Sooner Schooner The Sooner Schooner is the official mascot of the sports teams of the University of Oklahoma Sooners . Pulled by two white ponies named Boomer and Sooner , it is a scaled - down replica of the Conestoga wagon used by settlers of the Oklahoma Territory around the time of the Land Run of 1889 . Its name comes from the common term for such wagons ( " prairie schooners " ) and the name for settlers who sneaked into the Territory before it was officially opened for settlement ( " Sooners " ) . The Schooner is maintained and driven by members of the RUF / NEKS , the university ' s all - male spirit organization . At home football games and bowl game s , the Sooner Schooner is driven onto the field in an arc that almost reaches the 50 - yard line after every score . The RUF / NEK Queen sits next to the driver , and a young member of the RUF / NEKS usually hangs by his legs off the back , waving the university ' s flag . Until the late 1980s , it was customary for the schooner ' s driver to stand up while driving the ponies onto the field after scores , and duck down only an instant before reaching the stadium tunnel parking spot , barely clearing the tunnel ceiling — a practice eventually ended for safety reasons . The Schooner made its debut at Owen Field in 1964 , and it became the University ' s official mascot in 1980 . Until 2011 , when not in use , the Schooner was housed at the Bartlett Ranch outside Sapulpa , Oklahoma , along with Boomer and Sooner . Boomer and Sooner now have a lovely new home . The 1985 Orange Bowl . The 1985 Orange Bowl , played between the Sooners and the Washington Huskies , is often called " the Sooner Schooner game " because of an incident during the game ' s second half . The Miami area had received rain before the game , and the condition of the Orange Bowl ' s natural grass playing surface deteriorated as the game moved into the third quarter . The game was tied 14 - 14 when the Sooners lined up for a short , 22 - yard field goal which would have made the score 17 - 14 in Oklahoma ' s favor . The kick sailed through the uprights and the Oklahoma sideline thought it was good ; the kickoff unit trotted out and the Schooner , as was traditional , also trotted slowly onto the Orange Bowl ' s wet , mushy field . However , the kick was nullified due to an illegal procedure penalty on Oklahoma . A Sooner player did not report his temporary jersey number to the officials , which he was required to do before the ball was snapped . The Schooner was already out on the field before the Oklahoma sideline and the RUF / NEKS realized the kick had been disallowed . Worse , while moving across the wet , sloppy natural turf , the Schooner ' s wagon wheels ended up in a sticky , muddy patch of field and got stuck – right in front of the Washington bench . The Sooners were quickly penalized an additional 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct . What was previously a 22 - yard field goal became a 42 - yard attempt after the 20 yards of penalties were marked off . The re - kick was blocked by Washington , and the game remained tied . Oklahoma ultimately lost the game 28 - 17 . Barry Switzer , Oklahoma ' s coach at the time , said later that he had never seen a flag thrown on the Schooner before or since , " but that wasn ' t the difference . It would have been closer . But they ( Washington ) were the better team that night . " The " Sooner Schooner Mooner " . Another incident that drew national attention occurred in 1993 during a game against Colorado . After a field goal by Oklahoma ' s Scott Blanton , the Sooner Schooner was driven out onto the field in celebration . However , the wagon took a corner too sharply and tipped over , spilling the driver , the flag bearer , and the RUF / NEK queen onto the turf . The driver suffered a broken arm , but most of the crowd ' s attention was directed at the RUF / NEK queen , whose skirt flew up during the fall . She was not wearing any underwear . See also . Similar vehicular mascots at other universities