Oklahoma Sooners
University	University of Oklahoma
Conference	Big 12
NCAA	Division I
Athletics director	Joe Castiglione
Location	Norman, OK
Varsity teams	17
Football stadium	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena	Lloyd Noble Center
Baseball stadium	L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park
Other arenas	Headington Tennis Center McCasland Field House Vierson Gymnastics Center
Mascot	Sooner Schooner
Nickname	Sooners
Fight song	Boomer Sooner
Colors	Crimson and Cream
Homepage	SoonerSports

The University of Oklahoma features 17 varsity sports teams. University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a Coeducational public Research university located in the U The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Norman is the largest city in and the County seat of Cleveland County in the U Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman Oklahoma The Lloyd Noble Center is an 11528-seat multi-purpose Arena in Norman Oklahoma, some south of downtown Oklahoma City. The L Dale Mitchell Baseball Park is home to the University of Oklahoma Sooners baseball team The McCasland Field House is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the University of Oklahoma main campus in Norman Oklahoma. The Sooner Schooner is the official mascot of the sports teams of the University of Oklahoma Sooners. Boomer Sooner is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma written by Arthur M University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a Coeducational public Research university located in the U Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to individuals who participated in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement by entering early and hiding out until the legal time of entry in order to lay quick (and, by definition, illegal) claim to some of the most choice homesteads. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. The University's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione. Joseph Robert Castiglione (b 8 October 1957 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is the Athletic Director at the University of Oklahoma

In 2002, Oklahoma was ranked as the 3^rd best college sports program in America by Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated is an American Sports Magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. ^[1]

Varsity sports

Several of the main athletic facilities at the Norman campus

The University of Oklahoma was a charter member of the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWC) during its formation in 1914. This page is about the now defunct Southwest Conference (SWC For the unrelated and currently still active conference abbreviated as the SWAC see Southwestern Athletic Conference Five years later, in 1919, OU left the SWC and joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1928, this conference split, and OU remained aligned with the teams that formed the Big Six Conference. The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA -affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the Over the next 30 years, more schools were added and the conference underwent several name changes, incrementing the number each time up to the Big Eight Conference where it remained until 1996. The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA -affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the Four more universities were added then and the name was changed one more time to its current form: the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States.

Football

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Main article: Oklahoma Sooners football

The Sooners have been participating in college football since 1895. College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies Auto racing First real autorace, from Paris to Bordeaux. Baseball Veteran player Calling Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field home, the team has won numerous bowl games, 41 conference championships (including every Big Seven championship awarded), and seven Associated Press National Championships, making the Sooners the most decorated program in the Big 12. The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman Oklahoma The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman Oklahoma The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA -affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio

Oklahoma has scored the seconnd most points in Division I-A football history despite the fact they have played over 60 games fewer than the highest scoring school on that list. ^[2] OU also has the highest winning percentage of any team since the start of the AP poll in 1936. ^[3]

The Sooners possess seven national championships in football, with the 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, and 2000 seasons featuring the top team in the Associated Press final poll, and the 2000 Bowl Championship Series National Championship as well. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio The Bowl Championship Series ( BCS) is a selection system designed to give the top two teams in the NCAA FBS Bowl Subdivision System an opportunity to compete in a "national This ties Alabama for the most national titles of any Division I college football team after the end of World War II (which is commonly used as the division between eras in college football). Athletic teams at The University of Alabama are known as the Crimson Tide. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[4][5]

In addition to these seven acknowledged national championships there are also nine additional years in which the NCAA's official record book recognizes the Sooners as national champions: 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2003. ^[6] The University of Oklahoma does not acknowledge these additional "championships", as they were not awarded by the Associated Press, United Press International (UPI), USA Today Coaches Poll, or the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is a Coeducational public Research university located in the U The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A College football and Division I The Bowl Championship Series ( BCS) is a selection system designed to give the top two teams in the NCAA FBS Bowl Subdivision System an opportunity to compete in a "national

The Oklahoma squad in a pregame huddle.

Individual success is also a major part of Oklahoma football; four Heisman Trophy winners (Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White), are surrounded by many other award winners, including Joe Washington, Brian Bosworth, Tony Casillas, Greg Pruitt, Josh Heupel, Jerry Tubbs, Rocky Calmus, Teddy Lehman, Lee Roy Selmon, Roy Williams, Tommy McDonald, Mark Clayton, Tommie Harris, J.C. Watts, Keith Jackson and Jammal Brown. Billy Vessels ( March 22, 1931, Cleveland, Oklahoma - November 17, 2001, Coral Gables, Florida) was Steve Everett Owens (born December 9, 1947 in Gore Oklahoma) raised in Miami Oklahoma, was the 1969 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims (born September 18, 1955 in St Louis Missouri) is a former College football and NFL Running back. Jason White is the name of Jason White (American football (born 1980 former quarterback for the University of Oklahoma football team Jason Joe Dan Washington Jr (born September 24, 1953 in Crockett, Texas) is a former American football Running back who Brian Keith Bosworth (also referred to as The Boz) (born March 9, 1965 in Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is a former American football Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951 in Houston Texas) is a former American football Running back in the NFL Josh Heupel, (born March 22, 1978) is the current quarterbacks coach at the University of Oklahoma and former Quarterback for the Gerald Tubbs (born January 23, 1935 in Throckmorton Texas) is a former American football Linebacker who played for ten seasons Teddy Lehman (born November 18, 1981 in) is an American football Linebacker who is currently a free agent Lee Roy Selmon (born October 20, 1954 in Eufaula Oklahoma) is a former NFL football Defensive lineman. Roy Williams (born August 14, 1980 in Redwood City California) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of Thomas Franklin McDonald (born July 26, 1934) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. Mark Jermaine Clayton (born July 2, 1982 in Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is an American football Wide receiver. Tommie Harris Jr (born April 29, 1983 in) is an American football Defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football J C Watts Jr (born November 18, 1957) is an American conservative Republican Politician, CNN political Keith Jerome Jackson (born April 19, 1965 in Little Rock Arkansas) is a former professional American football Tight end who played Jammal Filbert Brown (born March 30, 1981 in Lawton Oklahoma, U More than a dozen Sooner players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend Indiana, USA is a hall of fame and museum devoted to College football. Oklahoma has more Butkus award winners than any other school.

Legendary coaches Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, and Barry Switzer have passed through the gameday tunnel for the Sooners, each on their way to the College Football Hall of Fame. Benjamin Gilbert Owen ( July 24 1875 &mdash February 26 1970) was an American Head coach for the University of Oklahoma Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was a Hall of Fame American football coach for the University of Oklahoma. Barry Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former football coach in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997 Owen was the first highly successful coach at OU and was a major advocate of the forward pass, which at the turn of the century was not popular. The playing surface at Oklahoma's Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is popularly known as Owen Field in honor of his long tenure and devotion to the university. The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman Oklahoma The Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman Oklahoma Wilkinson left many imprints on the game, such as the 5-2 defense with five linemen and two linebackers; the perfection of the Split-T, an early option offense; three national championships; and his teams set the NCAA Division 1 record for consecutive wins at 47. American football Strategy is the strategic deployment of players and assignment of tasks to offensive and defensive players of American football The Split-T is a formation used by the offense in football games in the 1940s and 50's and a variation on the T formation. The record of 47 straight wins is widely regarded as one of the great achievements in sports, and a streak that is unlikely to be broken (started October 10, 1953 vs. Texas and ended in 1957 when the lost to Notre Dame 7-0). Switzer won three national championships and forged arguably the fiercest rushing offense ever, the Oklahoma wishbone formation, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The wishbone formation, also known simply as the ’bone, is an offensive formation in American football. Though the end of Switzer's tenure at Oklahoma was marked by controversy and poor player behavior, he is generally well-regarded by both his past players and Sooner fans. During his 16 years as the Sooner's head coach, Switzer led his team to 12 conference championships and never lost more than two games in a row. His winning percentage of . 837 stands as the fourth highest in the entire history of 1-A football. Other Hall of Fame coaches whose tenure included stints at the University of Oklahoma are Lawrence "Biff" Jones and Jim Tatum. Lawrence M "Biff" Jones is a former college football head coach and member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

2006 football season

Main article: 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team

After the previous year's 0-4 season (originally 8-4, but due to NCAA violations, all winning games were vacated then reinstated by the NCAA after an appeal process by OU Regents. The 2006 Oklahoma Sooners football team (variously "Oklahoma" "OU" or the "Sooners" represented the University of Oklahoma in the College The games are not forfeited because the teams that OU defeated will not be granted an additional victory), the Sooners largely returned to form in 2006. While the Sooners were considered a top five team by many season preview magazines, on 2 August 2006, starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and Offensive Lineman J. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. Rhett Matthew Bomar (born July 2, 1985 in Groesbeck Texas) is an American football Quarterback who is currently enrolled In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time D. Quinn were dismissed from the team by the university for violating NCAA regulations. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations However, the Sooners rebounded strongly behind quarterback Paul Thompson and finished the regular season at 11-2. Paul Thompson (born November 23, 1983 in Leander Texas) is an American football Quarterback who is currently a Free agent The Sooners defeated Oklahoma State 27-21 to claim the Big 12 South title. The Sooners defeated Nebraska 21-7 to claim the Big 12 Championship. On January 1, OU was defeated by Boise State University in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl by the score of 43-42. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Boise State University is a Public university located near downtown Boise, the Capital city of the U The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a College football Bowl game sponsored by Tostitos.

2007 football season

Main article: 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the 2007 with a 79–10 win over North Texas. The 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team (variously "Oklahoma" "OU" or The Sooners continued their offensive performances and strong defensive performances with wins over Miami (51–13), Utah State (54–3), and Tulsa (62–21). The Sooners lost only two games in the regular season—to the Colorado Buffaloes (24–27) and Texas Tech (27–34). The remaining Sooner victories were over Texas (28–21), Missouri (41–31), Iowa State (17–7), Texas A&M (42–14), Baylor (52–21), and Oklahoma State (49–17). The Sooners played against the Missouri Tigers in the Big 12 championship game and came away with a 38–17 win over the then #1 ranked Tigers. The Sooners played in the Fiesta Bowl game against the West Virginia Mountaineers. The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1 2007 The Sooners lost, 28–48, to end the season with 11 wins and 3 losses. Curtis Lofton (linebacker), Malcolm Kelly (wide receiver), and Reggie Smith (defensive back) left Oklahoma early to declare for the 2008 NFL Draft. This article relates to Sports. For the Vietnam War bombing raids see Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II. A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage they The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27 2008

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team is highly successful and rose to national prominence since the early 80’s with head coach Billy Tubbs and three time All-American power forward Wayman Tisdale. College basketball most often refers to the American Basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Billy Tubbs (born March 5, 1935) is a former men's College basketball coach. Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (born June 9, 1964, in Tulsa Oklahoma) is an American former professional Basketball player in the It currently plays in the Lloyd Noble Center, which came to be known as the house Alvan Adams built and Tisdale filled. The Lloyd Noble Center is an 11528-seat multi-purpose Arena in Norman Oklahoma, some south of downtown Oklahoma City. Alvan Leigh Adams (born July 19 1954, in Lawrence Kansas) is a retired American professional Basketball player While the team has never won a national championship, it ranks second in most tournament wins without a championship behind Illinois. The Fighting Illini (also known as The Illini) are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The team played in the 1988 national championship game but lost to Kansas, despite having beaten the Jayhawks three times earlier in the season, including the Big 8 Championship Game in Kansas City. The sports teams at the University of Kansas are The program has won a combined twenty regular-season and tournament conference championships.

The Sooners headed into the 2005-06 season ranked #6 in the AP preseason poll, led by Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout, Terrell Everett, and David Goldbold, but had a disappointing early season. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Taj Gray (born March 14 1984 in Wichita Kansas) was a basketball player for the University of Oklahoma. Kevin Bookout (born March 16, 1983 in Stroud Oklahoma) is a basketball player for the University of Oklahoma. After the emergence of Michael Neal as a potential star, the Sooners salvaged a #3 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament but lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

On March 29, 2006, Kelvin Sampson left the University of Oklahoma to become the head basketball coach at Indiana University. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Kelvin Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Indiana University is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. 13 days later, on April 11, 2006, Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione named Jeff Capel III the new head coach. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Felton Jeff Capel III (born February 12, 1975) is a former College basketball player at Duke University and the current men's Basketball Capel encountered trouble in his first few months as several players who had been recruited by Sampson backed out of their commitments. The Sooners looked to continue a streak of 12 consecutive postseason tournament appearances in 2006-2007, but were disappointed when they did not receive a bid for either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.

See also: List of Oklahoma Sooners Men's Basketball Conference Championships

See also: Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball

Men's gymnastics

The men's gymnastics program at OU is headed by coach Mark Williams. See also Oklahoma Sooners, University of Oklahoma Since the 1930s the University of Oklahoma Sooners have been a dominant basketball program The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represents University of Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference in NCAA Division I men's Basketball Mark Williams (or Marc Williams) may refer to Australia Mark M It has won five of the last seven NCAA Men's Gymnastics championships, winning the title in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008 (they finished second behind Penn State in 2004 and 2007). This is a list of National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Gymnastics Champions, by division and year The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related, land-grant, space grant public research University Only Oklahoma and Penn State have won the NCAA title since 2000, with the exception of Ohio State in 2001. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. They won the 2006 title with very little experience on the team as 50% of the members were freshmen and just 21% were upperclassmen (seven freshmen, four sophomores, one junior, and two seniors). Teams from OU also won national championships in 1977, 1978, and 1991.

Gymnastics began at the school in 1902. The program folded in 1917 when the original coach left. The program was revived in 1965 with the new coach, Russ Porterfield having to beg students to join the squad. Within 6 years, OU had its first winning season. OU's next coach, Paul Ziert, turned the program into one of national prominence. He led OU to two national championships in 1977 and 1978. One of Ziert's athletes, Greg Buwick, would replace him as head coach in 1980 and would lead the team to its third national title in 1991. Buwick's assistant of 12 years, Mark Williams, took over the head coaching position in 2000 and has continued OU's tradition of gymnastics excellence. OU has produced more Nissen award winners than any other university and is the only school to have back-to-back Nissen award winners. ^[7]

Baseball

Main article: Oklahoma Sooners baseball

The Oklahoma Baseball tradition is long, proud and storied, with two National Championships in 1951 and 1994, along with numerous All-Americans. Oklahoma Sooners baseball is the NCAA Division I collegiate Baseball team of the University of Oklahoma based in Norman Oklahoma. Their home field is L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park, named after famed player Dale Mitchell. The L Dale Mitchell Baseball Park is home to the University of Oklahoma Sooners baseball team The current coach is Sunny Golloway. Sunny Golloway is the head baseball coach at the University of Oklahoma. The baseball program was a source of recent controversy when the head coach, Larry Cochell, resigned after making racially insensitive remarks about one of the players on the team. Larry Cochell is a former baseball coach for the University of Oklahoma.

During the 2005-2006 season, the Sooners were given a home regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park and were named the #1 seed. They beat the University of Houston, Texas Christian University, and Wichita State University to win the regional and advanced to a Super Regional where they were defeated by Rice University in a best-of-three series. The University of Houston (often referred to as " U of H," " UH," or " Houston " is a public doctoral/research Texas Christian University is a private, Coeducational University located in Fort Worth, Texas. Wichita State University (WSU is an American state-supported university located in the city of Wichita Kansas. William Marsh Rice University (commonly called Rice University and opened in 1912 as The William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters Science and Art Oregon State University went on to win the College World Series that year. Oregon State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research[[ university]] located in Corvallis, Oregon, United The College World Series or CWS is a Baseball Tournament held in Omaha Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball

Prior to 2006, the Sooners hosted regionals at minor league parks in Oklahoma City, first All Sports Stadium and then AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. All Sports Stadium was a Stadium located at the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. AT&T Bricktown Ballpark opened in 1998 in downtown Oklahoma City 's Bricktown district Scheduling conflicts with the Oklahoma Redhawks, the Class AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers, led OU to bid for future regionals at its on-campus stadium. The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in Arlington Texas, United States, representing the Dallas-Ft

Women's basketball

OU Women's Basketball began during the 1974-75 academic year. Funding was lax, as the school provided $42,000 to fund six new women's sports. The program was an afterthought with many years of below average performance. In March 1990, Oklahoma officials released a statement saying that the women's basketball program was to be dropped. Many people voiced their complaints and eight days later, OU reinstated the program. ^[8] At the time, the average attendance per game was only 65 people. It wasn't until 1996 when OU hired local high school basketball coach, Sherri Coale, that the team became something Sooners would be proud of. Sherri Kay Coale is the current women's Basketball coach for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. As with the Men's team, they call Lloyd Noble Center home. The Lloyd Noble Center is an 11528-seat multi-purpose Arena in Norman Oklahoma, some south of downtown Oklahoma City.

The program gained national prominence during the 2002 post-season when they advanced to the National Title game and lost to the University of Connecticut Huskies. The University of Connecticut ( Connecticut or UConn) is the State of Connecticut 's Land-grant university. In the 2005-06 season, the Sooners were led by their coach Sherri Coale and the nationally-known sophomore twins Courtney and Ashley Paris, daughters of former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Bubba Paris, to the third round of the national tournament. Courtney Paris (born September 21 1987 in San Jose California) is the Senior starting center for the University of Oklahoma women's basketball Ashley Paris, twin sister of Courtney Paris, has been nationally recognized for her Basketball achievements The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team William "Bubba" Paris (born October 6, 1960 in Louisville Kentucky) is a former professional American football Offensive lineman The team also won the Big 12 regular season championship (with a 16-0 conference record) and the Big 12 Tournament. They are the first Big 12 women's basketball team to remain undefeated throughout conference play.

Wrestling

McCasland Field House, home of OU's volleyball and wrestling teams.

The wrestling program is the fourth most decorated in college wrestling, having won seven national championships in 1936, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963 and 1974. They are led by their coach, Jack Spates. While Oklahoma State claims the mantle of most dominant wrestling program in the state (and arguably the country), the Sooners are considered a power in their own right and Bedlam matches draw an enormous crowd. History The Bedlam Series is like most other intra-state rivalries a rivalry that goes beyond one or two sports

Women's rowing

On May 10, 2007 the University announced the addition of women's rowing to the intercollegiate athletics program. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[9] A rowing facility will be built on the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City and is expected to be completed in 2009. North Canadian River is a river that flows through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the US state of Oklahoma. The addition of the program was made possible by large donations from Aubrey McClendon and Clayton Bennett. Aubrey Kerr McClendon (born 1959 in Oklahoma City Oklahoma) is the Chief executive officer, chairman and co-founder of Chesapeake Energy. Clayton "Clay" Ike Bennett is an American businessman and Chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC, the ownership of the A coach and staff will be hired during the 2007/08 academic year with recruitment beginning after that. ^[9] This is the first sport added since women's soccer was added in 1996. ^[9]

Rivalries

University of Texas

Reminder for OU students of rivalry with the dates of every game for the past 20 years. With construction of a new pedestrian mall, this painting was replicated outside Nielsen Hall close to the clock tower in front of Bizzell Library. Until May 2006, it was located at the South Oval.

The University of Texas is considered the primary rival of the Sooners. Inverted versions of the Longhorn mascot can be seen on automobiles all over the Norman campus, and many T-shirts referring to the rivalry present the word "Texas" in mirror image, upside-down, or possibly surrounded by obscenities. The Texas longhorn is a breed of Cattle known for its It is ironic that due to the copyright surrounding the longhorn symbol, the University of Texas receives substantial amounts of money from Oklahoma retailers that sell the symbol for students to invert. ^[10] A reminder of the rivalry shared by these two schools was painted on the South Oval of the OU campus for many years, and was recently replicated near the Library clock tower due to construction at its original site.

The annual game between the schools at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, known as the Red River Shootout, is a game that draws attention from the college football world. The Cotton Bowl is a Stadium which opened in 1932 and became known as "The House that Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Atmosphere There are three Red River Shootout trophies exchanged based on the outcome of the game 2005 marked the 100th "Red River Shootout" which took place on October 8 in the Cotton Bowl, alongside the State Fair of Texas. Atmosphere There are three Red River Shootout trophies exchanged based on the outcome of the game Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses The Cotton Bowl is a Stadium which opened in 1932 and became known as "The House that Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker The State Fair of Texas is an annual State fair held in Dallas, Texas ( USA) Oklahoma was defeated by eventual national champion Texas, 45-12; this was the first loss for OU in the series since 1999. The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team (variously "Texas" "UT" or the "Horns" represented The University of Texas at Austin during the College As of the 2007 season, Texas still leads the Sooners with a 57-40-5 head-to-head record.

University of Nebraska

A traditional college football rivalry with the University of Nebraska has been less intense over the past several years (although recent off-the-field incidents have heightened the animosity between the two programs and their respective fanbases). This is mainly due to the split-division nature of the Big 12 that now only allows the teams to play each other twice every four years. Prior to this, these teams were involved in several historic match-ups, including the Game of the Century and the so-called Game of the New Century where the teams have come in to the game ranked one and two in the Associated Press Poll, making the games of great importance in deciding the national championship. The phrase "Game of the Century" is a Superlative that has been applied to several College football contests played in the 20th century the first full century The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Historically, the rivalry's most distinguishing quality has been the grudging respect and appreciation between the two tradition-rich programs. Also of note is the game's former status as the premier Thanksgiving Day game for the middle of the country. Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American Holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. The Sooners and Cornhuskers went head-to-head in the 2006 Big 12 Championship Game, with Oklahoma winning the conference title by the score of 21-7. The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in College football. The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States.

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma's other rivalry is with an intrastate team, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and is often referred to as the "Bedlam Series". Oklahoma State Cowboys ( Cowgirls for women's teams are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. History The Bedlam Series is like most other intra-state rivalries a rivalry that goes beyond one or two sports The rivalry between the Pokes is the most lopsided series in NCAA Football history, 79-16-7 in favor of Oklahoma. It is normally played as a home-and-home series with games alternating between Norman and Stillwater, with the exception of the baseball teams, who often play at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City or Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. Norman is the largest city in and the County seat of Cleveland County in the U Stillwater is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. AT&T Bricktown Ballpark opened in 1998 in downtown Oklahoma City 's Bricktown district Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the US state of Oklahoma. Opened in 1981, Drillers Stadium located in Tulsa Oklahoma, USA is a Minor league Baseball Stadium, located near the Tulsa Basketball has been more competitive with OU owning a 59% winning percentage in that rivalry.

Traditions

The "fight song" of the University of Oklahoma is "Boomer Sooner", a version of "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University. Boomer Sooner is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma written by Arthur M "Boomer Sooner" was written by Arthur M. Alden in 1905. Other songs played at athletic events by The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band are a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!", "OK Oklahoma", played after touchdowns, and the "OU Chant". The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride" is the student Marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. Richard Rodgers (1902 &ndash 1979 and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 &ndash 1960 were a well-known American songwriting duo " Oklahoma " is the title song from and the finale to the Broadway musical Oklahoma! The music and lyrics were written by Richard The OU Chant is the Alma mater of the University of Oklahoma.

The Mascot present at all football games is the Sooner Schooner, a Conestoga wagon, pulled by two crème white ponies, Boomer and Sooner. The Sooner Schooner is the official mascot of the sports teams of the University of Oklahoma Sooners. The Conestoga wagon is a heavy broad-wheeled covered freight carrier used extensively during the United States in the late 1700s and 1800s The caretakers of the wagon are the spirit group called the RUF/NEKS, who shoot off modified shotguns in celebration of scores by the home team. The RUF/NEKS are an all-male student Pep squad for the University of Oklahoma. The group was launched in 1915 when an elderly female spectator at an OU-Oklahoma A&M basketball game chided the group for raising hell ("Sit down and be quiet, you roughnecks!")^[11]

Recently, in time for the 2005 football season, two new mascots, based on the ponies who pull the Schooner, were created, named appropriately, Boomer and Sooner. Boomer and Sooner are two Mascots of the University of Oklahoma and its sports teams the Oklahoma Sooners. They are costumes of two identical (except for eye color) crème white ponies.

The official school colors are Crimson and Cream, with red and white sometimes used as substitutes for simplicity. Crimson is a strong bright deep Red color combined with some Blue, resulting in a tiny degree of Purple. Cream is the Colour of the cream produced by Cattle grazing on natural Pasture with plants rich in Yellow Carotenoid pigments ^[12] The school logo is an interlocking OU design and was first used on football helmets in 1967.

National Championships

• Men's
  • Baseball: 1951, 1994
  • Football: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000
  • Golf: 1989
  • Gymnastics: 1977, 1978, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
  • Wrestling: 1936, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1974

• Women's
  • Softball: 2000

External links

• Official Oklahoma athletics site
• OU Insider
• SoonerStats.com
• SoonerSidelines.com - Oklahoma Sooners Fan Site and the only all Sooners Podcast.
• SoonerSideline.com
• University of Oklahoma Football - Updated daily news, articles, featuring roster and past history.
• Sooners/UT rivalry site - Features calls from Coach Stoops

References