Larry Jack Mildren a native Texan, was a popular All-American quarterback at The University of Oklahoma in his college years, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots, a oil company owner, and was elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a career as a successful bank executive in Oklahoma.

Mildren was born in Kingsville, Texas, and attended Cooper High School in Abilene, leading the Cougars to the Class 4A state championship game in 1967 against Austin Reagan High School. In one of the most memorable moments in Texas high school football history, with time running out and Cooper down by a single point, Mildren drove the Cougars to the Reagan one-yard line, only to be stopped short of the goal line on a quarterback sneak as time expired. Mildren notoriously waved the field-goal team off the field prior to the sneak, wanting to win the game with a touchdown.

In football, Mildren is perhaps best known as the "Godfather of the Wishbone" going back to his quarterbacking days at the University of Oklahoma (1969-71). Introduced at OU in 1970 by Mildren's coach, Chuck Fairbanks, success of "The Bone" pivoted on a quarterback with a rare combination of quickness, strength and intelligence. Posting a mediocre 6-4 record in Mildren's sophomore year and off to a lackluster 2-1 start in 1970, Fairbanks' Sooners installed the option offense during the two-week period between a 23-14 home loss to Oregon State and the annual Cotton Bowl clash against arch-rival Texas. Despite losing 41-9 to the Longhorns (who had run the wishbone to a national title the previous season), the Sooners quickly turned their season around, going 5-2-1 after the gutsy switch, and also ushered in a period of rushing dominance seldom seen before or since.

Mildren set records in his 1971 senior season that have since been exceeded. The Sooners posted an 11-1 record, with the wishbone averaging a remarkable 472.4 yards rushing per game. Mildren set records for most rushing yards in a season (1,140; 1971), most career touchdown passes (25), and season passing efficiency (209.0; 1971). That same season, OU fell just short of a national championship, losing 35-31 in Norman, Oklahoma to eventual champ Nebraska in what was billed as the Game of the Century. The defending national champion Cornhuskers gambled defensively by taking halfback Greg Pruitt out of the action and forced Mildren to defeat them virtually on his own. He almost did--throwing two touchdown passes as well as running for two more, accounting for twenty-eight points against the #1 defense in the country.

Mildren was named both All-American quarterback and Academic All-American his senior season. He was also named the 1972 Sugar Bowl MVP after the Sooners' 40-22 victory over the Auburn, a game OU led 31-0 at halftime.