Lott, a 1975 Jay graduate who went on to become one of the best wishbone quarterbacks in history while playing for Barry Switzer at Oklahoma, said he would call me when he visited his mother in San Antonio later in the month.

Sure enough, Lott called late last week and we got together.

Now 52, Lott looks a tad heavier than he was when he was bedeviling defenses with his execution of the wishbone – “my baby,” as he calls it – but he still looks like he could put on the pads and get a first down on an option keeper.

Lott lived in Plano for years and was an assistant coach at Dallas Molina High School for five seasons before moving to Norman, Okla., home of the University of Oklahoma, about five months ago to pursue a career in radio.

He has a 30-minute sports talk show on KREF-AM (1400) in Norman that airs each Friday.

“I love it,” Lott said. “I just felt like I wanted to do something different with my life, and I’ve always considered myself as someone who stays informed. Not only in sports, but in other things going on in the world. I read a lot and try to keep up.

“I think my perspective as a player and coach helps. I can look at things from a player’s point of view and a coach’s point of view. I remember things I went through, and I can share that with my audience.”

Although it’s been 32 years since Lott was preparing for his senior season at OU, where he went 26-5-1 as a starter and helped the Sooners win three Big Eight titles from 1976-78, he’s learned that Sooners fans have long memories.

To many OU loyalists, he’ll always be the triple-option wizard who wore a bandana under his helmet.

“When I’m doing my show, I want to talk about what’s going on now, but people want to talk about what was going on back when I was playing at Oklahoma,” he said, chuckling.

I hadn’t seen Lott since he was enshrined in the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, and I enjoyed reminiscing about his stellar high school and college career and catching up on his life now.

Born in San Antonio, Lott still has strong ties to the city where his name still resonates in sports circles. He visits his mother, Alice Elliott, a few times a year and keeps in touch with high school friends.

“I’ll always love San Antonio,” Lott said. “The city has changed a lot since I lived here – it’s a lot bigger and there are a whole bunch more high schools than when I was at Jay – but the people are still warm and friendly. I have great memories of growing up here.”

Switzer and several of Lott’s college teammates, including Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, attended the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame induction festivities on May 8 in Waco.

“It was a great experience,” Lott said. “Just seeing Coach Switzer and so many of my teammates made it a special night. It’ll definitely be something I remember for the rest of my life.”

Recruited by almost every major college in the country after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three varsity seasons at Jay, Lott visited Texas, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Texas A&M and OU before committing to the Sooners a week before signing day.

But his commitment didn’t stop coaches from trying to change his mind. The pressure got so intense that Lott “disappeared for a week,” living with a Jay teammate for a week before signing with OU.

Lott was among nine Texas blue-chippers, including Sims, who signed with the Sooners in 1975.

While many Texans never forgave Lott for crossing the Red River at a time when the recruiting battle between UT and OU was at its fiercest, he said he never thought twice about his decision to leave the state.

“I had a great experience at OU and built relationships that have lasted through the years,” Lott said. “I also couldn’t imagine playing for anybody else than Barry Switzer. He’s been like a father to me. We still talk regularly.”

Lott said returning to Norman has given him new insight on how much college football has changed since he played for the Sooners.

“The bottom line in college football is the dollar,” Lott said. “That dictates everything. It’s a big business now. The facilities alone are mind-boggling. When I walked on the field (at OU’s Owen Field), I didn’t feel like I was in Oklahoma. It all looked so different.

“The locker room is also incredible. When I look at the stuff we had and compare it to what they have now, it’s a big change. Our old locker room is now the visitors’ locker room.”

But while OU looks different in some ways, Lott said, the Sooners’ winning tradition remains the same.

“It’s been incredible to back and feel that again,” he said. “I can’t even express how I feel.”

OU has four players from the San Antonio area on its current roster, including starting linebacker Travis Lewis, a junior from Lee. The others are redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Allen (Alamo Heights), redshirt freshman linebacker Tom Wort (New Braunfels) and freshman defensive tackle Torrea Peterson (East Central).

“Lewis is a great player and I know Wort would have played last year if he hadn’t gotten hurt,” Lott said.

Wort, who missed the entire 2010 season with a knee injury, is expected to contend for a starting spot. Allen will be in the mix at quarterback, although Landry Jones is more experienced after stepping in as the Sooners’ starter when Sam Bradford went down with a shoulder injury early in the season.

“If Bradford hadn’t gotten hurt last year, I’d say Drew and Landry would have gone into this season neck-and-neck,” Lott said. “But Landry got a lot of experience last year.”

Lott has three sons who all were outstanding players at Plano Senior High School and went on to play collegiately.

The oldest, Thomas Lott III, was a running back at Rice and is now an academic counselor at the University of Arizona. Alexander is a senior wide receiver at North Texas and Kristopher is a redshirt freshman wide receiver at Stephen F. Austin.

Dad coached them all when they played in YMCA youth leagues.

“It was a lot of fun coaching them and seeing them develop,” Lott said. "I always tried to get people to focus on their careers, not mine."

But as Lott has discovered on his radio show, some fans still like talking about his.