December 2, 2006, the Oklahoma Sooners were up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big-12 championship game. Stakes were high, tempers were soaring as the anxious crowd waited for the young stars to take the field. While the fans were expecting a nail-biting clash, the Sooners turned the game into a one-sided affair in the very first quarter. In fact, along with Oklahoma’s dominant on-field display, what ended up gaining the most amount of attention was the way the unit, and especially wide receiver Malcolm Kelly, celebrated the victory. As it turns out, their special rap celebration is apparently remembered by NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal even 16 years after it first went viral.
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Upon taking a massive 14 point lead in the very first quarter, the Sooners had ensured that the Cornhuskers had to play the chasing game for the rest of the contest. While they did show some fight in the second quarter, in the end, it was all too little too late as Oklahoma won the contest by 21-7, and fans got to see the hidden ‘rap’ talent of budding footballers.
Shaquille O’Neal still remembers Malcolm Kelly’s famous ‘freestyle’
After winning the contest, Oklahoma stars, proudly donning the Big-12 championship hats, surrounded receiver Malcolm Kelly who delivered the most iconic freestyle in Sooners’ history. It went like this, “But we gonna’ get it, cause we gotta finish, Nebraska Cornhuskers man we diminished.”
Reflecting on the freestyle which became a massive part of Oklahoma’s history, former WR coach Kevin Sumlin, as per OUDaily.com, had stated back in 2017, “I think somebody just started beating on a trash can, and the rest is history.” Kevin went on to add that the rap became “bigger thing than he ever thought it would be.”
The video of the rap session was first shared back in 2007 on YouTube and it still keeps getting hits on a regular basis. An Instagram reel showing the iconic celebration, posted by 247Sports, was recently re-shared by Shaquille O’Neal on his account which brought back the memories of the (G)old video.
Malcolm Kelly’s NFL career was cut short due to recurring injuries
Upon achieving great laurels for the Oklahoma Sooners, the 2005 Big-12 All-Freshman was roped in by the Washington Redskins(now Commanders) in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. The 51st overall pick went on to sign a 4-year $3.36 Million rookie contract with them.
Unfortunately, Malcolm couldn’t really harness his potential at the highest level due to recurring injuries. He was eventually released by the Redskins in 2011 with an injury settlement. However, the star receiver returned to his favorite sport in 2019, but in the form of a coach.
Malcolm started serving as TCU’s wide receivers coach and still continues to ply his trade for them. Wonder how many requests to re-do the freestyle are still sent his way.
