sixtyandthree
12/9/2010, 11:15 AM
Dear Unknown OU Fan:
I attended the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas this past weekend, and although I certainly wished for a different outcome, it was another edition in a long series of hard-fought NU/OU contests. As is typical for me after a Nebraska loss, I wasn't very talkative on the drive back to our hotel in downtown Dallas, a drive that seemed to take twice as long as the drive out to Jerry World, just a few short hours before. A buddy of mine and I were both hungry when we got back downtown, so we walked a few blocks to the TGIFriday's in the West End and grabbed a bite to eat. We talked mainly about the game, about potential bowls, and what to expect from our team next year. There were a few OU fans there, and as one of them was leaving, I congratulated him, and he stopped and spoke to us for a minute, and was gracious and sincere, which is what I've come to expect from OU fans.
A few minutes later, we decided to pay our tab and head back to our hotel. You and your wife, all decked out in crimson and cream, had been sitting at the table directly behind me the whole time we were there, so I intended to congratulate you as well as I left. You folks looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. I walked by, said "Congratulations," and before I was completely past your table, you looked up at me and said, "We're all gonna miss y'all." Now, maybe it was just the celebratory beers you had been having, but your eyes almost looked like there was a faint tear in them as you looked up, and the way you emphasized the "y'all" part of your statement, I knew instantly that you were saying it with the utmost sincerity. I typically enjoy engaging in banter with fans of other teams, but at that moment, I simply froze, and didn't really know how to respond. I think the full gravity of the evening, and the move to the Big Ten, finally hit me at that point.
I'm 36 years old, and have been a Nebraska fan my whole life. While I hazily remember prior intermittent games, including NU-OU games, the first game I remember watching from start to finish is the '82 Orange Bowl against Clemson, following the '81 season, and I have been a fanatic ever since. Consequently, outside of the Turner Gill years, Boomer Sooner dealt me some serious heartache in my formative years. However, regardless of the outcome, I knew from an early age that Nebraska-Oklahoma wasn't just another game. It was something special, and I grew to cherish those titanic matchups at the end of the year, even though more often than not, it resulted in a long, cold winter for the Big Red of the North.
I looked forward with great anticipation to my first NU/OU game in person in 1993, my freshman year of college. Though things changed, and OU fell on hard times, visiting Norman for the '96 game was another cherished experience. Every time, OU fans were a pleasure to interact with. As you know, however, due to circumstances out of the control of you, me, and countless fans like us, the annual renewal of this great game ended with the formation of the Big 12. I remember thinking at the time that it was kind of like losing a friend, but I took some solace in the fact that we would still match up two out of four years, and hopefully often in the championship game. In the years that have passed since then, NU-OU might have lost some of its fire and intensity, but when the Sooners were the next game on the schedule, it still ended up getting my heart racing a bit more than everyone else.
As you know, this past summer was a tumultuous one, and the inevitable conference realignment resulted in Nebraska gaining entry to the Big Ten. Since OU was not on our regular season schedule this year, and because of geographical proximity, most of my focus was spent on the little sisters of the Big 8 (mainly MU, KSU and KU), and the overwhelming desire to not leave the conference with a loss to one of those schools. As I’m sure you have experienced as well, those fan bases (especially MU) can be an irrational and jealous lot, and therefore I took a lot of smug satisfaction in leaving them with one final beating. And, as it became more clear that we would represent the North in the championship game, my main focus was the hope that we could walk out of Jerry World carrying the trophy. While I was very happy that our final Big 12 game would be against OU, I hadn't really fully considered the consequences of that final game. That is, not until I ran into you as I was leaving TGIFriday's.
Like I said, your statement left me actually kind of speechless. I immediately started thinking about how much I always respected and cherished OU, despite the many heartbreaking losses they put me through. I thought about how refreshing it always was to interact with OU fans, as opposed to fans of the aforementioned schools, because there was mutual tradition, and respect, and none of the bitterness and vitriol that consumes the fan bases of those schools. In letting these thoughts rush over me, I unfortunately responded to you rather disjointedly, talking about how it was another good game between our two teams, and other surface statements, and then wished you good luck in the Fiesta Bowl, and left.
As we walked back to the hotel, all of the things I've been describing here came flooding into my mind. Nebraska-Oklahoma was never about the jealousy, bitterness and one-sidedness that defined Nebraska v. MU/KSU/KU/ISU, or the manufactured rivalry of Nebraska-CU. It was never about the sheer hatred that bubbles over into the Red River Rivalry. And it was never about the little brother mentality that defines OU-OSU. It was about excellence, tradition and mutual respect. Whenever Nebraska and Oklahoma took the field together, regardless of each team's record, it was going to be the hardest-hitting game each team would play that year, and the two teams were going to bring out the best in each other. It meant taking your game to another level, maybe a level that a player didn't even know they had. It meant measuring the success of your season by whether or not you beat the other. It meant the Big 8 Championship (still the best conference in the history of college football). It meant playing for National Championships. It WAS college football.
I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes started welling up with tears as I walked back to the hotel thinking about these things. I realized that maybe you looked like you were tearing up for that very same reason. For a split second, I thought about turning around, going back to Friday's, buying you a beer, and reminiscing with you about everything that makes up, in my opinion, the greatest rivalry in college football. As I sit here typing this, I am still kicking myself for not doing so. And that's why I had to write this note. I still believe that Nebraska made the right move; the move it had to make to ensure the long-term security of the program, University and State that I love. The transition will not be easy, and while there is excitement, there is also great fear in leaving behind that which one has always known. And as I was reminded of on Saturday, in separating from the Big 12, we're losing our great friend, OU. And honestly, it hit me with full force that that is going to be the hardest loss of all.
So, with utmost sincerity, I wish you, Oklahoma, and all Sooner fans, all the best going forward. If we should meet again in the future, I will look forward that game with the highest anticipation. And if Nebraska can't be in the hunt for, or winning, a national championship, then I hope Boomer Sooner is right there in the thick of things. And to you specifically, sir, "We're all gonna miss y'all" too. More than you'll ever know.
Mark from Lincoln
I attended the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas this past weekend, and although I certainly wished for a different outcome, it was another edition in a long series of hard-fought NU/OU contests. As is typical for me after a Nebraska loss, I wasn't very talkative on the drive back to our hotel in downtown Dallas, a drive that seemed to take twice as long as the drive out to Jerry World, just a few short hours before. A buddy of mine and I were both hungry when we got back downtown, so we walked a few blocks to the TGIFriday's in the West End and grabbed a bite to eat. We talked mainly about the game, about potential bowls, and what to expect from our team next year. There were a few OU fans there, and as one of them was leaving, I congratulated him, and he stopped and spoke to us for a minute, and was gracious and sincere, which is what I've come to expect from OU fans.
A few minutes later, we decided to pay our tab and head back to our hotel. You and your wife, all decked out in crimson and cream, had been sitting at the table directly behind me the whole time we were there, so I intended to congratulate you as well as I left. You folks looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. I walked by, said "Congratulations," and before I was completely past your table, you looked up at me and said, "We're all gonna miss y'all." Now, maybe it was just the celebratory beers you had been having, but your eyes almost looked like there was a faint tear in them as you looked up, and the way you emphasized the "y'all" part of your statement, I knew instantly that you were saying it with the utmost sincerity. I typically enjoy engaging in banter with fans of other teams, but at that moment, I simply froze, and didn't really know how to respond. I think the full gravity of the evening, and the move to the Big Ten, finally hit me at that point.
I'm 36 years old, and have been a Nebraska fan my whole life. While I hazily remember prior intermittent games, including NU-OU games, the first game I remember watching from start to finish is the '82 Orange Bowl against Clemson, following the '81 season, and I have been a fanatic ever since. Consequently, outside of the Turner Gill years, Boomer Sooner dealt me some serious heartache in my formative years. However, regardless of the outcome, I knew from an early age that Nebraska-Oklahoma wasn't just another game. It was something special, and I grew to cherish those titanic matchups at the end of the year, even though more often than not, it resulted in a long, cold winter for the Big Red of the North.
I looked forward with great anticipation to my first NU/OU game in person in 1993, my freshman year of college. Though things changed, and OU fell on hard times, visiting Norman for the '96 game was another cherished experience. Every time, OU fans were a pleasure to interact with. As you know, however, due to circumstances out of the control of you, me, and countless fans like us, the annual renewal of this great game ended with the formation of the Big 12. I remember thinking at the time that it was kind of like losing a friend, but I took some solace in the fact that we would still match up two out of four years, and hopefully often in the championship game. In the years that have passed since then, NU-OU might have lost some of its fire and intensity, but when the Sooners were the next game on the schedule, it still ended up getting my heart racing a bit more than everyone else.
As you know, this past summer was a tumultuous one, and the inevitable conference realignment resulted in Nebraska gaining entry to the Big Ten. Since OU was not on our regular season schedule this year, and because of geographical proximity, most of my focus was spent on the little sisters of the Big 8 (mainly MU, KSU and KU), and the overwhelming desire to not leave the conference with a loss to one of those schools. As I’m sure you have experienced as well, those fan bases (especially MU) can be an irrational and jealous lot, and therefore I took a lot of smug satisfaction in leaving them with one final beating. And, as it became more clear that we would represent the North in the championship game, my main focus was the hope that we could walk out of Jerry World carrying the trophy. While I was very happy that our final Big 12 game would be against OU, I hadn't really fully considered the consequences of that final game. That is, not until I ran into you as I was leaving TGIFriday's.
Like I said, your statement left me actually kind of speechless. I immediately started thinking about how much I always respected and cherished OU, despite the many heartbreaking losses they put me through. I thought about how refreshing it always was to interact with OU fans, as opposed to fans of the aforementioned schools, because there was mutual tradition, and respect, and none of the bitterness and vitriol that consumes the fan bases of those schools. In letting these thoughts rush over me, I unfortunately responded to you rather disjointedly, talking about how it was another good game between our two teams, and other surface statements, and then wished you good luck in the Fiesta Bowl, and left.
As we walked back to the hotel, all of the things I've been describing here came flooding into my mind. Nebraska-Oklahoma was never about the jealousy, bitterness and one-sidedness that defined Nebraska v. MU/KSU/KU/ISU, or the manufactured rivalry of Nebraska-CU. It was never about the sheer hatred that bubbles over into the Red River Rivalry. And it was never about the little brother mentality that defines OU-OSU. It was about excellence, tradition and mutual respect. Whenever Nebraska and Oklahoma took the field together, regardless of each team's record, it was going to be the hardest-hitting game each team would play that year, and the two teams were going to bring out the best in each other. It meant taking your game to another level, maybe a level that a player didn't even know they had. It meant measuring the success of your season by whether or not you beat the other. It meant the Big 8 Championship (still the best conference in the history of college football). It meant playing for National Championships. It WAS college football.
I'm not ashamed to admit that my eyes started welling up with tears as I walked back to the hotel thinking about these things. I realized that maybe you looked like you were tearing up for that very same reason. For a split second, I thought about turning around, going back to Friday's, buying you a beer, and reminiscing with you about everything that makes up, in my opinion, the greatest rivalry in college football. As I sit here typing this, I am still kicking myself for not doing so. And that's why I had to write this note. I still believe that Nebraska made the right move; the move it had to make to ensure the long-term security of the program, University and State that I love. The transition will not be easy, and while there is excitement, there is also great fear in leaving behind that which one has always known. And as I was reminded of on Saturday, in separating from the Big 12, we're losing our great friend, OU. And honestly, it hit me with full force that that is going to be the hardest loss of all.
So, with utmost sincerity, I wish you, Oklahoma, and all Sooner fans, all the best going forward. If we should meet again in the future, I will look forward that game with the highest anticipation. And if Nebraska can't be in the hunt for, or winning, a national championship, then I hope Boomer Sooner is right there in the thick of things. And to you specifically, sir, "We're all gonna miss y'all" too. More than you'll ever know.
Mark from Lincoln