In defense of the Rough Riders alternate uniforms
Why we should remember them fondly.
A post from Lucas
With the recent announcement from OU football of the throwback 50s Wilkinson era uniforms, I thought it would be nice for a look back at the recently retired Rough Rider (Bring the Wood) uniforms.
When these uniforms were introduced in 2014, there was a lot of enthusiasm with younger age groups, especially with the athletes and recruits themselves. Some OU traditionalists didn’t really appreciate them because of the argument that OU didn’t need a change, due to the iconic nature of the program. A lot of talk that we “didn’t need to be like Oregon” or many other programs that had embraced alternate uniforms. Many people such as myself, thought that having them for 2 games a year, one home and away, would be a nice change of pace to bring some excitement to the fan base, and of course some new merchandise sales. Not everyone felt this way and there have been many staunch opponents, namely a couple of Homers on this podcast. One would think it would be the opposite for the Realist as I feel I am the most traditionalist of the group, but I actually liked them. Just another on the list of things we’re in disagreement over I guess.
From the launch of the Rough Riders:
Football was being played in Oklahoma before it was even a state. First came the phrase "Boomer Sooner" in the 1898 season. The next year the Oklahoma football team picked up the nickname,"The Rough Riders" perhaps from the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, which was formed in 1898. The volunteers, led by Theodore Roosevelt, were mostly college athletes, cowboys and ranchers gathered from Oklahoma and other states in the American South West to fight in the Spanish-American War. A few years later, in 1905, back on the football field the Rough Riders became the "Boomers." Finally, in 1908 the team in crimson and cream became known as the "Sooners." That year the Sooners beat Texas 50-0.
There are few tokens of Oklahoma lore more recognizable and unique than the Sooner Schooner. Built from rugged wood to carry the burdens of a generation, these wagons are represented in the wood grain throughout the Rough Rider alternate uniforms.
I can remember most every recruit for years following the introduction of the RR uniforms, doing their photo shoot wearing them. I don’t know if it was at their request or coaches/recruiting coordinators deciding for them, but I do recall players really loving them. One of those “look good, feel good, play good” scenarios. The overall record for the Sooners while wearing some combination of the uniforms was 14-4. There were some memorable moments like the 2018 Big 12 title game with Kyler Murray dropping a dime to Grant Calcaterra beating Texas. The Jalen Hurts comeback at Baylor in 2019. Who could forget Caleb Williams improbably ripping the ball out of Kennedy Brooks’ hands on a 4th & 1 in Lawrence to continue the drive to beat Kansas?
Despite the record, there have still been many detractors of the uniforms. I will say it seems like they’ve run their course and it feels like a good time to let these uniforms retire gracefully, even though they’re being replaced at home by the Unity jerseys (that’s a whole other story). I’m sure we’ll still see plenty of Baker, Kyler, Hurts RR jerseys in the stands on game days for many years to come, and at some point it will be a sweet note of nostalgia to see them in the wild. I, of course, never wanted to go the route of Oregon or Oklahoma State with a different combination of helmet, jersey, pants each game. I do appreciate them for what they were though, and that was a nice change of pace to inspire some excitement with the players to wear something new. With the addition of the Unity home jerseys, it’s hard to tell if there will be a new alternate away uniform in the near future, but for now, I’ll reminisce fondly of the Rough Riders and I hope you will too.
