Football 10/14/2013 1:00:00 PM

2013 Hall of Famer: Rod Shoate

ROD SHOATE

Linebacker

Oklahoma

1972-74

· Twice named Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year (1973, 1974).
· Finished seventh in the 1974 Heisman Trophy balloting and becomes the 20^th Sooner player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
· Two-time first-team All-America; consensus in 1973, unanimous in 1974.
· Opponents averaged just 8.7 points a game against OU from 1972-74.

The late Rod Shoate was a dominant linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners during an era where dominant football players were plentiful in Norman. Shoate roamed from sideline to sideline, making tackles from 1972-74 when the Sooners posted a dazzling 32-1-1 record, won or shared three Big Eight titles, and ranked no lower than third in the country at the end of any of those three seasons.

“I think one of the most memorable things was Rod’s speed and recognition at linebacker,” said OU Hall of Fame running back Joe Washington, a teammate of Shoate’s. “When he came along, he was a real good athlete with speed. Then Lawrence Taylor and Brian Bosworth (followed). He was a trend setter at linebacker, especially in college football. And he was a good guy, no ifs and buts about it.”

Shoate, who wore No. 43, came from tiny Spiro, Oklahoma, in the east central part of the state on the Arkansas border. He was a running back in high school, but converted to linebacker when he arrived at OU.

Shoate led the Sooners in tackles each of his three seasons, including 155 tackles his senior season. His 420 career tackles still rank sixth at Oklahoma, where he is one of only two Sooner players to garner All-America honors in three seasons (second team in 1972).

His best game quite possibly came in his senior season (1974) when the second-ranked Sooners were playing arch-rival Texas in Dallas. Shoate made 21 tackles, broke up two passes, forced and recovered a fumble. With that great defensive effort, OU hung on for a 16-13 victory against the Longhorns, by far its closest game during a perfect 11-0, national championship season.

“With the Selmons (linemen Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey) and Rod Shoate very few backs could gain any yardage against our defense,” Washington said. “With the Selmons up front, the only place to go was laterally and he (Shoate) had the speed to chase any back down. I felt sorry for Earl Campbell and all the Texas backs on that day.”

Selected in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft (41^st overall) by the New England Patriots, Shoate played in six seasons with that franchise and part of that time for Chuck Fairbanks, who was his coach at Oklahoma during the early part of his college career. Shoate later played in the United States Football League and again for Fairbanks with the New Jersey Generals one season.

Shoate passed away in 1999 at the age of 46. Fourteen years later he is the 20^th Sooner football player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. His induction and life will be celebrated by the entire Sooner family in New York City at the Waldorf.

“Rod Shoate was an incredible football player,” said Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione. “He was a very beloved teammate.”

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