Oklahoma Sooners Football History
The Oklahoma Sooners football team has a tradition of excellence that predates Oklahoma's statehood, with the first game being played in 1895. Under head coach Bud Wilkinson, the Sooners won their first three national championships in 1950, 1955 and 1956 and set a still-standing 47-game winning streak from 1953 to 1957. Barry Switzer coached the Sooners to glory in the ’70s and ’80s, winning national titles in 1974, 1975 and 1985, while Bob Stoops led Oklahoma to an Orange Bowl victory and a national title in 2000. Seven players have won the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Sooners: Billy Vessels in 1952, Steve Owens in 1969, Billy Sims in 1978, Jason White in 2003, Sam Bradford in 2008, Baker Mayfield in 2017 and Kyler Murray in 2018.
Oklahoma has two main rivals in the Big 12 Conference, Oklahoma State and Texas. The "Bedlam" series against the Oklahoma State Cowboys dates back to 1904, when Oklahoma first faced what was known until 1957 as Oklahoma A&M. The annual "Red River Showdown" with the Texas Longhorns is played every October at Dallas' Cotton Bowl as part of the State Fair of Texas. In 2018, Oklahoma and Texas played each other for the first time in the Big 12 Championship Game, with the Sooners defeating the Longhorns, 39-27, to give Oklahoma their record 48th conference championship. Ahead of the 2024 season, the Sooners joined the Southeastern Conference.
Oklahoma Sooners Football Team Info
Conference: Southeastern (SEC)
Team Colors: Crimson, Cream
Team Rivals: Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Oklahoma Sooners Football at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium
Norman, Oklahoma, is home to one of the most successful programs in college football: the University of Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma plays at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, which first opened in 1923, and has a current capacity of 86,112. The facility has been dubbed “The Palace on the Prairie,” and its playing surface is named Owen Field after Oklahoma coach Bennie Owen, who led the team from 1905 to 1926. Sooners fans set Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium’s attendance record of 88,308 in November 2017 in a 38-20 victory against the TCU Horned Frogs.
