These Sooners get it

Posted by
on April 13, 2009M at 2:11 pm
Fans clamored for a pen scratch from Sam Bradford.
 
After the Red-White Game on Saturday, the Oklahoma quarterback was a sought-after man. Little kids screamed until their little lungs burned. Grow men hollered as if their lives depended on it. Our man Berry Tramel even reported on the mob scene, saying that in all of his 30 years of covering the Sooners, he’d never seen anything like it.
 
Thing is, Bradford wasn’t the only one who stuck around and signed autograph after autograph.
 
As the afternoon wore toward evening, I looked around Owen Field and saw only three Sooners left. Bradford was one of them, but also working the wall of the east stands were Gerald McCoy and Dominique Franks. So, there were Oklahoma City natives Bradford and McCoy and Jenks product Franks. All three Oklahomans.

 

It hit me just then — these guys know how important it is to do as much as possible for the fans. They know because they were once the ones on the other side of the wall. They were once the Sooner fans who so desperately wanted a piece of their gridiron stars.
‘
I even had a chance to ask Franks about it. He was one of the many Sooners interviewed for NewsOK.com — we’ll be rolling out those videos in the coming days, so be sure to look for them — but he said that he understood how important it was to the fans to stay and sign.
 
Now, listen. I’ve never quite understood the lure of autographs. A signature on a piece of paper has never been important to me. I’d much rather shake a hand or exchange a few words with that person. Something tells me Franks might feel the same way.
 
But he kept right on signing. Ditto for McCoy and Bradford.
 
McCoy and Franks were on the field so long that one of the equipment managers came back out to the field to take their shoulder pads and helmets.
 
It was a pretty cool thing to see, those three Oklahomans, signing autograph after autograph. Interestingly, our man Berry said that security guard were under strict instructions to take Bradford into the locker room after a certain period of time. Apparently, that mandate didn’t apply to McCoy and Franks. They kept going long after Bradford was whisked away.

In fact, after I returned to the press box to gather my stuff, I looked down onto the field and saw one last Sooner at the wall. There were only a couple dozen fans left, but the player stood there, signing whatever anyone handed to him. Unfortunately, no one left in the pressbox had binoculars, so I can’t be certain if it was McCoy or Franks.  

Either way, it’s nice to know that all three of these players get it. They get how much it means to give back to the fans. They get it because they were once the ones clamoring on the other side of the wall.

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Comments
Comment by Greg on April 13, 2009 @ 5:52 pm

Jenni,

Great article along with Berry’s principally about Sam.

All are great models for our younger kids who sometimes, like all kids, question what is in it for them to go to school, study, make good grades and have good deportment.

Bradford, McCoy, and Franks all are great kids, but I suspect there is a super family network behind each.

Comment by Mike D on April 19, 2009 @ 12:52 am

Jenni, you’ve done a great job making absolutely little about little. Thing is, I took 10 minutes of my life reading it.

But, maybe next time you can take binoculars and solve the mystery of who is the last player to leave the field. Until then, little kids will be screaming and grown men will be hollering. Then you can write about it again.

I wonder if our man Berry will get to it first.

Comment by jennicarlson on April 19, 2009 @ 3:40 pm

Mike D:
If I had binoculars, I’d have done it. Unfortunately, as I said, I didn’t and neither did anyone else left in the press box. And I knew by the time I went back down on the field — which is quite a haul from the press box — that small group of folks left would’ve been taken care of, and everyone would’ve been gone.
Sigh.
Sometimes, that’s the way it goes.
Jenni

Comment by johnny on April 21, 2009 @ 10:51 am

sam, gerald, dominiqiue, get it its all giving back too the fans who adore them. and they show the love back. guys enjoy the moment in 2009, look around the ou-stadium and see the fans jacked-up and cheering you all the way. after that its different when you go too the pros. you guys are true oklahoma sooners and too your school. we are so proud of you, each one of you be leaders on your team and encourage everyone too go all-out on every play. thank you guys for coming back for your jr. and senior season and too jermaine gresham for coming back too. we need you guys on the team. look forward too 2009 season. sam and team unfinished business in 2009, lets win the 4th straight big-12 title game and hopefully the national title game. but first one game at a time. stay hungry and always be humble with each other and listen too the coaches. sooner nation always has your back no matter what. see you in the north endzone 17-rows up behind the field goal. ou-johnny and family. sam i want too see you break the hawaii quaterback record and graham harrell record in total touchdowns. if not thats ok, just win sam for your team. big boys get yourself together and figure out each others way on blocking you be allright just jell together. ou-johnny has full faith in you guys. see you in dallas with byu too. kick there tailends off and show the wac oklahoma football is here too stay. coach stoops, thank you for staying with oklahoma with all the nfl offers outhere and the big money, you chose too live in norman,usa. we love ya in oklahoma and elsewhere. well thats my two cents-ou-johnny.

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