FORMER SOONER QB RIPLEY DIES
Former Oklahoma QB Mickey Ripley died Wednesday at the age of 72
Mickey Ripley, who backed up two big names in Oklahoma quarterback lore, died Wednesday at his Edmond home. He was 72 and had suffered a couple of strokes in December.
Ripley, an All-State quarterback from Perry High School, was Bobby Warmack's backup on the 1968 Sooner squad and led a spirited comeback against SMU in the Bluebonnet Bowl that season. Warmack was injured in the second quarter of that game, and Ripley threw two fourthquarter touchdown passes. But he was stopped shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion in the final two minutes, and a last-snap OU field goal sailed wide, allowing the Mustangs to escape with a 28-27 victory.
In 1969, Ripley went into August practice as the starter, but sophomore Jack Mildren emerged as the starter and Ripley finished his career as a backup.
Ripley was part of Jim Mackenzie's lone OU recruiting class of 1966, but it was a good one, with Steve Owens, Jim Files, Ken Mendenhall and Steve Zabel among the 1969 seniors.
Ripley's brother, Ron, noted that when OU offensive coordinator Homer Rice became head coach at Cincinnati in 1967, he tried to get Ripley to transfer.
But Ripley's father reminded his son that his long-stated goal was to be a high school coach in Oklahoma. So Mickey Ripley stayed and indeed became a long-time coach, eventually being inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame after stops that included Muskogee, Perry, Bartlesville, Dumas (Texas) and Amarillo Tascosa.
Ripley earned 13 letters as an athlete at Perry. His senior year, he was All-State in football and baseball, plus was a state champion wrestler.
Services have yet to be scheduled. Ripley is survived by his wife, Gail, and two daughters, one son and seven grandchildren.