Published April 13, 2008 01:04 am - His name is Shae Farmer, and how he even became a Sooner fan is a pretty good story in its own right.
A lifelong bleeder of crimson and cream, he’d never even set foot in the state, much less shown up Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
Maybe that’s not fair to Wilson, and after all the hospitality shown the man and his family for its whirlwind weekend all the way from Carrollton, Ga., not even Farmer would want it portrayed that way.
Coach for one play, that's all he needed
Commentary
Clay Horning
The Norman Transcript
His name is Shae Farmer, and how he even became a Sooner fan is a pretty good story in its own right.
A lifelong bleeder of crimson and cream, he’d never even set foot in the state, much less shown up Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
Maybe that’s not fair to Wilson, and after all the hospitality shown the man and his family for its whirlwind weekend all the way from Carrollton, Ga., not even Farmer would want it portrayed that way.
On the other hand, all he did was turn the one play he won the right to call from the press box, where he sat right alongside Wilson, into a 51-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bradford to Jermaine Gresham.
Not before nor after did OU execute as productive an offensive play Saturday afternoon.
“I held the reverse,” Wilson said. “I held the flea-flicker for him.”
But with 1:04 left in the first quarter, after Sooner quarterbacks had already been picked off three times, with the offense taking over at its own 49-yard line, Farmer had one instruction.
“He said,” said Wilson, “‘I want something to Jermaine.’”
How tough is this playcalling thing, really?
“I wanted to go after a touchdown,” Farmer said, still enjoying his moment down on the field after the Red/White Game, “and he’s an awesome player and a big-time threat.”
Gresham appeared equally pleased upon learning who had called his number, spending his postgame time arranging autographs for Farmer.
Talk about a great day.
When Bob Stoops arrived on campus the first time, he talked of painting his sneakers silver just like Joe Washington. Still, you never got the idea little Bobby Stoops ever turned his Youngstown, Ohio, home into a Rust Belt shrine to Sooner football.
Farmer, though, is down for the cause.
It all started with his great grandfather, John, originally from Muldrow, who married a Georgia bride. Apparently, John was willing to change his geography, but not his college football team.