Portal:College football/Selected article/May, 2008



Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma. The official capacity of the stadium following recent renovations is 82,112, making it the 14th largest college stadium in the United States and the 3rd largest in the Big 12 Conference (behind Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas and Kyle Field at Texas A&M University). The record attendance for the stadium was set during a 2006 home game against Texas Tech University with 85,313 in attendance. The stadium is also the site of Spring Commencement exercises for the University.

The stadium is a horseshoe-shaped facility with its long axis oriented north/south, with the north end enclosed and the south end open. Visitor seating is in the south end zone and the southern sections of the east side. The student seating sections are in the east stands, surrounding the 350-member Pride of Oklahoma which sits in section 29, between the 20- and 35-yard lines. The Sooners' bench was also located on the east side with the students, but the home bench was moved to the west (shady) side in the mid-1990s so the Sooners can take respite in the tall shadow of the press box from the sweltering August and September heat – a key advantage for the Sooners against teams from cooler climates or with inadequate heat conditioning.

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