The Red River Rivalry might be an away game for Oklahoma U. students, but the OU Club of Dallas strives to make Oklahomans feel right at home in Texas.
The OU Club of Dallas is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the Dallas-area students, parents, graduates, previous students, fans or friends of the U. Oklahoma who support the Sooners in academics and athletics, OU Club of Dallas President Tina Tuccelli said.
OU-Texas weekend is the major fundraising weekend for the club, according to Tuccelli, a 2000 alumna.
She said this is the club’s 60th year as hometown hosts of OU-Texas weekend events.
Proceeds from the events help to fund the club’s scholarship program and make donations to the Pride, Sooner Club, Alumni Association, the President’s Associates and other colleges and departments at the university, she said.
“The weekend is also fun to host Sooners in our city with great activities,” Tuccelli said by e-mail.
Since 1988, the club has awarded more than $500,000 in academic scholarships benefiting more than 225 students. In addition to academic scholarships, the OU Club of Dallas has contributed more than $350,000 to OU between November 1978 and December 2009, Tuccelli said.
After graduation, some recent OU alumni move or return to the Dallas area. The club provides a great way for Sooners to stay involved with OU from Dallas, said Autumn Dillon, 2010 OU alumna now living in Dallas.
“The club helps me stay connected to the OU community by being able to watch the games with other OU fans, and also continue meeting people after I’ve graduated,” Dillon said by e-mail. “It’s great to have a place to go on Saturdays to watch the games, especially when everyone there is rooting for your team.”
All OU students are encouraged to attend any and all club events throughout the year as well as take advantage of the club’s hotel discounts and travel information for OU-Texas weekend, said Toya Harris, vice president of events for the club, in an e-mail.
The club will provide busses to and from the game Saturday.
“For those who have fought traffic trying to get to the fair or waited in line for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, you’ll agree that the OU Club of Dallas busses are the way to go,” Harris said.
Ages in the club range from recent graduates to fans in their 60s.
“You aren’t just a Sooner for the four or five, or six years that you attend OU, you are a Sooner for life,” Harris said.