Oklahoma football: Fast facts on the Red River Showdown gridiron slugfest

It has been marketed by several different catchwords over the years, but one thing has remained constant: The annual Oklahoma football rivalry with its neighboring state to the south is a giant deal in both states and the biggest game of the year for both teams.

Not only is it the biggest game of the year for the players and fans of the two teams, but it typically is one of the biggest games of the year in college football.

The series started in 1900, seven years before Oklahoma officially became a state. In fact, at the time of the first game in the series, neither team was known by its current nickname. Texas easily won the initial encounter, 28-2, and would come out on top in eight of the first 10 games between the two schools.

The first 14 games in the series, except for two years, 1905 and ’06, were played at the two campus sites. In 1912, the game was moved to Dallas, and in 1929, it became the permanent location for the annual game. Dallas was chosen because it is approximately equidistant between the two campus sites in Austin, Texas, and Norman, Oklahoma.

Since 1932, the game has been contested at the Cotton Bowl at the same time as the State Fair of Texas, usually the second weekend in October. Since the game found a permanent home at the Cotton Bowl, Texas has won 45 times, Oklahoma 39 and four games have ended in ties. Since 2000, however, Oklahoma leads the series 13-7.

There are several symbolic trophies exchanged based on the outcome of the game, the most notable being the Golden Hat, a gold, ten-gallon cowboy hat that is presented to the winning team and retained by that team’s athletic department until the next year’s game.

One of the unique aspects of the annual football battle royal is the 50-50 divide in the Cotton Bowl. The ticket sales for the game are equally split between the two schools. The Oklahoma fans occupy the seats from the 50-yard line on the west side of the stadium around the south end to the 50-yard line on the east side, and the Texas fans fill out the remaining half of the stadium.

What that creates is a highly noticeable color divide with half the stadium decked out in Oklahoma school color of crimson and half in Texas burnt orange.

The longest winning streak in the longtime rivalry series between the Sooners and the Longhorns has been eight games, accomplished two different times by Texas (1940-47 and 1958-65). The Sooners longest winning streak over Texas was six games during the 1950s heydays and record-setting 47-game win streak under Bud Wilkinson (1952-57). Oklahoma also has put together a couple of five-game winning streaks (1971-75 under Barry Switzer and 2000-04 under Bob Stoops).

The biggest winning margin was 52 points when Oklahoma defeated the Longhorns 65-13 in 2003. That also represents the most points scored by either team in the series.

The annual football game between Oklahoma and Texas is currently referred to as the Red River Showdown. Although the name originated with the football rivalry, it also is used whenever the two schools compete in other athletic competition. In addition to Red River Showdown, the rivalry has previously been called the Red River Rivalry and Red River Shootout.