Changing the Game: Harold Hamm Visits OU to Discuss New Book

Founder and executive chairman of Continental Resources Harold Hamm joined University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. for a fireside chat discussion of Hamm’s new book, Game Changer: Our 50-Year Mission to Secure America’s Energy Independence.

The event was held on September 6, 2023, in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Beaird Lounge to a full crowd of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

“This is the university’s living room, and the living room is full,” said Harroz to a capacity crowd.

Hamm’s presence and book perfectly fit with the university’s history as the central institution of geophysics and energy education.

Hamm has long been a pillar in the American energy industry, and his impact has spanned decades. In 1967, Hamm founded Continental Resources – which has grown to be a top 10 oil producer and the largest privately held oil company in the United States. He also co-founded and serves as the executive chairman of Domestic Energy Producers Alliance.

Hamm’s groundbreaking process of horizontal drilling helped change the game forever in the field of energy and natural gas, hence the title of the book.

Harroz read a quote from former United States President Jimmy Carter found within the book: “The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75% of our energy are simply running out. … Imports have doubled in the last five years … Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil than it can produce.” This prompted Harroz to ask just how Hamm’s impact on the industry helped steer the country back to energy independence.

“Horizontal drilling, finding all the reservoirs; this changed the game to where we are at,” Hamm replied. “There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears along the way. It wasn’t easy. But when we did, it changed the entire game, everything that we did – went from nobody doing it to everybody doing it, horizontally drilling.”

His influence is not limited to the realm of energy. Those familiar with the University of Oklahoma will easily recognize his name, as it adorns OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center located on OU’s Health Sciences Center campus in Oklahoma City. Hamm’s $65 million contribution has helped the center rise to the forefront of diabetes research.

This investment came from a personal diagnosis. When Hamm was 50, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. For Hamm, the financial aspects of treatment would not be difficult, but as Harroz pointed out, personal treatment was not the only thing on Hamm’s mind.

“He had enough money to pay for his insulin,” Harroz said. “But he knew that many others were having to make a decision of whether to eat and not receive care, or ration their drug and not eat.”

Hamm’s advocacy and investment within the state of Oklahoma and the university eventually led Congress to pass the Affordable Insulin Now Act earlier this year, which caps insulin prices at $35 per month – giving millions of Americans access to treatment they otherwise did not have.

The legacy of Hamm’s impact on energy and health has touched the lives of people all over the world. From his initial breakthrough with horizontal drilling changing the game and leading the country toward energy independence, the world is more secure with American energy exports during times of crisis. Hamm, the youngest of 13 children from humble beginnings in Lexington, Oklahoma, made a difference.