State's victims in 1997 were Texas (42-16), Colorado (33-29) and Oklahoma (30-7).
For all of the above reasons, and more, Bob Simmons was the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year and a reaped honors on the national level.
All of the accomplishments in 1997 would be glossy, even if Simmons and Co., hadn't gone through the preseason adversity of losing 11 players to academic or team rules violations suspension.
One week before OSU was to open the 1997 season at Iowa State, the announced suspensions were enough to cause state, regional and national media to label OSU as a team headed for a long and losing season. One national publication referred to Cowboys as "the Big 12 weakling" while even media from within the borders of the state predicted the Pokes would win no more than three times in 1997.
Those who predicted doom and gloom for OSU obviously didn't know the resolve or talent of OSU's Head Coach. With the same class and integrity he had shown through the first two years of his regime, he endured the early turmoil and, week by week, began to turn the heads of the college football world toward Stillwater.
OSU opened the season with a win at Iowa State and followed that with impressive wins over Southwestern Louisiana, Fresno State and Northeast Louisiana. Texas and Colorado would come to Stillwater the following two weeks and both would fall victim to OSU's surging Cowboys.
The Cowboys broke into the national rankings following their win over Texas and would climb as high as number 12. It was Oklahoma State's first appearance in the national polls in almost nine years.
Overall, the state of OSU's football program is as as its ever been and the main reason is the sound foundation that Bob Simmons has provided both on and off the field.
He promised to accentuate the "student" in student-athlete and help every player who wore the OSU football uniform steer down a path that would lead to a degree.
He promised to stress the family and make sure the integrity and credibility on his own resume would be reflected by the OSU football family.
In the three years since Simmons arrived, he's making good on every promise. The Cowboys showed amazing improvement in his first season, winning four games, including three of their last six and posting a 12-0 shutout win over Oklahoma.
In the second season under Simmons, Oklahoma State won five games, one more than the year before, won all three non-conference games and five of the seven games played on the artificial surface of Lewis Field.
Three Cowboys played in postseason all-star games after the 1996 season, David Thompson, Louis Adams and Derek Leinen.
The Cowboys took care of business in the classroom as well with as many as eight academic all-Big 12 selections.
Bob Simmons' performance during the first three years of his Oklahoma State tenure proves what most already knew....that he was more than ready to lead his own program at the Division I level.
Simmons came to Oklahoma State from the University of Colorado where he spent seven seasons on Bill McCartney's staff.
At Colorado, Simmons was part of a rebuilding process that elevated the CU program from a second division Big Eight finisher to a college football power.
While Simmons was on the Colorado staff, the Buffs had a record of 76-16-5 and appeared in six bowl games. Colorado won the national championship in 1990 and won Big Eight Conference championships in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Simmons joined the Colorado staff on March 14, 1988 after spending eight seasons at West Virginia coaching outside linebackers for Don Nehlen. He began his coaching career in 1975 as receivers' coach at Bowling Green. After two seasons at the Ohio school, he moved to the University of Toledo where he was the outside linebackers coach for three seasons.
Each stop along Bob Simmons' coaching career has been ripe with success.
As a rookie coach at Bowling Green, he helped guide that team to a 14-8 record over two seasons.
After back-to-back 2-9 finishes at Toledo in 1977 and 1978, he helped that staff guide the MAC school to a 7-3-1 finish in 1979.
In eight seasons at West Virginia, he was part of a staff that fashioned six winning seasons and made five bowl trips, including a 1987 appearance in the Sun Bowl opposite Oklahoma State. Bowl victories at West Virginia came against TCU, Kentucky and Florida.
Simmons then joined Bill McCartney at Colorado for what would be the most successful era in that school's football history, to date.
In Simmons' first year on CU's staff, the Buffs finished 8-4 and capped their season with a Freedom Bowl appearance against Brigham Young. The following two years, Colorado raced to a combined 22-2-1 record, had back-to-back Orange Bowl appearances against Notre Dame and was a perfect 14-0 in Big Eight Conference play.
Simmons became Oklahoma State's 20th Head Football Coach on December 16, 1994, less than three weeks after the job was vacated by Pat Jones. The ease with which the selection of Simmons was made was a clear marker that he was the right man to lead OSU football into the Big 12 Conference.
Simmons' first OSU squad, short on numbers and even shorter on experience, tackled an incredibly tough schedule and competed tenaciously. OSU began its inaugural season under Bob Simmons by hosting Nebraska on national television. The Huskers would go on to capture the national championship. OSU also played at bowl-bound Tennessee and hosted top-15 finishers Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.
OSU lost by six to K-State, five to Kansas and played well in a 45-32 loss to Colorado. After the narrow loss to Colorado, the Cowboys finished the season with a 12-0 win over Oklahoma in Norman and a 24-20 win over Hawaii in Honolulu.
O-State's strong 1995 finish was a signal of things to come in 1996. Armed with back-to-back recruiting classes ranked among the best of the last two decades at OSU, the Cowboys went 3-0 vs. non-league opponents, defeated Iowa State and Troy Davis on Lewis Field and ended the season with a convincing win over Baylor.
The goal for the second year under Bob Simmons was simple: win one more game than the year before. Mission accomplished. The Cowboys' 5-6 mark was the best since 1988.
Oklahoma State's Head Football Coach graduated from Bowling Green in 1971 with a major in Physical Education. He received his masters in college student personnel from Bowling Green in 1972.
As a student-athlete, Simmons lettered three times as a linebacker at Bowling Green and was all-Mid American Conference as a senior when he registered 150 tackles. he lettered in football, basketball and track at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio.
He was born June 13, 1948 in Livingston, Alabama. he is married to the former Linda Davidson and has three children, Brandon (20), Nathan (19) and Lelanna (13). He became a grandfather last summer with the birth of B.J. to Brandon and his wife, Aisha.
The Simmons File
Coaching Experience
Colorado: Joined Bill McCartney's staff in 1988. Became assistant head coach on April 27, 1993. Only the second assistant under McCartney to earn that title. Coached outside linebackers first four years and also responsible for punt and kickoffreturn teams. His punt return teams ranked second in the nation in 1989 and fourth in 1990. Spent the last three seasons at Colorado coaching defensive line.
West Virginia: Coached outside linebackers, 1980-87.
Toledo: Outside linebackers, 1977-79.
Bowling Green: Receivers Coach, 1975-76.
Education
Was graduated from Bowling Green in 1971 with bachelor's degree in physical education. Master's degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green in 1972.
Athletic Background
At Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio, he lettered in football, basketball and track. At Bowling Green, he lettered three times as a linebacker and was all-Mid-American Conference.
Personal
Born June 13, 1948 in Livingston, Alabama. Son of Fred and Annabelle Simmons who currently reside in East Cleveland. He is married to the former Linda Davidson and has three children, Brandon (21), Nathan (20) and Lelanna (14). Became a grandfather in the spring of 1997.
Bob Simmons: Numbers Reveal a Trail of Success
Success has followed Bob Simmons at every stop of his playing and coaching career. In the 24 years he's been a player or coach at the division I level, Simmons has enjoyed 17 winning seasons and coached in 11 bowl games. Below is a look a Bob Simmons' career, by the numbers:
As a Player School Year Record Notes Bowling Green 1969 6-4 Bowling Green 1970 2-6-1 Bowling Green 1971 6-4 Totals 14-14-1
As an Assistant Coach School Year Record Notes Bowling Green 1975 8-3 Bowling Green 1976 6-5 Toledo 1977 2-9 Toledo 1978 2-9 Toledo 1979 7-3-1 West Virginia 1980 6-6 West Virginia 1981 9-3 Peach Bowl West Virginia 1982 9-3 Gator Bowl West Virginia 1983 9-3 Hall of Fame Bowl West Virginia 1984 8-4 Bluebonnet Bowl West Virginia 1985 7-3-1 West Virginia 1986 4-7 West Virginia 1987 6-6 Sun Bowl Colorado 1988 8-4 Freedom Bowl Colorado 1989 11-1 Orange Bowl Colorado 1990 11-1 Orange Bowl Colorado 1991 8-3-1 Blockbuster Bowl Colorado 1992 9-2-1 Fiesta Bowl Colorado 1993 8-3-1 Aloha Bowl Colorado 1994 11-1 Fiesta Bowl Totals 20 Years 149-79-5 12 Bowls
As a Head Coach School Year Record Notes Oklahoma State 1995 4-8 Shutout Oklahoma, 12-0 Oklahoma State 1996 5-6 3-0 vs. non-conference opp. Oklahoma State 1997 8-4 First bowl appearance since '88 Totals Two Years 17-18
Bob Simmons Leading By Example
There's a lot more to Oklahoma State's 20th Head Football Coach than a pair of shorts and a whistle. A lot, lot more.
As Bob Simmons has gone about the business of reconstructing Oklahoma State's football program, he has done so by staying focused on the things that mean the most ... God, his family and his football program. In that order.
Simmons came to OSU from Colorado where seven years with former CU Head Coach Bill McCartney exposed him to more than how to win football games. It helped give him a spiritual awareness that will stay with long after the last whistle has blown.
Since he arrived at Oklahoma State, Simmons has been a very popular and sought-after speaker around the state and region.
And, he's not just addressing coaches clinics.
He was the featured speaker at a Promise Keepers Rally in Amarillo, Texas last spring. Promise Keepers is a men's Christian group formed by McCartney and to which hundreds of thousands of men attend regular rallies from coast to coast.
Simmons was the keynote speaker at a National Prayer Breakfast at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma earlier this year and at similar functions all across the state of Oklahoma.
Simmons is a popular speaker because he speaks from his heart and the message is powerful. It's not just about winning football games, it's about winning at the game of life.
McCartney, his former boss at Colorado and long-time friend says of Bob Simmons: "To see the growth in Bob and to see his heart drawn closer to Christ and to come to know what a wonderful Christ-like spirit is in his home, that has turned out to be my blessing."
That Bob Simmons has the OSU football program headed down the right path would come as no surprise to McCartney.
"Everything Bob touched turned good," McCartney told an interviewer for a recent story in New Man Magazine. "He coached outside linebackers and we got two All-Americans outside linebackers in one year. He coached the defensive line and our defensive line is selected the top defensive line in the United States. He brought more guys into our program than any other guy."
In more than 20 years of playing and coaching, Bob Simmons has proven he knows how to win football games. Now he is proving he knows how to win at the game of life and every player who puts on the Oklahoma State uniform will be the beneficiary of that knowledge.
