FORGOTTEN COACH

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SCORES OF ATHLETES AND COACHES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE 119 YEARS OF HISTORY AT OKLAHOMA A&M TURNED OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. SOME RECEIVE CONTINUED AND CONSTANT RECOGNITION. MOST DO NOT AND ARE FORGOTTEN. THIS STORY IS ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE “GONE AND FORGOTTEN” CATEGORY. HE SERVED AS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH FROM 1955 THROUGH 1962. HIS NAME IS CLIFF SPEEGLE.

STORY BY GENE JOHNSON

said former athlete and former OSU athletic administrator Dick Soergel , “because there aren’t many folks today who know anything about him. Nothing has been written about him since he left Stillwater.

“COACH SPEEGLE WAS A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, A LOVING HUSBAND, DEVOTED DAD, GOOD FRIEND, GIFTED ATHLETE, OUTSTANDING COACH AND ADMINISTRATOR. HE HAD A HUGE, POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE.”

Soergel wasn’t finished.

“The strongest language I ever heard him use, and only when he was very upset was, I have no idea what that word means, but the way he said it, you knew he was serious. After I was through playing, in social situations, I never saw him use tobacco in any form or take a drink. It was OK if someone else did, but he wouldn’t.”

THE SPEEGLE BROTHERS, C.B. II , CLIFF AND WAYNE, were standout athletes during the 1930s at Oklahoma City’s prestigious Capitol Hill High School. The school was a sports powerhouse for four decades beginning in the 1930s.

Growing up on a rural dairy farm, the siblings had plenty of daily chores. C.B., the oldest, graduated in 1933 and went to Central State University, where he earned all-conference honors in both football and basketball. The youngest brother, Wayne, was a member of the 1947 Oklahoma basketball squad that lost in the NCAA finals to Holy Cross.

In high school, blond-headed Cli stood six-feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. He was named by The Daily Oklahoman as an all-stater in both football and basketball.

During Speegle’s high school years, Capitol Hill had two undefeated football teams and won state championships in baseball and basketball. Speegle was also selected as senior class president and best all-around student.

“DAD EARNED THE NICKNAME ‘BIRD DOG’ BECAUSE ON DEFENSE HE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE BALL,” said Speegle’s son, Max. “Being a diehard Cowboy fan, I hate to admit it, but Dad played for OU. He was HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICA and was chosen ALL-BIG SIX as a center. That same Sooner squad played in OU’s first ORANGE BOWL game in 1939 against Tennessee. Most people don’t know this, but Dad also started at guard on OU’s 1939-40 basketball squad that captured the Big Six championship.

“Mom was Dad’s high school sweetheart who married Dad while he was still in Norman. They were together the rest of their lives.”

After graduating from OU, Speegle coached high school football one year each at Wewoka and Capitol Hill before enlisting in the ARMY AIR CORPS in 1942. He learned to fly B-26s and spent most of his time stationed in Del Rio, Texas, as a flight instructor. He never had to serve overseas.

“When you think about it,” Max added, “that job teaching 18-year-olds to fly may have been more dangerous for Dad than if he’d flown planes over the Pacific.”