Oklahoma Sooners

Last updated

Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners logo.svg
University University of Oklahoma
Conference SEC (primary)
Big 12 (wrestling)
MPSF (men's gymnastics)
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic director Joe Castiglione
Location Norman, Oklahoma
Varsity teams19
Football stadium Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena Lloyd Noble Center
Baseball stadium L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park
Softball stadium Love's Field
Soccer stadiumJohn Crain Field
Golf courseJimmy Austin OU Golf Club
Tennis venueHeadington Tennis Center
Outdoor track and field venue John Jacobs Track and Field Complex
Mosier Indoor Track Facility
Other venues McCasland Field House
Mascot Sooner Schooner
Nickname Sooners
Fight song Boomer Sooner
ColorsCrimson and cream [1]
   
Website soonersports.com
Southeastern Conference logo in Oklahoma's colors SEC logo in Oklahoma colors.svg
Southeastern Conference logo in Oklahoma's colors

The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run of 1889, which initially opened the Unassigned Lands in the future state of Oklahoma to non-native settlement. [2] [3] The university's athletic teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The university's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.

Contents

The Sooners have won 44 team national championships. In 2002, the University of Oklahoma was ranked as the third best college sports program in America by Sports Illustrated . [4]

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross countryGolf
Football Gymnastics
GolfRowing
Gymnastics Soccer
Tennis Softball
Track and fieldTennis
WrestlingTrack and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

The University of Oklahoma was a charter member of the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWC) during its formation in 1914. 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. Over the next 31 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. Four Texas schools joined with the members of Big Eight to form the current Big 12 Conference.

In July 2021, Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference after the two universities had reached out the conference. [5] In May 2023, it was announced that the two universities had approved the necessary contractual agreements with both conferences in order officially join the SEC on July 1, 2024. [6] Oklahoma will remain as an affiliate member of the Big 12 in men's wrestling as the SEC does not sponsor the sport, no other sport will be affected. [7]

When combined with Blake Griffin's John Wooden Award and Sam Bradford's Heisman Trophy, Oklahoma became the second school to have a top winner in both basketball and football in the same year (in 1968, Gary Beban won the Heisman Trophy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the USBWA "Player of the Year" award for UCLA).

Football

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium OMSFront.jpg
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

The Sooners have been participating in college football since 1895. Calling Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field home, the team has won numerous bowl games, 50 conference championships (including every Big Seven championship awarded), and seven Associated Press National Championships, making the Sooners football program one of the most decorated in college football. Oklahoma has scored the most points in Division I-A football history despite the fact they have played over 60 fewer games than the second place school on that list. [8] OU also has the highest winning percentage of any team since the start of the AP poll in 1936. [9]

The Sooners possess 7 national championships in football, with 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. This number is 3rd only to the Alabama Crimson Tide (12) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8) for the most AP 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). [10] [11]

In addition to these seven acknowledged national championships there are also ten additional years in which the NCAA's official record book lists other selections (mostly by math rating systems) of the Sooners as national champions, with the first four years in retrospect: 1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2003. [12] In general, math formula rankings are not recognized as national championships. [13] 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).

The Oklahoma squad in a pregame huddle. OU PregameHuddle.jpg
The Oklahoma squad in a pregame huddle.

Individual success is also a major part of Oklahoma football; seven Heisman Trophy winners (Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White, Sam Bradford Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray) are surrounded by many other award winners, including NFL MVP Award winner Adrian Peterson, Joe Washington, Brian Bosworth, Tony Casillas, Greg Pruitt, Josh Heupel, Jerry Tubbs, Rocky Calmus, Granville Liggins, Teddy Lehman, Lee Roy Selmon, Roy Williams, Tommy McDonald, Mark Clayton, Tommie Harris, J. C. Watts, Keith Jackson, and Jammal Brown. More than a dozen Sooner players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Oklahoma has more Butkus award winners than any other school.

Oklahoma University - Memorial Stadium - Norman, Oklahoma (6088942148) Oklahoma University - Memorial Stadium - Norman, Oklahoma (6088942148).jpg
Oklahoma University – Memorial Stadium – Norman, Oklahoma (6088942148)

Coaches Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops have passed through the game-day tunnel for the Sooners, each on his way to the College Football Hall of Fame. 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. 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 (started October 10, 1953, vs. Texas and ended in 1957 with a loss to Notre Dame 7–0). Switzer won three national championships (the National Championship of 1975 is highly controversial; Arizona State went 12–0 that season while Oklahoma was 11–1) and forged arguably the fiercest rushing offense ever,[ citation needed ] the Oklahoma wishbone formation, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. 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.[ citation needed ] During his 16 years as the Sooners' 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 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.

Baseball

The Oklahoma Baseball tradition is long, proud and storied, with two National Championships in 1951 and 1994, along with numerous All-Americans. Their home field is L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park, named after famed player Dale Mitchell. The current coach is Skip Johnson. 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.

During the 2005–2006 season, the Sooners were given a home regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park and were named the No. 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. Oregon State University went on to win the College World Series that year.

Prior to 2006, the Sooners hosted regionals at minor league parks in Oklahoma City, first All Sports Stadium and then AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. Scheduling conflicts with the Oklahoma Redhawks, the Class AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros, led OU to bid for future regionals at its on-campus stadium.

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team is highly successful and rose to national prominence since the early 80s with head coach Billy Tubbs and three time All-American power forward Wayman Tisdale. It currently plays in the Lloyd Noble Center, which came to be known as the house Alvan Adams built and Tisdale filled. While the team has never won a national championship, it ranks second in most tournament wins without a championship behind Illinois. The team played in the 1988 national championship game but lost to Kansas, despite having beaten the Jayhawks twice earlier in the season. The program has won a combined twenty regular-season and tournament conference championships.

The Sooners headed into the 2005–06 season ranked No. 5 in the AP preseason poll, led by Taj Gray, Kevin Bookout, Terrell Everett, and David Godbold, but had a disappointing early season. After the emergence of Michael Neal as a potential star, the Sooners salvaged a No. 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. 13 days later, on April 11, 2006, Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione named Jeff Capel III the new head coach. Capel encountered trouble in his first few months as several players who had been recruited by Sampson backed out of their commitments. Also, under Sampson's watch, Oklahoma was placed under a three-year investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. At the end of their investigation, the NCAA issued a report citing more than 550 illegal calls made by Sampson and his staff to 17 different recruits. The NCAA barred Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year, ending May 24, 2007. [14] 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.

In the 2009 NBA draft, the Sooners produced the No. 1 overall draft selection Blake Griffin. [15]

Women's basketball

OU women's basketball began during the 1974–75 academic year. [16] 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. Due to low attendance, a statement was released in March 1990 that the program would be cut, but it was reinstated eight days later after fan response. [17] In that season, the team drew an average of 65 people per game. [18] Now the Sooners are one of the nation's leaders in attendance. In 2002, Oklahoma advanced to the National Title game before losing to the Connecticut Huskies. The Sooners won seven Big 12 titles in the 2000's and became a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 2009 and 2010. [19]

Men's golf

The men's golf team has won 19 conference championships:

The Sooners won the NCAA Championship in 1989 and 2017. OU has also crowned two individual national champions: Walter Emery in 1933 and Jim Vickers in 1952.

Several Sooners have had successful amateur and professional careers after college: Charles Coe (1949 and 1958 U.S. Amateur winner), Glen Day (one PGA Tour win), Todd Hamilton (two PGA Tour wins including 2004 Open Championship), Anthony Kim (three PGA Tour wins), Andrew Magee (four PGA Tour wins), Craig Perks (one PGA Tour win), Greg Turner (four European Tour wins), Grant Waite (one PGA Tour win) and Abraham Ancer (winner of 2018 Emirates Australian Open).

Men's gymnastics

The 2008 Sooners men's gymnastics team, including 2008 Nissen-Emery Award winner Jonathan Horton, are honored at the White House by President of the United States George W. Bush upon the team's winning the 2008 national championship. UO men's gymnastics at the WH.jpg
The 2008 Sooners men's gymnastics team, including 2008 Nissen-Emery Award winner Jonathan Horton, are honored at the White House by President of the United States George W. Bush upon the team's winning the 2008 national championship.

The men's gymnastics program at OU is headed by coach Mark Williams. It has won twelve NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, which is tied with Penn State for most all time. Their 12 championships include five in a span of seven years in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008 (they finished second behind Penn State in 2004 and 2007). [22] [23] 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). [22] Teams from OU also won national championships in 1977, 1978, 1991, and became the third program in history to win four consecutive championships when they won in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. [24] In 2015, the Sooners broke the NCAA scoring record in a dual meet against Michigan scoring 456.4 points and then broke their own record two weeks later against Illinois scoring 457.3 points.

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 led the Sooners to six national championships, thirteen conference titles, several individual champions, and even more All-Americans. OU has produced more Nissen Award winners than any other university and is the only school to have back-to-back Nissen Award winners. [25]

Women's gymnastics

The women's gymnastics program is headed by K. J. Kindler. The Sooners have won 14 Big 12 conference titles, 8 regional championships, and six [26] national championship titles (2014, a co-championship with Florida and in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023). The Sooners have also won seven individual titles in their history, with Kelly Garrison (all-around in 1987; all-around, bars and beam in 1988), Taylor Spears (beam in 2014), Nicole Lehrmann (bars in 2017), and Maggie Nichols (bars in 2017) claiming honors. [27]

Women's rowing

On May 10, 2007, the University announced the addition of women's rowing to the intercollegiate athletics program started by well-respected rower Candie Garrett. [28] The University hired head coach Leeanne Crain in the spring of 2008. Assistant Coaches Kris Muhl and Andrew Derrick followed Crain from the University of Central Florida to jumpstart OU's program. Muhl took a head coaching position at Jacksonville University during summer 2009. Former UVA rower and Alabama Novice coach Marina Traub was hired as the varsity assistant coach in Fall 2009. [29]

The University of Oklahoma women's rowing team practices in the Oklahoma City River (formerly the Canadian River), located in the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City. The river was designated as a U.S. Olympic Training Center for the sports of kayaking, canoeing, and rowing on July 28, 2009. The University's boathouse was completed in 2011.

Women's soccer

The women's soccer home ground is John Crain Field in the OU Soccer Complex.

As of 2021 the head coach is Mark Carr, a graduate of Bournemouth University, who was formerly head coach of the United States women's national under-20 soccer team. [30] [31]

Softball

The OU softball program qualified four times for the AIAW WCWS (1975, 1980, 1981, 1982) and 16 times for the Women's College World Series (Division I) (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021,2022,and 2023). [32]

In October 1994, OU hired Patty Gasso as the fifth head coach in program history. In 29 years, she has built OU into one of the premier collegiate softball programs in the nation. Within her first five seasons in Norman, Gasso led the Sooners to the final Big Eight championship (1995) and 15 Big 12 titles (1996, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023).

In 2000, Oklahoma won its first Women's College World Series title by defeating perennial power UCLA. It marked the first national championship by a women's athletics program in school history. OU rolled through the 2013 season en route to its second WCWS title. The 2016 Sooners won the program's third national title while starting four sophomores and four freshmen. Despite entering the 2017 postseason tournament as a No. 10 national seed, OU won its second consecutive WCWS title and fourth overall. Game One of the WCWS champion series featured a 17-inning thriller in which the Sooners defeated Florida 7-5. The 2021 WCWS saw OU drop its opener to James Madison before rebounding to earn a spot in the championship series against Florida State. The Sooners defeated the Seminoles in three games to win the program's fifth national title.

Men's and women's track and field

The men's and women's outdoor track and field teams host meets at the John Jacobs Track and Field Complex. The men's and women's indoor track and field teams host meets at the Mosier Indoor Track Facility.

Wrestling

McCasland Field House, home of OU's volleyball and wrestling teams. OU FieldHouse.jpg
McCasland Field House, home of OU's volleyball and wrestling teams.
Several of the main athletic facilities at the Norman campus OU Athletic Facilities.jpg
Several of the main athletic facilities at the Norman campus

The Sooner wrestling program was established in 1920 and is the fourth most decorated in college wrestling, having won seven NCAA national championships in 1936, 1951, 1952, 1957, 1960, 1963 and 1974. The Sooners are considered a power in their own right and Bedlam matches draw big home crowds, with the Howard McCasland Field House being the home for Sooner Wrestling. There are numerous All-Americans and National Champions that have wrestled for the Oklahoma Sooners. Mark Cody was head coach of the program for five years before his resignation in 2016. During his time, Cody coached the Sooners to 10th in 2014. Under Cody, the Sooners had ten All-Americans and two national champions (Kendric Maple and Cody Brewer). Roger Kish took over as head coach in May 2023. [33]

Notable Oklahoma Sooner wrestlers include:

Oklahoma Sooner Wrestling team accomplishments:

Notable non-varsity sports

Rugby

Oklahoma plays college rugby in the Allied Rugby Conference of Division 1A. Oklahoma has participated several times in the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), often matching up against rival Texas. The CRC, held every year at PPL Park in Philadelphia, is the highest profile college rugby competition in the US, and is broadcast live on NBC each year.

The Oklahoma University Rugby Football Club was established in 1974. OU Rugby has experienced success since its founding, including an undefeated record in the 1983–1984 season, and reached the national quarter-finals five times from 1980 to 1990. [35] The early 2000s saw Oklahoma return to its winning ways, winning the Big 12 Rugby Tournament four times. The captain of that squad, All American Tyson Meek, played for the US national rugby team, and went on to become OU's first professional rugby player. [35] Oklahoma finished the 2005 season with a 19–1 record.

Men's Ice Hockey

Oklahoma began playing ice hockey in 2003 and currently plays Division 1 college hockey through the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) as a founding member of the Western Collegiate Hockey League.

The Sooners maintain annual rivalries with the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

Oklahoma has participated several times in the ACHA National Tournament. In 2013, the Sooners climbed to the country's No. 2 ranking before eventually suffering an overtime loss in the national semifinals. [36]

Rivalries

Nebraska Cornhuskers

A traditional college football rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers was much less intense during the Big 12 years than it was in the Big 8 era. This was mainly due to the split-division nature of the Big 12 that only allowed 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 into the game ranked one and two in the Associated Press poll, making the games of great importance in deciding the national championship. 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. 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 two teams also met in the 2010 Big 12 championship game, with Oklahoma again the victor in a close game by a score of 23–20. This turned out to be the final conference meeting between the two teams, as Nebraska departed for the Big Ten Conference the following season.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma's shares an intrastate rivalry with the Oklahoma State Cowboys and is often referred to as the "Bedlam Series." 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 Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City or ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Oklahoma currently leads the series 86–18–7 in football, and 125-88 in basketball [37] In baseball the series is tied at 147–147, and in wrestling Oklahoma trails the series 27–128–9.

Texas Longhorns

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. OUSouthOvalBeatTexas.jpg
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 Texas Longhorns are one rival of the Sooners. Regardless of the trademark implications, 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. 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 Showdown, is a game that draws attention from all around the college football world.

Traditions

The "fight song" of the University of Oklahoma is "Boomer Sooner", a version of "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University, combined with a version of "I'm a Tar Heel Born", the fight song of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "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 extra points, and the "OU Chant." At home games, The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band plays that visiting team's "fight song" while facing their fans.

The Mascot present at all football games is the Sooner Schooner, a Conestoga wagon, pulled by two crème white ponies, Boomer and Sooner. 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 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!") [38]

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. They are costumes of two identical (except for eye color) crème white ponies. Before, the Boomer and Sooner costume mascots, OU was also represented by Top Dawg. Top Dawg did some appearances at football games, but was primarily used at wrestling and basketball events.

The official school colors are Crimson and Cream, with red and white sometimes used as substitutes for simplicity. [39] The school logo is an interlocking OU design. [40]

Championships

National Team Championships

National Championships (44)
Men's (30)
SportYearHead coachOverall record
Baseball1951Jack Baer16–9
1994Larry Cochell50–17
Football1950Bud Wilkinson10–1
195511–0
195610–0
1974Barry Switzer11–0
197511–1
198511–1
2000Bob Stoops13–0
Golf1989Gregg Grost
2017Ryan Hybl
Gymnastics1977Paul Ziert
197810–1
1991Greg Buwick15–1
2002Mark Williams28–1
200326–0
200521–2
2006
2008
2015
2016
2017
2018
Wrestling1936Paul V. Keen
1951Port Robertson
1952
1957
1960Tommy Evans
1963
1974Stan Abel
Women's (14)
Gymnastics2014 K. J. Kindler 31–2–1
201638–1
201733–0
201932–0
202231–2
202328–2
Softball2000Patty Gasso66–8
201357–4
201657–7
201761–9
202156–4
202259–3
202361–1
202459–7

SoonerSports.TV

SoonerSports.tv
Country United States
History
LaunchedSeptember 12, 2012 (2012-09-12)
Closed30 June 2022 (2022-06-30)
Links
Website www.soonersports.tv

SoonerSports.tv was a streaming network and programming block founded in 2012 to carry University of Oklahoma sports programming. The network was operated by Bally Sports and the University of Oklahoma. SoonerSports.tv focused solely on University of Oklahoma athletics. The network carries live sporting events, game replays, coaches shows, vignettes and historical pieces. The live sports that aired on the network included one football game through pay per view, one men's basketball game, and select games from baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, and men’s and women’s gymnastics. [41]

Select men's and women's basketball games, select softball, and select baseball games, were also distributed to the regional Bally Sports networks and their affiliates as part of the programming block. [42]

The network was created in 2012 as part of an agreement with the Fox Sports Networks. [43] In 2021, following the re branding of the Fox Sports Networks to Bally Sports, Bally Sports took over operation. On May 5, 2022 it was announced that SoonerSports.TV will be ending and will be rebrand as Soonervision on ESPN + under a multi-year deal with ESPN. . [44]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big 12 Conference</span> American collegiate athletics conference

The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas. It consists of 16 full-member universities in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Gators</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Florida

The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio State Buckeyes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of The Ohio State University

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The school colors are scarlet and gray. The university's mascot is Brutus Buckeye. "THE" is the official trademark of the Ohio State University merchandise. Led by its gridiron program, the Buckeyes have the largest overall sports endowment of any campus in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purdue Boilermakers</span> Intercollegiate athletics teams of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

The Purdue Boilermakers are the official intercollegiate athletics teams representing Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. As is common with athletic nicknames, the Boilermakers nickname is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large. The nickname is often shortened to "Boilers" by fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisional Collegiate Water Polo Association. Team colors are maize and blue, though these are different shades of "maize" and "blue" from those used by the university at large. The winged helmet is a recognized icon of Michigan Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Tigers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Missouri

The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, protected Columbia from Confederate guerrillas during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Owls</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Temple University

The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedlam Series</span> American college sports rivalry

The Bedlam Series was the name given to the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State rivalry. It refers to the athletics rivalry between Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Big 12 Conference and the University of Oklahoma Sooners of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Both schools were also members of the Big Eight Conference before the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, and both were divisional rivals in the Big 12 South Division prior to 2011. The rivalry concluded as an annual conference matchup after 2023–24 season, after which Oklahoma joined the SEC. 40 years of the rivalry's games were played without the teams playing in the same conference, and it is possible that the series may continue beyond that date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan State Spartans</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Michigan State University

The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa Hawkeyes</span> University of Iowa athletic teams

The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are members of the Big Ten Conference. Currently, the school's athletic director is Beth Goetz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Oklahoma State University

The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university's current athletic director is Chad Weiberg, who replaced the retiring Mike Holder on July 1, 2021. Oklahoma State has won 55 national titles, including 53 NCAA team national titles, which ranks sixth in most NCAA team national championships. These national titles have come in wrestling (34), golf (11), basketball (2), baseball (1), and cross country (5). Oklahoma State has also won non-NCAA national titles in football (1) and equestrian (1).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners football</span> Football team of the University of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners football team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The program began in 1895 and is one of the most successful in history, having won 944 games and possessing a .725 winning percentage, both sixth all-time. Oklahoma has appeared in the AP poll 898 times, including 101 No. 1 rankings, both third all-time. The program claims seven national championships, 50 conference championships, 167 first-team All-Americans, and seven Heisman Trophy winners. The school has had 29 former players and coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and holds the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history with 47 straight victories. Oklahoma is also the only program with which four coaches have won more than 100 games each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State Golden Flashes</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Kent State University

The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kent State is a full member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and has been part of the MAC East division since it was created in 1998. Official school colors are Kent State Blue and Kent State Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise State Broncos</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Boise State University

The Boise State Broncos are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Boise State University, located in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW). The Broncos have a successful athletic program overall, winning the WAC commissioner's cup for the 2005–06 and 2009–10 years. Boise State joined the MW on July 1, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of the University of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma in intercollegiate men's basketball. The program competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Sooners play their home games at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma has won 14 conference championships, 7 conference tournaments. The team has participated in five Final Fours, and holds the record for most NCAA tournament wins without a championship. As of the 2022 season, they are tied for 12th all-time in NCAA tournament appearances. In addition to their tournament successes the program has produced several 33 All-Americans including Wayman Tisdale, Stacey King, Harvey Grant, Mookie Blaylock, Ryan Minor, Hollis Price, and Blake Griffin, 9 first round draft picks, including one No. 1 pick and four National Players of the Year: Vic Holt (1928), Gerald Tucker (1947), Blake Griffin (2009) and Buddy Hield (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal State Fullerton Titans</span> Sports teams of a university

The Cal State Fullerton Titans are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Washington Eagles</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Eastern Washington University

The Eastern Washington Eagles are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that represent Eastern Washington University, located in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. A member of the Big Sky Conference, EWU's athletic program comprises five men's sports: basketball, cross country, football, tennis, and track and field, and seven women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball</span> Womens college basketball team

The Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) and competes in NCAA Division I as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Sooners women's gymnastics</span>

The Oklahoma Sooners women's gymnastics team represents the University of Oklahoma in NCAA competition and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Sooners have won nineteen conference championships, 15 NCAA Regional championships, and have appeared in 21 NCAA National Championships. In 2014, the Sooners won the program's first-ever team national title in the first-ever NCAA gymnastics championships tie, tying with Florida with a score of 198.175. The Sooners have had eighteen individual national champions, 202 NCAA All-Americans, and four Honda Awards.

References

  1. "Colors – OU Brand Guide". OU.edu/Brand. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. "What is a Sooner?". Oklahoma Sooners. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  3. "Sooner – Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". Oklahoma Historical Society. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  4. "America's Best Sports Colleges". Sports Illustrated . October 1, 2002. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  5. Medina, Daniella. "How to leave a conference in 10 days: A timeline of how Texas and Oklahoma invaded the SEC". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  6. "OU, Texas get OK from regents for '24 SEC move". ESPN.com. May 6, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  7. "OU Wrestling to Remain in Big 12 Conference as Affiliate Member". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  8. Division I-A All-Time Points Scored Archived May 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine College Football Data Warehouse.
  9. Soonersports.com. OU Football Quick Facts Archived August 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
  10. SoonerSports.com. Seven National Championships Archived September 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . University of Oklahoma. Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
  11. No. 1 program of the modern era Archived November 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . University of Oklahoma. Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
  12. Past Division I-A Football National Champions Archived August 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine . www.ncaa.org
  13. Vautravers, James. "Math-Based Rating" . Retrieved June 9, 2019. For modern (post-WWII) years, however, no one recognizes math formulas as national championships. If they did, just using the systems listed in the NCAA Records Book, we would have an additional 42 so-called national champions between 1970 and the present.
  14. "Sampson barred from off-campus recruiting". May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  15. "2009 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  16. "Women's Basketball Set For Thanksgiving Throwdown With Princeton". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  17. editor, Karoline Leonard, news managing (June 23, 2022). "'I wanted to do it for all the women that weren't able to': How Title IX changed the lives of OU community members". OU Daily. Retrieved December 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. Evans, Murray. "OU Axes Women's Basketball". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  19. "2002 Women's NCAA Tournament Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  20. "Big Eight Conference Men's Golf Championship History" . Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  21. "Big 12 Record Book – Men's Golf" (PDF). Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  22. 1 2 "Men's Gymnastics Year in Review". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  23. "Men's Gymnastics Season in Review". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  24. "Dynasty: OU Wins Fourth Straight NCAA Title". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  25. SoonerSports.com Seven Nissen Emery Award Winners Archived August 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . University of Oklahoma. Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
  26. "Oklahoma captures 5th women's gymnastics title". April 16, 2022.
  27. "Lehrmann, Nichols Win Individual NCAA Titles". soonersports.com. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  28. "OU Athletics Adds Women's Rowing". The University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  29. "Traub Named Asst. Rowing Coach SoonerSports.com - Official Site of the Oklahoma Sooners - Traub Named Asst. Rowing Coach". www.soonersports.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2009.
  30. Soccer soonersports.com
  31. "2019 OU Women's Soccer Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). University of Oklahoma.
  32. Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  33. reporter, Louis Raser, sports (May 2, 2023). "OU wrestling hires North Dakota State's Roger Kish as head coach". OU Daily. Retrieved October 27, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. "UO Wrestling". University of Oklahoma Athletics. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  35. 1 2 Oklahoma Rugby, http://rugbyou.wordpress.com/history/
  36. https://soonermag.oufoundation.org/stories/sooners-on-ice [ bare URL ]
  37. Bedlam Series
  38. Road Trip: University of Oklahoma. Sports Illustrated: On Campus. September 9, 2004.
  39. "Crimson & Cream". Oklahoma Sooners. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  40. "Athletics Marks". University of Oklahoma Brand Guide. University of Oklahoma. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  41. "Oklahoma and Fox Sports Announce Agreement for Sooner Sports TV". Bleacher Report .
  42. "Television details announced for Oklahoma softball's season". February 13, 2020.
  43. "Oklahoma, FOX announce partnership". September 12, 2012.
  44. "ESPN+ AND OU ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR 'SOONERVISION ON ESPN+' AGREEMENT". May 5, 2022.