NORMAN — Former University of Oklahoma athletics standouts Steve Davis (football), Ryan Minor (baseball and basketball) and Roy Williams (football) were named to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 class, the organization announced Tuesday.
The trio will be joined by fellow inductees Patty McGraw-Coatney, Mike Metheny and Shelby Wilson in being formally inducted on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, during a ceremony at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
STEVE DAVIS, FOOTBALL
Davis, a Sallisaw, Okla., native who passed away in 2013, compiled a 32-1-1 record as the Sooners’ starting quarterback under head coach Barry Switzer and guided OU to national championships in 1974 and ’75. The Sooners also won three straight Big Eight titles with Davis under center from 1973-75.
During Davis’ tenure as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, the only contests the Sooners didn’t win were a 7-7 tie at No. 1 USC in 1973 and a 23-3 setback to Kansas in 1975. Davis was the offensive MVP of the 1976 Orange Bowl, as OU registered a 14-6 win over Michigan to capture the 1975 national title with an 11-1 record. During the 1974 campaign, the Sooners led the nation in scoring (43 ppg) and ended the year as the only undefeated team in the country at 11-0.
Davis finished his collegiate career with 2,124 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns. The 2,214 rushing yards were the most by a Sooners signal-caller at the time and the 34 TDs are still an OU quarterback record. Davis rushed for over 100 yards 11 times in his three seasons and registered 18 rushing TDs in 1973, the fourth most by any OU player at the time.
RYAN MINOR, BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL
Minor, an OU All-American in basketball and a pitcher and first baseman who helped the baseball team to the 1994 national title, was drafted professionally in both sports. He arrived at OU in the fall of 1992 as a member of Billy Tubbs’ men’s basketball team and Larry Cochell’s baseball squad. He played his final two seasons of basketball under former head coach Kelvin Sampson.
In basketball, Minor, who hailed from the small western Oklahoma town of Hammon, was named 1994-95 Big Eight Conference Player of the Year as a junior by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and co-player of the year by the league’s head coaches. The unanimous first-team all-conference performer also earned third-team All-America honors, averaging 23.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.
Minor again earned first-team All-Big Eight honors on the hardwood as a senior, and was named an AP honorable mention All-American. He averaged a Big Eight-best 21.3 points as well as 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest, and set the OU record by making 30 consecutive free throws. Minor also became the first Sooner to register 1,800 points, 700 rebounds and 150 steals in a career. He finished as the Sooners’ sixth-leading all-time scorer (1,946 points) and ranked in the top 10 of 14 different OU career categories.
Minor played baseball his first three years at OU, joining Cochell’s squad late each season due to basketball. Playing alongside twin brother Damon Minor, Ryan hit .266 in 203 career at-bats with 11 home runs, 15 doubles, 43 RBIs and 44 runs scored. During OU’s 1994 run to the national title, he was named to the the Big Eight, NCAA Regional and College World Series all-tournament teams.
Minor was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 32nd overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. In baseball, he was drafted twice by the Orioles. He played four Major League Baseball seasons (1998-00 with Baltimore and 2001 with the Montreal Expos) and on Sept. 20, 1998, replaced Cal Ripken Jr. in the lineup, ending Ripken’s MLB record of 2,632 consecutive games played
ROY WILLIAMS, FOOTBALL
One of Oklahoma’s best and most versatile defenders of the 21st century, Williams helped lead the Sooners to a 13-0 season and national title in 2000 before his dominant 2001 season when he was Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American and winner of the Nagurski and Thorpe awards as college football’s best defender and defensive back, respectively.
The two-time first-team All-Big Eight selection, who is from Union City, Calif., came in seventh in 2001 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish of the year by a non-quarterback. He ended the season with 107 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five interceptions, 22 pass breakups and three fumble recoveries.
Williams’ infamous pass deflection in the Texas backfield while flying over a Longhorn blocking back with two minutes remaining in the 2001 Red River game resulted in a touchdown by linebacker Teddy Lehman and a 14-3 Sooners victory. Monikered the “Superman” play because he was horizontal to the ground while making it, it remains one of the most revered moments in program history. Williams further dashed Texas’ comeback hopes that day in Dallas with a leaping interception on the Longhorns’ next offensive play.
He bypassed his senior season of eligibility to enter the 2002 NFL Draft and was selected with the eighth pick in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys. He enjoyed a nine-year NFL career with the Cowboys (2002-08) and Cincinnati Bengals (2009-10), earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2003 and Pro Bowl honors five times (2003-07).
Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
