Stoops: Not loud, not proud
What’s behind Bob Stoops’ declaration that OU fans’ noise level is inferior to a lot of places?
Gamesmanship? Motivation? Sudden revelation? The cold hard truth?
I think Stoops was trying his best to turn Owen Field into a jet runway Saturday night against Texas Tech.
OU fans aren’t the zaniest in college football, but I think Stoops went a little overboard in saying they had little or no effect on the Sooners’ remarkable home record (59-2) the last 10 years.
In fact, Stoops in the past has complimented the fans for their contribution in certain victories. So he can’t have it both ways.
Stoops hacked off some fans, no doubt about it. That was a stark statement Stoops made Tuesday, that Florida’s fans were much better than OU’s, at least in this regard. That’s hard to hear for Sooner fans; I assume it was hard to say for Stoops.
Some fans have rallied around Stoops’ statement, saying the stadium does need to rock more.
I haven’t been to every stadium in America. Of the ones I’ve been to, I suppose I would vote Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium the loudest.
Alabama was loud. Texas A&M and Nebraska are loud. Oregon was loud. Texas was loud for that OSU game in October. All of them louder than OU? I couldn’t say that.
I tend to think noise is overrated in outdoor venues. Loud is loud. The difference between Owen Field and A&M’s Kyle Field isn’t much, if any.
I think Stoops was trying to scratch for every advantage he could find Saturday night. I think he probably cost himself some popularity with the Sooner fan base. And I think that’s a tradeoff he’d probably make again.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
Just have to say that as a graduate of another big time football power, the enthusiasm and noise of OU’s crowd is not comparable to that to which I became accustomed. Other alumni of the same school have made unsolicited comments stating the same. I also have been in other venues for college football and in each, the student section is a vital element. OU’s is mostly gone by the fourth quarter. I always have been amazed at that. Cheerleaders lead cheers. The most ours do is engage “Boomer” and “Sooner” competitions. Nevertheless, I will be at my customary seat overlooking Owen Field cheering on the Sooners.
I love OU football, but I have to admit I’ve never thought we had the best crowds. Too many people spend too much time complaining, and WAY too many fans leave the game WAY too early. Noise level isn’t bad, but other places certainly outshine us there — I was astonished by the noise level at Alabama, where the million dollar band could be blasting great guns and actually be drowned out in the din. The only time I remember a serious game-long buzz from a crowd at Owen Field was for Nebraska in 2000 and OSU in 2003. Those were crowds to be proud of, so I know we can do it!
This is nothing new in Norman on game day. I was a season ticket holder for 15 years1972-1987. When my wife and I first started going to the games we were amazed by the number of people that would leave before the game was over. Blowouts = thousands left, winning by any score = thousands left, Sooners getting beat = even more left. We stayed and watched every single game to the end. So it’s not just a recent thing.
I don’t know Berry…I was at the 2000 OU-A&M game at Kyle Field, and I’ve been to a ton of OU games at Owen Field in my lifetime, and at no point has the noise in Norman ever been remotely comparable to that of Kyle Field. I’ve heard some say that the design of Gaylord Memorial Stadium isn’t conducive to holding & resonating noise, so it’s not all the fans’ fault. Sooner fans have long had an attitude that says “Okay…give me a reason to yell,” rather than just yelling for the sake of yelling. This Saturday needs to be a day when everybody yells for the sake of yelling. And if you need a reason, here’s one: Texas Tech is a really good football team that needs to be given all the adversity anybody in the stadium can give them if OU is going to beat them.
Not to get overly technical, but as an architect, I would suggest that the Gaylord Family Stadium volume level is affected in part by the open corners on the south end. The louder venues are usually bowl shaped or at least connected on all sides. Having said that, something is obviously helpful based on the won-loss record at home since Bob Stoops became the head coach. My guess is it’s simply superior talent. The same will hold true against Tech – we will do what we usually do in these types of games in the conference – beat them at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
there is already a Facebook group titled “the loudest crowd at owen field EVER”. I think the motivation worked.