Your honest opinions/jokes/stereotypes of the State of OK or OSU

[GulfCoastPoke]

This should be funny...What you got?  I'm quite interested to know what Stanford folks think about Oklahoma (the state) or OSU.  I'm pretty sure there is a massive cultural divide between our two fanbases and I'd like to dissect it a little bit.

Also, I'm looking forward to playing your team and partying with your fans in AZ.  From my office window, I can look out and see the field where Andrew Luck played H.S. football.

[TreeFitty]

About OSU? I've got nothing. Never really gave them any thought.

Oklahoma? Pretty much the same. Aside from my high school's production of the musical. Pretty good musical.

[GulfCoastPoke]

Prior to Luck/Gerheart (sp?) last year, the only time I'd thought of Stanford was because of Chelsea Clinton, wondering why a tree was your mascot and a friend of a friend (T.J. Rushing) who played corner for y'all.

I also hear y'all are trying to get the services of one B.J. Sanders.

[Embo]

Seven years ago, my son was playing on a travelling baseball team for 13 year olds.  By virtue of finishing second in a big tournament in central California, our team qualified for a 64 team national tournament in Tulsa.  Our team manager, one of the dads, made the arrangements and we all headed out there in July.  We got off the plane, felt the heat and humidity, and wondered what he was thinking - we came to Oklahoma??

But how did it turn out?  We all - and I do mean all of us - had a great time.  What I found was that folks were really, honestly friendly - no matter where we went, folks asked us where we were from, wanted to know about California.  Driving in Tulsa and on the highways was another pleasant experience.  California is probably the center of the universe for road rage.  OK is the polar opposite - their freeway onramps are shorter, but no one ever honked or gave me the bird - people would politely allow me to merge.

Of course, that our boys started playing well (after dropping the first two games) and made it to the consolation round finals helped.  But we all had real pleasant memories of our trip - it truly was the best trip that team ever took.

[washingtonismoney]

Prior to Luck/Gerheart (sp?) last year, the only time I'd thought of Stanford was because of Chelsea Clinton, wondering why a tree was your mascot and a friend of a friend (T.J. Rushing) who played corner for y'all.

I also hear y'all are trying to get the services of one B.J. Sanders.

Rushing...still remember that return he blew right open for a touchdown against Notre Dame in the old Stanford Stadium. Nearly broke my heart we lost that game that year (I was a freshman), especially after the UC Davis and UCLA debacles. In the long run, it was probably better we lost those games--Idiotface might have coached the team for a good while longer if we had won one of those three games.

Sanders...yes, he's on the list. Either way, I'm sure he'll have a ton of fun playing for a rampaging offense.

[GulfCoastPoke]

Glad you had a positive experience in OK.  There are a lot of negative things that can be said about the state, but Oklahomans are well known for friendliness and being down to earth...so we've got that going for us.

[Leftcoast]

Oklahoma? 

Solid people, Oil and Ag led economy, but flat, flat flat and humid, humid, humid.  Bible belt and the OK City bombing.  Good football and rabid fans.

Your state has a reputation with many Californians as a flyover state because most folks have only seen it from an 8" X 10" airplane window but I've been to Tulsa a couple of times and enjoyed myself immensely and been impressed by the salt of the earth types I met.  I'm glad to live on the West coast (thus the moniker) but if I was suddenly relocated to Tulsa I'd probably learn to love it after a rough first year .... and I'd probably pick up one of the local college teams to follow.  (You guys might win out there since I could never follow the Sooners.)

But honestly I'd want tickets to the coast at least once a year just to hold on to my sanity and keep a wider perspective. 

Say, maybe THAT'S why you guys always travel so well to your yearly Bowl Games!  Looking forward to meeting some more of you in January.  /Lefty

[washingtonismoney]

Oh, yeah, Oklahoma impressions: love the Thunder. Fun ball club there, great fans. Wish the owners didn't whisk the team away from Seattle to do it.

[yvonne]

Oklahoma State impressions/stereotypes? Sorry, I got nothin'. About the only thing I know about them is Barry Sanders, and that we're in a fight with them for Barry J. Sanders, who is one of the most articulate young men I've ever heard interviewed. Most of my football impressions have to do with the other Oklahoma university. Football is king, academics a a joke, legal issues ("What do you say to a Sooner in a suit?"), NCAA issues, but they do have that cool Sooner Schooner. My other impression is that because you're the "other" university in a football-crazy state, you are probably not getting nearly the attention that you deserve, which means your team is probably really good!

I've never been to the state of Oklahoma. As Lefty said, it's flyover country. Things I know about it? Bible Belt, Native American relocation, oil, dust bowl, Oklahoma City bombing, Reba McIntyre, Garth Brooks.

[GulfCoastPoke]

 
Say, maybe THAT'S why you guys always travel so well to your yearly Bowl Games! 

Enjoyed your post except for what I interpreted as a backhanded compliment here.   

[76lsjumb]

In the summer of 1978, having driven I-80 coast-to-coast enough times in the preceding couple of years that I was literally [in the technically correct use of that term, unfortunately] prone to falling asleep at the wheel while gazing out at the endless, flat fields and fields of wheat, my wife and I decided to drive the "southern" route -- i.e., I-40 -- coming back from law school on the east coast to a summer associate position in L.A.  Thus, we drove east to west through Oklahoma, and I was left with two indelible memories.  First, not too long after entering Oklahoma, we went through a thunder shower of Biblical proportions that, within seconds, was dumping so much water on our car that I was forced to pull over to the side of the freeway for several minutes.  I've been in plenty of blizzards in the Sierras over the years, but I'm not sure I've ever experienced driving conditions as extreme as those couple of minutes on I-40 somewhere in Oklahoma.

The second memory is of the numerous fireworks "emporia" we passed.  Back in those much more innocent times, the idea of stopping at freeway turn-offs to purchase of immense proportions amounts of explosive devices of all types was interesting to me as a native Californian [indeed, there were a number of places out here that offered "safe and sane" fireworks for the weeks leading up to July 4th].  But the places I saw in Oklahoma looked like permanent establishments, and the selection of merchandise was...stunning!  In any event, somewhat to the consternation of my wife, I insisted on going into one of these places and buying a rather large pack of 2" firecrackers.  How large?  Well, virtually every year since I have made it a point to set off at least one string on New Year's Eve and one string on July 4th, with the occasional string for a special event mixed in from time to time.  At last check, I'm still good to go well into the 2020's.  The yield rate on the strings is declining a little bit, but it's still good enough on New Year's Eve to let the neighbors know precisely when midnight strikes.  I [and they] have Oklahoma to thank for that over thirty years later...

And, since we'll be driving to Phoenix and won't have to worry about airline issues, no reason why that can't happen this New Year's Eve, too, I guess...

[cardfan09]

[quote author=Leftcoast link=topic=5116.msg36834#msg36834 date=1323112124]
 
Say, maybe THAT'S why you guys always travel so well to your yearly Bowl Games! 

Enjoyed your post except for what I interpreted as a backhanded compliment here. 
[/quote]

Hey now, you asked for jokes  ;)

[Hansenjohn]

Having grown up in Nebraska, I always figured folks in OK were pretty much as in NE, except with drawls and oil.

Delighted your team smacked the Sooners!

[Nan3cy]

Had a roommate from Claremore my junior year at Stanford. One of the nicest people I've ever known. A few years later, was visiting my brother and his wife in Aspen, CO. We had car trouble one afternoon and were helped out by a couple of newlyweds from Enid. IIRC, the newlyweds drove us back to my brother's place and my sister-in-law insisted they stay for dinner. We had a lovely time.

That said, probably my favorite memory having anything to do with the state is the 1980 football game between Stanford and OU. I assume that doesn't bother OSU fans too badly...

[GulfCoastPoke]

Hey now, you asked for jokes  ;)

Touche.

[oman]

Apart from the obnoxiousness of OU fans, pretty much everything in OK is low key.  I've never met any Oklahomans who weren't nice people. 

I think the Oklahomans have a sunnier disposition than the folks just up in Nebraska.  The Big 10 folks are nice but just not as outwardly freindly .  Too cold I guess.

That OSU mascot is scary as hell though....

[GulfCoastPoke]

That OSU mascot is scary as hell though....

Just wait till the game...he packs a double barrel shotgun and fires it to get our crowds attention.

[fullmetal]

I grew up in Big 12 country and currently live there again, so I've seen some rather boorish OU fans.  I haven't had any bad encounters with Oklahoma State fans, and my impression from others is that it's really OU fans who are the terrible, vitriol-spewing fans of lore.  I should mention that I live in Texas.

A former teammate of mine from the men's crew was from Chickasha, OK.  He finished his PhD from Caltech a year or two ago and is a stand-up guy, mostly an OSU fan rather than an OU fan, I suppose.  I found that out after ribbing him a bit about the OU-Texas game soph or jr year and then realizing that it was as if someone were talking trash to me about A&M, whose football team I have very little affinity.

Kudos to OSU for beating the tar out of OU, and sincere condolences for the student critically injured during the post-game celebration.  (How is s/he doing?)

[jacketree]

Visiting Oklahoma is on my bucket list. Maybe that sounds strange, maybe it doesn't but my grandmother was born in Gotebo, OK (she later moved to Tyler (TX) and New York (NY) before spending most of her adult life in Billings (MT), and apparently her father is buried in Gotebo. My younger sister made the pilgrimage, but I haven't. Yet.  My younger sister lives in central Missouri, so I'm thinking of a side trip into Arkansas and Oklahoma, which would then leave North Dakota, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire as the only states remaining to complete the entire commemorative set.

No stereotypes from me whatsoever, since so many of my relatives Dad's were native Oklahoman.  One aunt remained in Norman and was a of immense proportions OU fan, but we never visited. I honestly don't know much about OSU, but given the history of Bedlam, will always root for OSU in that game.  I see a very difficult Fiesta Bowl for Stanford. You guys look really good.

I also have to say I was never a big Grapes of Wrath fan, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

[metsjetsfan]

As a native New Yorker, I don't have any opinions/stereotypes.

But where is Oklahoma, and what's there other than T. Boone Pickens, cowboys, deserts, and oil?