The road to Oklahoma's 2000 national championship didn't begin with Bob Stoops.

It began with the fall.

In this first episode of a new Oklahoma Memo Sports series, Ryan Welton revisits the 1994 Oklahoma Sooners season — the final year of the Gary Gibbs era and a season that left many fans wondering whether Oklahoma football would ever return to national prominence.

Ryan shares memories from watching the Sooners while working as a young sports editor in Texas, recalls the dramatic opener against Syracuse, relives another painful loss to Texas, and explains why 1994 represented the beginning of Oklahoma football's slide into mediocrity.

Along the way, he explores the atmosphere surrounding the program, declining attendance, growing fan frustration, and the arrival of Howard Schnellenberger as the supposed savior of OU football.

This episode launches a multi-part journey through the seasons, coaches, moments, and decisions that ultimately led Oklahoma back to the top of college football in 2000.

Topics include:

• The final season of Gary Gibbs
• Syracuse and the Marvin Harrison scare
• Texas heartbreak at the Cotton Bowl
• Colorado's dominance
• Bill Snyder's rising Kansas State program
• Gary Gibbs' resignation
• Howard Schnellenberger's arrival
• Why 1994 matters to understanding Oklahoma football history