In December 1985, my dad wrote Barry Switzer about Oklahoma’s upcoming national championship game against Penn State. Weeks later, after OU won the title, Barry quoted my dad’s statistics in the Orange Bowl locker room. That letter began a friendship that has now lasted 40 years. I was 13 when Dad came excitedly into my room one evening. “You have to come look at this!” On the living room coffee table were two or three OU media guides and notebook paper covered in his handwriting. This was years before Wikipedia and Sports Reference. Dad was doing the research by hand. He wanted to compare Barry Switzer’s record through his first 153 games with Bud Wilkinson’s record through the same number. What he discovered excited him so much that he knew Coach Switzer had to hear about it. Today, he could post the statistics on X and tag @BarrySwitzer and @OU_Football In 1985, you wrote a letter. So Dad took his research to the office, typed it up and mailed it to the University of Oklahoma, care of Coach Barry Switzer. The original letter is included here for you to read. Dad, always the creative force, presented it in a way only he could: a two-page, 614-word letter filled with statistics, historical parallels and even a Sooner-themed poem. He REALLY wanted Barry’s attention. He mailed it 21 days before the Orange Bowl, when Oklahoma would play for its sixth national championship. Then we waited. Three weeks passed. We had no idea whether Coach Switzer, or anyone at OU, had seen it. Oklahoma beat Penn State, 25-10, and won the national championship. The next day, we were watching the Oklahoma Playback show when it cut to the celebration inside the Orange Bowl locker room. Coach Switzer quieted the room and began reciting Bud Wilkinson’s record through 154 games, comparing it with his own. We couldn’t believe it. “WE DID IT!” The letter had reached the King himself. That was victory enough for Dad. We celebrated again, as if Oklahoma had just won a second national championship. Three months later, Dad came barreling into my room again. Think of the father in “A Christmas Story” learning he had won a major award. That is the only comparison I can make. Barry had written back. Dad read the letter aloud, beaming. He now had Barry’s autograph, which, for you kids, used to mean more than a selfie. The envelope also contained letters from Barry’s uncle Billy and OU Sports Information Director Mike Treps. Dad was 34 years old, and he was overjoyed. But the story wasn’t finished. Seven months later, through his business, Dad attended an event and was seated at Barry Switzer’s table. That was their first meeting. That night, I received a telephone call. It wasn’t from my dad. It was Barry Switzer. The date was October 5, 1986, Barry’s 49th birthday and one day after my 14th. Barry told me it was his birthday, then wished me a happy birthday. A few years later, Dad moved to Norman. His business led to a partnership with Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens, and that first letter grew into a friendship with Barry that continues today. But my dad is not the same man he was then. In 2020, he was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, an aggressive form of dementia that attacks language and speech. Today, my 75-year-old dad is completely nonverbal. He is battling several other serious health problems, bravely fighting for his life and still cheering for his Sooners. He has attended every OU-Texas game since 1990. This week, he’ll have to watch from his bed in Norman. I’ll be there, Dad. And I’ll do my best to bring you home one more Red River victory. Happy birthday, Coach Switzer. Thank you for reading a letter from my dad 40 years ago.