Oklahoma Sooners Football Chronicles: The Beginning

The University of Oklahoma's history began nearly twenty years before it would enter the union as the 46th U.S. State. They wouldn't be referred to as the Sooners until after admission to the union, too. The word "sooner" was a commonly used name before Oklahoma became a state.

Sooners were described as settlers who would enter the Assigned Lands too early to claim land. This was until then-U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 that opened up the land to be settled upon. Disputes for land involving the sooners and other participants were handled by the U.S. Department of Interior.

The time was 1889 and the territory of what is now Oklahoma had been governed by George Washington Steele, who made it a mission to create public school systems along with increasing education. Despite having very little funding, Norman Territorial University had been established in December 1890. David Ross Boyd was the first President of the University of Oklahoma in 1892 which seen the first students enrolled that fall.

An instructor by the name of Edwin DeBarr had led a group of students into helping to purchase a football from the growing Spalding Company. They played for recreational purposes only, but the seeds to what was to come had been planted.

The game would take a giant leap forward when John Harts arrived from Winfield, Kansas. Harts, who played football at Southwestern College in Winfield, had immediately shown his skills as the game's interest grew. Because of leadership qualities, he was elected team captain of the football team as well as assume responsibilities of organizing and managing games.

In 1895, Harts scheduled a game against the veteran Oklahoma City town team in Norman. Even though he organized the first ever game at the school, Harts had a difficult time finding enough players to field a team. Bud Risinger, a local barber shop owner, and Fred Perry were the final two players needed to fill the spots of the roster just one day before their first game. Neither one of them were enrolled at the university. The first game was set on November 7, 1895, and it was a regrettable experience for Harts.

Oklahoma did not score in the game nor did they muster a first down against the Oklahoma City town team. Oklahoma didn't have enough players to finish the game, so they had some from the Oklahoma City town team to come over to them to finish the contest. Eye witness accounts have said the game was a brutal one for Oklahoma, and they lost by the score of 34-0. Because of this, Harts would never schedule any more games for the school. Better days lie ahead for the school.

The fanfare for the school was still low, and they wouldn't have a head coach for the 1896 season. It would also be 12 years before Oklahoma would be admitted into the union.

As for Harts, he was done at Oklahoma as he would eventually head to the Arctic to look for gold. Later on, he would surface in the California area while being properly credited for launching the Oklahoma Sooners football program. As a matter of fact, here's a reproduced letter dated October 6, 1942 to Oklahoma President Harold Keith from Harts in Los Angeles after being credited as the founder of Oklahoma Sooners football:



Letter is courtesy of the Oklahoma Sooners Vault hardcover book.

Thanks for viewing Oklahoma Sooners Football Chronicles. More of the history of the Sooners will be coming soon.

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