The vivid historical rage and modern day bloodlust of one of the most enduring rivalries in all of American sports—the University of Texas Longhorns versus the Oklahoma Sooners.
Runnin’ with the Big Dogs is the ultimate story of one of America’s premiere football matchups, the Longhorns vs. the Sooners, meeting up on the gridiron for their annual pigskin palooza—a deafening, sometimes heartstopping, always memorable event infused with alcohol, animosity, loyalty, and pride.
Mike Shrophsire, an observer of this football war for more than 40 years, chronicles the long and colorful history of this fierce rivalry that has endured for more than a century. He introduces a larger-than-life cast of coaches, players, fans, and politicians on both ends of I–35, and explores the rivalry’s effect on the nation’s popular consciousness.
Raucous, raw, and reliably remarkable, the century-old football rivalry between the state universities of Texas and Oklahoma stands as testament that hate-based relationships are the most enduring
Each year in October the fans of both schools—the crimson-clad huns from OU and the burnt orange barbarians from UT—invade Dallas for a weekend of high-octane hell-raising and reveling in an athletic contest proving that elephants, tigers, and acrobats are not necessary to stage the greatest show on earth. And the football's not bad, either.
Runnin' with the Big Dogs details the outlandish and colorful saga of this ferociously entertaining football confrontation. This is the story of pride, heroics, hopes, dreams, and prodigious four-day hangovers. As acclaimed author Mike Shropshire makes clear, the Longhorns-Sooners confrontation is rougher than playing Russian roulette with a shotgun.
Built on the passionate fury of their fans (in this case fully earning the term's origin—"fanatics"), the Texas-Oklahoma spectacle is a production line for national champions, Heisman Trophy winners, NFL All-Pros, and some of the most storied coaches in the history of the sport, from Bud Wilkinson and Darrell Royal to Mack Brown and Bob Stoops. The rivalry has produced some of the most memorable football contests ever, though it matters not whether the teams are ranked—every year is a battle royal. As for the people who come to witness the event, Dallas County's top law enforcement official said, "You watch those lunatics and wonder what drives a person to carry on like a crazy destructive madman." That's why Shropshire is convinced that Texas-OU football fans are the best in the country, and the players and coaches are driven to manic extremes to give them performances to remember.
The great players, the great games, and the great stories of the wildest weekends in sports—Runnin' with the Big Dogs captures it all.
