Former Sooners still love Proctor

The toughest Oklahoma coach there ever was walked into the O Club tent with a wide smile the chilly morning of Dec. 3. He was back among his boys.

Some are in their 60s now. Guys who were cussed and praised, grabbed and hugged, back when the world was young and Bobby Proctor at first scared them out of their wits, then made them believe they could overcome any hurdle in their lives.

“He’s pretty tough,” said Brian Hall, the cornerback hero of great OU goal-line stands against Texas and Nebraska back in 1984. “He was trying to set the rules. Wanted you to know what his expectations are. He lets you know in no uncertain terms.”

And the morning of the Bedlam game earlier this month, Proctor’s former players let him know in no uncertain terms how they felt about him. They staged an impromptu surprise birthday party for Proctor, who a couple of days earlier turned 85.

Proctor coached OU defensive backs for 19 seasons. He’s the only coach to serve all 16 years of Barry Switzer’s tenure as head coach.

“He’s the most physically demanding football coach we ever had at Oklahoma,” said Jerry Pettibone, who played for Bud Wilkinson and then coached under Chuck Fairbanks and Switzer. “And all the kids played their hearts out.”

Proctor might not have lasted in the 21st century. The way he talked, the way he grabbed a