Oklahoma's Sooner Schooner: A mascot with a storied past and unforgettable moments

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Tarin Clark vividly remembers the first time he sprinted onto Owen Field field alongside the Sooner Schooner, Oklahoma's iconic covered wagon mascot. It was 2017, and he was a new member of the RUF/NEKS, the all-male spirit group that helps maintain the Schooner and its ponies. He could barely collect his thoughts as he proudly carried a United States flag after the Sooners scored against Tulane. "When they say it's like you're getting shot out of a cannon, they're not lying," said Clark, now the adviser for the RUF/NEKS. "You're really kind of enclosed in that tunnel. And then next thing you know, the Schooner takes off. Everybody takes off, we're getting all rowdy. And then you look up and it opens up just wide, right in front of you -- 86,000 people just screaming and yelling because we just scored." The Sooner Schooner was introduced in 1964 and became the school's official mascot in 1980. The scaled-down Conestoga wagon is reminiscent of those pioneers used while settling Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s. Boomers were the pioneers and "Sooners" were those who jumped the gun during the famous land runs to stake a claim to parcels. Matching white ponies named "Boomer" and "Sooner" pull the Schooner across the field before home games and after Oklahoma scores at home games. They'll be on the field again on Saturday when the 11th-ranked Sooners host No. 22 Auburn. Oklahoma's offense might have evolved from the wishbone to the Air Raid, but the Schooner has been a constant. "The Sooner Schooner is one of my favorite traditions," said longtime fan Josh Deisering of Moore, Oklahoma. "Seeing the ponies before the game and after touchdowns always fires me up. It's a unique tradition that really stands out from what other teams do around the nation. It represents Oklahoma's heritage, and honestly, it just looks cool." The Schooner provides unique memories for fans such as Skyler Parker, a Moore resident who fondly remembers sitting near the tunnel where it takes the field for a game back in 1989. The ponies got quite the workout that day — Oklahoma won 52-14. "I got to see it fly into the tunnel below me," he said. "We were playing Missouri in the Big 8, and it was homecoming. I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen, and I was proud to be an Okie." The RUF/NEKS and the all-female spirit group Lil' Sis take care of the Schooner and its ponies. Mick Cottom was the first driver back in 1964. Darby Dean, a Lil' Sis member from Sanger, Texas, became the first female driver during a game in 2020. Clark proudly says there have been seven female drivers since. Still, the Schooner has had its share of infamous moments. Oklahoma played Washington in the Orange Bowl after the 1984 season with the national title at stake. With the score tied at 14 early in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma's Tim Lashar made a 22-yard field goal to seemingly give the Sooners the lead. The points were taken off the board for an illegal procedure, but that was just the beginning of the fun. Thinking the field goal was good, the Schooner took its usual course. But the Schooner did not have permission from the officials to run onto the field, and Oklahoma was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. What was a 22-yard field goal became 42 yards after the penalty was tacked on, and it was blocked. Washington eventually won the game 28-17. Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, 87, never understood how a mascot could draw a penalty. "I guess the horses had to be trained on that," he quipped. Switzer said he got the last laugh — the Sooners won the national title the next season. In 1993, after Oklahoma's Scott Blanton made a field goal, the Schooner turned too sharply and tipped over, with three people falling out. Then, there was the 2019 game against West Virginia when the Schooner rolled onto its side after a second-quarter touchdown while carrying three people. It didn't run for the rest of the season after it was determined that weight distribution of riders in the rear of the wagon caused the spill. Clark said the members of the RUF/NEKS and Lil' Sis offered input for construction of a new Schooner, which was wider and had a lower base. Most of Clark's memories are positive. The Choctaw, Oklahoma, native said some of his best memories come from the rivalry game between Oklahoma and Texas in Dallas. The Schooner travels along a narrow path between fans of the two teams through the Texas State Fair to the Cotton Bowl. Once inside the stadium, the wagon settles near one of the entryways. While the Schooner does not run on the field during the game at the Oklahoma-Texas game, its presence looms throughout the game. "This is part of the tradition, you know, and everybody liked it," Switzer said. "It was here before I got here, and after I left, it's still here."