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Unofficially, Oklahoma Spring Game May Be Set

Before COVID restrictions, the Sooners had begun drawing more than 50,000 for the annual Red/White Game.
John E. Hoover|
Unofficially, Oklahoma Spring Game May Be Set
Unofficially, Oklahoma Spring Game May Be Set

The University of Oklahoma hasn't made any official announcements about Brent Venables' inaugural Red/White Game, but word has begun to leak out.

According to a tweet posted Thursday by Nate Downs — father of freshman Ethan Downs — the Sooners’ spring game is set for Saturday, April 23, and will begin at 2 p.m.

That fits with the date OU typically stages its spring game. Last year's game was played on April 24. The athletic department is expected to announce official details soon.

Under Lincoln Riley, crowds grew as the OU Red/White Game evolved into a centerpiece on the recruiting calendar. In 2018, some 52,000 fans braved chilly afternoon conditions. The 2019 game was moved to Friday night at the last minute and 50,000 still showed up.

COVID shut down the 2020 spring game, and last year’s attendance was capped at 25 percent, which produced a crowd estimated at 20,000. 

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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