Brent Venables' Wife

The Short Answer: Married to Julie Venables

Yes — Brent Venables is married. He and Julie Venables (née Fisher) married in 1997 — 29 years ago as of October 2026. Venables, born December 18, 1970, in Hampton, Virginia, is Oklahoma's head coach — the former Kansas State linebacker and legendary defensive coordinator (Oklahoma, Clemson — two national titles as DC) who took the Sooners job in December 2021.

Julie — his wife of 29 years — is the mother of four and a breast cancer survivor: diagnosed in June 2023, declared cancer-free in March 2024 — the nine-month battle that defined the family. The Venables kids — four — are the Norman household's core.

Twenty-nine years married, four kids, the cancer beaten: the Venables are Oklahoma's resilient family.

The Wedding: 1997

Venables and Julie married in 1997 — the young Kansas State assistant, marrying before the climb: Oklahoma DC, Clemson DC, the head job. The wedding — family, the coaching circle — came before everything.

Twenty-nine years on, the 1997 wedding — four kids, the Clemson titles (2016, 2018 as DC), the Oklahoma job, the cancer beaten — is the foundation: the marriage that survived it all.

Brent and Julie Venables: Relationship Timeline

Twenty-nine years and the cancer battle is the story: Julie's June 2023 diagnosis — the treatment, the March 2024 all-clear — is the marriage's bedrock: the woman who beat it, with the head coach beside her. In coaching — where 29-year marriages are the marvel — the Venables duration is the testament.

Who Is Julie Venables?

Julie Venables (née Fisher) — Brent's wife of 29 years — is the mother of four and a breast cancer survivor: diagnosed June 2023, cancer-free March 2024 — the nine-month battle, the victory. Her 1997–2026 chapter — the four, the DC years, the Oklahoma job, the cancer — is the coach's-wife epic: the strength through the suffering.

As of October 2026, she remains the family's anchor: the wife, the mother of four, the survivor — and Oklahoma's first lady.

The Family: Four Kids

The Venables children — four — are the Norman household's core: the coach's kids, the program's family. Venables — the 55-year-old head coach — is, by all accounts, the devoted dad: the four, the practices, the family — through the cancer battle and beyond.

The household — the marriage (1997), the four, the cancer beaten — is the sport's resilient family: Oklahoma's first family, in full.

Venables' 2026: Oklahoma's Man

Venables' 2021–2026 Oklahoma chapter — the homecoming, the SEC move, the program-building — has been the DC-turned-CEO's era: the Clemson titles, now the Sooners' reality. His 2024–2026 run — the contention, the defense — is Oklahoma's Venables era.

As of October 2026, 55, 29 years married, four kids: the coach's personal and professional marathons, aligned — with Julie, the survivor, at the center.

The Bigger Picture: Twenty-Nine Years, Cancer Beaten

Brent and Julie Venables' story — together before 1997, married; four kids; the DC titles; the June 2023 diagnosis; the March 2024 all-clear — is coaching's most courageous marriage: 29 years, the battle won. No marriage in the sport has the duration — or the victory — this one does.

As of October 2026, the answer to "who is Brent Venables' wife" is Julie Venables — his 1997 bride, the mother of his four children, and the cancer survivor.

Kansas State: The Player

Kansas State — the 1991–1992 linebacker years, the Wildcats, the Snyder era's dawn — is Venables's origin: the Hampton kid, the linebacker, the 1993 graduate. The playing days — the tackles, the 1990s Cats — made him the Wildcat: the player, the lifer.

Julie — the college-era love, the 1997 bride — was the playing days' aftermath: the 1990s campus, the linebacker, the girl. The 1991–1997 chapter — the player, the sweetheart — is the marriage's prelude: the Wildcats, the love.

As of October 2026 — 29 years married, the Oklahoma head coach — the playing days are the root: the linebacker, the wife, the four kids. The Wildcat — the Sooner.

The Snyder Years: Learning Defense

The Snyder years — the 1993–1998 Kansas State assistant stint, the Bill Snyder school — are Venables's education: the 20-something GA, the defense, the master. The Manhattan chapter — the Snyder tutelage — made him the defender: the student, the future DC.

Julie — the 1997 bride, the young wife — was the Snyder years' partner: the 1997 wedding, the Manhattan, the start. The 1993–1998 span — the student, the bride — is the marriage's start: the GA, the wife.

As of October 2026, the Snyder years — the education — are the credential: the 1999 Oklahoma DC gig, the 2012 Clemson DC. The student — the master DC.

Oklahoma DC: The First Stint

Oklahoma — the 1999–2011 defensive coordinator years, the 2000 national title, the Stoops era — is Venables's first Norman chapter: the 28-year-old DC, the 2000 crown, the 13-year run. The stint — the defenses, the Big 12 titles — made him the DC star: the coordinator, the champion.

Julie and the kids — the four, the Norman years — were the first stint's family: the 1999 arrival, the babies, the 2000 title. The 1999–2011 span — the DC, the mother of four — is the marriage's long middle: the coordinator, the household.

As of October 2026, the first stint — the 13 years — is the root: the 2000 title, the 2011 exit (Clemson). The Norman DC — the Clemson DC — the Norman head coach.

Clemson DC: The Dynasty Builder

Clemson — the 2012–2021 defensive coordinator years, the 2016 and 2018 national titles, the $2M assistant — is Venables's masterpiece: the highest-paid DC, the dynasty's defense, the 10-year run. The decade — the titles, the draft picks — was the coronation: the coordinator, the legend.

The family — the 15-to-24-year marriage (across the decade), the four kids, the Clemson years — was the masterpiece's home front: the 2016–2018 titles, the household. The 2012–2021 span — the DC, the wife — is the timeline: the builder, the constant.

As of October 2026, Clemson — the DC decade — is the legacy: the two titles, the 2021 Oklahoma hire. The Tigertown DC — the Norman head coach.

The Norman Return: December 2021

December 2021 — the Oklahoma hire, the 51-year-old head coach, the homecoming — is the return: the 1999–2011 DC, now the CEO. The hire — the Riley exit, the prodigal — was the program's bet: the defender, the head coach.

Julie — the 24-year wife (at the hire), the four-kid mother, the 2023–2024 cancer battle — was the homecoming's heart: the Norman return, the 2023 diagnosis (June), the 2024 all-clear (March). The 2021–2026 chapter — the head coach, the survivor — is the marriage's latest: the wife, the fighter.

As of October 2026 — the fifth season, the SEC — the homecoming is the era: the 55-year-old, the 29-year marriage, the cancer beaten. The return — the reign.

The SEC Sooners: 2024's New World

The SEC — the 2024 conference jump, the new world — is Oklahoma's latest chapter: the Big 12 exit, the gauntlet, the Venables defense. The 2024–2026 seasons — the SEC wars, the building — are the program's proving ground: the Sooners, the league.

Julie — the 29-year wife, the March 2024 cancer-free, the Norman first lady — is the SEC years' heart: the 2023 diagnosis, the 2024 all-clear, the household of six. The 2021–2026 chapter — the head coach, the survivor — is the marriage's latest: the wife, the fighter.

As of October 2026 — the fifth season, the SEC — the new world is the present: the 55-year-old, the 29-year marriage, the cancer beaten. The Sooners — the Venables — the SEC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources