OU Football Will Honor Toby Keith With Sing-Along At All Home Games This Season
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Toby Keith Was A Lifelong Fan Of OU Athletics
The late Toby Keith was a devoted fan of the University of Oklahoma (or OU) athletics, particularly football. After his death on February 5, 2024, his daughter, Krystal, explained how he used to sell Cokes in the stadium as a child so that he could attend football games.
Toby, a native Oklahoman, encouraged all three of his kids to attend OU, and they did. As Krystal remarked, “He bled crimson and it’s genetic.”
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Because of his close connection to the school, OU has already honored Toby in multiple ways. The football team paid tribute to him by having his name and image painted on the 25-yard line for their spring game in April.
OU also gave Toby an honorary degree, which he knew about before he died. Krystal accepted the degree on his behalf during the graduation ceremony in May and delivered a powerful speech.
“When he learned, last fall, that he was being inducted to Sooner Nation on this high of a level, he was so excited and he was so proud. I actually made a joke about how many hours I spent here getting my bachelorâs degree, and he joked that he didnât have to work that hard to get his. But we all know he earned it and spent many more hours dedicating his life to earning it this way. He loved his family (he loved all of us), God, our country, and Sooner Nation!“
Plans Revealed For Tribute At All Home Football Games This Season
Now, OU Football plans to honor Toby Keith with another meaningful tribute. Staying true to his fun-loving spirit, the tribute is set to be more celebratory than somber.
As The Oklahoman reports, the Sooners will host a Toby Keith sing-along after the third quarter at all of their home football games this season.
OU’s executive associate athletics director Leah Beasley told The Oklahoman:
“It’s going to involve not only music, but it’s going to involve a video portion to work in with the music. I think that’s something that you don’t see. Yes, a lot of schools have it around our (Power Four) community. And so we had an idea that is unique to Oklahoma and that our fans will love. “It’s not going to be something that we’re going to have to test, we know our fans will get into.”
Beasley continued, “It is going to have a video element as well that is synced with the music so we’re excited about rolling that out to the fans at the first game. The (third/fourth quarter break) will be dedicated to that sequence.”
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Fans will get the first chance to participate in the sing-along on Friday (August 30) when OU plays against the Temple Owls. It’s unknown which Toby Keith songs will play during the tribute.
Tune in to the video below to see one way OU has honored Toby since his passing.
Toby Keith was the founder of the Toby Keith Foundation. The foundation helps support the OK Kids Korral, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families with children undergoing cancer treatments. If you’d like to make a donation in Toby’s memory, you can visit the Toby Keith Foundation’s official website here.
