OUInsider - Owen Field

I recall the '75 Kansas game clearly. My season tickets were in the North end zone but a close friend could not attend and gave me his tickets on the 45 yard line. I was really excited--for a while anyway. I seem to recall that Steve Davis etal fumbled some 4 or 5 times in that game.

I also 'survived' the Game of the Century but from my North end zone seats.

I made it through 15 straight RR Shootouts from '72 --attending with the same group of folks--some were even Texas Longhorns, Aggies and a few Tech people. During that period I witnessed some great wins as well as some disappointing loses. But no one carried any animosity at the game results after the final whistle. We never would have survived 1 year, much less 15 if we had not been able to handle a loss or win with dignity, grace and good sportsmanship.

Of course we never seemed to spend any energy trying to tell the rest of the world how to coach or play football for OU.

Maybe ignorance is bliss, because I enjoyed every second of it, win or lose.

Now? Even after a win there seems to be a large amount of complaining, nitpicking, advising and criticizing thrown at the coaches and players from all directions: the media, fans, and of course much of it appears in posts on this board.

While I am apparently no longer ignorant, having the insight of so many genius unemployed coaches on this site, I am also no longer as blissful about a win, much less a loss.

Great post and thanks for the insight.

Ah, the wisdom of a bit of age. Sage advice. We all can gain by the application of your wisdom sir. I have read the tweets of many of our players. In the face of outrageous criticism they remain calm, adult and show wisdom beyond their years. Their maturity should make many ashamed.

An excellent thread. As another aging Baby Boomer Sooner, I can attest that with age comes perspective. I was at that Kansas game and came away in shock. I had not seen us treated so rudely on our own turf in the Barry Switzer era.

The following week I was in Columbia for the Joe Washington miracle and comeback one-point win. It was a gut wrenching stretch in a season that saw us ultimately go on to win another national championship.

I used to get so emotionally invested in OU football I'd be hard to live with for days after a loss. These days I still hate losses, still yell myself hoarse at games, and scream at the tv to the point where the dog leaves for the safety of the backyard. The week prior to the opening of OU's football season is far and away the most eagerly anticipated week of every year. Nothing else comes close.

But I have become more philosophical. It's a game, played by kids, and there are many things in this world far more important than their outcomes. The highs are just as high as ever. The lows, less so.