NORMAN, Okla. – University of Oklahoma students have begun an approximately 180-mile journey to kick off the Red River Rivalry against the University of Texas in the 28th Annual Run to Dallas.
More than 90 OU students are delivering the game ball for Saturday’s matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. At least two students are running at all times during daylight hours, rotating with others following in support vans, over the course of two days.
Their route will end at the Texas State Fairgrounds, where they will be joined by University of Texas students who have also made the trek on foot to Dallas. The two groups will present their respective game balls to Cotton Bowl officials for the rivalry game on October 11.
The Sooners began their run at around 8:10 a.m. Wednesday at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Head Football Coach Brent Venables delivered remarks before handing the game ball to OU student Mariah Gahl.
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. joined the students in their first leg, along with first responders from the OU and Norman Emergency Services.
After the run, the OU students will join their Texas counterparts in a series of friendly head-to-head sporting competitions and gather together for lunch and camaraderie. They’re also encouraged to enjoy the Texas State Fair and Red River Rivalry matchup.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Mulugeta Gebregziabher, Ph.D., a nationally and internationally recognized public health leader, researcher and educator, has been named a professor and the endowed chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health.
Engineering Days at the University of Oklahoma give high school students direct exposure to engineering through hands-on, discipline-based experiences on campus. The program brings rising juniors and seniors to the Norman campus for one-day sessions led by OU faculty and supported by current engineering students.
The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create the Oklahoma Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Sensory Biology. The center will serve as a hub for research into how cells sense and respond to their environment and the diseases that can occur when that process malfunctions.