Tag: Oklahoma athletics

Oklahoma Athletics set new records for fundraising in 2021-2022 fiscal year

After a fantastic spring for Oklahoma Athletics, the Sooners set several fundraising records in the 2022 fiscal year.

There’s been a huge buy-in from the Oklahoma Sooners fan base since Brent Venables came on board as OU’s head coach in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure. Venables’ vision and enthusiasm to take the program good to great, along with his understanding of how to see OU compete alongside the SEC when they join their new conference in the next couple of seasons, has created a sense of urgency for Oklahoma to improve their facilities and resources before making the jump.

The spring game displayed the renewed enthusiasm to an Oklahoma program that had been good under Riley but never able to take the next step into greatness. Fans set an OU spring game record with more than 75,000 fans in attendance to witness a Venables-coached team for the first time. But football isn’t the only sport that saw a tremendous amount of success over the last year.

OU Football recorded a win in the Alamo Bowl. Women’s gymnastics won another national title, while the men finished second in the nation. In her first year, Jennie Baranczyk led the women’s basketball team to the second round of the NCAA tournament. OU Softball won its sixth national title, and baseball went on a historic run to the College World Series before falling short to Ole Miss in the championship series.

OU Athletics’ $109 million raised during the 2022 fiscal year ending June 30 is the first time in program history that they raised more than $100 million and nearly doubles the previous record set in 2021 at $58 million.

According to the official release on SoonerSports.com, “An OU-record 53% of all members invested in key initiatives above and beyond any seating donation requirements. Notable FY22 pledges for facility projects and initiatives included:”

  • $25.2 million towards the Women of Championship Excellence Fund and facility projects for female student-athletes
  • Nearly $25 million for football and special initiatives
  • $19.2 million for Love’s Field (OU Softball).
  • $10.6 million for the Inspiring Champions Fund
  • $3.2 million for L. Dale Mitchell Park and Baseball Performance Center
  • $1.4 million for the Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion at the Headington Family Tennis Center
  • $1.25 million for McCasland Field House
  • $1 million for G.R.I.T. (Growing Resilient, Innovative Thinkers)
  • $900,000 for the Viersen Gymnastics Center

“Providing world-class resources for our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our top priority, and we simply cannot pursue and accomplish this standard of excellence without support from our stakeholders, donors and fans,” said OU Vice President and Athletics Director Castiglione in the University’s release. “OU Athletics and our generous and passionate stakeholders have worked year after year in lockstep to endow scholarships, increase services and resources for student-athletes, as well as help fund state-of-the-art facilities. We’re grateful to receive this record-setting support. This inspires us even more in our ongoing pursuit that only continues to evolve in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma athletics gives season ticket holders options in case of altered season

One of the main concerns about having a college football season in 2020 is if games cannot take place or the season is shortened entirely. 

One of the main concerns about having a college football season in 2020 is if games cannot take place or the season is shortened entirely.

The money involved in college football is large. Major power-five conference stadiums seat north of 80,000 fans that spend money on tickets, food, beer and donate thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Oklahoma athletics sent an email to season ticket holders outlining options in case of an altered or reduced season, according to an email obtained by the OU Daily.

“We are hopeful that our 2020 football season will occur as scheduled,” the email said. “However, if the number of games are reduced, we will act in good faith by providing options for you to reallocate payments earmarked toward priority seating donations and season tickets.”

The OU Daily reports that the athletic department gave season ticket holders three options:

  • The first option for season ticket holders is to reallocate their ticket payment as “tax-deductible gifts for OU Athletics’ emergent needs.”
  • The second allows stakeholders to transfer their payment to the 2021 season or Sooner Club membership year. 
  • Lastly, the third option for season ticket holders is to “request a refund as an exception to our refund policy.”

Oklahoma is still scheduled to begin the 2020 college football season on Sept. 5 against Missouri State.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma athletics create website to bring people, recruits to campus virtually

Universities and athletic departments are still competing on who can present the best product to people and recruits. OU did that yesterday.

How universities across the country and their athletic departments have innovated to the emptiness of campuses and the inability to get their have been a key cog in the competition against each other.

First, it was the virtual football recruiting visits that made waves soon after the coronavirus pandemic shut sports down. Oklahoma football waited until it had a finished product to roll out its virtual visit. Recruits have reported to multiple outlets how incredible those have been and the personalization of them.

Now, Oklahoma athletics may be the first to roll out a way for every person with an internet connection and recruit to get a virtual visit of every sports program, its facilities and the curricular side of sports in strength and conditioning, nutrition, medicine and academics.

The website is only1oklahoma.com. Someone interested can go to every sport and get of all the regular and extra things that come with being a student-athlete in a virtual fashion. A university spokesperson confirmed that the aim of this website was geared towards recruits and to highlight in one place the facilities and everything else Oklahoma has going for them.

The Sooners digital media department had a major hand in putting this together.

This website release came on the heels of the NCAA extended its mandated dead period through July 31—essentially ending any summer visits for potential student-athletes.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma athletics extends free trial of SoonerSports.tv through end of May

The University of Oklahoma athletic department has extended its opportunity to its own television network through May.

The University of Oklahoma athletic department has extended its opportunity to its own television network.

SoonerSports.tv is a service provided by Oklahoma athletics that is strictly for streaming on a computer, laptop, mobile device or smart television. The usual cost is $9.99 a month, but the Sooners gave Oklahoma fans a free trial of the service in the month of April.

“Stuck at home and looking to satisfy your Sooner craving? SoonerSports.tv has you covered,” said Oklahoma athletics in a release. “Browse through our classics library below and relive some of the best vs. Texas, Bedlam, championships and other Sooner Magic moments from throughout the years.”

On Thursday, Oklahoma announced that it was extending the free trial of SoonerSports.tv through the end of May. Old football games date back to the Barry Switzer Era, including games from the old Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalries and big bowl wins. All Big 12 Championship wins, crazy Bedlam wins of the 2010s, OU-Texas wins since 2000 and the entire 2000 national championship can be watched. Other sports like men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball have archived games, too.

You can sign up for SoonerSports.tv’s free trial or other offers here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

NCAA Division I Council’s vote ends Oklahoma careers of Maggie Nichols, Kristian Doolittle

The downside of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on sports is the end of one’s career before competing for a championship one more time. 

The downside of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on sports is the end of one’s career before competing for a championship one more time.

That was the case for two of Oklahoma’s prominent winter sport athletes: basketball player Kristian Doolittle and gymnast Maggie Nichols. The NCAA Division I Council voted to give a year of eligibility back to spring sport athletes on Monday, but the same was not done for winter sport athletes.

Doolittle had a tumultuous career for Lon Kruger and the Sooners. He was suspended for the first half of the 2017-18 season, but then bounced back to earn Big 12’s Most Improved Player Award after his junior season in 2018-19. Oklahoma’s lone senior was named an AP All-Big 12 First Team selection after his senior regular season and Doolittle helped the Sooners get back to the now canceled NCAA Tournament.

Nichols had a much more storied career at Oklahoma. She is one of only 11 women’s gymnasts all-time to complete a Gym Slam—scoring a perfect 10 on every event throughout a season. Nichols has won eight NCAA Championships—two team titles with Oklahoma and six individual awards, including two all-around national championships.

Doolittle isn’t a bonafide NBA prospect, but some mock drafts have him going in the second round. Nichols will likely be seen representing the United States in the Olympics.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Progress is being made on new Oklahoma Sooner Schooner after crash in October

With time not of the essence anymore, one of Oklahoma’s most popular figures is getting its fix. 

With time not of the essence anymore, one of Oklahoma’s most popular figures is getting its fix.

The Sooner Schooner took a tumble heard around the world during the West Virginia game on Oct. 19 of the 2019 season. Its crash separated the wheels from the wagon with the ponies and members on board leaving without injury.

The Schooner wasn’t expected to return at all in the 2019 season, but made a quick return in the Big 12 Championship Game. Now? It needs a remodel or to be remade.

Oklahoma Athletics announced on Friday morning that progress is being made on the new wagon.

Oklahoma’s Sooner Schooner is considered one of the best traditions in college football. The wagon, led by two ponies, runs out onto the field after warmups during Oklahoma home games and after every Sooners’ touchdown.

The Sooner Schooner has crashed once before in 1993 during a game against Colorado. The iconic wagon was introduced at Oklahoma in 1964 and became an official mascot in 1980.

The new and improved Sooner Schooner was supposed to be make its full anticipated debut during Oklahoma’s spring game on April 18. The Sooners spring game has since been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Oklahoma’s ponies will more than likely have to wait to run the new Sooner Schooner against Missouri State in the first game of the 2020 season on Sept. 5.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

When life, reality and sports cross paths: How Sooners Wire will deal with the coronavirus impact

The impact of the coronavirus has crashed upon the sports world. Here is how we plan

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione had an impromptu conference call with those who cover Oklahoma athletics late Thursday night.

It was so unexpected that the media was given a 15-minute heads up in an email before the call would start at 7:30. Like everything else going on right now in our world, it was a spontaneous call that offered insight, but left more questions than answers due to the sudden changes we saw in a matter of hours, not days.

During the middle of the call, a reporter started out his question with:

“Joe, how are you doing?”

His answer was brief, but his tone reflected a lot of what the world is dealing with right now:

This flat out sucks.

As journalists, we are trained to be prepared to deal with the unexpected. To work tirelessly to expect what’s to come so we aren’t hit with surprise. This, though, is like multiple tsunamis continuing to hit the sports world over and over and over and over again.

We work on a precise schedule that coincides with the sports teams that we cover. Those help us project numbers, project post totals and project how we will conduct our business. And that’s the worst part:

The coronavirus doesn’t care who you are, where you come from, what you believe in or where you are going, it just keeps coming for more and more and more.

Here at Sooners Wire, we decided once the news started to hit that we would strictly only write about how the coronavirus impacted Oklahoma athletics and the sports we cover. It didn’t lead to the most lucrative week, but it was something much bigger than sports.

Moving forward, we will continue to cover how the coronavirus is impacting Oklahoma sports, but we will also begin back to writing about your favorite players, teams and stories. We will get back to producing original content, previews, lists and now, nostalgic posts, as soon as we get them ready.

During this tough time in our country, our states, our cities and our communities, our audience will be a relief to us as we hope to be a relief to you. Sports are our outlet just as it is yours.

We’ll get past this and we’ll get past it together.

Big 12 Conference suspends all organized team activities, cancels spring sports seasons

The final touches on the spring season have been put to rest. The Big 12 Conference has shut things down until March 29 and beyond.

The final touches on the spring college sports season have been put to rest.

The Big 12 Conference canceled the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon. They suspended regular season competition for everyone, on-and-off campus recruiting and out-of-season practices later Thursday afternoon. Now?

Everything is shut down through March 29 and all spring sports seasons for its 10 member league have been canceled.

“Due to the on-going developments related to COVID-19 the Big 12 Conference announces that all organized team activities whether organized or voluntary, including team and individual practices, meetings, and other organized gatherings, have been suspended until March 29 and will be re-evaluated at that time,” the Big 12 announced in a release on Friday evening.  “In addition, all conference and non-conference competitions are cancelled through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year.”

This will be the end of Oklahoma baseball’s promising season. The end of Patty Gasso’s late-season reign on college softball. The end of Oklahoma men’s golf’s run to another NCAA Championship.

What has not been decided is the potential for spring football to return. The Big 12 Conference have not decided whether to cancel it all completely, which includes spring games.

The University of Oklahoma has moved to online only classes for the two weeks after spring break. It has not been determined what Oklahoma football is going to do once the March 29 date of the end of the suspension of activities is over.

Sooners Wire will post updates as more information becomes available.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]