The University of Oklahoma is doing it right.
College football season is quickly approaching – and technically it’s already started. If you count “Week 0,” which featured a number of upsets, then we are already in the 2024-25 season. For schools that haven’t officially started, they’ve still got some time to put their official plans together, and country music fans will certainly love what Oklahoma football has planned for this season.
As a part of their official “In-Game Experience” upgrades, the Sooners will honor one of their state’s most famous ambassadors, Toby Keith, with a sing along between the 3rd and 4th quarters of games. Though the “Big Dog Daddy” never attended OU, he was a super fan all of his life, and he sent his children there for college.
This comes after Oklahoma was praised for some of the tributes they did to honor Keith last year shortly after he passed away at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer. For their rivalry basketball game with Oklahoma State, they served all drinks inside the stadium in red solo cups, and for their spring football game, they painted Toby’s name onto the field. The university also gifted Toby and the Keith family with a posthumous honorary degree.
And now along with those tributes, the break in between the third and fourth quarters of football games will belong to Toby Keith’s music. As pointed out in their fans experience enhancements announcement, there will be a “Big Dog Daddy” sing along at every game:
“Fans will benefit from improved connectivity with AT&T’s 5G service and enjoy amplified band performances and enhanced in-game graphics with live 3D renderings of game stats.
A new real-time decibel meter will measure crowd impact, encouraging fans to make sure the Sooners can hear and feel their support.
The Toby Keith Tribute 3rd/4th quarter break will celebrate the Oklahoma icon, giving 85,000 fans the opportunity to sing along with the legendary Sooner super fan.”
OU will have a tribute to Toby Keith at the end of every third quarter this season. https://t.co/TIMT7ztJHq pic.twitter.com/r3SNGPKHEL
— Summer of George (@GeorgeStoia) August 26, 2024
As we all knew would happen, Toby Keith’s spirit is living on through his music. I simply can’t wait to see the first video of 85,000 Oklahoma fans singing along together to a Toby Keith classic.
It’ll surely make for an electric atmosphere heading into the end of football games, and it’s certainly a great way to honor the country music legend.