Barry Switzer: Overcoming Personal Trauma

[@Floppyearsmomma]

I can barely remember my life without Barry Switzer. Dad raised me on Sooner football from the time I was a toddler. My first dog as an adult was a cocker spaniel I named Switzer. I knew about the boot legging, but never about his mom's mental illness. That experience would have destroyed many people. I'm so glad he broke the family tragedy.

[@Rubin4749]

Switzer ALMOST was like a father figure to me, my Dad took care fo me, but he would just mumble from behind a newspaper. That was my Dad's version of taking care of his son. Food, roof over your head, mumble words from behind a newspaper. I gravitated to watching Switzer on TV. But Switzer taught us values from his LOVE of his players. That love for his players came through on the TV, and the newspaper.

[@roadrules3671]

Mr. Switzer; much respect from Pennsylvania. YOU are one Good; tough man.

[@DavidWilliams-lw2hq]

Being an Alabama fan, I did not like Switzer then but I have really grown to appreciate and like him very much especially when I learned of his life story. He is a remarkable man.

[@franklinbolander1916]

AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE COACH SWITZER IS AN ICONIC FOOTBALL GOD!!...THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT MEMORIES WHILE I WAS GROWING UP DOWN IN OKLAHOMA!

[@conrice9040]

Thank you for sharing Coach. I hope you know how loved you are by a lot of folks.

[@Rubin4749]

Coach Switzer, we love you. My Mom was an RN (registered nurse) who took care of MANY of your football players. Coach Switzer, I live at 624 Parkhurst Terrace in Edmond, Oklahoma I'd love to shake your hand and say "hello" PLease come and see me.

[@deanarmstrong9183]

The King! Mr Switzer Love ya coach! Thanks for the birthday wishes!

[@TimmieTennis]

A great man, I lived in Oklahoma in the early 80's, and enjoyed watching him as Sooner football coach.

[@miker8854]

"Bootleggers Boy" is what changed my opinion of Switzer. Everyone should read that book. Switzer should be celebrated as a role model for overcoming what he grew up in

[@baymaxc1647]

Totally agree, what a tough Guy

[@uxpo]

Great Book...Great Guy.

[@timtebowsleftarm5368]

I can never speak to having the kind of tragedy Barry has gone through. No one deserves that, or the guilt he felt. I’ll disagree with him, but with genuine respect, in the sense that trauma rewires the brain in ways that we often are not conscious of, and that therapy can help someone like that as much as someone in addiction. So don’t judge yourself if you need therapy. It is absolutely ok to accept it and get the help you need. Credit to Barry for finding a way.

[@Clarence2Worley]

100%

[@mattheffner6831]

I'm a buckeye fan but I love that man. College football misses him

[@odwanifh]

Coach Barry Switzer , you are truly I great man , with al that you have gone through in your family , you came out such a legend to impact the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people , is not only magnificent but totally incredible ,, I attended UNL in the mid seventies and I was not aware of your greatness until recently when I stumbled onto these videos ,, I sincerely wish the best for you and your family ,,,

[@charliebabbitt3314]

I really have grown to like Coach Switzer very much....He's a helluva coach and seems like a helluva guy who is the kind of guy you'd like to be in a foxhole with.

[@markswain365]

A great Man who exemplifies what America was and should be , to overcome

[@Clarence2Worley]

Coach, you are one of my favorite people on this planet. ❤ God bless you.

[@Terence-cn6qg]

Wow Barry, u had me sobbing like a baby hearing this story😢

[@briangreif9796]

His Mom raised a very very very strong boy that would survive the trials & tribulations of early life of guilt which turns out would be false, thanks to a great brother telling the truth, then to become the highest paid Coach in the Country a Leader of Leaders, Where are the Barry Switzers of today? There are a few, not many, Steve Spurrier, Mike Tomlin, John Madden , Mike Gundy they all come close lettin' it all hang out, Thank You God for Barry Switzer

[@sam7748]

Wow--Coach Switzer really went thru some tough times...

[@johnmanning4097]

cannot believe there has not been a movie done about Switzer yet.

[@Clarence2Worley]

Pretty damn good idea. Who would play him?

[@rjhyden]

Already been done, scarface....

[@LARRYCAL]

That would be awesome

[@LARRYCAL]

@@rjhyden lol

[@ronniebishop2496]

Well I’m thinking the same thing.

[@randyrichardson5441]

This interview explains alot why he is who he is...

[@ZFKATNBADGER40]

That must of been devastating for him, couldn’t imagine having to live with that for 30 years.

[@TheNathanScot]

How can you not like Barry Switzer? I went to Tulsa for college and always had a soft spot for Barry. He's the only reason I don't completely despise OU for being a joke of a "so called" academic institution, at least they had football.

[@quintinreynolds1786]

Yeah you really went to the Harvard of the Great Plains

[@jordansanders4854]

Switzer's lived an interesting life. No doubt about it.

[@brucefranklin1317]

So sorry about his moms sadness and his guilt over that night she killed herself. Barrys a good guy and he was a good coach...

[@carlesmauricio2909]

Love Coach Switzer!!

[@kennytesta9312]

That was gut wrenching

[@charlessnyder912]

Coach, she has those Drew Berrimores eyes. Absolutely gorgeous.

[@kevinpantera4429]

Great!

[@mikeokcmedia]

Read 'Bootlegger's Boy' -- what a story. What a life!

[@fernandomartinezjr7290]

One of my favorite books... So much history and passion

[@fernandomartinezjr7290]

Coach Switzer such a pure soul

[@Bigfishfun333]

FOUR rings.....only a select handful of legends have more.

[@marktorres8114]

Wow i wish i could have known a man such as barry i know it would have made me a better man

[@ronniebishop2496]

If there isn’t a movie in this then Hollywood is blind deaf and insane.

[@ozzieray]

Yeah, I think the movie would be good, in some ways my boyhood was like Switzers.

[@jimstover5725]

The recipe for that whiskey probably worth millions

[@justin343wh]

Switzer is hands down the best Dallas cowboys head coach

[@JJensen9]

Better than Tom Landry or Jimmy Johnson?

[@justin343wh]

Shut up. Hes better end of story

[@johnmanning4097]

I love Switzer but NO Jimmy Johnson was the best Dallas Cowboys Coach.

[@dogpd3]

He’s a great coach and was under great pressure to produce another Super Bowl for the cowboys.

[@Bigfishfun333]

Only two other coaches in history have won the title in college AND in the NFL.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Yes Jimmy Johnson, And was it Chuck Knoll or Don Shula I cant remember.

[@Bigfishfun333]

@@ronniebishop2496 USC Trojans and then Seattle Seahawks: coach Pete Carrol.

[@ronniebishop2496]

@@Bigfishfun333 That’s right.

[@America-jy9hz]

Some people don’t like Barry, I don’t know why. 🤷‍♂️

[@christhornton1785]

America 1776 - Do some research into all the violations and other crap that happened while he was at Oklahoma and you will know why I and a lot of other people can't stand him. Cheat, Liar and Crook.

[@acesoonerfan1563]

@@christhornton1785 You have no idea what you are talking about. He will always be the greatest and most beloved coach Oklahoma will ever have. You are letting the newspapers and the haters influence your perception of this great man.

[@christhornton1785]

@@acesoonerfan1563 Actually not influenced by media. I was around this guy quite a lot and knew him for the jerk he was. My own, and other people I knew that were around him, opinion. Have you read any accounts of what the program went through while he was at OU? It may surprise you.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Some people hate themselves.

[@ronniebishop2496]

@@christhornton1785 No it didn’t surprise me I’ve watched Oklahoma since Bud Wilkinson and Switzer didn’t do anything Bear Bryant didn’t do in spades. Or a lot of very successful people in any field. You must not have been around successful people, except to wait on them, or pick up after them, you have that jealous hate attitude.

[@Ma007rk]

Am I reading things into what he is saying, or is my mind in the gutter when he said that his mother wanted him to "kiss her". The way he said it implies to me something far worse than just a "kiss". I don't want to hear what Mr. Switzer is not saying but many, many things happened during that era that wasn't spoken about that was kept "hush-hush" or that would have been characterized as a "family secret". I feel badly for him. You can hear the pain in his voice recalling those years.

[@cody4335]

Ma007rk I think your mind is in the gutter.

[@brianapennington6867]

Most def your mind is in the gutter. The pain is living with it for 30 years and his father never telling him about the letter, and he thought it was all his fault. She was kissing him good night, just like any southern mom does, no matter how old you are. He turned away from her because she was drunk and he was tired of seeing her that way.

[@ronniebishop2496]

Kiss his mother goodnight and to her good bye. What’s the matter with you, you never kissed your mom. Hahahahaha

[@BradleyJuby]

So sad that Barry's mom killed herself.

[@SoonerBear]

Yes. I've read about it in Barry's book. I think it's truly remarkable that he overcame so much to become one of the greatest football coaches in OU history, if not the greatest. You find out what you're made of in life when your back's against the wall. May God continue to Bless Barry & his family.

[@rjhyden]

probably after she saw what she birthed....

[@BradleyJuby]

@@rjhyden Disgusting.

[@BradleyJuby]

@@rjhydenGarbage incel.

[@anandabaruah2262]

Boom 💥

[@cynthiaanngarmanwade6413]

My sweetheart, my husband, accidentally spilled a microwaved boiling hot cup of fresh coffee, 10 minutes old, onto the lap of failed OU coach Barry Switzer, at the taping of book to tape of Bootlegger Boy. Allison Mack, Switzer's sqeeze, an old truckstop sweetheart, just can't let it go. Why? They were taping the football players and the cheerleaders in the locker rooms, and we the spectators, out in the stands, and the parking lots, to get our identifications, and cash and cards and car tags, thus our addresses, bank accounts, our names, our assets, for identity theft reasons. Let us go ticket counters, the GMA and Fox News. You lose, losers. We love President George W Bush, and Donald J Trump. The Union. "Aye. Fools!" And "Ha!" Says Mom. I just saw Barry Switzer's face, it is one of a preacher aka, Jimmy Swaggert, like Tammy Faye Baker. "G" rules, '77 Braves of Burr Oak, Kansas. Toilet Bang, and "Drain the Swamp!" We win. Kansas is God's Country!

[@BradleyJuby]

Step away from the meth missy.

[@charlesmorrell2338]

If it wasn’t for Switzerland Dallas would have had the 4 peat

[@evanmurphey]

I mean they won 3 out of 4, but like every cowboy of course you’d be ungrateful. That’s why y’all don’t win championships anymore

[@deanarmstrong9183]

The King! Mr Switzer Love ya coach! Thanks for the birthday wishes!