Bedlam Series

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Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma Sooners

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.

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.

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.

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]

Wrestling national titles between OU and OSU

• 1928-1931: Oklahoma St.
• 1933-1935: Oklahoma St.
• 1936: Oklahoma
• 1937-1942: Oklahoma St.
• 1946: Oklahoma St.
• 1948-1949: Oklahoma St.
• 1951-1952: Oklahoma
• 1954-1956: Oklahoma St.
• 1957: Oklahoma
• 1958-1959: Oklahoma St.
• 1960: Oklahoma
• 1961-1962: Oklahoma St.
• 1963: Oklahoma
• 1964: Oklahoma St.
• 1966: Oklahoma St.
• 1968: Oklahoma St.
• 1971: Oklahoma St.
• 1974: Oklahoma
• 1989-1990: Oklahoma St.
• 1994: Oklahoma St.
• 2003-2006: Oklahoma St.

Football

Site of the first Bedlam Football game in Guthrie, OK

Bedlam football had a unique beginning. The first 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. A nearby creek, Cottonwood Creek, was nearly frozen. 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. Thus was the beginning of Bedlam.

As of the 100th Bedlam football game, Oklahoma has a commanding lead in the football series, with the current record at 77 wins for Oklahoma, 16 wins for Oklahoma State, and 7 ties. Oklahoma has also won the last three games in a row, an accomplishment Oklahoma State has yet to equal.

Recent history

2003

One of the most hyped and anticipated matchups going into the game (based in no small part on the #1 ranking of the Sooners and Oklahoma State coach Les Miles's comments pre-game), the Sooners ended Oklahoma State's hopes for a major bowl game with a dominating 52-9 victory, where perhaps the game was not even as close as the score indicated. The Sooners were unrelenting on offense in their victory, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jason White finishing with two touchdown passes, and another score on the ground for Oklahoma while the Sooner defense shut down the vaunted Cowboy offense all day. The loss ended #14 Oklahoma State's dreams for a BCS berth.

2004

This matchup in Stillwater featured an all-time classic in Bedlam football history between the two schools. The Cowboys came out strong against a much higher-ranked Oklahoma team and pulled to an early lead. After spectacular plays from Adrian Peterson and Mark Bradley, the Sooners gained the lead. However, in the closing minutes of the game, the Cowboys launched a staunch comeback with their over-the-top air attack. Ultimately, the Sooners won 38-35 after Oklahoma State's Jason Ricks failed to make the game-tying field goal as time expired. Oklahoma's Peterson finished with a season-high 249 yards rushing.

2005

2005 marked a transition year for both teams; however, Oklahoma ended up having the better season, finishing 8-4 with a Holiday Bowl victory over Oregon. Accordingly, Oklahoma handed Oklahoma State another loss in the series, 42-14. Adrian Peterson had a season high in rushing yards against the Cowboys for the second year in a row, finishing with 237 yards this year. Freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar showed flashes of his talent while throwing for 3 touchdown passes.

Basketball

Oklahoma owns the all-time series record in basketball, 121-87. However, Oklahoma State can claim two NCAA Tournament championships (1945, 1946). 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.

Bedlam Series winners

• 1999-2000: Oklahoma
• 2000-01: Oklahoma State
• 2001-02: Oklahoma
• 2002-03: Oklahoma State
• 2003-04: Oklahoma
• 2004-05: Oklahoma
• 2005-06: Oklahoma

Points system

Sport (Number of contests) -- Points per contest -- Total Points Available

Football (1) -- 2 -- 2

Men's Basketball (2) -- 1 -- 2

Women's Basketball (2) -- 1 -- 2

%Baseball (3) -- N/A -- 3

Softball (2) -- 1 -- 2

Wrestling (2) -- 1 -- 2

Women's Soccer (2) -- 1 -- 1

Men's Tennis (1) -- 1 -- 1

Women's Tennis (1) -- 1 -- 1

@Men's Golf -- 1/2 -- 1/2

@Women's Golf -- 1/2 -- 1/2

$Men's Track (Indoor/Outdoor) -- 1/2 -- 1/2

$Women's Track (Indoor/Outdoor) -- 1/2 -- 1/2

@Men's Cross Country -- 1/2 -- 1/2

@Women's Cross Country -- 1/2 -- 1/2

% Winner of three (3) game Baseball series (even in a 3-0 sweep) receives no more than two (2) points. In the event the losing team in the series wins a game, that team will receive one (1) point.

$ The combined scores in the Big 12 Outdoor and Indoor Track Championships will be compared to award the one-half (1/2) point.

@ The one-half (1/2) point will be awarded to the team that finishes highest in the Big 12 Championship.

TIE-BREAKER: All sports will be placed in a random drawing. The drawing will occur until a sport is drawn that a school won all of the possible points in that particular athletics year.

External links

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