NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – In 1900, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas met each other on the football field for the first time. From then on, the two programs met every year until 1919, before a brief period of infrequent play. In 1929, both programs signed a deal to play annually in Dallas during the Texas State Fair. Two years later, both teams met at the newly built Fair Park Stadium, later renamed the Cotton Bowl in 1936.
With the new venue and the unique setting, the game was given the fuel it needed to be more than a rivalry, but a college football event. In the 119 meetings between the two programs, the second Saturday of October in Dallas has marked an occasion college football fans across the country look forward to.
Both schools have combined for 11 national titles, 79 conference championships, 287 All-Americans and nine Heisman Trophy winners. The game has featured at least one ranked team on 70 occasions, including a run of 19 of the last 20 meetings, seeing a ranked team enter the Cotton Bowl. Saturday’s game marks the 18th since 2000 that OU and Texas are both ranked in the AP poll when they face each other. The Sooners have won the last four games when both teams are ranked and 13 of the last 17.
Now with both teams in their first year in the Southeastern Conference, the beloved rivalry enters a new era. This will be the 120th meeting between the Sooners and Longhorns and the Red River Rivalry will be electric. Festivities include the annual Run to Dallas, SEC Nation airing live from State Fair Park, OU’s famous Pep Rally and the Governors’ Trophy, the annual bet between each state’s governor where the losing state donates a side of beef to charity.
The Run to Dallas has been a tradition held by OU’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps for 26 years. The 27th edition will see NROTC battalions from each university run the game ball from each campus to the site in Dallas, a journey of about 200 miles each way. Since the run’s inception in 1997, the Sooners are 16-11 after a 34-30 victory in last year’s game.
The Pep Rally will take place the Friday night before the game on October 11 at 7:30 p.m. The Pride of Oklahoma, Spirit Squad, the Sooner Schooner and other traditional pageantry icons will be on the Pegasus Lawn of the Omni Hotel Dallas located at 555 S. Lamar St., Dallas, TX.
With the game having a rare 2:30 p.m. CDT kickoff time, fans attending the game will have more time to immerse themselves in the Texas State Fair atmosphere: fried foods, amusement park attractions and live music before the main event.
The game will air on ABC and can be heard on KRXO-FM 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City, KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa or KKHT 100.7 FM in Houston. The game will also be available on the Varsity Radio app or SiriusXM.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
When University of Oklahoma alumna Stephenie Starkey saw her son’s high school football team struggle year after year, she often thought of one name: Baker Mayfield. Like her son’s team, the Space Coast Vipers, Mayfield – a 2017 OU alum – had faced constant doubt about his football abilities.
The University of Oklahoma has received a transformative $10 million gift from the McCasland Foundation to support the construction of two new first-year residence halls on the former Adams Center site. In honor of this gift, the north hall will be named McCasland Hall.
For Rafael Ramos, growing up in Altus, Oklahoma, meant learning the value of hard work in his family’s restaurants. This December, he earns his second degree from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Accountancy, as he prepares to launch his career with Ernst & Young.
