Quarterback Sneak

On the football field last season, Oklahoma used its devastating Wishbone-T offense to win the Big Eight Conference title, the Sugar Bowl and the No. 2 ranking in the national polls. Off the field, the Sooners tried a variation on the old quarterback sneak that last week caused them to forfeit, retroactively, eight victories in which Freshman Kerry Jackson had participated. According to Big Eight investigators, Quarterback Jackson and Center Mike Phillips, who was on the freshman team, had been ineligible to play. Reason: their grade transcripts from Galveston Ball High School in Texas had been doctored--no one would say by whom--in order to qualify them for athletic scholarships.

Reactions to the scandal were varied. Assistant Coach Bill Michael, who, according to the university, "admitted knowing about the tampering," turned in his resignation. Head Coach Chuck Fairbanks, who has since moved on to the pros as coach of the New England Patriots, denied any knowledge of the hanky-panky and added that "I would not hesitate to offer Bill Michael a job." Alas, Fairbanks added, he had "no vacancies." Bob Devaney, athletic director of Big Eight Runner-up Nebraska, was ready to accept the conference championship for the Cornhuskers because "if Jackson had played for our team, we might have won the title, too." Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, whose Nittany Lions lost to the Sooners 14-0 in the Sugar Bowl, wanted no tainted glory. "Our players and the Oklahoma players know who won the game," he said.

As for Jackson, the first black quarterback at Oklahoma, he broke down and cried when informed of the scandal. Though cleared of any complicity, he and Phillips lost their scholarships and playing eligibility for one year. Barry Switzer, the present head coach, tried to be consoling: "I tried to explain [to Jackson] that these people changed the transcript because they thought they were trying to help him."

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