Located in Norman, Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma is home to over 30,000 students. Three years after the university elected its first president, David Ross Boyd, in 1892, 100 students and four faculty members became its first class.
Oklahoma is known for its ‘Boomer Sooner’ fight song and phrase. The song was originally written in 1905 by a student and has been the university’s pride for nearly 120 years now. ‘Sooner’ was a nickname for early settlers who sneaked onto the territories of Oklahoma and staked claim to land during the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889.
Throughout the years, the phrase has been used as an echoing call during sporting events and to signify allegiances to the university. “Boomer”, yelled by one side of the stadium, is responded to with “Sooner” by the other side, creating a roar of sound throughout either Owen Field for football or the Lloyd Noble Center for basketball.
The university pairs this with many traditions in sports, including the use of Sooner Schooner, designated the official mascot in 1980. The Schooner, a Conestoga Wagon hauled by two white ponies, is brought out after scoring plays when playing at home or a neutral field. The grouping is led by the University’s all-male spirit group RUF/NEKS.
The Pride of Oklahoma, the University’s marching band, also has deep roots in the culture. Now over 120 years old, the group was one of the few collegiate bands that began as a pep band. It is one of the most storied marching bands in all of college sports, and the Boomer Sooner ringing at the end of their performances is an iconic tribute to the University, one that few other marching bands around the country have been able to replicate.
Oklahoma has a prosperous athletic program that features national champions in many sports. Since 2000, the Sooners have won NCAA championships in football, softball, golf and gymnastics . Oklahoma is home to 19 total teams, nine for men and 10 for women, and claims 44 national championships, 17 of which come from football.
Football is the school’s most prolific sport. The team is tied for the second most Heisman winners, awarded to the best player in the sport every year, with seven. OU’s most recent win comes from now-Arizona Cardinal quarterback Kyler Murray. The Sooners hold the record for most consecutive wins by a football team — they won 47 straight games in the mid-50s, the team’s most successful era.
Softball and gymnastics, however, are the hallmark sports of the modern era for Oklahoma athletics. The softball team has won eight of the last 25 national championships. Most notably, however, the most recent graduating senior class four-peated, winning the last four national championships in the sport, an unbelievable feat of consistency and prowess for any team.
The men’s gymnastics team has won nine titles since 2000, with the women’s team adding another six to the school’s resume. The men’s team is also the record holder for the Nissen Emery awards, given to the best male college gymnast, with eight.
Now entering the SEC alongside the Texas Longhorns, the Sooners look to bring rivalries, tradition and a storied athletic department with them as they take on one of the best conferences in college sports.
