Road to College Football: The Oklahoma Game Day Experience
Tradition, history, and success all make up one of the best game days in the country – an Oklahoma Sooner game day.
Somewhere among the 87,000 spectators in the Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium sits Mack Voight, a diehard Oklahoma Sooners fan. For the past 15 years, Mack has sat in the lone seat in section 22, row 32, cheering on his Sooners. He sports a white rope hat, signed by several Sooners legends, and a smile as wide as the Oklahoma plains.
Mack is a standout fan with a unique season ticket, but Sooner fever isn’t uncommon in Norman.
The Game
Kansas State 14, Oklahoma 51
The Sooners were warmly welcomed by a sold out crowd, which wasn’t so warm towards the visiting Kansas State Wildcats. Besides a chorus of boos, Kansas State was met by a freight train that was the 2018 Sooners. They failed to contain Heisman-winner Kyler Murray, who made dazzling play after play, nor did they stop the ball on the ground. Backup running back Kennedy Brooks ripped an 86-yard touchdown, which complimented long scores of 82 and 57 yards by star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Murray would add another staple to his Heisman campaign with over 350 passing yards, four total touchdowns and no turnovers. Adding insult to injury, Sooner safety Brendan Radley-Hiles laid down a thundering hit on Kansas State fullback Adam Harter which left both laying after the play. The hit would appear on SportsCenter for the coming week and stands as one of the biggest hits on Road to CFB yet.
When you see Oklahoma play in person, it’s no wonder that they were the final 2018 Playoff team. With weapons all over the field, this team plays aggressive and fast.
Atmosphere
Due to the landslide, the full potential of the Oklahoma crowd wasn’t really ever met, and the huge sold-out crowd seemed sleepy. By the fourth quarter and up 51-7, the stands were mostly empty and the Wildcats were run back to Kansas.
The Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium isn’t built to trap noise in, and most of the noise escaped to the plains of Oklahoma, even at the beginning of what was hoped to be a good game. With few close games in Memorial Stadium this season, the atmosphere in 2018 could be summed up into, “bored.” Surely not every game is quiet, and if a top-ranked opponent were to walk into Norman, the 87,000 would be much, much louder.
Tailgating
I was warned before going into this game that tailgating at Oklahoma isn’t of the same level as the SEC. Most of the tents are concentrated to the northeast of the stadium beyond Heisman Park, and really only eclipse part of a street. On every day except game day, the University of Oklahoma is a dry campus, meaning that students surely have their off-campus drinking spots and the tailgates are mostly on-campus organizations and wealthy donors.
However, tailgating is not the focus of a family-centered Oklahoma game day. More so than most places I have been to, kids dominated the demographic and groups of fans contained generations of Sooner fans.
Traditions
The tradition at Oklahoma is unlike anywhere else. The Sooners are one of the most storied programs in the country, with seven national titles to back that up. There’s no better embodiment of Oklahoma pride and tradition than the OU RUF/NEKS. The RUF/NEKS are just as historic and storied as the football program. 1923 marked the first official appearance of this spirit group, but the earliest traces of them can be found as far back as the 1910s. This makes them the oldest all-male spirit group in the country (and second in the world).
The sights only make up half of the Oklahoma game day experience; the sounds play a vital role to the pride and the immersion into Sooner culture. Unending cries of “BOOMER!” are always echoed by a chorus of “SOONER!” And no matter how many times the RUF/NEKS shoot off their guns, the bone-rattling crack never fails to startle everyone in the vicinity.
Leading the sea of Oklahoma students are a handful of those who go above and beyond. The Soonermen, as they are called, are known for bringing whiteboards to write jeers and jokes about the game and opposing team throughout contests. When I caught up with the Soonerman, I was told members show up five hours before kickoff and are in their seats three hours beforehand to make sure they get the front row.
In 2017, the group dressed as bakers to support their Heisman quarterback. In 2018, one of the members sports a baseball helmet with “MURRAY” spray painted on the front, playing off of Kyler Murray’s probable future in the MLB. The crew was even gracious enough to include Road to CFB on their whiteboard.
Stadium
At the University of Oklahoma, game day isn’t shrouded by frills and pageantry – the game is the main event. Tailgating is sparse, but you can find droves of fans taking in the tradition and history at Heisman Park. Five statues currently stand on the east side of Memorial Stadium, with a sixth on the way. 2017 Heisman winner Baker Mayfield will be joining the likes of Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White, and Sam Bradford in Heisman Park. Though absent from the park, Mayfield’s presence was very much there that day; thousands of Oklahoma No. 6 jerseys (and even a few Cleveland Browns ones) were the overwhelming favorite game wear.
On the south side of Memorial Stadium are more statues of famous head coaches like Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer. The coaches stand among lush gardens and under the awe-inspiring cathedral architecture that makes up the south end zone complex. Rusty brick and concrete trim bring Memorial Stadium into the 21st century.
Overall, the Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium is an incredible venue with immeasurable tradition and history behind it. The program is one of the premier ones in the country, and the product on the field is of the highest prestige. Glad I get to check this one off the bucket list.
Local Summary
Where to park:
- Free lots at Lloyd Noble Center. Why pay $30 for parking when you don’t have to? Just over a mile from the stadium, the walk is manageable. According to Oklahoma’s game day website, there is a shuttle that runs to these lots, but I didn’t see one and didn’t use one.
Where to eat:
- Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ – This is a chain, but the food is fall-off-the-bone delicious and is all hand-made. Generally, I shoot for only local places, but I was assured by Oklahoma season ticket holders that Rudy’s is the best. I was not disappointed.
Must-see:
- Heisman Park – Heritage and history galore, like an outdoor museum.
- South end zone complex – The new facility is gorgeous and frankly hard to miss. No more is the arbitrary slab of seats with massive gaps to either side and instead has donor seats and a more complete look. The architecture is of the highest quality.
- Walk of Champions – The pre-game walk is a tradition for nearly every team, and Oklahoma’s doesn’t include the band. No worries, though, because this is your chance to get as close as you will all day to your favorite Sooners, which has composed of Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
What to wear:
- Crimson jerseys (No. 1 or No. 6). There may have been a few stray No. 28’s out there, but the overwhelming (and that might be an understatement) favorites were Mayfield’s No. 6 and Murray’s No. 1. If you don’t want to commit to a Sooners jersey, a Browns No. 6 or Athletic’s Murray jersey will suffice.
Where to tailgate:
- East side of stadium past Heisman Park. As mentioned, this isn’t a tailgate-heavy school, but the largest concentration was to the northeast of the stadium.
3 Ways to Improve:
- Had little to no idea that it was Homecoming. For a program that is so ingrained with tradition and history, this was a bit surprising.
- The excitement in the stadium was lacking but could be due to low-competitiveness. No question if Kansas State was ranked in the top 10, this would have been very different.
- The press box is way outdated (no AC I’m pretty sure). It might just be the worst in the major FBS.
The Best
- Tradition and Sooner pride are at a high here. Tough to beat.
- Memorial stadium is beautiful with architecture and inside. The Palace on the Prairie is a suitable name for it. It truly is a palace.
- The RUF/NEKS and Soonermen are great spirit groups. They’re also really personable and will stop for photos and questions.
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