2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Ohio State 42, Michigan 39
For Troy Smith, the victory was his third over Michigan, making him the first Ohio State quarterback to win three consecutive games over Michigan since Tippy Dye (who attended the 2006 game) (1934–1936). Smith completed 29 of 41 passes for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns, hitting eight different receivers, and was sacked only once. Ginn caught 8 for 104 yards, Robiskie 7 for 89 yards, Gonzalez 4 for 50 yards, and Hall 3 for 38 yards, all four scoring touchdowns. Against Michigan's top-rated rushing defense, Pittman carried the ball 18 times for 139 yards and Wells 5 times for 56.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Ohio State 42, Michigan 39
Overall, Ohio State riddled the highly touted Wolverine defense for 503 total yards (187 on the ground), and against its top-ranked third-down average (25%), converted six out of eleven (54.5%). The 42 points scored by Ohio State is the most it has scored against Michigan since 1968, when Woody Hayes’s “Super Sophomores” (Rex Kern, John Brockington, Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, et al.) led Ohio State to a 50–14 blowout of the Wolverines.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Ohio State 42, Michigan 39
Although giving up points far in excess of its season average, and being hard-pressed at times, the Buckeye defense sacked Henne four times, held Michigan to four conversions on thirteen 3rd down attempts, and forced 5 punts and a turnover on downs.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Ohio State 42, Michigan 39
Troy Smith received his fifth Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award for the 2006 season, setting a new conference record for most received in a single season. This honor was the sixth of his career.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, BCS National Championship Game – Florida 41, Ohio State 14
With Ohio State securing a spot in the BCS National Championship game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, they faced the Florida Gators. It was the first meeting between the schools in football.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, BCS National Championship Game – Florida 41, Ohio State 14
Florida defeated Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game 38–28 to secure the number two position in the final BCS standings over the Michigan Wolverines, and finished the regular season at 12–1. Florida's only defeat during 2006 came on the road at Auburn's Jordan–Hare Stadium in the seventh week of the season.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, BCS National Championship Game – Florida 41, Ohio State 14
Ohio State scored on the opening play of the game with a kickoff return by Ted Ginn Jr., but it would be the last play of the game (and his college career) for him as he left the game with a foot injury sustained during his touchdown celebration. Under relentless pressure from the Gator's defensive line, QB Troy Smith posted the worst game of his career being sacked 5 times and completing only 4 passes (on 14 throws for 35 yards), 1 interception, 1 fumble and −29 yards on sacks.


2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Player personnel, Depth chart
Source: Athletic Department official site, 2006 football archive 12-10-06 depth chart


2006 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament of the Ohio Valley Conference during the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from February 28 – March 3, 2006. The first round was hosted by the higher seeded team in each game. The semifinals and finals took place at Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Top seed Murray State won the tournament, defeating Samford in the championship game, and received the Ohio Valley's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Murray State drew a 14 seed in the Washington, D.C. Regional, facing the 3 seed University of North Carolina.


2006 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight eligible men's basketball teams in the Ohio Valley Conference receive a berth in the conference tournament. After the 20 game conference season, teams were seeded by conference record.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election
The 2006 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, and was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. Incumbent Governor Bob Taft could not run for re-election, because Ohio governors are limited to two consecutive terms in office. The election was held concurrently with a U.S. Senate election.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election
The general election for governor pitted Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican nominee, against United States Congressman Ted Strickland of Ohio's 6th congressional district, the Democratic nominee.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election
Their running mates were former Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher on the Democratic ticket and State Representative Tom Raga on the Republican ticket.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election
In the end, the contest was not close, and Strickland captured about 60 percent of the vote; Blackwell conceded to Strickland at about 8:45 p.m. EST on November 7, 2006. As of 2021, this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Ohio.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, National attention
As the election approached, there was increasing national attention on the Ohio gubernatorial election, focused largely on the ability of the Republican party to maintain control in Ohio. Results in Ohio in 2006 were regarded as a possible bellwether for the 2008 presidential election; Ohio was considered a crucial swing state, with 20 electoral votes. Since the Republican Party's inception in 1854, no Republican presidential candidate has ever been elected to office without the electoral votes of Ohio. In contrast, a Democratic candidate has won the national election without the support of Ohio eight times (1836, 1844, 1856, 1884, 1892, 1944, 1960, and 2020). Overall, Ohio's electoral votes have gone to the winner of the election 78% of the time.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, National attention
Comedian and talk-show host Jon Stewart taped The Daily Show from October 30 to November 2, 2006, at the Roy Bowen Theater on the campus of Ohio State University. The series of episodes was entitled "Battlefield Ohio: The Daily Show's Midwest Midterm Midtacular" and was intended to bring further national attention to the election in Ohio. This was only the second time that the show had been filmed in a location other than New York City.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Ohio, Blackwell, and the 2004 election
Ohio played a decisive role in the 2004 presidential election, as Ohio's electoral votes would have been sufficient to swing the election from George W. Bush to John Kerry had Kerry won in Ohio. Given the importance of the state, Blackwell's role in the conduct of the election was closely scrutinized. As Ohio Secretary of State, Blackwell was the state's chief elections officer. He was also an honorary co-chair for the Bush re-election campaign in Ohio and the most prominent backer of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage on the same ballot.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Ohio, Blackwell, and the 2004 election
Leading up to the election Blackwell made a number of decisions about the election process, most of which placed additional restrictions on voting. Opponents argued that Blackwell's decisions would have the effect of suppressing turnout among vulnerable populations, most of whom would be expected to vote for Kerry in the presidential contest—and that Blackwell had a conflict of interest as a co-chair of Bush's re-election campaign. Supporters argued that the Secretary of State had always been a partisan political office and that there was nothing wrong with Blackwell having a preference in the presidential elections; they denied that Blackwell's decisions were designed to benefit Bush.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Ohio, Blackwell, and the 2004 election
Reaction to Blackwell's conduct was so strong that a coalition of left-leaning organizations attempted to amend the Ohio Constitution to abolish the Secretary of State's oversight of elections, as part of a package of election reforms. The proposal was rejected by voters in November 2005. Dissatisfaction with Blackwell's involvement in the 2004 election apparently hurt him with Ohio's African-American community; according to exit polls, Blackwell received only 20% of the African-American vote in 2006. Exit polls showed that confidence in the election process among Ohio voters was even lower than voters in Florida, the state which produced an unprecedented five-week post-election fight in 2000. But among voters "very confident" that votes would be counted accurately, Blackwell actually led Strickland.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Republican control
Entering the 2006 campaign, Ohio had been dominated for a decade by Republicans. Republicans had held the governorship for sixteen years, occupied all statewide constitutional offices, and controlled both houses of the state legislature.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Bob Taft
At a low point in his popularity in November 2005, Taft garnered only a 6.5% approval rating. According to polling organization Survey USA, this was a lower proportion than any governor in the United States. A poll taken in May 2006 indicated that only 2% of Ohio residents "strongly approved" of Taft's performance. The low approval ratings led pollster John Zogby to comment, "I'm not aware of anyone who's ever sunk lower."


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Bob Taft
Taft's low approval ratings follow several years of scandals. In 2005, Taft pleaded no contest to four ethics violations involving illegal gifts totaling $5,800. He was convicted of four misdemeanors and was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine and apologize to the people of Ohio. Taft is the only Ohio governor to be convicted of a crime while in office.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Thomas Noe and Coingate
In 1996 the Republican controlled Ohio General Assembly removed a restriction requiring that state investments only be in safer, though lower-yielding, bonds. After the restriction was eliminated, hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds were invested by a number of investment firms with close ties to the Republican party. Among those investments was $50 million of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation fund which was given to Thomas Noe, an investor in rare and unusual coins and major donor to the Republican Party including then-governor Bob Taft.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Thomas Noe and Coingate
In 2005 it was revealed that Noe could only account for $13 million of the original investment. Among the missing funds were two coins worth over $300,000 alone. Throughout 2005, there was a protracted legal battle over the release of records which Noe claimed were privileged and prosecutors claimed were in the public domain. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of the prosecutors.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Thomas Noe and Coingate
On February 13, 2006, Noe was indicted on 53 counts, including: engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (which carries a mandatory 10-year sentence), 11 counts of theft, 11 counts of money laundering, 8 counts of tampering with records, and 22 counts of forgery. The charges also accuse Noe of personally stealing $2 million. On November 20, 2006, Noe was found guilty of theft, money laundering, forgery and corrupt activity, and was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison, fined $213,000, ordered to pay the $2 million cost of his prosecution and make restitution to the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Historical background, Important scandals, Thomas Noe and Coingate
Also in 2006, Noe pleaded guilty to three charges of using over a dozen people in 2004 as illegal "conduits" to make donations to George W. Bush's re-election campaign of over $45,000 in order to skirt laws limiting donations in federal campaigns to $2,000. Noe was convicted and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $136,000 fine.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Democratic primary, Campaign
When Strickland first launched his campaign, he was originally also in a tough fight for the nomination, as Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman was also campaigning and raising money. Before attacks were traded between the nominees, Coleman bowed out, citing a need to spend more time with his family.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Blackwell and Petro were initially going to be joined in their competitive primary by Ohio State Auditor Betty Montgomery, but Montgomery withdrew from the contest and instead ran for state attorney general, an office she lost. The campaign between the two candidates then heated up; despite commercials preaching his conservative values, Petro was never able to shake his previous pro-choice stance. As the election approached, the barbs grew worse between Petro and Blackwell, only serving to bring more negative attention to the Ohio Republican Party.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign finance
The race for the 2006 election was, in 2006, the most expensive in Ohio's history. Reflective of both the national significance of the race, as well as the powerful fund-raising capabilities of both parties, Blackwell and Strickland passed the previous fund raising record set in 1998. That record, set when current Governor Bob Taft was running against Lee Fisher (Strickland's running mate), totaled a combined $18 million by the end of the election. As of September 9, 2006, Blackwell and Strickland had already raised a combined $21.2 million. Strickland led Blackwell, $11.2 million to $10 million. Most of the money raised in Ohio by both major party candidates came from a single zip code in downtown Columbus, which is home to their respective parties, labor and political groups, lobbyists and lawyers.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign finance
A significant amount of money was spent by private groups on behalf of the candidates as well, the estimated combined total at the time of the May 2 primary was $50 million.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Polling
Since the first polls on the general election matchup were taken in November 2005, Strickland led Blackwell, though the margin substantially increased in March 2006.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Polling
The greatest margin recorded in an individual poll was found in the October 26, 2006, SurveyUSA poll which showed Strickland leading by 30 points. The smallest recorded margin was the February 6, 2006, Zogby poll showing Strickland leading by a mere 3 points. When the results are averaged across the different polls, the greatest margin was in October 2006 with a difference of 22.6 points in favor of Strickland. The smallest average margin was during January 2006 with Strickland leading Blackwell by 4 points.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Results
Strickland, the Democrat, did very well. Strickland won most areas of the state. Strickland trounced Blackwell in eastern Ohio, with Blackwell only carrying one county in this region (Holmes). Blackwell did well in the Cincinnati suburbs, although he only narrowly managed to win Hamilton County which encompasses the City of Cincinnati by just about 2,000 votes. Blackwell did manage to win some rural western counties as well. Blackwell only managed to win 16 out of Ohio's 88 counties. Strickland not only did well in areas that lean more Republican, but he also won the traditional Democratic counties.


2006 Ohio gubernatorial election, General election, Results
Strickland trounced Blackwell in Cuyahoga County and Franklin County, home of Cleveland and Columbus respectively. Strickland also performed strongly in the Democratic rust belt area from Cleveland all the way to Toledo. Strickland also did well in the Akron-Youngstown Area. Strickland was declared the winner right at 7:30 P.M. EST time when the polls closed in Ohio. Blackwell called Strickland and conceded defeat at 8:45 P.M. EST time. This would turn out to be one of the most expensive Ohio gubernatorial elections in the state's history.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election
The 2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election was an election for the United States House of Representatives that took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Jean Schmidt, who won the seat in a special election in 2005, ran for reelection. She faced Democrat Victoria Wells Wulsin, a doctor from Indian Hill, in the general election. Results showed that Schmidt won reelection by 1.26%, and Wulsin conceded the race.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, Challenge from McEwen
Schmidt faced a challenge in the May 2 primary from Bob McEwen, the former congressman who finished second in the special primary in 2005. McEwen announced his candidacy on January 18, 2006. Schmidt received help from the national Republican leadership. Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House; John Boehner, the House Majority Leader; and Eric Cantor, the House Deputy Majority Whip, participated in fund-raisers for her. Tom Brinkman, the third-place Republican from the 2005 primary, did not run and instead endorsed McEwen.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, Challenge from McEwen
Schmidt ran commercials claiming McEwen had voted "illegally" in Ohio and was actually a resident of Virginia, while stating McEwen had bounced 160 checks on the House bank. "McEwen ought to be ashamed," the commercial declared. Schmidt filed suit against McEwen seeking to bar him from voting in the primary claiming he was not actually a resident of Ohio. McEwen's commercials against Schmidt noted she had voted in support of Governor Bob Taft's increase in the sales tax and its extension to many services previously untaxed and questioned Schmidt's use of prominent Democratic attorney Stan Chesley to bring her lawsuit against McEwen.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, False claims by Schmidt, Endorsements
On March 8, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Representatives Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Steve Chabot of Ohio stated they had not endorsed Schmidt even though Schmidt's campaign site claimed they had. Chabot later said he had endorsed both Schmidt and her primary opponent. Schmidt also claimed an endorsement from the Family Research Council which was repudiated by the organization. After a review, the Ohio Elections Commission found that the Tancredo and Family Research Council endorsement claims were false but did not warrant any reprimand.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, False claims by Schmidt, Second degree
WLW-AM reported on March 28 that Schmidt had for years claimed a B.A. in secondary education from the University of Cincinnati awarded in 1986. Schmidt had previously listed two degrees on past campaign websites, but neither her current official or campaign website had the second degree posted. Schmidt's chief of staff, Barry Bennett, told The Plain Dealer Schmidt had completed the requirements for the degree but never filed the paperwork to be awarded a diploma. "I think it's fair to say that she earned it and never collected it," Bennett said.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, False claims by Schmidt, Reprimand
On April 27, five days before the May 2 primary against McEwen, the Ohio Elections Commission voted 7-0 to issue Schmidt a public reprimand for "false statements" for her claiming to have a second undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati that she was not awarded. The Commission wrote in its letter of reprimand that Schmidt had "reckless disregard for truth. ".


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, False claims by Schmidt, Reprimand
Even after her reprimand, Schmidt insisted the error regarding her degrees was a mistake by her staff. On May 1, the day before the election, Schmidt appeared on Bill Cunninham's show on WLW-AM in Cincinnati and was asked by a caller about the OEC reprimand. Schmidt repeated her insistence the error was caused by the designer of her web-site incorrectly listing her teaching certificate as a degree in secondary education and social studies. However Schmidt had been claiming the second bachelor's degree since she first ran for public office in 1989. The Clermont Sun newspaper, in a candidate guide from its November 2, 1989, issue, stated "all candidates were mailed a questionnaire; their responses appear inside [the newspaper]." In her response, Schmidt wrote she possessed "bachelor's degrees in political science and secondary education."


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, Reprimand to McEwen
By a 6-1 vote on March 16, the Ohio Elections Commission issued a public reprimand to McEwen for making a false statement when he used the title "Congressman" before his name in the 2005 primary for Rob Portman's unexpired term. No fines or prosecution resulted from the reprimand. Two other complaints against McEwen were dismissed by the Commission.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Republican primary, Results of the Republican primary
Schmidt won with 33,938 votes to 30,297 for McEwen, with two other candidates receiving slightly less than 7,000 votes; her winning margin was thus about 5%.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Democratic primary
In the Democratic primary,  Wulsin faced health care administrator James John Parker and civil engineer Jeff Sinnard, who both ran in 2005, and newcomers Gabrielle Downey, a high school teacher, and Thor Jacobs, a building contractor.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Democratic primary
The vote results were more widely split than in the Republican primary, with five candidates running and four receiving a double-digit percentage share of the vote. Wulsin won the primary with 36.7% of the vote. Wulsin's vote total in the Democratic primary was 10,455 votes; Jacobs was second with 6,535 votes and Parker got 6,376 votes.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, Democratic primary
Notable for not running was Paul Hackett, the Democratic candidate for the seat in 2005, who had entered and then withdrawn from the 2006 U.S. Senate race in Ohio. In the 2005 Democratic primary (part of a special election), Wulsin had finished second to Hackett, receiving 3,800 votes (27%).


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election
The district is heavily Republican, as illustrated by the total Democratic primary vote amounting to only about 40% of the total Republican primary vote. Schmidt had the advantages of a Republican majority in the district, her incumbency, and her opponent's political inexperience. Schmidt won in the general election with 115,817 votes (50.58%) to Wulsin's 112,952 votes (49.32%), with two write-in candidates receiving the remaining tenth of a percent. Schmidt won due to strong showings in Clermont and Warren Counties while Wulsin did well in Scioto, Pike, and Hamilton Counties.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Marathon photograph
A photo on Schmidt's web site from the 1993 Columbus Marathon showed Schmidt near the marathon finish line with a time clock showing 3:19:06. Nathan J. Noy, a write-in candidate, contended that the photo was fake, saying Schmidt did not cast a shadow while other runners did, and complained to state election officials. A four-member commission panel ruled on August 24, 2006, that there was enough evidence to look into the complaint. A time clock shows 3:19:06 – 3 hours, 19 minutes, 6 seconds — which would have made her one of the top finishers in her age group (she was 42 at the time of the race). Schmidt's website said that as of August 2006 she has completed 60 marathons.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Marathon photograph
Joseph Braun, Schmidt’s attorney, denied that the photograph was fake. He produced what he said was an official race results book, listing Schmidt as the fifth-place finisher in her age group with a time of 3:19:09 — three seconds slower than the time depicted in the photograph. The time clock reflects when the photo was taken, not her official time, Braun said. A spokeswoman for the Columbus Marathon backed Braun, saying later that Schmidt finished fifth among women age 40 to 44 and 930th overall.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Marathon photograph
On September 7, 2006, a unanimous Ohio Elections Commission tossed out the complaint. Commission members, responding to Noy's lack of evidence and failure to present a single witness, asked Schmidt's Cincinnati attorney, Joseph J. Braun, to prepare a motion detailing his legal fees and other costs. They said they'd consider sanctioning Noy at a future hearing, possibly ordering him to pay all legal fees and costs as well as an unspecified fine. Noy said that until he saw a new, original photo of the finish line, taken one second earlier than the one on Schmidt's website, he was not convinced Schmidt ran the race in 1993.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Debates and running challenges
In late August, the Columbus Dispatch and the Cincinnati Enquirer both reported that Wulsin had challenged Schmidt to a race: the 5K charity run of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer research. In exchange for that race, Wulsin wanted Schmidt—a veteran marathon runner—to agree to hold at least two debates out of the seven Wulsin has been trying to arrange for several weeks. Schmidt replied she was unavailable to run in the Komen event because she is training that day for the upcoming Columbus marathon. Instead, Schmidt counter-challenged Wulsin to compete against her in a 13-mile half marathon race. Wulsin accepted, provided that Schmidt agree to all seven proposed debates. Schmidt's campaign said the incumbent is willing to participate in several debates in October with Wulsin.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Debates and running challenges
On September 6, 2006, the Cincinnati Community Press and Recorder reported that Wulsin and Schmidt would both run the 5K Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure on September 10, 2006, and that the Schmidt campaign has only agreed, so far, to one debate—a 30-minute program scheduled to run on Cincinnati's Channel 12 Newsmakers show on  October 15, 2006.


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Plagiarism accusation
On September 22, 2006 the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported Schmidt published "an op-ed about Medicare Part D in the Community Press and Recorder that is almost identical to a press release issued by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) on July 10, 2006." For example, the first paragraph of Pryce's press release states: "Two and a half years ago, Congress delivered on a promise we made to the American people by passing sweeping Medicare reform, including a comprehensive Medicare prescription drug benefit to, for the first time, give America’s seniors access to affordable prescription drugs. As we have now passed the May 15 deadline, the evidence is in and we have much to celebrate: the Medicare prescription drug benefit is working, and seniors are saving money."


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Plagiarism accusation
In comparison, the first paragraph of Schmidt's op-ed states that:" Two-and-a-half years ago, Republicans delivered on a promise we made to the American people by passing sweeping Medicare reform, including a comprehensive Medicare prescription drug benefit to give America's seniors access to affordable prescription drugs. Now that the program is off the ground, the evidence is in and we have much to celebrate: the Medicare prescription drug benefit is working, and seniors are saving money. Over 90 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries now have drug coverage - that's 38 million seniors. As of this summer in Ohio, 1.4 million more seniors have prescription drug coverage than before the benefit began."


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Wulsin's "cowards" ad
Wulsin ran a television advertisement using the widely broadcast footage of Schmidt criticizing Democratic Representative John Murtha, a Marine Corps veteran, by telling him that "cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Schmidt's remark, in a 2005 debate about the Iraq War, had been widely criticized at the time, and she later apologized to Murtha. (See Jean Schmidt#"Cowards" controversy.) Schmidt protested that Wulsin's use of her speech violated a House rule against the incorporation of a broadcast of House proceedings in a campaign ad. Wulsin's campaign responded that Wulsin, as a nonmember, was not bound by the rule. Wulsin's spokesman also said of Schmidt, "If she didn't want people to see this ad, then she shouldn't have given that speech."


2006 Ohio's 2nd congressional district election, November general election, Projections
On September 21, 2006, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported: "A SurveyUSA poll out today shows Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt tied with her Democratic challenger." The actual percentages were 45 percent for Schmidt, 42 percent for Wulsin and 12 percent undecided; with a margin of error of 4.5 points in the poll of 497 likely voters, the result was a statistical tie. A June 2006 poll by the Momentum Analysis polling organization, which says it "helps forward Democratic and progressive causes", found challenger Wulsin tied at 44 percent with incumbent Schmidt and 11 percent undecided. The June 2006 poll found that Wulsin led Schmidt 50 percent to 37 percent in Hamilton County. (Hamilton County is divided between the Ohio's 1st congressional district and Ohio's 2nd congressional district.)


2006 Okinawa gubernatorial election
The 10th Okinawa gubernatorial election was held on November 19, 2006.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 112th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his eighth season as head coach. They played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The season began on a bad note when starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn were kicked off the team for violating NCAA rules when they received payment for work they did not do the day before fall practice started. Paul Thompson, who had not practiced in the quarterback role for nearly a year, was asked to move back to quarterback, which he did.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
Conference play began with a loss to the Texas Longhorns in the annual Red River Rivalry on October 7, and ended with a win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Championship Game on December 2. The Sooners finished the regular season with an 11–2 record (7–1 in Big 12) while winning their fourth Big 12 title and their 40th conference title overall. They received an automatic berth to the Fiesta Bowl, where they were upset by the Boise State Broncos, 42–43, in what many consider to be one of the greatest bowl games of all time.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team
Following the season, Adrian Peterson was selected seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Rufus Alexander was chosen in the 6th round, and C. J. Ah You was drafted in the 7th.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Preseason
After the previous year's 8–4 season, the Sooners looked to return to past success in 2006. Standout running back Adrian Peterson came into the season healthy and was also on the Maxwell Award watch list. Star linebacker Rufus Alexander (a Bednarik Award hopeful) returned for his senior campaign as did defensive ends C.J. Ah You, Larry Birdine, and Calvin Thibodeaux (Ah You and Birdine were Ted Hendricks Award hopefuls). Reggie Smith was also named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Preseason
Nearly all major sports publications had the Sooners in the preseason Top 10. Some had the Sooners as the preseason No. 1 pick including Athlon, Phil Steele and Gold Sheet. The team had a lot of young talent this year. The high school scouting website Rivals.com ranked Oklahoma's 2005 recruiting class number one in the nation and the 2006 recruiting class number nine. Most of the 2006 signees redshirted and did not play in 2006. When combined with statements from the Oklahoma coaching staff, the Sooners expected to be back in contention for the national title this year. On July 24, 2006, the Sooners were a 5–1 favorite to win the National Championship.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Preseason
The Sooners adopted a different jersey design in 2006, which included the removal of the players' last names from the back of the jersey due to the design of the uniform's shoulders and back, and a darker crimson color for the jersey and helmet.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Preseason
On August 2, 2006, quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, both sophomores, were dismissed from the team. It was reported that they violated NCAA regulations regarding receiving extra compensation. It was later determined Bomar received $7,406.88 and Quinn $8,137.17. The loss of these two key players affected the team's placement in many publications' preseason polls as well as their chances of winning a national championship. The team turned to starting quarterback Paul Thompson (a converted wide receiver in 2005) and backup Joey Halzle to lead the team.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Preseason
After investigating the Bomar scandal, on July 11, 2007, the NCAA announced a finding of "failure to monitor" the employment of student athletes and handed out penalties. These included a verdict that all wins from the 2005 Oklahoma season were vacated, changing the team's record from 8–4 to 0–4 for that year. The University of Oklahoma appealed the finding, and the wins were later restored.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Roster
In 2006, the Sooners competed with a relatively young team. Oklahoma listed 72 players on the roster and only nine of them were scholarship seniors. Following the dismissal of quarterback Rhett Bomar, fifth-year senior Paul Thompson reconverted back to his former role of quarterback after spending 2005 as a wide receiver. Junior college transfer Joey Halzle was slotted as his backup. Thompson had several wide receivers to look to in 2006, including Malcolm Kelly, Manuel Johnson, and Juaquin Iglesias. Not to mention junior Adrian Peterson, the team's main running back.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Roster
Most of the Sooners' experience was on the other side of the ball. The Sooner linebackers were the most experienced players on the team. The squad was anchored by Rufus Alexander and Zach Latimer. Alexander was ranked as the third best linebacker in the country at the beginning of the season by College Football News. Behind them were other key players such as Demarrio Pleasant and Lewis Baker. Sophomore Ryan Reynolds, a notable player coming out of high school, was injured in the preseason and therefore was unable to contribute in 2006.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Roster
In addition to a veteran linebacker squad, Oklahoma had a number of big-name defensive ends. During the preseason, College Football News ranked Larry Birdine, Calvin Thibodeaux and C.J. Ah You in the top 25 best defensive ends for the 2006 season (ranked 14th, 20th, and 22nd, respectively). Oklahoma was the only team with three players in the top 25.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Coaching staff
Bob Stoops returned for his eighth season as Oklahoma's head coach. During the off-season, he was once again mentioned as a candidate for positions outside of Oklahoma. While Stoops decided to stay in Norman, the rest of the Oklahoma coaching staff did see some changes. The biggest change came at the offensive coordinator position. Former offensive coordinator Chuck Long left Oklahoma to take the head coaching job at San Diego State University. Stoops chose somebody already on the staff to fill Long's spot.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Coaching staff
Kevin Wilson was named the new offensive coordinator after previously serving as the co-offensive coordinator along with Long as well as the offensive line coach. Rejoining the staff was former Sooner quarterback Josh Heupel, who led Oklahoma to the 2000 National Championship. Heupel had served two years as a graduate assistant before taking a position with Mike Stoops, Bob Stoops's brother, at the University of Arizona in 2005. Heupel took over Long's old position of quarterback coach. Leaving the staff was Darrell Wyatt, who spent four years as the wide receivers coach.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Coaching staff
He took a position with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. This move launched another reshuffle of duties on Stoops's staff. Coach Kevin Sumlin took over Wyatt's duties with the wide receivers and was also named co-offensive coordinator with Wilson. Coach James Patton was hired on from Northwestern to take over Wilson's duties with the offensive line.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, UAB
The Sooners began their season on September 2 against the UAB Blazers coached by Watson Brown. The Sooners' offense performed well with quarterback Paul Thompson completing 58% of his passes for 227 yards. Heisman hopeful Adrian Peterson performed well also, rushing for 139 yards, plus an additional 69-yard reception and two touchdowns. However, the Oklahoma defense did not perform as well as expected, giving up over 300 yards of offense. Bob Stoops himself said that "they weren't nearly as good as they were billed to be." Nevertheless, Oklahoma avoided another opening game upset and won 24–17.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Washington
On September 9, the Sooners took on the Huskies of Washington coached by Tyrone Willingham. Washington began with the ball and on the opening offensive play, Kenny James squeezed through Oklahoma's line and dodged Keenan Clayton's tackle to race 54 yards for a touchdown. Before the end of the 1st quarter, Paul Thompson hit wide receiver Malcolm Kelly in the back of the endzone to tie the game 7–7. Washington answered with a field goal early in the 2nd quarter and Oklahoma and Washington continued to trade field goals to end the 1st half tied 13–13. Oklahoma, however, came out strong in the second half and took the game away from the Huskies. Oklahoma scored 24 consecutive points before Washington scored a late-game touchdown to bring the final score in favor of Oklahoma, 37–20.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Washington
Adrian Peterson continued his march up the Oklahoma record books with 165 rushing yards. Peterson was named the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Quarterback Paul Thompson improved over his season debut, going 21-for-33 including 9-for-11 in the second half. Some began to see the emergence of a "dynamic trio" in Thompson, Peterson, and Kelly.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Heading into the game against Mike Bellotti's Oregon Ducks, Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables made some major changes to the defensive depth chart after giving up four long running plays through the heart of the defensive line against Washington. The starters at defensive tackle, cornerback, and strong safety were all demoted, opening opportunities for some freshmen to step up. D.J. Wolfe was replaced by Marcus Walker at cornerback while senior Jason Carter started in place of Keenan Clayton at strong safety.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Carter replaced Clayton in the game against Washington after a missed tackle by the freshman led to a Husky touchdown on their first offensive play. Even though all four players at defensive tackle had almost the same number of plays, Steven Coleman was moved off the top of the depth chart as well.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
After a controversial ending, the Oregon Ducks defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 34–33 giving Oklahoma their first loss of the season and making their record 2–1. Oklahoma led Oregon by 13 points late in the game, but Oregon scored a touchdown with 72 seconds remaining, bringing the score to 27–33 in favor of Oklahoma.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Oregon then tried for an onside kick and was awarded the ball by the officiating crew despite an Oklahoma player ending up with the ball and over the protests of the Oklahoma sideline who claimed that the ball did not travel the required 10 yards before being touched by Oregon. The instant replay officials took several minutes to review the call while the on-air commentators came to the conclusion that the ball should go to Oklahoma, effectively giving Oklahoma the win as well. The officials, however, awarded the ball to Oregon. ESPN called the decision an "obvious mistake".


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
The network also questioned the Pac-10 policy of using conference officiating crews for inter-conference games. Other conferences typically use neutral officials or ones from the visiting team's conference, although Big 12 officials were used for Oklahoma's non conference games against UAB and the University of Washington. The Oregon offense then drove down the field and scored the go ahead touchdown to win the game, 34–33.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Oklahoma President David Boren wrote a letter to Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg asking for the loss to be erased from Oklahoma's record, something that Weiberg did not support. Weiberg did say that he would raise concerns about the Pac-10 policy of using their own officials for inter-conference games in Pac-10 stadiums. Bob Stoops said that he may cancel the 2008 game scheduled at Washington if the Pac-10 officiating policy is not changed.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
The Pac-10 conference suspended the entire officiating crew, including both on-field and instant-reply officials, for one game. The replay official, Gordon Riese, requested and was granted a leave of absence for the remainder of the season. Reise was quoted as saying, "I feel so bad I missed that call, it's driving me crazy," and that he was "struggling" with his mistake. On-field official David Cutaia had his suspension delayed so that he could officiate the September 23rd game between the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona due to a shortage of Pac-10 conference officials.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Mike Stoops, the Arizona head coach and brother to Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, said he felt it "was ridiculous that they couldn't get all of the angles. It was pretty obvious, and not to see that Oklahoma had recovered those were just errors that are the fundamentals of refereeing,"  He said he favored changing the Pac-10 rules so that out-of-conference officials will be brought in for non-conference games.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Those calling for the move from conference-paid officials to officials working in a national pool included Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown. His defending national championship team was called for a record number of penalties in a game against Rice. Brown said "You find when you go outside your league sometimes, people call things differently than our league... Believe it or not, there are still a lot of different interpretations that make it uncomfortable some during a ballgame." Less supportive of Oklahoma was Bob Knight, head basketball coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Knight had called for Oklahoma to forfeit its basketball game against Tech in 2003, when the Sooners won 69–64 because of two bad timekeeping decisions. The controversial Knight stated "...[ H]ad Oklahoma forfeited that game against us like I suggested, they would have gotten far more positive publicity out of that than if they had gone to the Final Four that year. Now I guess the 'duck' is swimming in the other pond."


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (2–1) were relatively new to Division I-FBS having joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2000 after one year as an independent. Oklahoma and the Blue Raiders had not played against each other before. The Blue Raiders' star players (linebacker J.K. Sabb, a Butkus Award hopeful at the beginning of the season, and quarterback Clint Marks, who was on the list for the Davey O'Brien Award) had mixed results against their counterparts from Oklahoma.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee
Marks ended the day 3-for-9 with 40 yards and an interception, but Sabb was able to make a game-high 6 solo tackles with four tackles for loss. Other than linebacker coach Art Kaufman, all of the Middle Tennessee coaches were in their first year at the school (including head coach Rick Stockstill).


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee
Malcolm Kelly broke a school record for receiving yards in a quarter that had stood since 1962 when he pulled down 134 yards in the first. He ended the day with 164 yards on 5 receptions and one touchdown. Adrian Peterson gained 128 yards on 27 carries and did not play after Oklahoma's first possession of the second half. Coach Stoops forced him to sit out because of the chance that "something freakish could happen" and he would be unavailable for the game against Texas. Paul Thompson had a good day as well, throwing 13-for-18 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Zach Latimer and cornerback Nic Harris each had an interception; Latimer returned his 22 yards for a touchdown while Harris was pushed out at the one-yard line.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Middle Tennessee
Oklahoma had 462 total yards of offense (272 through the air, 190 on the ground) while limiting MTSU to only 95 total yards. The 59 point loss was the largest for the Blue Raiders since 1933.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas (Red River Rivalry)
The Longhorns and the Sooners met at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas for their annual rivalry game known as the Red River Rivalry (previously called the Red River Shootout). This marked the 101st meeting between the schools. Texas came into the game leading the series 56–39–5 overall and 44–35–4 at the Cotton Bowl. In 2005, the Longhorns broke a five-year losing streak on their way to win the national championship in the Rose Bowl against USC.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas (Red River Rivalry)
The teams alternate home and away each year, and this year the Sooners played host. They occupied the bench under the press box and wore their red home jerseys while Texas wore their all-white road uniform. The stadium, as usual, was split down the 50-yard line with Sooner fans sitting on the south side of mid-field. The division is visually striking and the difference in crowd noise levels from one end of the stadium to the other almost always has a direct impact on the game.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas (Red River Rivalry)
As intense as the rivalry between the schools is, there were many factors that tied the programs together in 2006. Texas head coach Mack Brown was the offensive coordinator for the Sooners in 1984 (the Red River Shootout ended in a 15–15 tie that year). He is also the brother of UAB head coach Watson Brown, who lost to Oklahoma at the beginning of the 2006 season. Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Bobby Jack Wright was an assistant coach at Texas from 1986 to '97. Oklahoma also had two Austin natives on their roster, QB Hays McEachern and WR Fred Strong. McEachern's father was the Texas quarterback in 1977 and 1978 and his mother was a Longhorn cheerleader.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas (Red River Rivalry)
There were few bright points for the Sooners after half-time in this installment of the Red River Rivalry. Though they held the Longhorns to only a single offensive yard in the second quarter, the defense gave up two big pass plays on Texas' first series of the third, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed that broke the defense's will. The offense seemed equally under-motivated in the second half, going three-and-out on their opening drive. Oklahoma also committed numerous turnovers in the second half, including a bad lateral pass that turned into a Texas touchdown, and two interceptions of quarterback Paul Thompson.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas (Red River Rivalry)
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy had solid, albeit mediocre, numbers, but was central to the drive that put the Longhorns ahead for good. Bob Stoops said after the game that McCoy "managed the game for [Texas] in a really good way." Texas' defense was also able to shut down Adrian Peterson and limit him to only 109 yards and one long run (a 29-yard touchdown run up the middle in the second quarter). Oklahoma's star wide receiver Malcolm Kelly was limited to only two catches for 31 yards.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Both teams came into this game after losses the previous week. Iowa State dropped to 3–3 (0–2 Big 12) with a 28–14 loss to Nebraska in Ames. There were three Cyclone touchdowns negated by the officials in that game (one called caught out of bounds, two on offensive penalties). Oklahoma lost to Texas for the second straight year in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas and was unable to mount a successful offensive drive for the entire second half. The Sooners also committed 11 penalties (a full third of their season total at the time) and five turnovers in that game. After equally disappointing weeks, both teams were looking to rebound.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Oklahoma held a significant advantage in contests between the schools with the series record at 65–5–2. Iowa State had not won in Norman since 1990 and had dropped nine straight games to the Sooners. The Cyclones' head coach Dan McCarney was 0–5 against Oklahoma while Bob Stoops was 3–0 against Iowa State and 22–3 against teams from the North Division of the Big 12.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Iowa State took some outstanding players to Norman, but in the end it was not enough to win. Quarterback Brent Meyer was the all-time leader in passing yards and total offense at ISU. He finished the season with the Cyclone record for career touchdowns as well. Meyer was complemented by wide receiver Todd Blythe who led the nation in career yards per catch (19.0) and was fifth on the career touchdown receptions list (25) before the game. ISU linebacker Alvin Bowen also led the nation in tackles per game this season and had 17 against Nebraska. The special teams of the Cyclones was led by Ryan Baum who was averaging 18.0 yards per punt return and had scored one touchdown.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
A win by Oklahoma where they never trailed was marred by an injury to Adrian Peterson. At the end of a 53 yard run in the fourth quarter, Peterson dove into the end zone and, as Stoops put it, "when he landed, he landed wrong." The result was a broken collarbone that put him on the sideline for the remainder of the regular season. During the post-game press conference Stoops said, "the earliest [Peterson] would be ready to play would be a bowl game." This put an end to Peterson's chase of the Oklahoma all-time rushing record; he was 150 yards from breaking Billy Sims' mark set in 1979 at the time.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Other Sooners also had big days against Iowa State. Paul Thompson went 16 of 27 for 195 yards and two touchdowns, both to Malcolm Kelly. Kelly had a total of four receptions for 50 yards on the day while sophomore Manuel Johnson had four grabs for 48 yards. Linebacker Rufus Alexander pulled down his first interception of the season in the third quarter. Iowa State's only offensive points came on a 31-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter from Meyer to standout receiver Todd Blythe.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Colorado
This week was homecoming for the Sooners, and there were some special celebrations planned. All season, Oklahoma had been remembering and recognizing the career of the late Prentice Gautt, the first African-American football player at the university. Gautt's jersey number (38) was not issued this season to any players and for the game against Colorado the 38 yard-line on both halves of the field was highlighted with crimson. This year also marked the 50th anniversary of the 1956 National Championship won by the Sooners. At least 34 members of that team were expected to attend the game, including former All-Americans Bill Krisher, Tommy McDonald, and Clendon Thomas.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Going into the game, the series between Oklahoma and Colorado stood at 38–16–2 with the Sooners taking the advantage. Stoops was 4–1 against Colorado with a four-game winning streak. Before the first of those wins (in Norman on November 2, 2002), the Sooners dropped nine straight games to the Buffs, the most consecutive losses to a single opponent in the history of the program. Two of Stoops's wins over Colorado came in Big 12 Championship games (2002 and 2004). Colorado coach Dan Hawkins was in his first year at the school and had not coached against Oklahoma before.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Colorado
From the beginning, this game went heavily in the Sooner's favor. Both defenses played well, but Oklahoma's squad was able to limit Colorado to only 113 total yards, 51 of which came on the Buff's only scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma's offense was also held down, totaling only 271 yards mostly on runs and short underneath passes. Allen Patrick, filling in for the injured Adrian Peterson, was the player of the game and was the first person all season to run for over 100 yards against Colorado. He managed 110 yards on 35 carries with one touchdown run early in the fourth. For 218 consecutive games across 18 years, the Buffaloes had not been shut out; kicker Mason Crosby saved the streak with a 39-yard field goal into the wind late in the game.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Gary Pinkel's Missouri team was the surprise of the conference in 2006, having already matched their win total from the previous year. They shared the lead for the Big 12 North division with Nebraska (who they lost to November 4 in Lincoln). The Tigers won their homecoming game against Kansas State 41–21. The Sooners also won their homecoming game against Colorado by a score of 24–3. This was the beginning of a long road stretch for Oklahoma; they played four of their last five games on the road. This was the 91st meeting between the schools with the Sooners holding the advantage 63–23–5.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Missouri
In the words of Coach Bob Stoops, the Sooners played "opportunistic" football against Missouri; converting four take-aways into 19 points (and adding a touchdown on a drive that saw new life after a "roughing the kicker" penalty) to beat the Tigers in Columbia. It was the first home loss of the season for Missouri and broke an eight-game home winning streak that stretched back into the 2005 season.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel was 23 for 44 with 248 yards and no touchdowns, but he did throw three interceptions. Daniel rushed 20 times for 75 yards and a TD while the rest of the Tiger's offense was only able to add one rushing yard on seven carries. The Sooners' QB Paul Thompson went 11 for 19 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 28 yards and a score while Allen Patrick added 162 yards on 36 carries. Meanwhile, Malcolm Kelly became the fastest player in Oklahoma history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards, after only his 19th game.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
This game was Bob Stoops's 100th as head coach at Oklahoma; it was also the 25th meeting between the programs. The Sooners held a narrow 14–10 lead in the series going into the game, though A&M had won five of the eight played in College Station. Both the Sooners and the Aggies were coming off a four-game winning streak.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
The two programs were very similar in their offensive philosophies. Texas A&M came in averaging a very balanced 213.7 yards per game rushing and 209.1 passing while the Sooners averaged 178.4 yards on the ground and 204.8 through the air. Oklahoma was surrendering an average of 36 fewer yards per game on defense.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
The game started well for the Sooners. Allen Patrick had 101 yards on 14 carries and Oklahoma scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to A&M's one field goal. After Oklahoma failed to recover an early surprise onside kick, however, the Aggies closed the gap to 4 points with a scoring drive capped by a one-yard rumble from running back Jorvorskie Lane. The defenses stiffened in the second half and both teams had to settle for field goals in the third and fourth quarters.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
In his second risky call of the game, Stoops had the Sooners attempt to convert a fourth-and-inches with 1:29 left to play and the ball almost to the offense's 30 yard line. The run by Thompson was successful but unnecessary as A&M was penalized for having too many men on the field and Oklahoma was able to run out the clock.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
Paul Thompson had a disappointing day as he completed only three of his twelve passing attempts for a total of 39 yards. A&M's Stephen McGee was slightly better completing 8 of 18 for 63 yards, though he was picked off by Marcus Walker in the third quarter; Garrett Hartley kicked a field goal after the Sooners offense could not advance the ball after the turnover. The Aggies forced two fumbles of their own (one from Patrick and one from Thompson), but they were forced to punt after their own offense was also stymied.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
The player of the game was Allen Patrick, who finished the day with a career-high 173 yards on 32 carries and one touchdown. However, he suffered a sprained ankle during the last minutes of the game. Coach Wilson questioned whether he would be 100% for the next game. Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione dropped to 0–4 against the Sooners.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
Oklahoma played its last home game of the season against Texas Tech (coached by former Oklahoma assistant Mike Leach), and bid farewell to the smallest class of seniors in Stoops's tenure as head coach. The previous smallest class was 12 in 2001; this year there were eleven (nine on scholarship). During the pre-game ceremony, all the seniors and their families were introduced and the Don Key Award was presented to quarterback Paul Thompson. Going into the game, the series between the two schools was 10–3 in favor of Oklahoma, and the Red Raiders had not won in Norman in 10 years.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
With Adrian Peterson still recovering from breaking his collar bone against Iowa State and Allen Patrick on the sidelines in an ankle brace after suffering a late-game sprain the week before, many aspects of the offense were in doubt coming into this game. Paul Thompson responded by putting up a career-high 309 yards passing, completing 24 of 31 attempts. True-freshman running back Chris Brown also stepped up to the challenge and ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter; this was the first time in 16 games that a Sooner back did not run for over 100 yards.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
The only serious injury of the game came when wide receiver Manuel Johnson was knocked unconscious after hitting helmets with Texas Tech defensive back Chris Parker. Johnson was unresponsive on the sidelines for about 35 seconds before he opened his eyes. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, treated for "a real bad concussion," and kept overnight. According to Coach Stoops, Johnson would not play against Baylor, but he returned for the regular season finale.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
Tech played well also, especially on defense where they were able to create four turnovers including Thompson's first interception in 99 pass attempts. Defensive back Antonio Huffman returned the pick 54 yards for a touchdown and put the Red Raiders up 24–10 late in the second quarter. Texas Tech was able to capitalize on the other take-aways as well, turning them into 14 more points and held the lead until the fourth quarter. Two missed field goals and a fired-up Sooner defense held the Red Raiders off, however, and the Sooners were able to put the game away with a two-yard touchdown run by Brown.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Baylor
The Baylor game marked the beginning of a two-game stretch of road games to finish the season for Oklahoma. The Sooners traveled to Baylor in Waco for the 16th meeting between the schools and the seventh at Floyd Casey Stadium. Oklahoma had never lost to the Bears, though the game in 2005 in Norman went into double-overtime. This was the last game of the season for Baylor; even with a win they would not be bowl-eligible.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Baylor's passing offense had been strong all year. This was the first time they had been held below 21 points in their last seven conference games and they had two wide receivers with over 50 catches each. Unfortunately for the Bears, their starting quarterback Shawn Bell suffered a season-ending injury against Texas A&M on October 28.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Paul Thompson had a career-high 309 passing yards against Texas Tech, including a string of 14 straight completions after throwing his sixth interception of the year. At the time, he was also sixth on the Oklahoma single-season touchdown passes list with 17 and eighth on the season passing yards list with 2,092.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Baylor
The Sooner defense played extremely well in Waco, limiting Baylor to 148 total yards and −48 yards of rushing. That was the fewest yards Baylor had produced all season and their worst performance on the ground in the program's history; it was also the second-best performance by an Oklahoma defense ever. Defensive back Reggie Smith also pulled down two interceptions, returning the first one 42 yards for a touchdown.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Oklahoma was also unable to avoid turning the ball over, however, losing four fumbles and throwing one pick. Baylor set up a field goal on the first fumble by Smith after he failed to catch a punt return and Baylor's Braelon Davis returned a fumble by Chris Brown for a touchdown late in the game. Another fumble by Smith on a second return and one by Malcolm Kelly put premature ends to other Sooner drives.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
The Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State has been played all but two years since 1904 and is the most lopsided series between schools in the same state in the nation. Going into the game, Oklahoma led the series, 77–16–7. This was the last game of the regular season and held major bowl implications for both programs. Head coach Mike Gundy had managed to bring Oklahoma State to bowl-eligibility with six wins, but they were still not guaranteed a bowl berth. The Big 12 had eight contract bowl spots this year and nine bowl–eligible teams.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
Since only teams with six wins can be selected for a bowl game after all available teams with seven or more have been selected, OSU needed Kansas to lose to Missouri to have any hope of a bowl game. After Missouri beat the Jayhawks 42–17, both Kansas and OSU had 6–6 records and the bowl selection committees would choose which team would be invited.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
Aside from the rivalry and bowl implications, this game also decided who would represent the South Division at the Big 12 Championship Game in Kansas City. At the beginning of the week, Texas and Oklahoma were tied for the lead with Texas holding the tie-breaker due to their win in the Red River Rivalry earlier in the year.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
However, since Texas lost to Texas A&M on November 24, a Sooner victory at State would win them the division outright and let them play Nebraska for the Big 12 title and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl (awarded contractually to the Big 12 winner if they are not selected to play in the national championship game).


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
As with the previous five games, the absence of Adrian Peterson did not keep the Sooners from running the ball on the ground. Allen Patrick returned from missing the last two games with a sore ankle and put up 163 yards on 23 carries, including a 65-yard touchdown scamper to start the second half. Chris Brown had an additional 19 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns as Patrick's backup. At the end of the day, Paul Thompson only threw 11 passes, 7 completions for 77 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and Oklahoma had 238 yards of rushing.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
Oklahoma State's passing attack was more active, with both Zac Robinson and Bobby Reid completing 8 passes (on 17 attempts for 149 yards for Robinson, 12 and 82 for Reid). However, they were still only able to connect for one touchdown (Reid to D'Jaun Woods in the fourth quarter) and Robinson missed high on a last-second "Hail Mary" that would have tied the game (the PAT would have put the Cowboys up by one with only a few seconds left in the game). The Cowboys were also able to produce 119 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
Called "The Battle of the Big Reds", the rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska was one of the most heated contests of the old Big Eight Conference. Played every Thanksgiving weekend for 71 years (from 1927 to 1998), this contest produced many memorable games – including the Game of the Century in 1971. The rivalry cooled somewhat since the creation of the Big 12 as Bill Callahan's Nebraska Cornhuskers and Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners were split a home-and-home two of every four years.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
This was only the fourth time that the teams had met at a neutral site. The last time was the 1979 Orange Bowl where the Sooners won 31–24. Oklahoma held the lead in the all-time series with 42 wins, 37 losses and 3 ties and had never lost to Nebraska on neutral turf (one 7–7 tie in 1919 in Omaha). Bob Stoops was 3–1 against Nebraska and had a two-game winning streak; Callahan had never beaten Oklahoma.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
This was the first time the two teams had met in the Big 12 Championship Game to determine the Big 12 Conference champion. Nebraska played in the championship game three of the first four years, winning in 1997 and 1999, but had not made it back since. Oklahoma missed the first four games but represented the South Division four of the next six years, topping the conference in 2000, 2002, and 2004. Oklahoma had the most appearances in the championship game (5) and conference titles (4) of any team in the Big 12.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
Nebraska received the ball to start the game but Maurice Purify fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Oklahoma recovered the ball at the Nebraska 2-yard-line and scored a touchdown to take the lead 7–0 with 48 seconds expired off the clock. It was the fastest score in Big 12 Championship Game history. With 5:35 left in the first quarter, Oklahoma's quarterback completed a touchdown pass to Malcolm Kelly to go up 14–0. With 4:37 left in the first half, Nebraska's Zach Taylor threw a touchdown pass and the extra point shaved Oklahoma's lead to 14–7, which was still the score as the game went to half-time.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
At the start of the half, Oklahoma started with the ball but was unable to advance, as Nebraska recorded their first quarterback sack of the game and caused Oklahoma to punt after going three-and-out. Later in the third quarter, Oklahoma used eleven plays, three minutes and 21 seconds, to go 99 yards and score a touchdown with 1:25 left in the third quarter. It was the longest scoring drive in Big 12 Championship history.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Nebraska (Big 12 Championship Game)
With 8:53 left in the game, Nebraska threw what was almost a touchdown pass, but Nic Harris made a diving catch to intercept the ball in the end-zone for a touchback. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, so Oklahoma won the game 21–7. It was their fourth Big 12 Conference football championship, which was the most for any team in the conference (Nebraska and Texas each had two).


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Boise State (Fiesta Bowl)
Since Oklahoma won the Big 12 Championship game, they represented the Big 12 Conference in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Contractually, the Fiesta Bowl hosts the Big 12 Champion and then picks, from among the BCS eligible teams, the opponent. For 2007, the Fiesta Bowl picked Boise State as Oklahoma's opponent. The game took place on New Year's Day in the then-new University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Boise State (Fiesta Bowl)
The Broncos led the Sooners the majority of the game, but the Sooners made up an 18-point deficit late in the game and led by a touchdown with a minute left in regulation. With 18 seconds left, the Sooners had the Broncos in a fourth-and-18 situation from midfield, but were stunned when the Broncos executed a hook and lateral for the tying score. This would be only the first of three Boise State trick plays that helped elevate this game to epic status.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Game summaries, Boise State (Fiesta Bowl)
The Sooners had the ball first in overtime, with Adrian Peterson scoring on their first play. Boise State then drove the ball toward the goal line, but faced fourth-and-two from the five yard line. They then sent quarterback Jared Zabransky into motion and snapped to backup wide receiver Vinny Peretta, who ran an option pass and found Derek Schouman in the end zone. The Broncos chose to go for the two-point conversion and the win instead of kicking for the tie. They then ran a Statue of Liberty play, with Zabransky faking a pass to the right side and handing the ball behind his back to Ian Johnson, who ran left and entered the end zone untouched, giving the Broncos a stunning 43–42 win.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Statistics
The Sooners led the conference in many defense statistics, including pass efficiency defense, scoring defense, total defense, and sacks allowed. They finished second in rushing defense. They also ranked in the top 20 nationally in all the above categories. The Sooners' weakness came on offense where they finished in the middle of the pack in the conference. The Sooners' rushing offense ranked third in the conference but passing offense ranked tenth, total offense eighth and passing efficiency sixth.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Postseason
As the 2006 college football season neared the end, many organizations began to announce finalists and winners of various post-season awards. Sooner players and coaches appeared on many of these lists. Head coach Bob Stoops was unanimously named Coach of the Year on the AT&T All-Big 12 Coaches Team. This was the third time he'd won the award, more than any other coach in the conference. Stoops was also named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award, a national award handed out by the Football Writer's Association of America. Oklahoma defensive coordinator/linebacker coach/associate head coach Brent Venables was named one of five finalists for the Broyles Award which goes to the nation's best assistant coach.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Postseason
Several players for the Sooners were also honored. Oklahoma junior kicker Garrett Hartley was named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award. Oklahoma senior linebacker Rufus Alexander was named the AT&T All-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was the third Oklahoma player to earn this honor, following Teddy Lehman in 2003 and Roy Williams in 2001. He was also Oklahoma's lone All-American this year was linebacker, and was given first team All-American status by the American Football Coaches Association. The following Oklahoma players were also named to the All–Big 12 First, Second, and Honorable Mention Team:


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Postseason
Adrian Peterson finished his last season at Oklahoma with 1,012 yards. This brought his career total to 4,045 which placed him third all-time at Oklahoma. He would remain 26 yards behind Joe Washington and 73 yards behind Billy Sims.


2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Postseason, 2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 NFL Draft was held on April 28–29, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The following Oklahoma players were either selected or signed as undrafted free agents following the draft. Adrian Peterson was the highest Sooner drafted since Cedric Jones was drafted as the fifth pick in 1996.


2006 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 2006 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They participated as members of the Big 12 Conference in the South Division. They played their home games at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They were coached by head coach Mike Gundy.


2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election
The 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, and was a race for the Governor of Oklahoma. The incumbent Governor, Democrat Brad Henry, was re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote, beating Republican Ernest Istook, a member of the United States House of Representatives (Congressional district 5). As of 2021, this is the last time a Democrat has been elected Governor of Oklahoma or won any statewide office.


2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, Background
Though Democrats had dominated state politics for most of Oklahoma's history, the Oklahoma Republican Party had recently gained control of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and held five of the state's six Congressional seats. Henry's opponent, Republican Ernest Istook, was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma's 5th congressional district.


2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, Background
As in many Southern states, Oklahoma has favored conservative Democrats to the more liberal members of the party. In his first term, Henry had supported some tax cuts and took centrist positions on many political hot button issues.


2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Istook's strongest opponent in the primary was Bob Sullivan, who positioned himself as the only "non-career politician" in the race. He ran ads featuring Gailard Sartain that attacked his opponents' "career politician" background. The  were seen as over the top and may have hurt his chances. Sullivan said education was a top priority and had led an effort to place an initiative petition on the November 2006 ballot that would have required 65 percent of money earmarked for education be spent in the classroom.


2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, General election
The incumbent Democratic Governor Brad Henry won the election with more than 66 percent of the vote, beating Republican U.S. Representative Ernest Istook.


2006 Oklahoma state budget
The Oklahoma State Budget for Fiscal Year 2006, was a spending request by Governor Brad Henry to fund government operations for July 1, 2005–June 30, 2006. Governor Henry and legislative leader approved the budget in May 2005.


2006 Oklahoma state budget
Figures shown in the spending request do not reflect the actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2006, which must be authorized by the Legislature.


2006 Oklahoma state budget, Total Revenue
Tax revenue for Fiscal Year 2006 was $5.75 billion, up 11% from FY2005 levels of $5.2 billion. All revenue of the fiscal year 2006 was $5.96 billion, up 8.2% from FY2005 levels of $5.5 billion. The breakdown is as follows:


2006 Oklahoma state budget, Total Revenue
The Governor's budget called for $13 million in tax cuts, including the follows:


2006 Oklahoma state budget, Total Spending, Governor's Request
The Governor's budget for Fiscal Year 2006 totaled $5.95 billion in spending, a 9.2% increase over Fiscal Year 2005 levels of $5.5 billion. Percentages in parentheses indicate percentage change compared to 2005 budget. The budget request is broken down by the following expenditures:


2006 Oklahoma state budget, Total Spending, Actual Appropriations
The Legislature approved a total of $6.2 billion in spending for Fiscal Year 2006, an 11% increase over Fiscal Year 2005 levels of $5.5 billion. Percentages in parentheses indicate percentage change compared to 2005 actual appropriations:


2006 Oklahoma state elections
The Oklahoma state elections were held on November 7, 2006. The primary election was held on July 25. The runoff primary election was held August 22. The 2006 elections marked the first time in 80 years that the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Governor
In the Democratic primary, incumbent Brad Henry defeated challenger Andrew Marr 86% to 14%. In the Republican primary, Ernest Istook defeated Bob Sullivan, Jim Williamson, and Sean Evanoff. Istook took 54.7% of the vote, Sullivan 31%, Williamson 9.8%, and Evanoff 4.6%.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Governor
In the general election, Henry defeated challenger Istook with 66% of the vote to remain in office for the next four years.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Lieutenant governor
With incumbent Mary Fallin not running for reelection as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, a new Lieutenant Governor was guaranteed.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Lieutenant governor, Primary election
The candidates for the parties faced on in the primary election on July 25. If no party received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election was held on August 22 to decide the winner.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Lieutenant governor, Primary election, Candidates
There were three candidates in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Lieutenant governor, Primary election, Candidates
There were four candidates in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, Lieutenant governor, General election
In the general election, Democratic primary winner Jari Askins faced the Republican primary winner Todd Hiett. Also, E. Z. Million ran as an Independent.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, State Questions, SQ 724
This measure amends Article V, Section 21 of the State Constitution. That Section deals with State pay tolegislators. The amendment restricts State pay to some legislators. The pay restriction would apply to somelegislators while in jail or prison. The pay restriction would apply to legislators found guilty of a crime. It would also apply to legislators who plead either guilty or no contest. Affected legislators must return any State pay received for time while in jail or prison.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, State Questions, SQ 725
This measure amends the State Constitution. It amends Section 23 of Article 10. The measure deals with theConstitutional Reserve Fund also known as the Rainy Day Fund. The measure allows money to be spentfrom the Rainy Day Fund. The purpose of the authorized spending is to retain employment for state residentsby helping at-risk manufacturers. Payments from the Fund would be used to encourage such manufacturersto make investments in Oklahoma. All such payments from the Fund must be unanimously approved by threeState officers. Those officers are the Governor and the head of the Senate and House of Representatives.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, State Questions, SQ 725
Those officers could only approve payments recommended by an independent committee. Such spendingis allowed in years when there is Eighty Million Dollars or more in the Fund and other conditions are met. Such spending is limited to Ten Million Dollars a year. The help given to a manufacturer is limited to tenpercent of its in-State capital investments. The Legislature could make laws to carry out the amendment.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, State Questions, SQ 733
This measure amends the Oklahoma Constitution. It amends Article 28. This Article deals with sales ofalcoholic beverages. Section 6 of Article 28 bans the sale of alcoholic beverages by package stores on certaindays. Package store sales of these beverages are prohibited on election days while the polls are open. Thismeasure would remove the ban on sales on election days. If this measure passes, package stores could sellalcoholic beverages on election days.


2006 Oklahoma state elections, State Questions, SQ 734
This measure amends the Oklahoma Constitution. It amends Section 6A of Article 10. This section providesan exemption from property tax. The exemption applies to goods that are shipped into the state, but whichdo not remain in the state for more than ninety days. This is sometimes known as the freeport exemption. This measure would allow laws to be enacted. The laws could provide for an application process to claimthis exemption. The laws could require the application to be filed by a certain date. The laws could requirecertain information to be included with the application. The application would be filed with the countyassessor.


2006 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 4 May 2006. One third of the Council was up for election.


2006 Ole Miss Rebels football team
The 2006 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season.


2006 Omloop Het Volk
The 2006 Omloop Het Volk was the 59th edition of the Omloop Het Volk cycle race and was held on 25 February 2006. The race started in Ghent and finished in Lokeren. The race was won by Philippe Gilbert.


2006 Ondrej Nepela Memorial
The 2006 Ondrej Nepela Memorial was the 14th edition of an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Bratislava, Slovakia. It took place between September 15 and 16, 2006 at the Ondrej Nepela Ice Rink. Skaters competed in two disciplines: men's singles and ladies' singles. The compulsory dance was the Austrian Waltz. The competition is named for 1972 Olympic gold medalist Ondrej Nepela.


2006 Ontario Kia Cup
The 2006 Kia Cup, southern Ontario men's provincial curling championship was held February 6–12 at the Guelph Sports Centre in Guelph, Ontario. The winning team of Glenn Howard would represent Ontario at the 2006 Tim Hortons Brier in Regina, Saskatchewan.


2006 Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts
The 2006 Ontario Scott Tournament of Hearts was held January 30-February 4 at the Fort Frances Curling Club in Fort Frances, Ontario. Krista Scharf's rink from Thunder Bay, Ontario won her first provincial title.


2006 Ontario municipal elections
In the 2006 municipal elections in Ontario, voters in the province of Ontario, elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of Ontario's municipalities. These elections were regulated by the .


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Date
Municipal elections in all Ontario municipalities took place on Monday, November 13, 2006 (notwithstanding advance polling arrangements). Currently municipal elections in Ontario have fixed election dates, and the next round of elections are due to take place in November, 2010. Prior to the vote in 2006, the period between elections had been 3 years.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Voting Notice and Attention
Candidates may have withdrawn from the race prior to November 13, 2006, and while their names may still have appeared on the ballot, voting for a withdrawn candidate resulted in a spoiled ballot and was not counted.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Term lengths
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario legislation (), passed in 2006, sets the length of terms in office for all municipal elected officials at four years.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
In Toronto, their municipal election had incumbent mayor David Miller easily defeating councillor Jane Pitfield and former Liberal Party president Stephen LeDrew.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
Ottawa's election race was a heated affair with incumbent mayor Bob Chiarelli finishing third behind victorious businessman Larry O'Brien and popular former councillor Alex Munter.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
In London, incumbent mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best defeated Liberal MP Joe Fontana. In Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, who has been mayor since 1978 faced little competition en route to victory.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
Larry Di Ianni, Hamilton's mayor was upset in an extremely close race by former alderman Fred Eisenberger.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
In Greater Sudbury, mayor David Courtemanche was defeated by former NDP MP John Rodriguez.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Campaigns in major cities
In Guelph, former mayor Karen Farbridge defeated incumbent mayor Kate Quarrie in a reversal of the election three years prior when Quarrie defeated Farbridge.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants
The following lists mayoral races and city council races unless a main article exists, in which case only the mayoral races are listed here. In the tables, candidates marked with an (X) were the incumbent.


2006 Ontario municipal elections, Municipalities with 25,000 to 100,000 people
Races for mayor only, see main article for more information. In the tables, candidates marked with an (X) were the incumbent.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot
The 2006 Ontario terrorism case refers to the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006, counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 14 adults and 4 youths (the "Toronto 18"). These individuals have been characterized as having been inspired by al-Qaeda.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot
They were accused of planning to detonate truck bombs, to open fire in a crowded area, and to storm the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, the Parliament of Canada building, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) headquarters, and the parliamentary Peace Tower to take hostages and to behead the Prime Minister and other leaders.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot
Following the jury trial in June 2010, a comprehensive presentation of the case and the evidence obtained from court exhibits previously restricted was given by Isabel Teotonio of the Toronto Star. It contained the details on guilty pleas, convictions, and stayed/dismissed charges. The Ontario Court of Appeal released their decision on December 17, 2010.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot
Seven adults pleaded guilty including the two ringleaders, Fahim Ahmad who was sentenced to 16 years and Zakaria Amara who received a life sentence and initially had his Canadian citizenship revoked but later restored following the passage of Bill C-6. The remaining 5 received sentences ranging from 7 to 20 years. A further 3 adults and 1 youth were convicted at trial; the youth was sentenced to 2.5 years while the adults received sentences of 6.5 years, 10 years, and life imprisonment. 4 adults and 2 youth were released after the charges against them were stayed and 1 youth had his charges dismissed.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Infiltration
On November 27, 2005, Mubin Shaikh (a police agent) met with members of the terrorist group at an information meeting at a banquet hall regarding the use of security certificates in Canada, and began his infiltration of the group. He was told that they had planned a training camp near Orillia. They asked Shaikh if he would join them and teach them how to use a gun, since he had mentioned his military and martial arts training, and shown them his Possession and Acquisition Licence.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
The trip by the group, ages 15–42, was to a wooded area near Orillia, Ontario, from December 18–31, 2005. It was monitored by more than 200 police officers.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
Authorities say that "the internet played a large role in the suspects' planning". Six months prior to the planned attack, the group watched a video over the internet of Anwar al Awlaki (the imam who was connected to three of the 9/11 hijackers) preaching about the need for jihad.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
The ringleader gave sermons comparing the Canadian countryside to Chechnya, and calling for victory over "Rome", which prosecutors alleged was a reference to Canada. "Whether we get arrested, killed, or tortured, our mission is greater than just individuals," he said. He also said: "We're not officially al-Qaida but we share their principles and methods" around a campfire.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
In 2008, a video made at the camp documenting their actions was made public, after the media obtained them through the British trial of Aabid Khan (who was convicted of being a terrorist propagandist), thus working around the publication ban that forbade them from showing evidence from the Canadian trials. The home video showed masked men in winter camouflage marching through the snow in an Ontario forest, shouting "Allahu Akbar"—or "God is Great"—while waving a black flag. The video was obtained by the NEFA Foundation (Nine-Eleven Finding Answers Foundation).


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
The video also showed the men daring each other to jump over campfires, and driving in a Canadian Tire parking lot late at night, alternatively described as "evasive driving maneuvers" or simply having fun driving doughnuts on the slippery ice. The film had been dubbed with Nasheed music, and the informant admitted that he had "choreographed" some of the scenes, arranging the campers to perform for the camera in a militant fashion upon the instruction of Zakaria Amara who did the filming. The youths frequented the local coffee shop, still dressed in their fatigues.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Orillia training camp
Shaikh, the police agent, was accused by the defence of having played a "key role" in setting up and running the trip, purchasing many of the supplies used, and being the "military trainer" at the camp. Shaikh gave firearms lessons to the accused, but at their request purchased a rifle and ammunition for the group. Shaikh showed the "campers" how to fire an illegal 9 mm handgun and ammunition which belonged to Faheem Ahmad. He also gave "exhortational sermons on Jihad", but described the camp itself as hapless.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Rockwood training camp
Held over two days in May 2006 at the Rockwood Conservation Area, the second camping trip, consisting of 10 people, came after members complained about fearing that police would arrest them for having known two Americans who had just been arrested.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Rockwood training camp
A youth, who cannot be named, appeared in videos with the rest of the group, meant to mimic Jihadist beheading videos coming out of the Invasion of Iraq, sitting in front of a flag, and flanked by two hunting knives. During the filming, the leader kept trying to effect giggles from the adolescents, who were trying "to look tough" for the "mock" video.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Targets
The group was preparing a large-scale terrorist attack in southern Ontario. They planned to detonate truck bombs in at least three locations, and open fire in a crowded area. They also made plans to storm various buildings such as the Canadian Broadcasting Centre and the Canadian Parliament building, and take hostages. Law enforcement authorities identified other targets, including the CSIS, the Parliamentary Buildings' Peace Tower, and power grids.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Pre-arrest events, Targets
According to one of the suspect's lawyers, they were also accused of planning to "behead the Prime Minister", Stephen Harper, and other leaders.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Arrests, reaction, and court proceedings, Arrests
The raids were carried out by a Canadian inter-agency task force, the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which coordinated the activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the CSIS, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and other police forces, as the operation was spread across several different jurisdictions in southern Ontario, in the area north of Toronto.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Arrests, reaction, and court proceedings, Arrests
The police stated that one of the arrested men ordered three metric tonnes (6,600 pounds) of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a potentially powerful ingredient often used as quarry and mining explosives. This weight has widely been compared to the amount of ammonium nitrate used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in the United States. The official account estimates the ammonium nitrate in the Oklahoma City bomb at 2,000 pounds, or about 0.9 metric tonnes. There was not any imminent danger to the public, as a harmless substance was substituted for the ordered ammonium nitrate and delivered to the men by INSET officers in a sting operation.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Arrests, reaction, and court proceedings, Arrests
The RCMP said that the CSIS had been monitoring the individuals since 2004, later joined by the RCMP. The suspects, all adherents to a radical form of Islam, were alleged by CSIS to have been inspired by al-Qaeda. A direct connection seems unlikely.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Arrests, reaction, and court proceedings, Arrests
The investigation started with intelligence officials monitoring Internet chat sites. The suspects were charged under the anti-terrorism legislation passed by Canadian parliament in December 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks in the US.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Arrests, reaction, and court proceedings, Arrests
Two men, Yasim Abdi Mohamed and Ali Dirie, were already serving a two-year prison sentence for trying to smuggle a pair of handguns across the Peace Bridge a year earlier, for "personal protection" for themselves since they had worked as designer clothing re-sellers in seedy neighborhoods. They had their charges upgraded to "importing weapons for terrorist purposes" after it was revealed that their third handgun had been meant to repay Ahmad who had used his credit card to pay for their rental car.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Suspects of the Toronto 18
The identities of the four minors were legally protected by Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act. One was convicted at trial and sentenced to 2.5 years; the publication ban on his name was lifted in September 2009, and he was identified as Nishanthan Yogakrishnan. The other 3 minors were released after the charges against them were dismissed or stayed.


2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Suspects of the Toronto 18
Six of the 18 men arrested have ties to the Al Rahman Islamic Center near Toronto, a Sunni mosque. Another two of those arrested were already serving time in a Kingston, Ontario, prison on weapons possession charges. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) two other men, Syed Ahmed and Ehsanul Sadequee, who were arrested in Georgia in the United States on terrorism charges, are connected to the case as well.