Bedlam Series

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The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference's South Division. Both schools were also members of the Big 8 Conference before the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Douglas Cup 2 Wrestling 2.1 Wrestling national titles between OU and OSU 3 Football 3.1 Football Series Records 4 Basketball 5 External links 6 References

[edit] History

The Bedlam Series is, like most other intra-state rivalries, a rivalry that goes beyond one or two sports. Both schools also have rivalries with other schools, though most of those rivalries are limited to one or two sports at the most.

When the Bedlam Series gained Ford and the Bank of Oklahoma as corporate sponsors, the series became much more formalized. A points system was adopted in order to award a winner of the all athletic competitions combined between the two schools. A crystal bell trophy is awarded to individual Bedlam game winners (such as football), in addition to a trophy for the overall series champion for that year. The "Bedlam Bell" is modeled after the bell clapper in Old Central, the oldest building on Oklahoma State's campus. For a time, the actual bell clapper was a traveling trophy for the two schools, until the popularity of this tradition waned.

Bedlam Series winners

• 1999-2000: Oklahoma 12pts to 7 pts
• 2000-01: Oklahoma State 9.5 pts to 8.5 pts
• 2001-02: Oklahoma 10pts to 9 pts
• 2002-03: Oklahoma State 12pts to 7 pts
• 2003-04: Oklahoma 10.5 pts to 8.5 pts
• 2004-05: Oklahoma 9.5 pts to 7.5 pts
• 2005-06: Oklahoma 10pts to 7 pts
• 2006-07: Oklahoma State 10pts to 7 pts

[edit] The Douglas Cup

In 1900, in Oklahoma Territory, Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State) veterinary medicine professor Dr. L.L. Lewis assembled a group of A&M students to participate in the first territorial Track and Field Meet. Held on May 4, 1900, the event included Alva Normal College, Central Normal of Edmond, Kingfisher College and the University of Oklahoma, along with OAMC. The prize of the tournament was a silver cup donated by a local jeweler named Douglas. Surprisingly, A&M won the meet and returned to Stillwater with the traveling trophy.

In 1901, A&M won again, and a third consecutive win would mean permanent retirement of the Douglas Cup in Stillwater. The meet was held on May 23, 1902, with the Aggies amassing the most points. Oklahoma filed a protest based on the pole vault competition not having been completed due to darkness, however, Oklahoma A&M claimed the Douglas cup.

The next day the Sooners held their own vault competition and declared themselves the victor. Several weeks later, the Douglas Cup was missing from its place in a glass case at the Oklahoma A&M chemistry lab. Suspecting that OU students had stolen the Cup, a group of A&M students retrieved the Cup from Norman, supposedly burying it under Old Central for safekeeping.

Ten years later, when excavation was being done for A&M's Gundersen Hall, the trophy was found. Today it resides in OSU's Heritage Hall.

[edit] Wrestling

While the football and basketball Bedlam games stand today as the marquee events in the series, the term 'Bedlam', as it refers to this rivalry, has its roots based in the rivalry between the schools' prestigious wrestling programs. Originally named after the atmosphere during a heated wrestling dual between the two schools (a newspaper writer emerged from Gallagher Hall exclaiming "It's bedlam in there!"), the Oklahoma State team holds a large advantage in the series. The Cowboy wrestling program currently holds an impressive 120-24-9 record against the Sooners. This dominance of the wrestling series between the two universities is a source of great pride for Oklahoma State. Both programs have been very successful on the national level, Oklahoma winning seven team national championships in its history, while Oklahoma State's highly decorated wrestling program has amassed a record thirty-four team national titles.^[1]

[edit] Wrestling national titles between OU and OSU

[edit] Football

The first Bedlam game was held at Island Park in Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was a cold, and very windy day with the temperatures well below the freezing mark. At one moment in the game when the Oklahoma A&M Aggies were punting, the wind carried the ball backwards behind the kicker. If the Oklahoma A&M squad recovered the ball it would be a touchback and if the University of Oklahoma squad recovered it, it would be a touchdown. The ball kept going backwards and rolled down a hill into the half-frozen creek. Since a touchdown was at stake, members of both teams dove into the icy waters to recover the ball. A member of the OU team came out with the ball and downed it for a touchdown, eventually winning the game 75-0.^[2] Thus was the beginning of Bedlam.

Author Steve Budin, whose father was a New York bookie, has recently publicized the claim that the 1954 Bedlam Game was fixed by mobsters in his book Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (ISBN 1-602-39099-1).^[3]. Allegedly, the mobsters threatened and paid off a cook to slip laxatives into a soup eaten by many OU Sooner starting players, causing them to fall violently ill in the days leading up to the game. OU was victorious in the end, but their 14-0 win did not cover the 20-point spread they had in their favor. However, many people involved in the 1954 contest do not recall any incident like the one purported by Bodin to have occurred.^[4]

Just as Oklahoma State is very proud of its dominance over Oklahoma in the wrestling series, Oklahoma too is proud of its dominance over Oklahoma State in the Football series. Oklahoma currently leads the series 78-16-7.^[5]

[edit] Football Series Records

Season    Date    Site       Rank     Winner      Score    Attend
                            (OU-OSU)
2007      11/24   Norman     10-NR     OU         49-17    85,238
2006      11/25 Stillwater   13-NR     OU         27-21    42,819
2005      11/26   Norman     NR-NR     OU         42-14    84,875
2004      10/30 Stillwater   2-20      OU         38-35    48,837
2003      11/1    Norman     1-14      OU         52-9     84,027
2002      11/30 Stillwater   3-NR      OSU        28-38    48,500
2001      11/24   Norman     4-NR      OSU        13-16    75,537
2000      11/25 Stillwater   1-NR      OU         12-7     48,500
1999      11/27   Norman    NR-NR      OU         44-7     75,374
1998      10/24 Stillwater  NR-NR      OSU        26-41    50,614
1997      11/8    Norman    NR-25      OSU         7-30    72,422
1996      11/9  Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         27-17    51,416
1995      11/11   Norman    NR-NR      OSU         0-12    75,004
1994      11/13 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         33-14    50,116
1993      11/13   Norman    17-NR      OU         31-0     65,275
1992      11/14 Stillwater  NR-NR      TIE        15-15    50,440
1991      11/16   Norman    18-NR      OU         21-6     68,778
1990      10/6  Stillwater   7-NR      OU         31-17    49,800
1989      10/7    Norman    16-NR      OU         37-15    74,610
1988      11/5  Stillwater   8-12      OU         31-28    50,440
1987      11/7    Norman     1-12      OU         29-10    75,004
1986      10/18   Norman     5-NR      OU         19-0     76,022
1985      11/30 Stillwater   3-17      OU         13-0     44,000
1984      11/24   Norman     2-3       OU         24-14    76,198
1983      10/15 Stillwater  15-NR      OU         21-20    50,440
1982      10/23   Norman    20-NR      OU         27-9     76,406
1981      11/28 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         27-3     51,100
1980      11/29   Norman     6-NR      OU         63-14    75,681
1979      11/3  Stillwater   7-NR      OU         38-7     51,453
1978      11/18   Norman     4-NR      OU         62-7     72,339
1977      11/5  Stillwater   3-NR      OU         61-28    50,088
1976      10/23   Norman     5-NR      OSU        24-31    72,041
1975      11/1  Stillwater   2-19      OU         27-7     49,358
1974      11/30   Norman     1-NR      OU         44-13    62,619
1973      12/1  Stillwater   2-NR      OU         45-18    50,964
1972      12/2    Norman     3-20      OU*        38-15    62,363
1971      12/4  Stillwater   3-NR      OU         58-14    36,571
1970      11/28   Norman    NR-NR      OU         66-6     60,300
1969      11/29 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         28-27    41,315
1968      11/30 Stillwater  11-NR      OU         41-7     38,515
1967      12/2    Norman     3-NR      OU         38-14    62,038 
1966      12/3  Stillwater  NR-NR      OSU        14-15    36,581
1965      12/4    Norman    NR-NR      OSU        16-17    54,876
1964      11/28 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         21-16    36,987
1963      11/30   Norman    10-NR      OU         34-10    50,678
1962      12/1  Stillwater   8-NR      OU         37-6     35,727
1961      12/2    Norman    NR-NR      OU         21-13    52,598
1960      11/26 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         17-6     32,381
1959      11/28   Norman    17-NR      OU         17-7     59,136
1958      11/29 Stillwater   3-NR      OU          7-0     37,014
1957      11/30   Norman     5-NR      OU         53-6     52,366
1956      12/1  Stillwater   1-NR      OU         53-0     36,500
1955      11/26   Norman     1-NR      OU         53-0     40,182
1954      11/27 Stillwater   3-NR      OU         14-0     38,000
1953      11/28   Norman     4-NR      OU         42-7     50,524
1952      11/29 Stillwater   4-NR      OU         54-7     21,408
1951      12/1    Norman    10-NR      OU         41-6     33,103
1950      12/2  Stillwater   1-NR      OU         41-14    28,530
1949      11/26   Norman     3-NR      OU         41-0     47,937
1948      11/27 Stillwater   6-NR      OU         19-15    30,000
1947      11/29   Norman    20-NR      OU         21-13    33,945
1946      11/30 Stillwater  17-NR      OU         73-12    18,500
1945      11/24   Norman    NR-6       OSU         0-47    33,000
1944      11/25    OKC      NR-NR      OSU         6-28      NA
1943      10/2     OKC       NA        OU         22-13      NA
1942      9/26  Stillwater   NA        TIE         0-0       NA
1941      10/4    Norman     NA        OU         19-0       NA
1940      10/5    Norman     NA        OU         29-27      NA
1939      10/28   Norman     6-NR      OU         41-0       NA
1938      11/24 Stillwater   6-NR      OU         19-0       NA
1937      11/25   Norman    NR-NR      OU         16-0       NA
1936      11/26 Stillwater  NR-NR      OU         35-13      NA
1935      11/28   Norman     NA        OU         25-0       NA
1934      11/22 Stillwater   NA        TIE         0-0       NA
1933      11/23   Norman     NA        OSU         0-13      NA
1932      10/29 Stillwater   NA        OSU         0-7       NA
1931      11/26   Norman     NA        TIE         0-0       NA
1930      11/22 Stillwater   NA        OSU         0-7       NA
1929      11/23   Norman     NA        TIE         7-7       NA
1928      11/24 Stillwater   NA        OU         46-0       NA
1927      11/19   Norman     NA        OSU         7-13      NA
1926      11/25 Stillwater   NA        TIE        14-14      NA
1925      11/26   Norman     NA        OU         35-0       NA
1924      11/1  Stillwater   NA        OSU         0-6       NA
1923      10/27   Norman     NA        OU          6-0       NA
1922      11/25 Stillwater   NA        TIE         3-3       NA
1921      10/15   Norman     NA        OU          6-0       NA
1920      11/13 Stillwater   NA        OU         36-0       NA
1919      11/27    OKC       NA        OU         33-6       NA
1918      11/28    OKC       NA        OU         27-0       NA
1917      11/29    OKC       NA        OSU         0-9       NA
1916      11/30    OKC       NA        OU         41-7       NA
1915      11/25    OKC       NA        OU         26-7      5,000
1914      11/6    Norman     NA        OU         28-6       NA
1913      11/21 Stillwater   NA        OU          7-0       NA
1912      11/16   Norman     NA        OU         16-0       NA
1911      10/20 Stillwater   NA        OU         22-0       NA
1910      10/21   Norman     NA        OU         12-0       NA
1908      10/3  Stillwater   NA        OU         18-0       NA
1907      11/9    Norman     NA        OU         67-0       NA
1906      10/19 Stillwater   NA        OU         23-0       NA
1904      11/6    Guthrie    NA        OU         75-0       NA

* Oklahoma forfeited this result due to recruiting violations.

[edit] Basketball

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Oklahoma owns the all-time series record in basketball, 124-88. With the rise of coaches Kelvin Sampson and Eddie Sutton at the two schools, the basketball series had been especially intense the last few years, with games rarely being certain between the teams, regardless of ranking. Time will tell how the school's two new coaches, Jeff Capel at Oklahoma and Sean Sutton and Oklahoma State, will affect the heated rivalry between these two schools. Currently Capel is 3-1 versus Sean Sutton, winning 2 games in Norman, winning in Stillwater in 2008, while Sutton won in 2007 in Stillwater. On April 1, 2008, Sutton was fired from OSU and successor Travis Ford was named.

[edit] External links

• The Bedlam Series
• Oklahoma State University Athletics
• University of Oklahoma Athletics

[edit] References

v • d • e Rivalries of the Big 12 Conference Battle of the Brazos (Baylor - Texas A&M) • Bedlam Series (Oklahoma - Oklahoma State) • Border War (Kansas - Missouri) • Lone Star Showdown (Texas - Texas A&M) • Red River Shootout (Oklahoma - Texas) • Sunflower Showdown (Kansas - Kansas State)

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