What Is Barry Switzer's Net Worth?
Barry Switzer is a former American football coach who has a net worth of $7 million. Barry Switzer has earned his net worth from his coaching career, which spanned from 1962 to 1997. He coached in both the college and professional ranks and has one of the highest winning percentages of any coach in college football history. Switzer is one of three coaches who have won both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl. The other two are Jimmy Johnson and Pete Carroll, though technically, Pete Carroll's NCAA win was vacated due to a scandal.
Switzer's coaching career began at the University of Arkansas as an assistant coach in 1962, but he rose to national prominence as the head coach of the University of Oklahoma from 1973 to 1988. At Oklahoma, he led the Sooners to three national championships (1974, 1975, and 1985) and 12 Big Eight Conference titles. His aggressive, run-heavy offensive scheme, combined with a stout defense, made Oklahoma a powerhouse in college football. Barry's .837 winning percentage at Oklahoma remains one of the highest in the history of college football.
In 1994, Switzer moved to the NFL, taking the helm of the Dallas Cowboys. His transition to professional football was a notable success. In just his second season with the Cowboys, he guided the team to a victory in Super Bowl XXX, proving his coaching acumen at the highest level of the sport. However, despite this success, his tenure with the Cowboys was marked by controversy, and he retired from coaching after the 1997 season.
Post-retirement, Barry has worked as a commentator and analyst for various college football broadcasts. He also released his autobiography, "Bootlegger's Boy," in 1990, which candidly detailed his early life and coaching career.
Early Life
Barry Layne Switzer was born on October 5, 1937, in Crossett, Arkansas. He is the son of Mary Louise and Frank Mays Switzer. His father was a bootlegger of alcohol and got arrested at the family home. Barry and his younger brother, Donny, were raised by their mother. However, she died by suicide on August 26, 1959. In 1972, his father was murdered by a jealous lover.
Barry accepted an athletic scholarship to play football for the University of Arkansas, where he served as one of the Razorbacks' "Tri-Captains," leading the team to a 9-2 record, a share of the Southwest Conference championship, and the 1960 Gator Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. After graduation, Switzer went on to have a short career in the U.S. Army but later returned to Arkansas as an assistant coach.
University of Oklahoma
After the 1966 season, Switzer left Arkansas to become an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma under new head coach and good friend, Jim Mackenzie. Mackenzie died of a heart attack in 1967 after spring training, and Switzer remained assistant coach under new head coach Chuck Fairbanks, formerly from the University of Houston. Barry became head coach at Oklahoma in 1973, and under his leadership, the team went undefeated in both 1973 and 1974. Oklahoma also won national championships in 1974, 1975, and again in 1985. Switzer resigned from Oklahoma in 1989 after Oklahoma was placed on probation by the NCAA.
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Dallas Cowboys
Switzer would return to coaching in 1994, this time in the professional ranks with the Dallas Cowboys. He was hired by team owner Jerry Jones to replace the departed Jimmy Johnson, who had won the two previous Super Bowls.
Barry was also successful, going 12-4 in his first season with the team but losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. It was in his second season in 1995 that the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX over the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 after another 12-4 season. Following a disappointing campaign in 1997 in which the team went 6-10, Switzer resigned as head coach of the Cowboys, ending his tenure with a 40-24 career NFL coaching record.
Personal Life
Barry resides in Norman, Oklahoma, with his wife, Becky.
In 2000, Switzer was named an honorary member of the Oklahoma Kappa chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, Barry received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2007, he Switzer joined the Fox NFL Pregame show. Barry owns Switzer's Locker Room, Switzer's Vineyards, and several other small businesses in the Norman area.
