You Decide the Best of the Switzer Center

NORMAN, Okla. -- Sooner fans, what is your favorite artifact inside Legends Lobby at the Barry Switzer Center?

Each artifact certainly has its significance in the rich history of OU football, but just for fun we are pitting 16 items against each other in a bracket-style format. We will release one matchup per day over the next three weeks and Sooner fans will decide their favorite.

Vote for the current matchup on our official Facebook page. Then, continue to check back every day between now and July 25 as Sooner fans around the world weigh in.

Final

Crystal Ball (26.2%)

Voting Recap

Play Like a Champion (73.8%)

"Play Like a Champion" and you will be a champion. The mantra has certainly come to fruition at Oklahoma. Seven times the Sooners have reached the pinnacle of college football, the last time in 2000 when OU brought home the crystal ball. Not ironically, the program's first three titles came under the man who instituted the slogan, Bud Wilkinson.

Crystal Ball (86.9%) def. 1950s Trophy (13.1%)
	Crystal Ball (91.3%) def. Fans' Ball (8.7%)

		Crystal Ball (94.7%) def. Golden Hat (5.3%)
Fans' Ball (83.6%) def. 1924 Ball (16.4%)


			Play Like a... (73.8%) def. Crystal Ball (26.2%)
Golden Hat (76.9%) def. Bowl Trophies (23.1%)
	Golden Hat (80.3%) def. Silver Shoes (19.7%)


Silver Shoes (50.6%) def. Murray Jersey (49.4%)


				Play Like a Champion
Stoops Visor (67.5%) def. Switzer Jacket (32.5%)
	Rings (78.4%) def. Stoops Visor (21.6%)

		Play Like a... (78.2%) def. Rings (21.8%)
Rings (91.9%) def. Lobby Mural (8.1%)



Heismans (91.7%) def. Nat'l Awards (8.3%)
	Play Like a... (62.8%) def. Heismans (37.2%)


Play Like a... (96.8%) def. Figurines (3.2%)

Semifinals

Crystal Ball (94.7%)

Voting Recap

Golden Hat (5.3%)

Oklahoma's goals are always the same -- beat Texas and win championships. The trophy on the left is certainly the most coveted in all of college football, but Sooner fans know before the crystal comes the gold. To be in the discussion at the end of the season, OU must first pass a championship-like test in the middle. So which do you cherish more?

Championship Rings (21.8%)

Voting Recap

Play Like a Champion (78.2%)

Before every game, Oklahoma players pledge to "Play Like a Champion" as they touch the sign on their way out the locker room. Since Bud Wilkinson first instituted the mantra in the 1950s, it has rendered seven national championships, five times that many conference titles, and of course, the rings that go along with them.

Quarterfinals

Crystal Ball (91.3%)

Voting Recap

Fans' Game Ball (8.7%)

"We're going to do everything in our power to turn this ball... into this ball." Coach Stoops' famous line in OU's annual intro video referenced the crystal trophy, college football's ultimate prize. In 2008, he gave Sooner fans a game ball for their effort in helping OU reach the title game. Both carry special memories, but which is your favorite?

Golden Hat (80.3%)

Voting Recap

Silver Shoes (19.7%)

Gold meets silver in this second round matchup between two of the most famous pieces of attire in Sooner history. OU dons the Golden Hat each time they beat Texas in the annual showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Joe Washington wore his famous silver shoes while slashing past, over and through opponents during the early 1970s.

Stoops Visor (21.6%)

Voting Recap

Championship Rings (78.4%)

Wearing rings has been a popular trend at OU since its first national title in 1950. Coach Stoops has continued the tradition, adding the 2000 national championship and seven Big 12 title rings to the case. Perhaps the only surer thing over the last 12 years is the coach wearing his signature visor on the sidelines every Saturday.

Heisman Trophies (37.2%)

Voting Recap

Play Like a Champion (62.8%)

Tradition is defined not only by winning, but by a culture that is passed down through generations. Both hold true at Oklahoma. Team and individual success go hand-in-hand with Sooner football, while the customs surrounding OU home games are among the nation's most recognizable. This matchup features relics of both.

Round 1

Crystal Ball (86.9%)

Voting Recap

1950s Trophy (13.1%)

All championships are special, and our first matchup pits OU's first national title trophy against its most recent. The crystal ball has certainly become an iconic prize for college football's best team, but seven national championships would have never happened without the first. The elder trophy honors OU's first three title teams ('50, '55 & '56).

Fans' Game Ball (83.6%)

Voting Recap

1924 Game Ball (16.4%)

One of these game balls is deflated, while the other helped do some deflating. The former was used for OU's first touchdown scored vs. Nebraska on Owen Field in 1924. The latter was the one Coach Stoops gave Sooner fans for their effort during the 2008 Texas Tech game in Norman, a 65-21 win which took the air out of the Raiders' title hopes.

Bowl Trophies (23.1%)

Voting Recap

Golden Hat (76.9%)

Oklahoma plays for trophies. The decision here is between the one awarded in the middle of the season and those at the end. Each year, OU and Texas battle for the Golden Hat, while the Sooners also appear in major bowl games almost annually. OU is one of just two schools with a Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowl trophy in its case.

Murray Jersey (49.4%)

Voting Recap

Silver Shoes (50.6%)

Some refer to Oklahoma as "Running Back U", and our latest matchup features two of the most productive in Sooner history. Wearing the jersey on the left, DeMarco Murray surpassed the school's career TDs and all-purpose yards records in 2010. The man he replaced on the all-purpose list -- Joe Washington and his famous siver shoes.

Stoops Visor (66.9%)

Voting Recap

Switzer Jacket (33.1%)

This is one of the opening round's most intriguing matchups, pitting the attire of two of OU's most popular coaches against one another. Only Coach Switzer's Beat Texas hat would have made it better. Stoops and Switzer make up half of Oklahoma's quartet of 100-win coaches. No other program in the country can claim as many.

Lobby Mural (8.1%)

Voting Recap

Championship Rings (91.9%)

One of the largest displays in the Switzer Center meets one of the smallest. The mural, which greets visitors as they enter the museum, depicts famous faces and achievements from throughout the Sooner football program's storied history. Though smaller in scale, the rings provide equally dazzling mementos of some of OU's finest moments.

Heisman Trophies (96.3%)

Voting Recap

National Awards (3.7%)

Everyone knows about the Heisman. It is perhaps the most recognizable trophy in all of sports. Oklahoma has even honored its five winners with larger-than-life statues. But what about OU's other major national awards? There are 59 of them, and among the Switzer Center's collection are some of the most unique -- a must-see for any visitor.

Play Like a Champion (96.8%)

Voting Recap

Wilkinson Figurines (3.2%)

The man largely credited with starting the rich tradition we associate with Sooner football today, Bud Wilkinson was a pioneer on many fronts. He instituted the "Play Like a Champion" slogan as a source of motivation for his players, while the small figurines were used to illustrate formations and strategy during his weekly TV show in the '60s.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

You Decide the Best of the Switzer Center

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