Fanning The Flames: Road Trip To Norman

[Editor’s Note:This is the first in a series of columns Fanning will be doing, breaking down each of this year’s Big 12 road trips.]

Here’s the deal: I’ve been to every Big 12 school; I’ve partied with ESPN commentators, Big 12 athletic administrators, and OU cheerleaders. Like they say in Wedding Crashers, “I’ve rocked them all!” So looking at the schedule this year and including our new members (TCU & West Virgina), we’ve got some homework to do together.

Road trip season will begin on September 22 in Norman, Oklahoma. It starts with a bang—literally. A bomb went off when I was there in 2005. Is there a better way to start off this Big 12 road trip than with two potential top 10 teams going at it in front of 80,000+ crazy Sooner fans? This game has the potential for College Gameday! So here’s what you need to know when road tripping in the red dirt state.

Oklahoma is a special creature. I compare Sooner fans to Cornhusker fans. They only care about Football, the stadium experience is out of this world, and for the most part, their fans are a–holes.

Kansas State-Oklahoma games have always meant a lot to me: mom buys son first beer; son buys mom first Big 12 Championship Game ticket; brother has to keep other brother from getting into a fist fight with a hickish, toothless, hillbilly, wagon fan.

These are the moments we live for, right?

However, even with the lowest-of-low’s (guns fired in bricktown) there’s been the highest-of-high’s (Big 12 Tournaments in OKC, Oklahoma City Hornet dancers at the club, open containers in Norman, and meeting “performance art dancers” from the University of Oklahoma City). Norman and Oklahoma City have always had the same feel as Kansas City and a Lawrence for me. Both sets of towns are close to one another, and you only want to hang out in the college town if it’s Gameday.

Listen, I’m not knocking Norman, but you should probably stay in Oklahoma City on Friday night. It’s only 25 minutes from OKC to Norman and there is way more to do. I’ve always considered Bricktown a mini San Antonio. They even have a small riverwalk and blocks of bars and restaurants.

In my opinion, OKC is underrated. If you’re in the mood for a nice dining experience, give Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse a try. It’s right across from the downtown stadium, where the Big 12 Baseball Championship (which starts tomorrow) is played. There are awesome steaks and even plenty of options for the missus.

After you dine, it’s time for bar hopping. There are cool piano bars and sports bars, but my personal favorite is SKKY Bar Ultra Lounge, which sits upstairs with a view of the city. It has plenty of patio space and probably the nicest club in OKC. Other notable places to see in Bricktown: Spaghetti Warehouse, Tapwerks Ale House & Café, Club One 15, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grille, Venu, The Mantel, and Coach’s Restaurant.

These are just to name a few. Bricktown and PNL are similar in terms of distance between bars and clubs. Both places you don’t have to travel far to find a new spot. However, if country music is your thing, ask a local. I usually avoid these places at all costs. I understand that some people enjoy it, just keep those cowboy boots away from me!

Game days in Norman are great—at least the parts I remember. Get there early, and take in “College Corner.” Like many other Big 12 schools, there are several bars in this complex. Finally, once game day arrives, here are a few things to do in Norman:

• Give Library Bar and Grill a shot. Esquire Magazine called this bar one of America’s top 10 Best College Town Bars. You really can’t go wrong in this area. Like Aggieville, there’s a wide selection of bars to choose from if this doesn’t workout for you.
• Drink early and often, but be responsible. The cool thing about tailgating in Norman is their open container law. You can walk down the street with a beer in hand. Red Solo Cup, you’re not needed here.
• Pace yourself. FOR GOD’S SAKE, PACE YOURSELF! I may or may not know a friend who passed out and woke up with a barbeque-sauced Mohawk. My hair—I mean his hair smelled like BBQ for a week.
• Find that one bar, by the stadium. I know this doesn’t help much, since I can’t remember the name of it. However, there’s a bar that isn’t far from the stadium, just to the southeast of it. This bar was a lot of fun and within walking distance. There are usually several K-State party busses around this area.
• Pray we bring our punter. Back in 2005 we introduced a new play: the long snap straight out the back of the end zone, with no punter in sight. The face palm was strong that day. So be prepared to run out there in case we’re only lining up 10 players.
• Bring a camera. Most Big 12 road stadiums just can’t compare. I would only rank Texas ahead of Oklahoma when it comes to stadium experience. Be prepared to be amazed. The closest thing to a sea of red would be Arrowhead.
• Walk the campus—it’s huge! Take in the campus, and check out the facilities. Also, there’s always several fancy fillies walking around, wink-wink.
• Hit up the casinos. It’s Oklahoma, so there are several around. True story: We once needed a Fanning trip to the casino to afford one more night in Norman during a fall break. So yeah, I turned $20 from the plasma center into $100 for a hotel and a bottle of Bacardi.
• Take care of the hangover. Norman was the first time I was introduced to Taco Bueno. Make sure to Bueno size everything, because you’ll need it. Taco Bueno saves lives.

Oklahoma will always be top-of-the-list for me, when it comes to Big 12 Road Tripping. Mainly, I enjoy it so much because of the tradition surrounding the football program. And the truth is, this season’s game could determine the Big 12 Champion—and it’s the first Big 12 game of the year.

I’d love to have another magical moment against Stoops and the Sooners.