sports spotlight: brendon swisher

By Mike Tupa

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

BRENDON SWISHER

Following noteworthy sports pursuits as a Bartlesville High student-athlete, Brendon Swisher turned in a strong college football career for the University of Tulsa.

But, it wasn’t just your average college grid experience.

Swisher hung up the cleats for two years of religious service between his freshman and sophomore seasons. And then he forfeited his senior season in order to continue his education elsewhere on his journey toward becoming a dentist.

While at Bartlesville High Swisher excelled in football and track.

From there he went to the University of Tulsa —  but for only a year of football — making 18 tackles as a freshman linebacker in 1999 — prior to his departure to Puerto Rico for a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When he returned, he resumed his studies — and football career for the Golden Hurricane.

As a 23-year-old sophomore linebacker in 2002, Swisher (6-1, 210) impressed coaches during spring practice and earned quality time in the rotation, starting with the season-opening clash against No. 1 ranked Oklahoma.

Swisher would earn a Western Athletic Conference All-Academic honor following his sophomore campaign.

He returned for his junior season (2003), helping Tulsa make a drastic U-turn — from 1-10 in 2001 and 1-11 in 2002 to 8-5 in 2003 — with Steve Kragthorpe as the Golden Hurricane’s first-year head coach.

But Swisher opted out of his senior year, deciding to transfer to continue postgraduate studies on his way to becoming a dentist.

He returned to live, raise his family, work and worship in Bartlesville, where he currently is an important local leader in his church.

He’s the epitome of the man who set a positive course early in life, stuck to it, and returned to bless his hometown in many ways. 

Brendon Swisher