Sooner Schooner sidelined; new one due in spring
The wheels came off Oklahoma‘s Sooner Schooner after a crash Saturday, and the famed covered wagon and its two white horses won’t ride again this season.
OU senior associate athletic director Kenny Mossman said the Schooner is being repaired for display at home games, and a new one is being built in time to run again for next year’s spring game.
“We will repair the damaged Schooner and its future use will be for static display,” Mossman said in a statement first provided to the OU Daily. “It is possible that it will be back at a game this season, but it will not run. We also are in the process of having a new Schooner constructed. There is no timetable yet for when it will be ready. I would anticipate having it in time for the spring game.”
The Schooner tipped over while making a sharp turn during the second quarter of the No. 5 Sooners’ 52-14 victory over West Virginia on Saturday. The wagon flipped on its side, ejecting two spirit-squad members to the turf.
There were no serious injuries, and the two white horses — “Boomer” and “Sooner” — were unharmed.
The schooner traverses the field at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium after every OU score. It is said to be reminiscent of the travel method used by pioneers who settled the Oklahoma Territory around the Land Run of 1889. The Sooner Schooner was introduced at the school in 1964 and became an official mascot in 1980.