The University of Oklahoma's sports teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to early Oklahoma land rush pioneers. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, and in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. The University's current athletic director is Joe Castiglione.
NCAA National Championships
- 2005 Men's Gymnastics: Mark Williams
- 2003 Men's Gymnastics: Mark Williams
- 2002 Men's Gymnastics: Mark Williams
- 2000 Football: Bob Stoops
- 2000 Softball: Patty Gasso
- 1994 Baseball: Larry Cochell
- 1991 Men's Gymnastics: Greg Buwick
- 1989 Men's Golf: Gregg Grost
- 1985 Football: Barry Switzer
- 1978 Men's Gymnastics: Paul Ziert
- 1977 Men's Gymnastics: Paul Ziert
- 1975 Football: Barry Switzer
- 1974 Wrestling: Stan Abel
- 1974 Football: Barry Switzer
- 1963 Wrestling: Tommy Evans
- 1960 Wrestling: Tommy Evans
- 1957 Wrestling: Port Robertson
- 1956 Football: Bud Wilkinson
- 1955 Football: Bud Wilkinson
- 1952 Wrestling: Port Robertson
- 1951 Baseball: Jack Baer
- 1951 Wrestling: Port Robertson
- 1950 Football: Bud Wilkinson
- 1936 Wrestling: Paul V. Keen
In addition, the Sooner tradition includes 205 conference championships and more than 700 All-Americans.
The most famous aspect of Sooner athletics is the college football program, considered by many to be a top five all-time program. Calling Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field its home for decades the team has won numerous bowl games, 39 conference championships including every Big Seven championship awarded, and seven AP National Championships, making the Sooners the most decorated program in the Big Twelve and second most decorated, behind the University of Notre Dame, in all of college football. Individual success is also a major part of Oklahoma football. Four Heisman Trophy winners, Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White, are surrounded by numerous other award winners. Other legendary players to come through the University are Joe Washington, Brian Bosworth, Greg Pruitt, Josh Heupel, Jerry Tubbs, Lee Roy Selmon, Roy Williams and Tommy McDonald among many others. Legendary coaches Barry Switzer, Bud Wilkinson, Bennie Owen, and Bob Stoops have passed though the gameday tunnel for the Sooners. Owen was the first major coach at the university and was a major advocate of the forward pass, which at the turn of the century was not popular. Wilkinson is often left out of disscussions of the greatest college coach of all time, but his many imprints on the game include the 5-2 defense with five lineman and two linebackers, the perfection of the split-T an early option offense, three national championships, and the NCAA record for consecutive wins at 47 straight. Switzer, who is often recalled as being forced out of OU because of accusations of rampant drug use in the football program, won three national championships and forged arguably the fiercest rushing offense, the wishbone. Currently, OU is home to Bob Stoops, 2000 National Championship coach, and sophomore Adrian Peterson, one of college football's most talented running backs.
Over its history, the Program has won 39 Conference Championships, most recently in 2004.
2004 Big 12: Bob Stoops
2002 Big 12: Bob Stoops
2000 Big 12: Bob Stoops
1987 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1986 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1985 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1984 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1980 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1979 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1978 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1977 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1976 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1975 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1974 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1973 Big 8: Barry Switzer
1972 Big 8: Chuck Fairbanks
1968 Big 8: Chuck Fairbanks
1967 Big 8: Chuck Fairbanks
1962 Big 8: Bud Wilkinson
1959 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1958 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1957 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1956 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1955 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1954 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1953 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1952 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1951 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1950 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1949 Big 7: Bud Wilkinson
1948 Big 6: Bud Wilkinson
1947 Big 6: Bud Wilkinson
1946 Big 6: Jim Tatum
1944 Big 6: Snorter Luster
1943 Big 6: Snorter Luster
1938 Big 6: Tom Stidham
1920 Mo. Valley: Bennie Owen
1918 Southwest: Bennie Owen
1915 Southwest: Bennie Owen
The men's basketball team is highly successful and has risen to national prominence since the early 80’s with head coach Billy Tubbs and three time All-American power forward Wayman Tisdale, to the current coach Kelvin Sampson. It currently plays in the Lloyd Noble Center, which came to be known as the house Tisdale filled. While the team has never won a national championship, it ranks second in most tournament wins without a championship behind Illinois. The team came incredibly close to a national championship in 1988, but ultimately lost to the University of Kansas and Danny Manning. (OU beat the Jayhawks 3 times earlier in the season.)OU is heading into 2005-2006 with a AP #6 Preseason Ranking, and is led by Preseason Big Twelve Player of the Year, and reigning Big Twelve Newcomer of the Year, Taj Gray. Other prominent players include, Kevin Bookout, Terrell Everett,and David Goldbold.
The Program has won a combined twenty regular-season and tournament championships.
2004-2005 Big 12: Kelvin Sampson
2002 Big 12*: Kelvin Sampson*
2001 Big 12*: Kelvin Sampson*
1990 Big 8: Billy Tubbs*
1988 Big 8: Billy Tubbs*
1985 Big 8: Billy Tubbs*
1928-1929 Big 6: Hugh McDermott
1927-1928 Old Mo. Valley: Hugh McDermott
- Conference Tournament Champion
Gymnastics
Other major athletic programs the university has to offer are its gymnastics and baseball programs with a combined eight national championships. The gymnastics program has won three of the last four national championships (2002, 2003 and 2005).
Baseball
The baseball program was a source of recent controversy when the head coach, Larry Cochell, resigned after making racist remarks when talking about one of the players on the team. OU rebounded to make the college baseball playoffs as a third seed. They call L. Dale Mitchell Park home and now have a new head coach, Sunny Golloway.
Women's Basketball
Also, the Women's Baseketball has gained national prominence, after the 2002 season, in which they advance to the National Title game, losing to UConn. They are led by their coach, Sherri Coale, and have recently signed much-lauded recruits, Courtney and Ashley Paris. As with the Men's team, they call Lloyd Noble home.
Sooner Traditions
The "fight song" of the University of Oklahoma is "Boomer Sooner", a version of "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University. Other songs played at athletic events by the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band are a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" and the "OU Chant".
The Mascot present at all football games is the Sooner Schooner, a Conestoga wagon, pulled by two crème white ponies, Boomer and Sooner.
Rivalries
The University of Texas is considered the Sooners’ main rival. Inverted versions of the Longhorn mascot can be seen on automobiles all over the Norman campus, and many T-shirts referring to the rivalry present the word "Texas" in mirror image or upside-down. Their annual college football match up in Dallas, Texas draws attention from all of the college football world, and the game is known as the Red River Shootout. 2005 marks the 100th Red River Shootout - the game taking place on October 8th in the Cotton Bowl, alongside the Texas State Fair.
Other rivals include Oklahoma State University, whose athletic contests with the University of Oklahoma are known as the "Bedlam Series". Today, this has developed into a major game in Big 12 basketball, both teams having well-respected coaches. In football, OU-OSU is the most lopsided in-state rivalry. A college football rivalry with the University of Nebraska has been less intense in recent years, but several historical match-ups, including the "Game of the Century" and the so-called "Game of the New Century" have pitted Nebraska and Oklahoma against each other ranked 1 and 2 in the Associated Press Poll, making the games of great importance in deciding the national championship.