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OSU vs OU

Bedlam

bed·lam n  1: a state of extreme confusion and disorder [syn: chaos, pandemonium, topsy-turvydom, topsy-turvyness]  2: pejorative terms for an insane asylum [syn: Bedlam, booby hatch, crazy house, cuckoo's nest, funny farm, funny house, loony bin, madhouse, nuthouse, sanatorium]

More than 100 years ago, on the windswept plains of Oklahoma Territory, assembled a group of Oklahoma A&M students to participate in the first territorial Track and Field Meet. The prize of the tournament was a silver cup donated by a local jeweler named Douglas. A&M won the meet and returned to Stillwater with the traveling trophy. In 1901, A&M won again, and a third consecutive win would mean the Douglas Cup was theirs to keep. On May 23, 1902, the next meet was held, the Aggies winning. OU filed a protest because the pole vault competition had not been completed due to darkness, but their protest was overruled. The Douglas Cup belonged to Oklahoma A&M. The next day, the Sooners held their own vault competition and declared themselves the winner. Several weeks later, the Douglas Cup was missing from its place. A&M students made a trip to Norman and returned with the Douglas Cup, reportedly burying it under Old Central for safekeeping. Ten years later, when excavation was being done for Gundersen Hall, the trophy was found. Though dented from and tarnished from its past, the Douglas Cup was given a place of honor on campus. Today it resides in Heritage Hall, a proud symbol of the tradition that is Oklahoma State University.

Listen to:

The Waving Song, Ride 'Em Cowboys! and the OSU Chant.

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University was founded on December 25, 1890, as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, just twenty months after the Land Run of 1889. When the first students assembled for class on December 14, 1891, there were no buildings, no books, and no curriculum. In 1894, two and one-half years after classes began in local churches, 144 students moved into the first academic building, later known as Old Central, on the southeast corner of campus. In 1896, Oklahoma A&M; held its first commencement with six male graduates. On July 1, 1957, Oklahoma A&M College became Oklahoma State University. Technical branches were established in Okmulgee in 1946 and in Oklahoma City in 1961. (In 1990 their names were changed to OSU-Okmulgee and OSU-Oklahoma City.) In July of 1988, the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery became the College of Osteopathic Medicine of OSU.

The OSU Alma Mater is played at twenty past the hour by the Library Carillon on campus. Whenever OSU faithful gather, alums use their arms to spell the letters O-S-U on the final three notes of the song. And all Cowboys know the left arm is up on the S!
The post-game singing of the OSU alma mater was started by OSU Football Coach Les Miles. After every win on Lewis Field, OSU players and coaches gather in front of the student section in the northwest corner of Lewis Field and sing the alma mater. All fans, students and non-students are encouraged to remain in the stands after OSU victories and join the Cowboys for the alma mater. The Cowboys even sang the alma mater in Norman, following their upset win over the Oklahoma Sooners. Cowboy fans were seated in a corner of Owen Field, and when the final buzzer rang, with the score OSU 16 - OU 13, the team stood on the field in front of them and celebrated the victory with their loyal fans.

The night before football games, the team stays in the Atherton Hotel at the Student Union. On game day, two hours and fifteen minutes prior to the start of the game, the team walks down Hester Street to Lewis Field. Coach Miles leads the spirited parade, followed by the OSU Marching band, the spirit squad, and, of course, the players. Fans already at the stadium gather on the side of the road and cheer their Cowboys on to victory at Lewis Field.

Though Pistol Pete has been OSU's mascot since 1923, only since 1958 has someone worn the current garb and "head".

With the unveiling of the renovated Gallagher-Iba Arena came another tradition - the Spirit Run. At least once during home basketball games, a member of the OSU Cheerleading Squad runs around the upper level of the arena carrying a huge OSU flag while the Spirit Band plays the William Tell Overture.

The idea for the Spirit Rider came from then-OSU Band Director Richard Kastendieck. In 1984, he and the President of the OSU Rodeo Association, a student named John Beall, started the tradition of the Spirit Rider. Beall used his own quarterhorse, Della, to celebrate the touchdowns scored by the OSU football team. This soon became a staple of OSU football, and in 1988, Oklahoma State University bought its own black horse. A student contest in the Collegian provided the name, Bullet, and ever since the tradition has remained. Bullet makes his appearance with the marching band at the beginning of each home game and after each OSU touchdown.

Why Bedlam? Why OSU?

It used to be about in-state bragging rights and good, old-fashioned pride.

The Bedlam Series Scoring System is as follows:
Sport (No. of Contests)	Points per Contest	Total Points Available
Football (1)	2	2
Men's Basketball (2)	1	2
Women's Basketball (2)	1	2
*Baseball (3)		2 or 3
Softball (2)	1	2
Wrestling (2)	1	2
Women's Soccer (1)	1	1
Men's Tennis (1)	1	1
Women's Tennis (1)	1	1
***Men's Golf	1/2	1/2
***Women's Golf	1/2	1/2
**Men's Track (Outdoor/Indoor)	1/2	1/2
**Women's Track (Outdoor/Indoor)	1/2	1/2
***Men's Cross Country	1/2	1/2
***Women's Cross Country	1/2	1/2
Total		18 or 19
*Winner of three (3) game Baseball series (even in a 3-0 sweep) receives no more than two (2) points. In the event the losing team in the series wins a game, that team will receive one (1) point. **The combined scores in the Big 12 Outdoor and Indoor Track Championships will be compared to award the one-half (1/2) point. ***The one-half (1/2) point will be awarded to the team that finishes highest in the Big 12 Championship. Tie-Breaker All sports will be placed in a random drawing. The drawing will occur until a sport is drawn that a school won all of the possible points in that particular athletics year.

It's still about in-state bragging rights and good, old-fashioned pride. But it's also about this.

	O S U O U Department of Dance National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association College of Veterinary Medicine Anita Hill Eskimo Joe's Rompin' Stompin Sooner Fan Cowboy Fan The day before the game the Sooner Fan decided to wash his sweatshirt. Challenged by all the knobs, seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends," was the reply. "What does it say on your shirt?" He yelled back, "University of Oklahoma."

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