Oklahoma legend Dewey Selmon selected for College Football Hall of Fame
Of all the illustrious history that surrounds the Oklahoma football program, perhaps no story is greater than that of the Selmon brothers, a trio of defensive linemen who served as the nucleus of the Sooners' revered defenses in the 1970s.
Lucious, Dewey, and Lee Roy Selmon were the pride of Eufaula (Okla.) and eventually became Crimson-clad heroes in Norman after each of them earned All-American honors during their time at OU. Now, just months after a statue of the trio was unveiled outside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the Selmon brothers are back in the headlines for the incredible impact on college football that they made some 50 years ago.
Dewey Selmon, the middle brother of the trio, was named to the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame on Monday, according to a release from the University of Oklahoma.
"First of all, a big thank-you to all of my coaches and teammates, and all the players on opposing teams, who made this possible," Selmon said in a statement. "I want to also thank the College Football Hall of Fame committee. This is a great blessing, and quite humbling, for a little kid to come from Eufaula, Okla., play at the University of Oklahoma, and now get to go into one of the most prestigious halls in college football. I really take it with a whole lot of honor and humility. It brought tears to my eyes, it really did. It's just because of the love of the people. It's not exactly me winning the award, it's the people surrounding the award who felt that way and wanted to do that for me at this time of my life. It's truly a blessing."
Selmon played at defensive tackle and nose guard during his time with the Sooners, helping lead OU to a 43-2-1 (.946) record over his four-year career. In that time, Oklahoma won four consecutive Big Eight Championships and was crowned national champions in 1974 and '75. Dewey earned first-team All-American honors in 1974 and became a consensus All-American in 1975 as a senior.
In four seasons, Selmon piled up 325 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He also left several records that remain standing to this day in Norman. In a 16-13 victory over Texas in 1974, Selmon collected 22 tackles, which is still the single-game record at Oklahoma for a defensive lineman. Selmon also holds the Oklahoma bowl record for tackles by a defensive lineman, with 13 in the 1976 Orange Bowl, a 14-6 win over Michigan to win the national championship in his final game as a Sooner.
With Dewey and his equally impressive brothers at the center of it all, the Oklahoma defense allowed just 12.1 points per game in 1973, 8.4 in 1974, and 12.8 in 1975. At the end of his career, Dewey's 34 career starts were the second most by an OU defensive lineman.
According to the OU release, each of Selmon's Oklahoma teams finished in the top three of the AP rankings, winding up at No. 2 in 1972, No. 3 in 1973, and No. 1 in 1974 and '75. The Sooners were ranked in the AP Top 5 in 48 of 60 weeks during his career.
Selmon went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had a seven-year NFL career, playing for the Bucs and the San Diego Chargers.
Dewey is one of 19 former players and three former coaches being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024 and is preceded by his younger brother Lee Roy, who was part of the 1988 class.
Selmon and the rest of the 2024 class will be officially inducted at the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas.
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, basketball and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!