Sooner Saturdays: Paul Munding

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We're unveiling a series that highlights how unique "Sooner Saturdays" are at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. We'll hear from a wide variety of individuals who play a part in making "Sooner Saturdays" one of the most unique experiences in all of sports, including co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jay Norvell, drum major Zack Hedrick, Schooner driver Bobby Nash, photographer Stacey West and public address announcer Jim Miller.

NORMAN, Okla. -- In the latest segment of our "Sooner Saturdays" series, we'll hear from Paul Munding, a 2003 OU graduate who still lives in Norman and works as a petroleum engineer at Chesapeake Energy. Countless individuals make "Sooner Saturdays" at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium truly one of the most unique experiences in all of sports. OU fans like Paul Munding are an integral part of that experience.

What is a Sooner fan? It probably depends on who you are asking. And more than likely, a different person may come from every individual you ask. Some may have become Sooners when they decided to come to college in Oklahoma, but for others, it is a lifelong commitment to one of the best athletic programs in college history.

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The OU fight song proudly states, "I'm Sooner born and Sooner bred, and when I die I'll be Sooner dead." For some fans like OU season ticket holder, Paul Munding, those words represent a perfect summation of their feelings for the Sooners.

"I remember growing up thinking that we have such a great tradition and such a great history," Munding said. "Getting here in college and seeing the team establish their position among the national elite again was awesome. It gives you goose bumps when you see a big game like Notre Dame. During kickoff you're just ecstatic and ready for action."

Munding's game days look a little different now than they did in college, but he still attends every game and now tries to make Oklahoma Football a family event. Munding's family now consists of a wife and two children. The entire Munding family is part of his pregame activities whether it's eating barbeque at a friend's tailgate or throwing the football around with his son.

"My son and I will throw the football around, and he loves the experience," Munding said. "Even though he won't come in the game he just knows that it's OU game day, and he gets really pumped up. He wants to put his jersey on."

Keeping the Sooner tradition alive in his family is huge for Munding. "My son Luke loves OU, and obviously I'm not going to push him to go to any university, but if he comes to OU that's great," Munding said. "At the age of two or two-and-a-half, he's wanting me to play "Boomer Sooner" when I get home every day on the stereo about five or six times until you're just going crazy. He's just really taken on to the whole OU thing."

Munding wasn't alive for the birth of "Sooner Magic" when Barry Switzer coined the term in the 1970s, but he was there to rush the field when that OU magic resurfaced in 2000. Munding vividly recalls a 31-14 home victory in 2000 en route to OU's seventh national championship as the No. 3 Sooners upset the No. 1 Cornhuskers. Munding also stood outside Evans Hall in 1999 when the next Sooner football coach, Bob Stoops, was introduced, and he remembers telling his best friend: "This guy is going to resurrect the program."

Munding did not experience back-to-back national championships under Bud Wilkinson or Switzer. He did not get to watch Sooner greats like the Selmon brothers or Billy Sims. But he did get to experience the final few seasons of Switzer's reign, including the 1985 national title team. He stayed true to the Crimson and Cream during the 1990s and he got to experience the restoration of a program rich in tradition. He watched as two Sooner quarterbacks became the two most recent OU Heisman winners, and he's bled crimson and cream through thick and thin. Paul Munding knows what it means to be a Sooner, and he knows there's only one Sooner Saturday.

"Sooner Saturdays" actually begin with the modern-day land run for prime tailing spots on Fridays. Tents are set up starting at noon the day before the game and campus comes alive with activity well before players make their final preparations in the locker room.

When fans arrive in Norman, they pass through a sea of tailgaters and fans. From Campus Corner to the Lloyd Noble Center, the breadth of excitement travels far and wide across Norman. TVs are on and grills are fired up, and no matter how early kickoff is, there is likely a refreshing beverage in a nearby cooler. And of course, all of the OU loyalists are sporting their favorite shades of Crimson and Cream.

Closer to the stadium, the sounds of The Pride resonate throughout various pregame events. The beat of OU's marching band echoes off the statues at Heisman Park and entertains fans well before The Pride enters the stadium for their pregame and halftime shows.

Once inside the stadium, and after you've sung along to "Boomer Sooner," "Oklahoma" and the OU Chant, it's time for the intro video. The much-anticipated video is played right before the team enters the field. It signals that it's almost game time. No Sooner football game is complete without it. Goosebumps and wows are sure to ensue as the film hits its crescendo: "There's Only ONE Oklahoma!"

The team exits the locker room and walks down the tunnel. The stadium gets louder and louder, as the Sooners prepare to touch the historic turf of Owen Field. Then it happens, and you can't hear yourself think. The players run onto the field with flags celebrating the seven national titles proudly waving. They jump and touch a banner with a simple, yet powerful slogan: "Play Like a Champion."

With seven national championships and 44 conference titles, plenty of Sooners have played like champions on this hallowed field before.

Both teams are on the field, and 15 to 20 "Boomer!" and "Sooner!" chants later, it's time for kickoff. Sure, the visiting team might be a little intimidated, but that's all part of the equation. And typically, there are millions of other fans watching on television whose pulses might quicken just a little, as well.

The OU Spirit Squad, RUF/NEKs and Pride of Oklahoma lead the OU fans and students in cheers throughout the game, creating an endless stream of excitement and energy.

When the Sooners score, one of college football's most unique traditions commences. Powered by two white horses, the Sooner Schooner exits the northeast tunnel and races across the field in celebration. Driven by the RUF/NEKs, this uniquely OU conestoga has traveled across Owen Field ever since 1964.

With another OU victory in the books, "Sooner Saturday" likely isn't complete without some form of postgame celebration as Oklahoma Football fans look forward to the next game and their next opportunity to participate in one of the most colorful and vibrant home atmospheres in college football.

There's only ONE Oklahoma! There's only ONE "Sooner Saturday!"

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