Did you go there?

[Funky G]

So, last year before the OSU game, my brother and I pulled into a Quik-Trip in Tulsa wearing OU gear. As we got out of the car an OSU fan says "hope we have a good game today, I see ya'll are rooting for OU, when did you go there?

Now, both my brothers and myself are OU grads. My mother is an OSU grad - undergrad, masters, and PhD. However, when did it become necessary to "go" to a school to be a fan?

When I told him we all went there, he didn't have much else to say. Does anyone else think this is a weak response from the OSU faithful? I would guess that not all the fans in their stadium on Saturdays are not alums as well.

[StoopTroup]

Immediate throat punch IMO. :D

[Aries]

That's always kind of been one of their battle cries, that many OU fans never even attended OU. When they pull that on me, my reply is that I tried to enroll as soon as I became an OU fan, but they do not admit 12 year olds.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

They are jealous because its a rarity that someone who didn't go to school at OSU becomes of a fan of their team.

Who wants to be a fan of mediocrity?

[tigepilot]

They are jealous because its a rarity that someone who didn't go to school at OSU becomes of a fan of their team.

Who wants to be a fan of mediocrity?

You're giving them too much credit.

[mehip]

I seem to hear this a lot from the poke fans. I never understood where they are coming from. My father and mother are both OU grads but I went out of state because I was given a good scholarship and wanted to get out of the nest. It still doesn't change the fact that I grew up loving the crimson and cream.

[SoonerLB]

"When did I go there? While you were out in the sheep pasture looking for a girlfriend!"

[CtheB]

Fanaticism of OU football transcends alumni status. Sheeple have problems with that concept.

[Lott's Bandana]

My response is:

OU Football is a part of Oklahoma history and was the means for pulling the State's reputation out of the Dust Bowl funk it was in.

OSU Football is part of Stoolwater's history.

Here is a good read with some explanation:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3852829

[StoopTroup]

OK....the throat punch might be to extreme....

How about "When did you start working at Home Depot?".

[1890MilesToNorman]

I went there to party with my cousins back in the day, never attended classes myself. I have 2 cousins and 2 uncles who graduated from OU but I guess by aggie standards I can't be a Sooner fan.

[hairGel] bite me and yer aggie rules sheephumpers. :D

[Barry Stoops]

My response is:

OU Football is a part of Oklahoma history and was the means for pulling the State's reputation out of the Dust Bowl funk it was in.

OSU Football is part of Stoolwater's history.

Here is a good read with some explanation:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=3852829

Great read
Thanks

[Desert Sapper]

My cousin Matt went to OSU because they gave him a full ride. He's an OU fan. I think he's a glutton for punishment, too, because he wore OU gear to every Poke State home game while he was there.

[stoopified]

Another jewel of aggy logic-most countys in Oklahoma are pro- osu.Apparently the fact that only the countys around OKC and Tulsa can be considered urban they TRULY believe that they RULE in all rural areas.Point out to them that many great players at OU have been from rural Oklahoma and they get this blank look on their face abd walk away.If they press the point the list starts with the Selmons and JC Watts from Eufala,the Bryans from Coweta,Steve and Tinker from Miami and so on and so on.

[Funky G]

That's always kind of been one of their battle cries, that many OU fans never even attended OU. When they pull that on me, my reply is that I tried to enroll as soon as I became an OU fan, but they do not admit 12 year olds.

very nice :)

[auto]

My cousin Matt went to OSU because they gave him a full ride. He's an OU fan. I think he's a glutton for punishment, too, because he wore OU gear to every Poke State home game while he was there.

I went to OU and OSU:D Only went to OSU games when the Sooners were in town and wore the Crimson and Cream:D

[Lott's Bandana]

Another jewel of aggy logic-most countys in Oklahoma are pro- osu.Apparently the fact that only the countys around OKC and Tulsa can be considered urban they TRULY believe that they RULE in all rural areas.Point out to them that many great players at OU have been from rural Oklahoma and they get this blank look on their face abd walk away.If they press the point the list starts with the Selmons and JC Watts from Eufala,the Bryans from Coweta,Steve and Tinker from Miami and so on and so on.


I know you said "so on and so on".

But I have to add:

Cleveland and Tuttle

:)

[MamaMia]

These oSu fans with the mindset that its a bad thing for a school to have fans who were never students there have a deficiency in basic comprehension skills and/or knowledge of the way social demographics work.

Its a well known fact that the Oklahoma Sooners, and other universities for that matter, will always have fans comprised of both, people who are members of the alumni and fans who feel a connection to that school for whatever other reason[s] they may have.

It would be easy to believe that the Oklahoma State Cowboys would only have fans who actually went to school there because after all, why else would anyone 'want' to be an oSu fan? The truth is however, that like other university fan bases, even oSu has fans who were never oSu students. There are oSu fans who have family members or friends who went there. They also have fans who are Oklahomans and just like rooting for the well known underdog. There are oSu fans who grew up in the Stillwater area and never set foot in a college corridor of any kind, and thats okay. I met a real nice kid the other day who works at the grocery store right here in town. Upon seeing my OU license plate and alumni frame, he told me that he was an oSu fan. I asked if he was a student there or planning to be. He then explained that his best friend graduated from oSu and had passed away shortly thereafter and that he roots for the oSu Cowboys in her honor. I thought that was admirable on his part.

Its just ridiculous for anyone to believe that any college would only have fans who are members of the alumni, even oSu.

[Hotrod3157]

I've always hated that argument and never knew what got it started. I've heard an OSU fan here at work say that about some OU fans but he never went to OSU either. I think its pretty stupid. Its the University of Oklahoma it represents our state so why can't people be a fan and support it that didn't go there. I've got no problem with being a fan of any college as long as you stick with them when they lose too.

[flopshotjoe99]

born & raised in Texas here, but I was taught early in life to hate all things orange.:cool:

[Jello Biafra]

I see ya'll are rooting for OU, when did you go there?



good luck to ya...i see yer wearing orange. when did hooters get a training curriculum set up?

[OUEarl]

I went to OU for three semesters in 2000 and 2001, best time of my life!!! Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the out of state tuition any longer and transferred back home to University of Central MO. Was born a Sooner fan and will be till I die!! My two year old is a fan too, just picked him up a Bradford jersey when we were in Norman for Idaho St.

[ouwapiti]

sheeple ......hahahahaahah.....thats as good as i've ever heard

[Oldnslo]

As a kid who did some growing up in 'Nawlins, I became a fan of Grambling. (Football highlights on Sunday mornings!)

I didn't go to Grambling.

And I don't exactly fit their target demographic.

But I still like to hear that Grambling is having whatever success they get.

Aggies, on the other hand, succ.

[westbrooke]

This is a similar argument to one that I hear from Texas fans regarding recruiting, which basically boils down to them being upset that we consistently raid their state for great talent, heard during those stretches when we seem to be getting the upper hand. Of course, that ebbs and flows with Texas, but it's pretty much a constant with OSU. Both seem to be borne from frustration over losing and not having much else to say.

[beer4me]

This is always a stupid argument IMO. I became an OU fan when I seen my first game in 1963. I only have 3 credit hours from OU so am I not an alum from OU.

But I am also a huge San Diego Charger fan also but I never played for the Chargers either. In fact I was only a transplant to SD while in the Navy. Had one son born out there, but became a Charger fan when they won I think maybe 2 games that first year I seen them.

So does that mean because I am not native to SD I cannot be a fan of the Chargers either?

How about anyone here that is now Thunder Fans does that mean if you aren’t from Seattle you shouldn’t be a Thunder fan.

This whole thing is an exercise in futility.

[OKLA21FAN]

This is always a stupid argument IMO. I became an OU fan when I seen my first game in 1963. I only have 3 credit hours from OU so am I not an alum from OU.



actually, by the strict definition, you are considered Alumni. :pop:

[stoops the eternal pimp]

since I am an Oakland Raiders fan, does that mean I have to move to Oakland?..or even worse have to play for the team?

[bluedogok]

This is a similar argument to one that I hear from Texas fans regarding recruiting, which basically boils down to them being upset that we consistently raid their state for great talent, heard during those stretches when we seem to be getting the upper hand. Of course, that ebbs and flows with Texas, but it's pretty much a constant with OSU. Both seem to be borne from frustration over losing and not having much else to say.
It's not like they can sign every potential recruit anyway.

The funny thing is most of the people I see with Longhorn stuff here in Austin more than likely never attended the school. My neighbors who are Longhorn fans didn't, some hope their kids will go there though. That was much like my father, he couldn't afford college back in the 50's but was always an OU fan growing up in Altus, he made sure that my sister and I had the ability to go to OU.

I also know many OSU fans who have probably never been to Stillwater let alone went to school there or any of the other OSU campuses.

[Jello Biafra]

since I am an Oakland Raiders fan, does that mean I have to move to Oakland?..or even worse have to play for the team?

sad part is you would probably start right now

[StoopTroup]

since I am an Oakland Raiders fan, does that mean I have to move to Oakland?..or even worse have to play for the team?

I'd change teams.

[beer4me]

I'd change teams.

Hehe no joke but being a SD fan from back in the 70's the rapist were like OU to fexus

[misplaced_sooner]

I work with a guy who noticed an OU knick knack on my desk. He says, "Did you go to school there?" "No", I said. He said, "why are you fan then?"....

I said, "hey, your a fan of the Denver Broncos, right?" "Yes", he says. "Well, did you ever work for them?".....

He shut up right then and there....what a tool.

My wife says I have a knack of answering questions with questions...:D

[walkoffsooner]

It's like going to a redsox or yankee game. No I don't live there its the history of winning that brings them in. Only reason to go to osu game is 1. you went to school there. 2. you live there. 3. Your visiting all big 12 fields 4. Your team is playing them. I don't know why they don't get it.

[tulsaoilerfan]

since I am an Oakland Raiders fan, does that mean I have to move to Oakland?..or even worse have to play for the team?

Damn i wouldn't wish that on anyone :D

[tigepilot]

When I hear this it confuses me. They say it like it's supposed to be an insult to OU (or its fans I guess) when, in fact, it's the other way around.


I guess it shows what kind of logical reasoning skills that come with a degree from OSU.

[Sooner-N-KS]

My cousin graduated from OSU. I think he may have even done some undergrad work there. He's a huge OU fan and can't stand that bright orange.

[Leroy Lizard]

If what they say is true (that almost all fans of OSU went to school there), then they share a common bond with Alcorn St. and William & Mary.

I grew up a Sooner because OSU was never on tv when I was a kid. It's hard to get thrilled about a team when the only time you hear anything about them it's in the scores (with half the time them losing).

How many Ohio St. fans went to Ohio St.?

[Eielson]

I tried to enroll at OU but I didn't qualify, so I settled for OSU.

Well, maybe not, but they do have lower standards.

[picasso]

A lot of Poke fans says if you aren't affiliated with either school then it's easier to be an OU fan because they win.

I know a ton of Poke fans who never went to school there. OU just a much much larger fan base.

[GKeeper316]

i guess i'm unique in that i attended both during undergrad... dropped out of OSU after a year and a half to enlist in the marines and go fight the first gulf war... after the marines i went to OU because it was always my first love (just didnt want to live at home for my first years of college, which i would have had to do if i had gone straight to OU from high school in blanchard)

never graduated... have about 20-25 credit hours till a degree, but hell im now in my late 30s and dont really see the point in going back other than to say i have a degree...

[Cam]

I had a friend of mine ask me that question once. I looked at his 2 year old and asked him why he was wearing poke gear. He just flipped me off.

I was brought up an OU fan, and will die an OU fan. Both colleges I went to are closed now. OU cashes every damn check I send them when I donate. If OU doesn't have a problem with it, I don't either.

[RedstickSooner]

First, it's y'all, not ya'll. Pet peeve. I know the rest of y'all could care less.

Second, this is a surprisingly common argument which I've always been a bit puzzled by. My dad's from Enid, and as such, he grew up a Sooner. I wasn't born in Oklahoma, and aside from living with my grandparents in Enid for a summer, I've got no other link to the school. But for as long as I can remember, I yelled and screamed and jumped in the air like a crazy person whenever the Sooners were playing. I was raised a Sooner, and could think of no other team I'd want to, or could, root for. During the Dark Days of the Nineties, I didn't switch allegiances -- frankly, I just quit watching football. I was just settling in to married life, and found plenty of other things to occupy myself with. Then '99 rolled around, and while I was still awfully busy with home life, my daughter having been born in '98, it seemed something interesting was brewing in Norman.

Didn't turn me back into a proper football fan, but I started half paying attention again... And started out 2000 pretty excited. Didn't think we'd amount to anything important, but figured we'd win some games, and heck, might even crack the top ten. I was back on the bandwagon, though I didn't really think of myself as a bandwagon fan at the time, and would still prefer not to.

We all knew what happened then, and I found my first year back as a college football fan was rewarded with the most improbable, magical, amazing season ever. Suddenly I wasn't just watching football when it happened to be on, I was joining Soonerfans, I was reading about recruiting, I was doing all the things we do when we just can't get enough, because there simply isn't enough for us.

And that's where I am today. Can't get enough. Can't watch enough. Can't yell loud enough (though my kids, spouse, and pets might argue with me on that one). Every close game takes years off my life, and I'm pretty sure my first heart attack is due any Saturday now.

But I've got no direct link to the team. I haven't attended OU. Haven't even lived in the state of Oklahoma, aside from that one summer, roughly thirty years ago. And I didn't even cheer us on during the dark Blake years.

There's a lot to criticize about me, as a fan. But even if I went on a break, I'm a monogomist -- it isn't like I'm gonna switch teams if we lose 5 or 6 games this year. Even if we lose that many next year, too. If it gets to where we're bottom-dwelling losers, I'm not going to suddenly put on an LSU cap and claim they're my true favorite. If we start to suck, I'll probably just gradually lose interest like I did in high school. Find other things to do. Not because I'm such a bad person (although I may be) but mostly because it's just awfully hard to follow and love a team that's so far away when they can't compete, and you can't even find 'em on TV. I can't afford to travel to games to see 'em in person, and that makes a big difference. I used to *love* going to LSU games when they sucked. I cheered my head off for 'em, though I wasn't a proper fan. I did so because my wife's family loves LSU, I had nothing against LSU, and there's nothing in this world that compares to the joy of going to a football game in person. I love wandering from tailgate to tailgate, a drink in your hand, feeding off the excitement everyone shares. Wandering up to your seats, way in the nosebleed section, sitting next to smelly guy that always has that seat three seats to your left, and always smells like he slept in a bottle of cheap bourbon. Watching the team, knowing that whoever they play, there's a fifty-fifty chance they'll win. (Back then, LSU could beat anyone. And lose to anyone, too.)

But if you can't have that gameday experience, just watching a loss on the television is hard to swallow, and doesn't have even a quarter of the awesome pageantry and emotion that you get in person.

So, really, I don't know how to categorize myself. I know I love the Sooners, but I don't know if I can argue that I'm a "good" fan. I certainly know there are better fans out there. I also know that while I could lie, or keep quiet, or do any of a dozen things to hide or ignore my deficiencies as a fan, I'm not comfortable with doing so. Whatever I am, I'll own up to it. And for those who think there's something wrong with me for calling myself a Sooner, I admit you have an argument to make there. I just choose to disagree.

And choose to be a Sooner. It's what I was raised to be.

[StoopTroup]

My wife says I have a knack of answering questions with questions...:D

Attorneys hate that.

I do it too sometimes. :D

[Lipton Tea Bags]

I know quite a few Cowboy fans that never attended Oklahoma State.

[StoopTroup]

I know quite a few Cowboy fans that never attended Oklahoma State.

I'm really tempted to ask you a tea bag question....but I'm not gonna do it.

Nestea sucks BTW.

[Crucifax Autumn]

The simple fact is when you are raised in a way that has you in front of the TV watching the sooners in your high chair or baby swing with a bottle of formula and keep it up until you are 40 in a recliner with a beer you can't help but be a fan.

[Crucifax Autumn]

I know quite a few Cowboy fans that never attended fifth grade.

Fixed

[bluedogok]

My cousin Matt went to OSU because they gave him a full ride. He's an OU fan. I think he's a glutton for punishment, too, because he wore OU gear to every Poke State home game while he was there.
I know quite a few of them who did that as well, they were offered scholarships at OSU and not at OU so they took the free ride but still never became Poke fans.

[chad]

I went to OU and OSU:D Only went to OSU games when the Sooners were in town and wore the Crimson and Cream:D


I know quite a few of them who did that as well, they were offered scholarships at OSU and not at OU so they took the free ride but still never became Poke fans.


My cousin Matt went to OSU because they gave him a full ride. He's an OU fan. I think he's a glutton for punishment, too, because he wore OU gear to every Poke State home game while he was there.


I have degrees from both OU and OSU. I attended OSU first, for the reasons stated above. While there I wore my OU gear and got **** for it constantly, even by professors. Luckily the grading was never biased by the orange color glasses.
I did attend most all of the OSU games while I was there, but I can honestly say I never wore orange. The only OSU gear I have, my grandmother bought me. You just can't turn down your grandmothers gifts, so they stay tucked away in my closet.

Attending OU was more business and less fun for me, but I still made it and continue to make it to the games. Much better atmosphere in my biased opinion.

It is humorous when I get asked if I actually went to OU, or the more general question of where did you go to school. The Poke's hate it when I tell them my story. :D

[BHB 91]

I have been asked this question by many poke fans and they shut up when I tell them I did in fact go to OU and earn a degree.

I know lot of people, even here in Dallas that didn't go to OU or have even lived in Oklahoma than are huge fans. It is like being a Dallas Cowboy fan. Everyone enjoys cheering and following a champion.

You don't have to attend OU or work for the Dallas Cowboys to be a fan. Poke fans have little to be proud of so they tend to try and drag others down to their level to make them feel better about themselves unless of course it is wrasslin season!

Boomer!

[gunsalus]

I was a life long Sooners fan and wanted to go to OU, but didn't have the grades to get admitted there or my second choice school, so I went to OSU to get my grades up and transfer. I still couldn't get into OU, but was at least able to transfer up to my second choice, DeVry.

[MyT Oklahoma]

I was born and raised in Kansas but that doesn't make me a Jayhawk fan. I am also Catholic but that doesn't make me a Notre Dame fan. I've never lived in Oklahoma. I have two degrees from Washburn University of Topeka but I was a Sooner fan long before I ever went to college and it's too d*** late to change now.

If some OSU fans don't like all of the above.. screw 'em. And I mean that sincerely. Honest. ;)

[soonerborn30]

A co-worker of mine bristled when I mentioned that OSU wasn't even able to fill up the stadium for the home opener against Georgia. He spat out the OSU company line about graduates, and I asked him "since when do you have to be a college graduate to watch football?" He went and sat back down.

[SoonerStud615]

Both parents are OU alums. I however go to an NAIA (John Brown University) school that doesn't have a football program. So unless it's rugby, I'm rooting for OU.

[Leroy Lizard]

I was brought up an OU fan, and will die an OU fan. Both colleges I went to are closed now.

You must have been a rotten student. :)

Everyone has their reasons for being a fan of a certain team. Some are more logical than others. But it doesn't really matter.

Although I have my reservations about some Poke fans, I root for OSU when they're not playing OU. I may laugh a little when they lose, but I would love to see OSU win the national title if OU didn't. After all, it IS an Oklahoma team, just like Tulsa.

I do have my own pet peeve of OSU fans: The fact that they poke fun at the origin of the team nickname Sooners. Most of them, like most of us, live in the Sooner state.

[tigepilot]

You must have been a rotten student. :)

Everyone has their reasons for being a fan of a certain team. Some are more logical than others. But it doesn't really matter.

Although I have my reservations about some Poke fans, I root for OSU when they're not playing OU. I may laugh a little when they lose, but I would love to see OSU win the national title if OU didn't. After all, it IS an Oklahoma team, just like Tulsa.

I was like that until I spent some time with OSU fans on gamedays and realized that their hatred of OU is greater than their love of OSU. A truly pathetic bunch of people. I can't go out and root against an Oklahoma school but I'm not rotting for them either... I just choose not to watch them anymore unless they are playing OU. There's plenty of other college football games on these days.

[OUAlumni1990]

If we had to only rely on OU Alum to fund the football program we would be in big trouble. I imagine most of the revenue comes from fans that did not go to school at OU.

confession-when I get letters asking for donations to OU I just toss 'em in the trash. Not really related to the topic at hand, but just needed to get that off my conscience...

[Crucifax Autumn]

If we had to only rely on OU Alum to fund the football program we would be in big trouble. I imagine most of the revenue comes from fans that did not go to school at OU.

confession-when I get letters asking for donations to OU I just toss 'em in the trash. Not really related to the topic at hand, but just needed to get that off my conscience...

You're the debil! :P

[oksoonerdave]

I am one who never attended OU. I was raised in Oklahoma and in the mid 50's I was able to attend my first OU game. Watching Tommy McDonald run wild made me a Sooner fan for life.

After High School (Okmulgee) I spent the next 27 years in the Military. Have several hours of credit from four different Universities but no degree.

Who in the hell are "Pokes"? I currently live in San Antonio and cannot stand the sight of any color of orange. I am training my dog "Boomer" to growl at anything of that putrid color. (Bite would be better but may result in a law suit).

[OUAlumni1990]

...and cannot stand the sight of any color of orange.

Thats enough to qualify right there. Your a Sooner..:D

[stoopified]

actually, by the strict definition, you are considered Alumni. :pop:Good now I can claim alum status without having my fingers crossed.

[OUmillenium]

Its all they've got.

We are the "Sooner" state, correct?

[OUmillenium]

I was like that until I spent some time with OSU fans on gamedays and realized that their hatred of OU is greater than their love of OSU. A truly pathetic bunch of people. I can't go out and root against an Oklahoma school but I'm not rotting for them either... I just choose not to watch them anymore unless they are playing OU. There's plenty of other college football games on these days.

I certainly can. And I don't route for the Big 12 either.

[Crimson Kid]

I never went to OU, but i would have loved to.

I"m a born and bred sooner still living in okc, and was raised on sooner sports. i have no family that went to OU either but we love OU and we bleed crimson and creme and have boomer sooner souls.

OU football is a part of me, it's a life long friend that i have had ups and downs with. Win or lose i"m there and have been for over 30 years. If that's a bandwagon fan? then i yup that's me.



P.S I really like reading some of these stories from fans that never even lived in ok, or went to different schools yet still were ou fans, it's amazing how spread out OUr fan base is, kinda like the dallas cowboys.

[SoonerE]

I know quite a few of them who did that as well, they were offered scholarships at OSU and not at OU so they took the free ride but still never became Poke fans.

The above was true for me. I wore my crimson just about every day while I was there too. Hardly anyone gave me a hard time and this was in the early 90's.

I had a doctor just say something to my daughter (8 yr old) yesterday when she told him she would NEVER get an orange cast. He asked her why and she told him. The nurse turned to me and said, "Uh Oh, he's an OSU grad".

My reply. "So am I, but it doesn't mean I have bad taste, it's OU forever!"

[DakotaSooner]

I never went to OU, but i would have loved to.

I"m a born and bred sooner still living in okc, and was raised on sooner sports. i have no family that went to OU either but we love OU and we bleed crimson and creme and have boomer sooner souls.

OU football is a part of me, it's a life long friend that i have had ups and downs with. Win or lose i"m there and have been for over 30 years. If that's a bandwagon fan? then i yup that's me.


I live in South Dakota and only personally know one person that has went to OU, and I am not even related to him. I am 28 years old and have been taught to hate the Huskers, Horns, and Cowboys my whole life. Now I am teaching my two kids. My 54 year old dad has a big OU tattoo on his left bicep. He did start liking them because all his buddies rooted for NU,and OU was the only team that that could beat them. Ever since then he has rooted for them and taught all of us to root for them. Now we are the biggest fans you all know in South Dakota and damn proud of it. We caught our share of flack when BYU beat us from all of the Husker nation up here but the flag still flies outside my house, the OU remains on my mailbox, my dog is still named Boomer, the Sooners stickers on my car are still there, and it will be a cold day in hell before that tattoo comes off my Dad's arm.

I guess all in all, yeah our passion started with my Dad jumping on the bandwagon, but you can guarantee that it is permanent.

BOOMER!

[XFollower]

I would respond with "I actually went to OSU, but God gave me this cool thing called common sense."

[cheezyq]

With OSU, being a fan starts with being an alumni. There is no other reason to be a fan. With OU however, Sooners are born and bred. Being a Sooner starts at birth.

[A-M]

I too was raised as a sooner and then raised my children to be sooners. I was accepted and had a Band scholarship to OU, but due to some family issues, I was not able to attend college until I was in my 50's. Didn't think they would still give me that scholarship, since I hadn't played the french horn in over 40 years so I went to a school where I lived. Does that qualify me as a semi-alumni?

[MiccoMacey]

I went to OU and OSU:D Only went to OSU games when the Sooners were in town and wore the Crimson and Cream:D

I went to both OU and OSU...wore my OU gear to OSU and noone ever said anything (save one professor).

I had season tickets to OSU wrestling last year...and I wore my OU stuff all the time. No one ever said anything (save my dad).

[Landthief 1972]

You guys have to remember that a good chunk of OSU "alumni" are rednecks and hicks who went to Stoolwater with dreams of pledging to AGR, and came home one semester later to maw and paw with their stetson in their hands and a letter from the dean detailing how they flunked out of school thanks to the hours they spent swilling cheap beer instead of reading up on artificial insemination and cross pollination of wheat.

So basically, if your parents wasted $2k-$5k for your semester of puking in the back alley of Eskimo Joe's before going to hit on skanks at Tumbleweeds, congrats - you're an alum!

[MiccoMacey]

Hey...I met my wife at Tumbleweeds!!!

Just kidding. But it makes for a better joke that way.

[starrca23]

Got my Master's at O-State so when I here the standard: did you go to OU? I reply: No, OSU and it's people like you that keep me from being an OSU fan. Usually kills the conversation.
My friend calls OSU the JV team. Which makes sense. They don't care about any other game than the scrimmage with the varsity squad because they just want to be known as the big boy in the school yard.

[Jello Biafra]

I too was raised as a sooner and then raised my children to be sooners. I was accepted and had a Band scholarship to OU, but due to some family issues, I was not able to attend college until I was in my 50's. Didn't think they would still give me that scholarship, since I hadn't played the french horn in over 40 years so I went to a school where I lived. Does that qualify me as a semi-alumni?


did you go to band camp one time? o wait that was a flute.

[I Am Right]

Immediate throat punch IMO. :D

Ha Ha

[I Am Right]

I too was raised as a sooner and then raised my children to be sooners. I was accepted and had a Band scholarship to OU, but due to some family issues, I was not able to attend college until I was in my 50's. Didn't think they would still give me that scholarship, since I hadn't played the french horn in over 40 years so I went to a school where I lived. Does that qualify me as a semi-alumni?

Band scholarship? I knew I should have been in the band.

[Jello Biafra]

Band scholarship? I knew I should have been in the band.

if that be your pic, (in your avatar) i got a job fer ya in my band.

its not hard....well, then again.

[Pigface1]

Sooner born and bred and went there, but the pokes will grab at anything. I'm 100% sure they were rooting for their sorry azz team before they went to that sorry azz school and they'll be rooting for them long after they leave.

[I Am Right]

First, it's y'all, not ya'll. Pet peeve. I know the rest of y'all could care less.

Second, this is a surprisingly common argument which I've always been a bit puzzled by. My dad's from Enid, and as such, he grew up a Sooner. I wasn't born in Oklahoma, and aside from living with my grandparents in Enid for a summer, I've got no other link to the school. But for as long as I can remember, I yelled and screamed and jumped in the air like a crazy person whenever the Sooners were playing. I was raised a Sooner, and could think of no other team I'd want to, or could, root for. During the Dark Days of the Nineties, I didn't switch allegiances -- frankly, I just quit watching football. I was just settling in to married life, and found plenty of other things to occupy myself with. Then '99 rolled around, and while I was still awfully busy with home life, my daughter having been born in '98, it seemed something interesting was brewing in Norman.

Didn't turn me back into a proper football fan, but I started half paying attention again... And started out 2000 pretty excited. Didn't think we'd amount to anything important, but figured we'd win some games, and heck, might even crack the top ten. I was back on the bandwagon, though I didn't really think of myself as a bandwagon fan at the time, and would still prefer not to.

We all knew what happened then, and I found my first year back as a college football fan was rewarded with the most improbable, magical, amazing season ever. Suddenly I wasn't just watching football when it happened to be on, I was joining Soonerfans, I was reading about recruiting, I was doing all the things we do when we just can't get enough, because there simply isn't enough for us.

And that's where I am today. Can't get enough. Can't watch enough. Can't yell loud enough (though my kids, spouse, and pets might argue with me on that one). Every close game takes years off my life, and I'm pretty sure my first heart attack is due any Saturday now.

But I've got no direct link to the team. I haven't attended OU. Haven't even lived in the state of Oklahoma, aside from that one summer, roughly thirty years ago. And I didn't even cheer us on during the dark Blake years.

There's a lot to criticize about me, as a fan. But even if I went on a break, I'm a monogomist -- it isn't like I'm gonna switch teams if we lose 5 or 6 games this year. Even if we lose that many next year, too. If it gets to where we're bottom-dwelling losers, I'm not going to suddenly put on an LSU cap and claim they're my true favorite. If we start to suck, I'll probably just gradually lose interest like I did in high school. Find other things to do. Not because I'm such a bad person (although I may be) but mostly because it's just awfully hard to follow and love a team that's so far away when they can't compete, and you can't even find 'em on TV. I can't afford to travel to games to see 'em in person, and that makes a big difference. I used to *love* going to LSU games when they sucked. I cheered my head off for 'em, though I wasn't a proper fan. I did so because my wife's family loves LSU, I had nothing against LSU, and there's nothing in this world that compares to the joy of going to a football game in person. I love wandering from tailgate to tailgate, a drink in your hand, feeding off the excitement everyone shares. Wandering up to your seats, way in the nosebleed section, sitting next to smelly guy that always has that seat three seats to your left, and always smells like he slept in a bottle of cheap bourbon. Watching the team, knowing that whoever they play, there's a fifty-fifty chance they'll win. (Back then, LSU could beat anyone. And lose to anyone, too.)

But if you can't have that gameday experience, just watching a loss on the television is hard to swallow, and doesn't have even a quarter of the awesome pageantry and emotion that you get in person.

So, really, I don't know how to categorize myself. I know I love the Sooners, but I don't know if I can argue that I'm a "good" fan. I certainly know there are better fans out there. I also know that while I could lie, or keep quiet, or do any of a dozen things to hide or ignore my deficiencies as a fan, I'm not comfortable with doing so. Whatever I am, I'll own up to it. And for those who think there's something wrong with me for calling myself a Sooner, I admit you have an argument to make there. I just choose to disagree.

And choose to be a Sooner. It's what I was raised to be.

I drove through Enid once!

[ruf/nekdad]

"When did I go there? While you were out in the sheep pasture looking for a girlfriend!"
So an OU fan and an OSU fan are driving down the road and see a sheep with its head stuck in the fence. The OU fan gets out and has his way with it and gets back in the truck. The OSU fan says"can I get some of that?" and the OU fan says "sure". So the OSU fan goes out and sticks his head in the fence....

[Piware]

since I am an Oakland Raiders fan, does that mean I have to move to Oakland?..or even worse have to play for the team?

Can you throw a battery or a beer bottle at the opposition? :P

[Lott's Bandana]

Can you throw a battery or a beer bottle at the opposition? :P

Philly = Batteries

Cleveland = Beer Bottles

Oakland = Grenades

I know, I'm a Raiders fan.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

So, last year before the OSU game, my brother and I pulled into a Quik-Trip in Tulsa wearing OU gear. As we got out of the car an OSU fan says "hope we have a good game today, I see ya'll are rooting for OU, when did you go there?

Now, both my brothers and myself are OU grads. My mother is an OSU grad - undergrad, masters, and PhD. However, when did it become necessary to "go" to a school to be a fan?

When I told him we all went there, he didn't have much else to say. Does anyone else think this is a weak response from the OSU faithful? I would guess that not all the fans in their stadium on Saturdays are not alums as well.You might have said something like "Does your question mean that you aren't an OU fan? How sad for you!"

[Cam]

I was like that until I spent some time with OSU fans on gamedays and realized that their hatred of OU is greater than their love of OSU.

This is the part that I just can't wrap my head around. Makes zero sense to me.

[Judge Smails]

I believe the word "poke" is derived from the more descriptive term "sheep poker".

Alot of OSU fans will tell you it comes from "cowpoke", but I think the sheep would be easier for them maintain a grip on than a cow, but what the hell do I know?






Who in the hell are "Pokes"? I currently live in San Antonio and cannot stand the sight of any color of orange. I am training my dog "Boomer" to growl at anything of that putrid color. (Bite would be better but may result in a law suit).

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I live in South Dakota and only personally know one person that has went to OU, and I am not even related to him. I am 28 years old and have been taught to hate the Huskers, Horns, and Cowboys my whole life. Now I am teaching my two kids. My 54 year old dad has a big OU tattoo on his left bicep. He did start liking them because all his buddies rooted for NU,and OU was the only team that that could beat them. Ever since then he has rooted for them and taught all of us to root for them. Now we are the biggest fans you all know in South Dakota and damn proud of it. We caught our share of flack when BYU beat us from all of the Husker nation up here but the flag still flies outside my house, the OU remains on my mailbox, my dog is still named Boomer, the Sooners stickers on my car are still there, and it will be a cold day in hell before that tattoo comes off my Dad's arm.

I guess all in all, yeah our passion started with my Dad jumping on the bandwagon, but you can guarantee that it is permanent.

BOOMER!WHAT A STORY! Good for you, and OU! BOOOOMERRR!!!