University of Oklahoma football head coach Brent Venables and his wife, Julie Venables, have been through tremendous highs and lows together, both on and off the field.
Brent, 53, and Julie, 51, met when they were both students at Kansas State University, where Brent played linebacker on the football team.
Once Brent’s coaching journey began — first at his alma mater, then at Oklahoma and Clemson before returning to Oklahoma as head coach in 2022 — Julie was with him every step of the way.
Away from football, Brent and Julie have welcomed four children: sons Jake, 24, and Tyler, 22, and daughters Laney, 15, and Addie, 14.
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Recently, the family was forced to share some bad news, as Julie’s breast cancer — which she was first diagnosed with in June 2023 — has returned.
For a full timeline of Brent and Julie Venables’ relationship, keep scrolling.
July 1997
Brent and Julie got married after meeting while students at Kansas State University.
At the time of their wedding, Brent was the linebackers coach at their alma mater.
January 2000
The couple welcomed their first son, Jake. At the time, Brent was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Oklahoma.
Jake would go on to play linebacker at Clemson University from 2018 to 2022, where his father Brent was defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2021.
February 2002
Brent and Julie welcomed their second son, Tyler, while Brent was co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma.
Tyler would also go on to play football at Clemson, appearing as a five-year safety for the Tigers from 2020 to 2024.
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Brent and Julie are also parents to daughters Laney, born in 2008 and Addie, born in 2009.
August 2023
Before his second season as head coach at Oklahoma, Brent announced that Julie had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It’s been nothing short of amazing the group of people that have helped, whether it’s the doctors or administration, people I work with, our staff, our players, our players’ parents and certainly so many friends and the Sooner nation,” Brent told reporters. “We’re hopeful that we got everything and we maybe can avoid further treatments.”
Brent revealed Julie had been diagnosed in June and had already undergone surgery.
March 2024
Brent told The Oklahoman that Julie had “zero cancer” after her original diagnosis.
November 2024
During his weekly radio show, Brent announced that Julie’s cancer had returned.
“She had surgery to remove her lymph nodes and her tumor, and she’s doing amazing. Her spirit and her strength, just nothing short of amazing,” he said. “We’ve got a great team and great faith. It’s in God’s hands. But a big part of that battle is her wanting us to fight and keep swinging, so that’s what she’s doing.”
Brent revealed that the family found out about the news in May and had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for “several months.”