We reached across the crimson and orange divide in an effort to provide some perspective to this Saturday's 108th Bedlam meeting between the Sooners and Cowboys.
Robert Whetsell of Cowboys Ride For Free was kind enough to share some of his best and worst Bedlam moments from the OSU side of things.
We expect you'll smile reading some and cringe reading others, but reliving both the good and even the bad are all part of the fun that is Bedlam.
We would also encourage you to share some of your favorite and/or least favorite Bedlam moments in the comments below, but for now here are those Robert shared with us.
My Favorite Bedlam Moments . . .
1) 1976....OSU 31, OU 24. What? 2011 isn't #1? Let me explain. This was my first experience with a Bedlam win for OSU. My father bought 2 tickets (my mother refused to attend Bedlam after 1965) and at 14 I was so excited to go to the game in Norman. Then one of my sisters scheduled her wedding for Oct 23, 1976. You think I'll ever forget her anniversary?
This was back in the days with scrolling scoreboards once every 10-15 minutes. No internet. No cable.
I was jumping back and forth between the beds in our hotel room, waiting for the scores to come up. My parents are yelling at me to finish getting dressed.
21-24...28-24...waiting for what we thought was the inevitable 28-31 final.
Then it came up. 31-24 F. Pandemonium in a little hotel room at the University Inn in Atlanta, GA.
2) 2001...OSU 16, OU 14. Up to this point in my life I honestly believed that NOTHING good could ever happen to OSU at the end of Bedlam if they needed to score to win the game. I believed in Squinky before I even knew his name. Then came TD Bryant, and the curse was broken (well, kinda).
3) 2011...OSU 44, OU 10. The first Bedlam victory I ever witnessed IN PERSON. The only other Bedlam I ever attended was a blowout in Norman. To be a part of that emotion, a crowd that was waiting to release what felt like centuries of frustration, with my brother. It was a really special day and evening.
My Least Favorite Bedlam Moments . . .
1) 1988...OU 31, OSU 28. The Drop. I still get ill thinking about that game. The fact that the greatest running back of all-time had to lose to OU galls me, and Gundy not referring more kindly to Brent Parker in his presser kinda pisses me off too.
Sitting in a hotel room in LA with my best friend and his parents, all Sooners. The simultaneous joy and agony in that moment was what college football is all about.
Wow, my #1 good and bad Bedlam moments took place in hotel rooms. Now I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a room this weekend, knowing there's a 50% chance it could be bad.
2) 2010...OU 47, OSU 41. The interception. Justin Gilbert. James Hanna. F#*&. I was up and down so many times in the last quarter of that game. This was truly the beginning of the end for me with former DC Bill Young.
3) 1974...OU 44, OSU 13. My Dad and I were out quail hunting, carrying a rather large radio with us so we could listen to the game. Not ideal equipment for hunting.
OSU led 13-10 at the half and we had pretty much given up on the quail at this point. Then the Cowboys failed to cover the 2nd half kickoff, allowing OU to recover it in the end zone for a touchdown. Classic Bedlam moment for OSU.
We pretty much started shooting at anything that moved after that.