So what's your OU/SoonerTimes story?

Discussions on any and all things OU men's sports
User avatar
OU Guy
Posts: 12144
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2021 7:22 pm
2
Location: OKC
Has thanked: 2166 times
Been thanked: 1891 times

Post by OU Guy »

Bottom post of the previous page:

USNavySooner wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:01 pm
OU Guy wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 2:50 pm
USNavySooner wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 1:41 am I was born and raised in Tulsa. When I was four, we lived in Germany as my father was in the Army. After his enlistment, we briefly lived with my paternal grandparents and that’s where I was introduced to OU football. My dad’s side of the family were OU fans and I remember listening to the games on a transistor radio with my grandfather.

I attended OU in the early 80s and then served 22 years in the Navy before my body told me it was time to retire. Thus, the name USNavySooner. I spent half of my career in the fighter community in California and Maryland and the other half with TACAMO at Tinker AFB in Midwest City.

A couple of years ago, I came across SoonerTimes while trying to find a quality MB that wasn’t premium driven. After “lurking” for a bit, I grew tired of not being able to see some images/links, so I became a registered user. I have not posted much in the past, but hope to become more of a contributor.
Ever stationed at Cecil, Oceana or Miramar? Also, what years at TACAMO? I retired out of there.
Never stationed at any of those bases. Lemoore, China Lake and Patuxent River were my fighter/attack stations. I was at TACAMO '96-'04 and then '07-'10. I retired from there as well in 2010.
We likely know each other then. I was in VQ-3 in 96/97/98 and ran the skiff.
In Brent I Trust :D
User avatar
USNavySooner
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:17 am
2
Location: OKC

Post by USNavySooner »

I was in VQ-4 from '96-'01 and then VQ-3 from '01-'04 and again in '07-'10. The AT w/c, QA, Avionics Division, and Maintenance Control were my domain. Did you retire in '98?
“We have met the enemy and they are ours…” - Oliver Hazard Perry
Waddyswagon
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:17 am
2

Post by Waddyswagon »

Boomer69 wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 8:42 pm Boomer69 - and I hope this isn’t too long for anyone. My Sooner football experiences go back to the 1950's, but my dads went way back to the 'teens.

I grew up on the prairie in Osage County and was an OU fan due to my father. He was born in Locust Grove, Indian Territory (pre-statehood) but grew up in Sperry playing single-wing football. He remembered first liking OU with his dad in the very early years of the 20th century and could recall following Coach Bennie Owen and the Sooners when they won the 1920 Missouri Valley Conference championship. He remained a fan until his death in 1988.

I was born in 1951 and so had to be an OU fan too. We only got two decent TV channels out on the prairie, both out of Tulsa, but by turning the antenna mounted on a tall pole we could just barely get a fuzzy WKY-Oklahoma City and watch The Bud Wilkinson Show. Even through the static and snowy reception we’d watch him move those wooden men on the board and explain plays. Good times!

I was a decent high school player and in 1969 was on the OU Boomers freshman team. Since in those days frosh could not be on the varsity, we only played four games, winning all four. The only close game was the first against Tulsa, and they had a really good QB who almost brought them back at the end. He was just this year inducted into the Pro Football HOF – Drew Pearson. He was initially a QB but switched to receiver and his career took off. And he was a really good QB too! I’ll bet a lot of us on this board can remember many of the notable players on that 1969 Boomer team: Greg Pruitt, Joe Wylie, Leon Crosswhite, Tom Brahaney, Gary Baccus, Albert Chandler, Eddie Foster, Dave Robertson, Ray Hamilton, Derland Moore, and others. Lots of NFL guys there and many were in the 1971 “Game Of The Century.” Thus, I took Boomer69 for my username.

I had a non-football knee injury in the Spring of 1970 and was done for the year. Medicine was not nearly as advanced as today. We didn't have a lot of money so I decided I’d give up the deferment, leave school and volunteer for the draft to later get back with the G.I. Bill. But it took the entire year before I could pass the physical. Everyone said during those times that if you had at least one eye and half a brain they’d take you, but I guess knees were a different criteria. Of course, my mother was horrified because… well, there was a war on but I finally passed and got inducted on 5 January of 1971.

Closing this long story, I ended up in the Army infantry, going to Airborne Training then through the Ranger Course, trying to get all the training I could get as an 11B Infantryman before deploying to Vietnam assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. After completing Ranger School just three days before Thanksgiving, then watching us lose to Nebraska in that 1971 game, my orders were changed to stateside as the 173rd was standing down in RVN and coming to Fort Campbell, KY.

I enjoyed the Army life, got married and had a child then ended up staying 20-1/2 years and retired a Sergeant Major, which included duty in both the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions. I was able to finish my BS and then an MBA before retiring then headed into civilian life. I never made it back for school at OU, but I’ve seen or heard a lot of football all these years, beginning as a very young boy sitting with my father listening to Sooner games on the radio. I have to say though, those four games as a Boomer in OU uniform with my dad in the stands in his Sooner gear, plus seeing him in the football offices talking to Coach Chuck Fairbanks, that was one of the greatest things I’ve experienced. Very long – but cheers to all!

:ou:
Lot's of great memories of Osage County. Had an aunt and uncle who lived in Shidler. My dad's ranch was on Bull Creek between Barnsdall and Hominy. Went to the Ben Johnson Memorial Steer roping more than once.
NewkirkSooner
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:20 pm
2
Has thanked: 3 times

Post by NewkirkSooner »

Lifelong OU Fan. From Newkirk OK Met a Sooner girl and have lived in Norman since 1998. I work at OU getting aid for students since 1999. Daughter is a Ruf/Nek Lil/Sis
Amulet
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:17 am
2
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Post by Amulet »

I have lived in Bartlesville the majority of my life went to college in Texas, but moved back . My father went to OU and we went to many games in the 70's and 80's.
BlackwellSooner
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:56 pm
2

Post by BlackwellSooner »

Waddyswagon wrote: Wed Nov 10, 2021 3:23 pm Based on the previous posts I may be the 3rd oldest poster on this site. I'm closing in on 80. Born in OKC but consider Tulsa my hometown. My first board experience was on Jane Jane Ann Laird's private board which still exists even though JA passed away. Some here know I go by OWENFIELDREAMS on other boards.
My first college team was SMU.I lived in Dallas during 1st through 3rd grade when Doak Walker, Kyle Rote, Freddy Benners, Johnny Champion, and Herschel Forrester were there. Moved back to Tulsa and started the 4th grade. In the 8th grade I was on a debate team arguing that basketball was a rougher sport than football. I wrote Bud and he wrote me back agreeing that b'ball was rougher. My team won the debate. I had friends in high school who played for OU and my first game in person was WVU in 1958. Waddy Young was my dad's best friend. They were from Ponca City and were both Sigma Chis. I married into Sooner royalty when I married Ann Santee in '62. I've lived in Texas* for almost 54 years and have followed the Sooners all over the country. 1 had season tickets for years when we lived in W.F., TX. but gave them up when we moved to Houston. A few years ago I got 4 new ones that I share with my children. I was honored to eulogize my brother-in-law, Jack Santee, along with Coach Switzer, a couple of years ago.I still frequent other boards and I'm a relative newcomer to this one. I frequent Dirtburglers for comic relief and still post on JA's board.
Sounds like there are at least a few of the OUBoards member on this forum! I have enjoyed your posts over there over the years.
LubbockSooner
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2021 1:48 am
2

Post by LubbockSooner »

I grew up in Moore, Oklahoma in the 60's and 70's and was always a Sooner fan. In 1969, I was a Boy Scout usher for every home game and my section was in the southwest corner of the stadium right by the ramp where the team went to the locker room. Steve Owens won the Heisman that year, but I was standing next to the ramp right after the Nebraska loss when Owens came off the field looking as dejected as I have ever seen a player. I think he would have given up the Heisman for a win against Nebraska that day.

In 1971, I was lucky enough to go with my Dad to the OU-Nebraska game of the century. I sat in the student section with my father and never saw him as angry as he was after the clip wasn't called on Johnny Rodgers' punt return. He stayed angry about that one right up til the day he died.

I attended OU from 79-81 and was in the Pride of Oklahoma in 79-80. I loved watching Bill Sims run in 79, he was so smooth and just seemed to float across the turf. I remember a cold rainy day when John Elway came into Norman and showed us the future style of college football. I got cursed at by Barry Switzer as a member of the tuba section in 1979 when we played a Chuck Fairbank's led Colorado Buffalo team. It was late in the game and the team was whooping up on the Buffs. We were bored and put alternate text to the Colorado fight song "Glory, Glory, Halleluia". We started singing "Glory, Glory, Chucky Fairbanks, Glory,Glory, Chucky Fairbanks, Glory, Glory, Chucky Fairbanks, you'll soon be 1 and 4" Well Barry didn't take it too well and jumped up on the top of the wall separating the team from the band screaming that we were a "bunch of low-class mother-f******. Great times!

I graduated from OU in 1981 and became a band director, first in the Oklahoma panhandle, and then in the Texas panhandle and South Plains. During this time, I never lived closer than 300 miles from Norman so I was never able to get back to Norman since I always had long Friday nights and didn't have the energy to get back to my alma mater for the games on Saturday.

I retired from band directing in Lubbock, TX in 2017, and was lucky enough that my youngest son followed in my footsteps as a music major at OU. Since he was in the Pride, I got season tickets for 2017 and 2018 and got to watch Baker's and Kyler's Heisman trophy years. He wasn't in the Pride in 2019 so we didn't renew our tickets and then the pandemic happened. This year we renewed our season tickets and upgraded to the Valero Stadium Club in the south end zone. Definitely worth it if you can afford it.

Like the song says "I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead!" Looking forward to being a member of this board.
OldTimer
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2021 12:01 am
2
Location: Healdton, Oklahoma
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Post by OldTimer »

I’m an OldTimer as my name implies. I started following my Sooners during the Bud days and I’m told I agonize too much over all things Sooner, but it flows in my veins. I’m already looking forward to next season and we still have one game left this year. Was sure hoping we would make the move to the SEC in 2022, but oh well.
“Come now, let us reason together “
Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in