Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium- Chase Ossenkop

Coming from a Texas high school, I was used to the importance of football to the culture within a student body at a public institution. However, I did not truly realize the magnitude of the passion for Sooner football until attending my first game as a freshman.

One reason I initially looked at OU for college was because I was a fan of their football team. So, naturally, upon stepping foot onto campus for the first time as a freshman, I was ecstatic to experience my first home game. I was in the Pride of Oklahoma Drumline as a freshman, so I got a somewhat different experience than the typical freshman. I got to practice in the Everest training center before the game, and then we marched a parade through campus en route to the stadium. Marching through the fans and into the stadium was an amazing experience. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. As we walked onto the field for pre-game, I looked into the audience. I had never seen that many people packed into one space in my entire life. The pure adrenaline combined with the volume of the fans was truly exhilarating. When you are on the field, looking up at the pure height of the stands and the mass of fans occupying every possible seat is intimidating.

I love our stadium, it seems unique. Not a lot of stadiums have the open corners and the taller stands across from the press box like this stadium. This stadium is a part of the Sooner family and I absolutely love it.