Okmulgee was 7-2 in the regular session. They almost didn't make the playoffs.
Thanks to the clippings from the Okmulgee Daily Times kept by Geneva Hull, here are the highlights of each game during the 1947 season:
Sulphur vs. Okmulgee, Sept. 19
This was called a "mis-match contest." Okmulgee scored two TD's in the first half and three in the second half. Left halfback Louis James scored two of those touchdowns. John Mueller, Frank Dolton and Tom Kenan also scored and the Bulldogs won going away, 33-0.
Okmulgee vs. Tulsa Rogers, Sept. 26
The Bulldogs were held to 65 yards total offense and two first downs, while Rogers piled up 212 yards. Okmulgee lost 14-0 and they trailed Rogers the rest of the season in the standings of the Big Six Conference, until the last week.
Sapulpa vs. Okmulgee, Oct. 3
The Times called the week prior to this game, "the toughest week of practice." Okmulgee dominated the Chieftains with 119 yards on the ground and 82 in the air, holding Sapulpa to only 38 yards. Okmulgee won 13-0. Louis James hooked up with Gerald Mastin on one TD pass play while Mastin threw to Andy Musgrave for the other touchdown.
Okmulgee vs. Tulsa Central, Oct. 10
With guard Bob Holleman and fullback John Mueller nursing injuries, Coach Brady didn't know if he'd have to substitute for two key starters. With already one conference loss, this was a big game for the Bulldogs and they pulled out a 7-0 win. The Braves had an interception return for a score called back on a holding penalty. They didn't threaten again. The Bulldogs lone score came on an 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter with Mueller scoring on a one-yard blast.
Muskogee vs. Okmulgee, Oct. 17
The roster said Muskogee's front line outweighed Okmulgee's by 18 pounds a man on average. The Times reported it was one of the largest crowds ever at Harmon Stadium. The lone score came on a blocked punt by Musgrave who then pounced on the ball in the end zone. Late in the game Muskogee drove to the Okmulgee 15, but gave up the ball on downs.
Okmulgee vs. Henryetta, Oct. 24
The Times reported that a crowd of 7,000 crowded into Cameron Field in Henryetta to watch the two county rivals play. The Hens' top player was Vernon VanMeter who passed for 63 yards and ran for 44 yards in a 7-0 win. Plus, he intercepted a Bulldog pass at the three-yard line and returned it forty yards. VanMeter scored on a Statue of Liberty play. Okmulgee slipped to 4-2 overall, but remained 3-1 in conference play.
Okmulgee vs. Bartlesville, Nov. 7
This was a big game for Okmulgee because it was a conference game and on the road. Mueller started the scoring with a five-yard run early in the second quarter. Bartlesville returned a punt 45 yards for a TD. In the second half Louis James returned a punt to the Bartlesville 31 and a few plays later James Ludwick scored from four yards out. James tacked on the extra point for a 13-6 Bulldog win. The Okmulgee defense came up big in the end stopping Bartlesville on the 15 yard line.
Tulsa Webster vs. Okmulgee, Nov. 14
This was a must-win game for the Bulldogs because if they lost, they would be completely eliminated from any post-season competition. It was a rainy day and the field was quite muddy, according to the Times. The hero was defensive tackle Carl Murphy who blocked a punt and Okmulgee took over at the Webster 30. Louis James scored from six yards out to give Okmulgee a 6-0 victory. With the win, Okmulgee was 5-1 in the conference.
Okmulgee vs. McAlester, Nov. 21
This non-conference game was described as being played, "in a sea of mud." Each team fumbled twice that night, but James scored the only points of the night in the first quarter on a 23-yard run. He tacked on the extra point and Okmulgee won, 7-0. The best news that night came from 100 miles north where Webster upset Rogers, 14-0. Thus, Okmulgee won the Big Six crown because Rogers fell to 4-2 in the conference with the loss.
District Championship Game, Wewoka vs. Okmulgee, Nov. 28
The Tigers had the number four rating in the state and were 8-1 overall. Wewoka scored first in the first quarter on an eight-yard run by Gene Cook. Okmulgee defensive lineman Jiles Shrum recovered a Wewoka fumble and that led to a TD that was called back because of a penalty. James scored later on a three-yard run and the game was tied at seven. The clock ran out on the game, thus it went to the first tiebreaker, most penetrations inside the 20-yardline. Okmulgee had four and Wewoka one, thus the Bulldogs advanced to the state semi-final game in Ponca City.
Class A Semi-final Game, Okmulgee vs. Ponca City, Dec. 6
Ponca City had a terrific running back in Dick Powell, that Dick Hull wrote in his scrapbook was the "best runner I've ever seen." Powell had 198 yards rushing the previous week. Plus, several Bulldogs were sick prior to the game. The Times wrote that the squad members were suffering from some type of food poisoning or the flu bug. Hull, in his scrapbook, wrote that the team had carbon monoxide poisoning from the bus ride. The game ended tied at seven. Okmulgee's lone score came Mueller's one-yard run. On that drive Mueller threw to Musgrave for a 48-yard play. Later in the game, Musgrave came up with a key fumble recovery and Julian Norris made a key tackle on a long Ponca City run. Mueller later told the Times,"If he had not tackled him, Powell would have scored. That play probably saved the game and let us get into the state championship game."
Ponca's lone TD came on an 81-yard run by Powell.
So, again the rules had to determine which team went to Norman for the State Championship game. In the first tiebreaker, both teams had three penetrations inside the 20. The second tiebreaker was total first downs and there Okmulgee prevailed. The Bulldogs had 12 to eight for the Wildcats. Hull also wrote in his scrapbook that he broke his little finger on the left hand, but kept right on playing.
Class A State Championship, Okmulgee vs. Frederick, Dec. 13, Owen Field, Norman
Frederick had made a vow they would never shave until they lost a game. They were unbeaten coming into this contest. The Bombers were a much bigger team, but Coach Brady had other ideas. Brady put in a different defensive scheme and it confounded Frederick. Hull wrote that he faced a 210-pound middle guard in that game. Hull was only 155 pounds.
With a crowd of 10,000 watching and many more listening statewide on radio, the Bulldogs prevailed 14-6. Okmulgee scored both TD's in the second quarter. Julian Norris recovered a Frederick fumble and nine plays later, Brady called a triple reverse. The play worked to perfection and the Mueller to Dalton to James play scored from three yards away. After a short Bomber punt, Okmulgee took over on the Frederick 33. Dalton ran the ball on a reverse to the five yard line. Mueller scored two plays later and it was 14-0.
Kenneth Johnson scored on a 28-yard run for Frederick in the third quarter. The Bombers threatened again in the fourth quarter, but they gave up the ball on the Okmulgee 10. The Bulldogs ran out the clock and clinched the state championship trophy.
That was the first state championship for the Bulldogs. They won titles again in 1969 and 1975, but as the Times wrote, "The march to gold in 1947 reads like a fairy tale. It took a series of incredible-almost unbelievable-situations for OHS to secure the title."
