The wishbone/power-I: That '70s show: once dominant, now dormant

Barry Switzer perfected the offense in the 1970s and 1980s at Oklahoma.

By Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune

Last update: August 25, 2007 - 5:27 PM

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The NFL has the big-time passing offenses, but for sheer variety, creativity and unpredictability, nothing beats college football. From the single-wing formation Bernie Bierman employed during the Gophers glory days to the spread attack that is taking todays game by storm, take a clipboard tour with staff writer Chip Scoggins, who spoke to a variety of former coaches about college footballs most innovative offenses over the years.

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Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer takes umbrage at the suggestion that the wishbone offense is dead.

"Hell no, it's not dead," he said. "It's just that coaches who know how to coach it are dead. There are no disciples of it. It's the greatest rushing offense ever designed."

Switzer remains fiercely proud of the powerful wishbone offense, which made its way to the college game at the University of Texas in 1968. Offensive coordinator Emory Ballard developed the formation a fullback and two tailbacks lined up behind the quarterback under coach Darrell Royal. Texas promptly won 30 consecutive games and two national titles with the offense.

"It's kind of outdated now," Royal said. "Like ties and airplanes, everything gets bigger and better. College football has [changed], and offenses have. But the wishbone was a good offense. We did well with it. Won 30 in a row with it, so I guess it's all right."

The wishbone is only one variant of an option offense, which reached its height in popularity in the 1970s and '80s thanks to wishbone offenses at Texas and Oklahoma and Nebraska's Power-I under Tom Osborne.

The option is a run-dominated offense that requires a savvy (and athletic) quarterback who can react quickly to defenses. The option offense still is used in college including out of the spread formation but fewer teams favor it because of the injury risk to quarterbacks and the improved speed of defenses. The service academies are among the few teams recently to employ it.

Option disciples, however, still believe steadfastly in their offense.

"If I was coaching today, I would run Tom Osborne's offense, and it would still dominate," Switzer said.

"I don't think it's outdated," Osborne said. "I've talked to a lot of pro coaches who said, 'You know, if people in the NFL really dedicated to the option, most of our defensive schemes would break down because it would cause us to do things differently.' The zone blitzes that people are now using to get at the passer, a lot of that becomes irrelevant. You start down that line with an option and you're blitzing the wrong guy at the wrong place, you potentially have a touchdown."

Osborne said he believes the dearth of pure option teams in college football is a trickle-down effect from the NFL.

"There is such a heavy influence by the NFL," he said. "I'm a little puzzled by it because college football isn't pro football. I know some people say, 'Well, we have to recruit players who want to play in the NFL. If we run an NFL style of offense, it will attract recruits.' There may be something to that. But I still think most guys want to play, want to play on a good team, and they want to move the ball."

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