Bob Fenimore

Did You Know?

• After his football career, Fenimore worked for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in Oklahoma City.
• In 1953 he and his family returned to Stillwater and worked for Mass Mutual financial services until he retired.
• Fenimore was a member of the 1945 national champion Oklahoma A&M team.

Early life

Bob Fenimore, born October 6, 1925, in Woodward, Oklahoma, grew up with a front yard laid out like a football field, which fueled his passion for sports. He set his sights on Oklahoma A&M early, even though his future wife, Veta Jo, was a University of Oklahoma student. Fenimore enrolled at Oklahoma A&M in 1943 to study education.

College and professional career

Bob Fenimore left a lasting mark at Oklahoma State, where his 18 career interceptions remain a school record. At 195 pounds, he could sprint the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds, just off the then-world record of 9.4. He topped the nation in total offense in 1944 and led in both total offense and rushing in 1945, earning a third-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting. That year, the Aggies went 9-0, still the only unbeaten and untied season in program history, following an 8-1 campaign in 1944. Injuries cut short his 1946 season, yet the Chicago Bears still selected him first overall in the 1947 NFL draft. He appeared in 10 games during his lone pro season in 1947. Fenimore entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972, the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2007, and became the third inductee into Oklahoma State’s ring of honor in 2022.