Boomer Sooner or Cowboy? Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have great football traditions. Make sure and vote for your Southern Tradition favorite here.
1. Oklahoma
Top Tradition: Sooner Schooner
In 1965, Dr. M. S. Bartlett and his brother, Charles donated the Sooner Schooner to the University of Oklahoma. The ponies that pull the Schooner are named Boomer and Sooner. The Schooner takes a run around the north end zone each time the OU football team scores. The RUF/NEKS are the official caretakers and have trained members to drive the Schooner. In 1980, the Sooner Schooner was officially named the school mascot. In 1990 the Lil’ Sis began riding the Schooner during the second half of home football games. RUF/NEKS, the Lil’ Sis, and the RUF/NEK Queen are the only individuals to ride the Sooner Schooner. (SOURCE)
Other Traditions: Boomer Sooner, OU, The Bedlam Game, Play Like A Champion, Crimson and Cream, Sooner Magic, Seven national championships, Seven Heisman Trophy winners, All-time winning percentage in FBS, Red River Rivalry, Campus Corner
2. Oklahoma State
Top Tradition: “Pistol Pete”
The title of “cowboy” came naturally to Eaton as indicated in the roles in which he served throughout his life. Frank B. Eaton was given the nickname of “Pistol Pete” after beating out many cavalry competitors in a marksmanship contest at Ft. Gibson. He served as a U.S. Deputy Marshall under “hanging judge” Isaac Parker. Later in his life Eaton owned a blacksmith shop which served the surrounding communities.
In the 1920s, Eaton was involved in the Armistice Day Parade and OSU’s Homecoming Parade. This well-known and admired cowboy died in 1958. That same year Charlie Lester appeared as OSU’s first Pistol Pete mascot. Where Frank B. Eaton served as a strong symbol of the Old West then, “Pistol Pete” serves as a symbol of the cowboy spirit now and forever. (SOURCE)
Other Traditions: Paddle People, The Bedlam Game, Eskimo Joe’s, Barry Sanders, “The Waving Song,” America’s Greatest Homecoming, The Walk, The OSU Spirit Rider
