County by County pres. Stuteville
County seat: El Reno
Population: 115,000
High schools (7): Calumet Chieftains, El Reno Indians, Mustang Broncos, Piedmont Wildcats, Southwest Covenant Patriots, Union City Tigers, Yukon Millers
Universities: Redlands Community College Cougars
State championships (81): El Reno won the county’s first state championship. The Indians won the boys basketball title in 1921 and seven more after that, but El Reno amassed 22 more state titles in wrestling and have 34 overall. Mustang owns 24 championships with six in volleyball and six in girls basketball. Yukon has nine, five in fast-pitch softball.
Famous sports figures from Canadian County:
• Jenks Simmons: Sentinel High School (Class of 1921); Lettered in football, basketball and track at Southwestern; Played professionally for the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1927 and was named Rookie of the Year, won NFL championship with the Providence Steamrollers in 1928; Coached high school basketball at El Reno, winning five state championships in 27 years and amassed a record of 436-144.
• Dan Bailey: All-State football player and Individual State Champion in golf while at Southwest Covenant High School (Class of 2007); Kicker for four years at Oklahoma State, winning Lou Groza Award for the nation’s top kicker his senior year; Currently a member of the Dallas Cowboys, and is the most accurate kicker in NFL history (102 of 112 field goals, 91.1 percent)
• Kendall Cross: State Champion and All-State wrestler at Mustang High School (Class of 1986); Wrestled at Oklahoma State and was a three-time All-American and a member of the 1989 national championship team; Three-time national champion; World Cup Champion in 1988; Won gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
Memorable sports moments:
• El Reno wrestling
It is hard to find a match to the dominance of the El Reno wrestling program. The Indians won 11 consecutive state championships (1996-2006) and 10 consecutive dual state championships (1996-2005).
• 2015 Class 6A Boys Basketball
It took Mustang until 1978 to win a state championship, but starting in 1978 with a three-peat in volleyball (78-80) and followed by another (82-84), Mustang has won 23 state championships. The elusive one was the boys basketball title – until 2014-2015. And there was nothing elusive about this championship. The Broncos dominated the season, going 28-0, and defeating Edmond Santa Fe in the championship game by 39 points, 93-54. The boys basketball program now has a state banner to hang with the six earned by the girls basketball program.
How do you get to Canadian County? It is in the northwest part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area and you can get to any county in Oklahoma in a vehicle from the Stuteville Automotive Group, with locations in Atoka, Durant and Tahlequah.
