National Football Foundation

Known as the “Godfather of the Wishbone,” Jack Mildren set numerous records and garnered a laundry list of honors as the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1971, including Chevrolet ABC Offensive Player of the Year. He holds the school record for rushing yards (1,289) and rushing touchdowns (20) by a quarterback in a season and is second in program history in consecutive starts at quarterback (34). A First Team All-America and All-Big 8 selection, Mildren also threw for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Sooners to a 40-22 win over No. 5 Auburn in the 1972 Sugar Bowl. He carried the ball 30 times for 149 yards and three touchdowns, earning game MVP honors and tying the school record for points scored in a bowl game.

He finished his career at Oklahoma with 3,092 passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns, along with 1,952 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns. An Academic All-America and three-time Academic All-Big 8 selection, Mildren attained a 3.26 GPA in petroleum land management. He was also a member of Eta Sigma, ODK and Phi Delta Theta.

Mildren was selected in the second round (46^th overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He played three seasons with the Colts and the New England Patriots as a defensive back. After enjoying much success in the oil business, he was elected the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in 1990 and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Oklahoma in 1994, losing to Republican Frank Keating.

Mildren served as the Vice Chairman for the Arvest Bank Group, and as an announcer for Jox 930 WKY, an all-sports radio station in Oklahoma City. He was also a regular contributor on WWLS The Sports Animal. He was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1998. Mildren passed away in 2008 at the age of 58.