Sooners Touch Down in Phoenix

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- OU scored first in Arizona. The Sooners touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Monday night to begin bowl preparations one day prior to Boise State.

A long line of Fiesta Bowl dignitaries, unmistakable in canary yellow blazers, met the team on the tarmac.

OU's players were off the 757 first. Dressed in matching crimson warm-ups, seniors Rufus Alexander, Larry Birdine and Chris Messner led the team into the crowd. Coaches, staff and families followed.

The bowl welcome included dignitaries waving crimson shakers and Oklahoma signs while pasting the OU contingent with Fiesta Bowl stickers.

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Approximately 30 players flew with the team party which included coaches and staff on the charter from Oklahoma City. The balance of the team made their way to Arizona from hometowns across the country.

A police escort guided the team buses on a loop to Scottsdale and the team's headquarters for bowl week at the Fairmont Scottsdale Resort.

Watch Sooners Arrive at Phoenix Airport for Bowl Week

Although dark when OU arrived, the resort is a sprawling complex with Spanish architecture surrounded by fountains, golf courses and palm trees. Get a quick glimpse by visiting the resort's site online.

OU begins bowl practices promptly on Tuesday at Pinnacle High School. The Sooners work in full pads beginning at 11:40 a.m. local time. Phoenix is one hour behind Central.

SoonerSports.com will provide fans with complete bowl week coverage including daily reports, video, photo galleries and player features leading up to the game on New Year's Day.

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COVER BOYS
Oklahoma's official bowl guide depicts Paul Thompson, Coach Stoops and team photos from the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City. The guide is available to the public online in PDF format and for sale in the OU Athletics Multimedia Store.

The team party manual, detailing bowl week events and distributed exclusively to players, coaches and staff, honors OU's All-Big 12 first teamers: senior defensive end Larry Birdine, senior offensive tackle Chris Messner, senior defensive end C.J. Ah You, junior running back Adrian Peterson, senior linebacker Rufus Alexander and sophomore safety/returner Reggie Smith.

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SOONERS ON THE MOVE
One of the perks of team travel includes a police escort from the stadium in Norman to the OKC airport. The buses are shadowed by Oklahoma Highway Patrol members in squad cars with lights blazing.

Sooners fans on the road Christmas Day pulled over and waved to the buses as the caravan made its way north.

The escort continued in Arizona, albeit with officers mounted on motorcycles for the trip from the airport to the hotel. Locals were probably guessing which team had arrived with the area hosting three bowl games within the span of just 11 days.

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TRAVELING BILLBOARD
Oklahoma's equipment truck, filled with pads, weights and practice gear, departed Norman Thursday for Arizona.

The crimson semi, decked with seven national championship and four Big 12 championship logos (including the 2006 title), headed down I-35 and spent the first night in Weatherford, Texas. Friday, the truck headed west on a nine-hour jaunt to Las Cruces, N.M.

The truck arrived at 2 p.m. in Phoenix on Saturday. Equipment staff spent the past few days -- including Christmas -- preparing the lockers for players and coaches at the practice facility and readying meeting rooms in the team hotel.

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DAILY COVERAGE
OU Athletics Internet Services Director, Jason Matheson, will post daily reports, video, photo galleries and features from location in Arizona.

Associate A.D. for Communications Kenny Mossman and Assistant Media Relations Director Jared Thompson will also provide coverage of the Sooners during bowl week. SoonerVision director Dan Cavanaugh will post additional video features.

Follow the Sooners all week leading up to the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at SoonerSports.com -- information direct from the source: Daily Coverage.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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