There is a lot of history and memorable moments enshrined in the hallowed grounds now referred to affectionately and reverently as the Palace on the Prairie.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the site where the Oklahoma Sooners play football still today under the official name Gaylord Family--Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The first game at the current site was played on Oct. 20, 1923, against a team from Washington University in Missouri.
The Sooners prevailed by a score of 62-7 in that inaugural game. The setting was more like a high school stadium practice field that we would see today. It wasn't really a stadium back then. There was a 500-seat bleacher area on the east side of the field, That was the only permanent seating provided for fans. Otherwise, it was an open field, marked off for football.
Obviously, many structural and fan-accommodation changes have taken place over the last 10 decades, largely enabled and spirited by one of the most decorated and successful football programs in the history of college football.
I'm reminded of the famous quote by University of Oklahoma president Dr. George L. Cross while making a budget request in 1951 before the appropriations committee of the state legislature. The Sooners had just won their first national championship in football the year before.
During his budget presentation, one state senator asked Dr. Cross, "That's all well and good, but what kind of football team are we going to have this year?" Caught a little off guard by the question, Cross thought a moment, then came back with the witty reply: .
"We want to build a university our football team can be proud of."Oklahoma president Dr. George L. Cross
Oklahoma Sooner football and the Palace on the Prairie are definitely something that all Sooner fans can be proud of, and this season that legendary field of gridiron accolades 100 years and counting. As part of the season-long celebration of the hallowed stadium's centenarian status, here are 10 fun facts associated with its history:
- A total of 519 games, featuring 94 different opponents, have been played at what is now Gaylord Family--Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Sooners have won 418 of them for a home winning percentage of .820.
- The original site was named Owen Field in honor of legendary head coach Bennie Owen, who guided the Sooners from 1905 to 1926. He also served as head coach of the OU basketball team and the baseball team. Owen coached Oklahoma football for 22 seasons and compiled a record of 122 wins, 54 losses and 16 ties. Owen was a charter member of the National Football Hall of Fame.
- In 1925, a 16.000-seat grandstand was built on the west side of the field at a cost of close to $300,000, offering the first permanent seating in the stadium's history. At the same time, the facility was named Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in honor of University of Oklahoma personnel who gave their lives in World War I.
- Four years later, in 1929, a comparable grandstand was added on the east side of the field, expanding the seating capacity to 32,000.
- The stadium size was expanded to 55,000 in 1949; 61,836 in 1957 when south end zone seats were added (the same season that OU's NCAA record 47-game winning streak ended); 70,000 in 1975 when the upper deck was added on the west side; 82,000 in 2003 when suites and an upper deck was added on the east side; and 83,500 in 2016, when the south end zone area was enclosed.
- In 1970, the original grass surface was changed to artificial turf. Tartan turf was replaced with super turf in the 1981 season. The playing surface was returned to natural grass in 1994.
- The video board at the south end of the stadium, installed in 2017, is the nation's second largest video board at 8,750 square feet and measures 50 feet by 170 feat.
- In 2003, the Gaylord Family donated $50 million dollars to the university, including $12 million earmarked for renovations to the football stadium. At that time, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents voted to change the name of the stadium to Gaylord Family--Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
- The largest crowd in the history of the stadium is 88,308 for a game on Nov. 11, 2017, between No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 11 TCU. Oklahoma won the game 38-20.
- At its present capacity, Gaylord Family--Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the 18th largest in college football, but just the ninth biggest in the SEC.