Sooners Return Home As National Champions

Jan. 4, 2001

By JUDI BOLAND
Associated Press Writer

NORMAN, Okla. - It was a scene that even made Josh Heupel shed his calculated demeanor.

Oklahoma returned home with the national championship Thursday, a day after beating Florida State 13-2 in the Orange Bowl.

Appearing on a balcony at team headquarters, above a frenzied crowd of supporters, players pointed camcorders and led cheers to the thousands who waved signs, newspapers and helmets.

Heupel, sporting an uncharacteristic bravado, led the crowd in two verses of a homemade version of Florida State's "tomahawk chop" chant.

"Ok-la-homa, Ok-la-homa," the quarterback sang, terming it a "new little version" of the Seminole battle cry the team became all too familiar with during its trip to Florida.

Coach Bob Stoops also took a shot at cheerleading, spurring the crowd in chants of "We're Number One! We're Number One!"

"It's great to be back in Norman with our great fans and it's great to know that OU football's back," the coach said.

Safety J.T. Thatcher, who experienced losing seasons with the Sooners in 1997 and 1998, thanked the crowd for sticking with the team.

"When we first got here it was pretty hard," he said, "but once coach Stoops came into town we knew we had a chance to win a national championship. And now we did."

The crowd spilled out of the plaza outside the Barry Switzer Center and across the street.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Return Home As National Champions

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