What a great difference 10 years makes...

[jthomasou78]

In 1996 I was a bright eyed freshman at OU. We had a new football coach, life was going to be good. Was I ever wrong. I gratuated in 99 and suffered three of the worst years of football that we have eevr seen at OU. In 1996 I had an awesome time at the OU-TX game it was amazing. And our team was crap.

Well we may not be undefeated but I am going to take the drive down I-35, Im going to go to the west end and get rocked with 100,000 of my closet friends. Im going to cure that hangover with some corndogs and other fried delicacies at the fair. I am going to lust over some cars I will never own. And Im going to watch the Sooners kick some Horn ***.

It is still the most amazing weekend in college football hand down.

[Pigface1]

Right on, RIP THEIR ****IN' NUTS OFF!!! I mean, have fun man.. Boomer Sooner. :D

[OUmillenium]

Gotta keep things in perspective JT. Way to go and have an awesome time!

[stuckinlubbock]

JT - I was on the John Blake three-year plan during my time at OU too (I guess we just wanted to get done in three years thinking we didn't want to go through another year of that.) Just think if we would have went on the standard 5-year plan like most we would have been around for a national title. (not that we didn't enjoy it!)

I wish I could say the same about THIS weekend ... but I will be in Lubbock watching the Red Raiders and Iowa State.

Not quite the same. Enjoy it for all of us that want to be there.

[stoopified]

Right on, RIP THEIR ****IN' NUTS OFF!!! I mean, have fun man.. Boomer Sooner. :D
:D:D

[oupride]

Yep, I left Norman 10 years ago and moved south to live near my wife's dying father. However, my kid was born in Norman and feels a great sense of pride in that fact. Thank God for Bob Stoops and David Boren! My son no longer lives at home but we share a close relationship in part because of these men. God bless Oklahoma and Boomer Sooner!

[TheUnnamedSooner]

I was a freshman in '97 and got to live through Blake and a Natl Champ. I couldn't have picked better years to go to OU. To be a part of the transformation was incredible.

[Widescreen]

In 1996 I had an awesome time at the OU-TX game it was amazing. And our team was crap.
All hail Jarrail Jackson!

[MI Sooner]

Just think if we would have went on the standard 5-year plan like most we would have been around for a national title.

That's what you get for overachieving.

I was in your freshman class, but stuck around through 2001, primarily because the scholarship I had ran for five years. Since then, I've realized that getting drunk every night, sleeping until 1:00 pm, and lots and lots of Playstation did beat having a job (just as I suspected).

Thanks, taxpayers of Oklahoma!

[kevpks]

I started at OU in 98 and remember wishing that they would at least get to a bowl game while I was in school. My wish came true...in a great way.

[douxpaysan]

I started my freshman year in 1966, the same year a young coach named Barry Switzer came from Arkansas. The King(though only a prince at that time)went on to do great things in and around Owen Field. I on the other hand drank my way around Owen Field and in my own prodigal fashion paved my way to Viet Nam.:rolleyes: Yes, what a great difference forty odd years make but there is one thing that remains unchanged.BTHOT

[KRYPTON]

I graduated from OU and moved down here (Houston) in the summer of 96. I took endless crapola from everyone for being an OU fan. A whorn at work tried to run it up on me the Friday before that game but I would only accept a free lunch bet on principle... no way we were gonna win.

I'm not ashamed to say I nearly got choked up when we won, not because we won per se, but more because I knew that I'd get to walk into work on Monday morning and absolutely run it up mercilessly on almost the entire office. :texan:

[soonerloyal]

Of the last ten years, one of my favorite memories will always be seeing my sons "get" the Sooner pride. To really understand and embrace it.

Even though I screamed and bled Crimson even through the bad years, my sons didn't really understand the whole concept. Sometimes I thought they were just humoring me, but they yelled and jumped alongside me faithfully, even in the stadium in pouring rain as we lost to the Jayhawks in '95.

At the start of the 2000 season, before we even played the first game, my oldest son said "Mom...we're going to win the National Championship this year." I looked at him and said, as I always believed, "Yes son, we will." "No, Mom...We ARE going to WIN this year." I looked at him and said "Okay." And believed it 100%.

I watched the boys catch the fever as they saw the Sooners as I had been privileged to see in my lifetime. Through each win, either easy or tough, I saw them rejoice and burn with Sooner Fever. I laughed as my oldest ran off to celebrate the win over Nebraska, making us #1. He took over a sign that said "We're #1 - show your ti*s"....and show 'em they did. It was a magical time, seeing Sooner Magic and the effect it had on my boys and the entire Sooner Nation, once again.

I can look at my sons now, and see in each of them the love for their Sooners, just as I'd hoped. And it's there, win or lose, just as I expect it to be, for they are true Sooner Fans, through thick and thin, win or lose.

Marines, good men, born-again believers - and true Sooners. A mom can ask for no more.

[Leroy Lizard]

I came to OU in Gibbs' second year, and left the year before Stoops arrived.

I got shafted.

[tigepilot]

I came to OU in Gibbs' second year, and left the year before Stoops arrived.

I got shafted.

I'm about with yah.

I started in the fall of '93. Had a 'suitemate' that grew up a huge A&M fan but somehow ended up at OU. I attended the A&M game with him that year and buy the end of the game, he was done with A&M and was amazed that the atmosphere of the game was so much better than the Dallas games he had attended in the past. I saw Gibbs leave after that year in favor of Smellenburger, then Blake. I graduated while Blake was still there and followed jobs around the country until I landed back in Oklahoma for the Fall of 2000 not knowing much about OU's team except that some guy nameb Bob Stoops was now running the show and was some sort of improvement over Blake. The first game I attended after returning to Oklahoma was the Kansas game in 2000. While OU won, I thought they were awful and was ready for to be killed by Texas. Boy was I surprised... watched that one on TV. Found myself in Manhattan the next weekend and got myself a ticket to that game as well... what a game! Missed most of the next game vs Nebraska due to work but really enjoyed the rest of the year.

This past weekend was tough to swallow but it's still better than it was 10 years ago. I'd much rather be disapointed about a single game than an entire season... or even an entire decade... man, the 90's sucked.

[soonersweetie]

Of the last ten years, one of my favorite memories will always be seeing my sons "get" the Sooner pride. To really understand and embrace it.

Even though I screamed and bled Crimson even through the bad years, my sons didn't really understand the whole concept. Sometimes I thought they were just humoring me, but they yelled and jumped alongside me faithfully, even in the stadium in pouring rain as we lost to the Jayhawks in '95.

At the start of the 2000 season, before we even played the first game, my oldest son said "Mom...we're going to win the National Championship this year." I looked at him and said, as I always believed, "Yes son, we will." "No, Mom...We ARE going to WIN this year." I looked at him and said "Okay." And believed it 100%.

I watched the boys catch the fever as they saw the Sooners as I had been privileged to see in my lifetime. Through each win, either easy or tough, I saw them rejoice and burn with Sooner Fever. I laughed as my oldest ran off to celebrate the win over Nebraska, making us #1. He took over a sign that said "We're #1 - show your ti*s"....and show 'em they did. It was a magical time, seeing Sooner Magic and the effect it had on my boys and the entire Sooner Nation, once again.

I can look at my sons now, and see in each of them the love for their Sooners, just as I'd hoped. And it's there, win or lose, just as I expect it to be, for they are true Sooner Fans, through thick and thin, win or lose.

Marines, good men, born-again believers - and true Sooners. A mom can ask for no more.

That my dear is priceless!!! You did a great job and are very blessed!

I've instilled the same in my children, or have tried to. I have a 13 yr old daughter and an 11 yr old son. They are all about tradition and Sooner Magic. Even Saturday when things looked kind of bleak towards the end of the colorado game, my daughter said, mom are you ready? and at the same time we started chanting Sooner Magic. It just made me smile!

I sometimes wonder if they just indulge me because they know I am avid OU fan or if they really have made that next step and understand and embrace it the way you mentioned. Time will only tell.

I'll quit rambling now, just wanted you to know that was a very cool post!!!

[Stoop Dawg]

I came to OU in Gibbs' second year, and left the year before Stoops arrived.

So you were on the 8 year plan?

I was there during Gibbs. Once I left, all hell broke loose.

[fadada1]

my freshman year was gibbs' first year. so much promise with a 73-3 win to start the year. somewhere in the next 2/1/2 years, i got stupid and had "less than stellar" grades. did my time in the navy, keeping tabs on the happenings with howie and the hiring of JB. came back to OU in 97 (and somehow became smart again) to endure 2 more seasons of disgrace. my final year was stoops' first year and could see the hope. went to UF for the next 2 years, and had the opportunity to see us in the orange bowl and win a nat'l championship.

it's been an interesting past 10-18 years in SOONER history.