COVERING THE SOONERS Media Credentials
Credential Requests
Priority is given to daily newspapers (by circulation), television stations and radio stations that program sports for more than half of their daily broadcast schedules. A credential does not guarantee a seat and access to the team bench area is prohibited at all times. Credentials include:
Parking Passes Parking passes are in a limited supply and will be prioritized similar to the way credentials are issued. Most media parking is located in the Asp Ave. Parking Facility, located immediately west of the stadium, one half block north of the intersection at Lindsey and Asp (see map on page 59).
7 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
44 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
28 BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS
154 ALL-AMERICANS
65 NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS
Requests for media credentials for University of Oklahoma home games should be made online at SoonerSportsMedia.com. Only those requests submitted by the sports editor of a newspaper or the sports director for a radio or television station will be considered.
Press Box: Primary recipients are newspaper writers, television reporters and radio personnel. This pass gains access to the press box. Sideline access is only permitted for the last five minutes of the game. Sideline: Primary recipients are photographers. Only photographers on assignment for accredited publications will be afforded credentials. Pass only gains access to the sideline (not the press box). Combination: These are only for those individuals who require access to the press box and the sideline. Few are issued. Season Credentials Requests should be made at SoonerSportsMedia.com. Only those media who routinely cover OU games, practices and media conferences are eligible for season credentials. Any media member who loses a season credential will be under review to be moved to the single-game list for the following season. Media outlets who cannot provide names for passes for an entire season will be placed on the single-game list and should provide names on a weekly basis. Single-Game Credentials Requests must be made at least one week in advance of the contest. Any organization that requests a single-game credential then does not use it will not be granted another pass for the remainder of the season. No credentials will be granted after Thursday of game week. OU-Texas Credentials Those interested in covering the annual Oklahoma-Texas game at Dallas will need to make a separate request for credentials. Each school handles the requests from its regular pool of media. Aside from national media, only season credential holders are eligible. Oklahoma will serve as the host school this year. Any media not based in Oklahoma or Texas should contact OU for credentials. OU-Texas credentials will be distributed to local media at the Monday media luncheon in Norman. Any credentials not claimed that day will be available the Friday before the game at a pickup location in Dallas (times and exact location TBA).
Credential requests for Oklahoma football season will only be accepted online at SoonerSportsMedia.com. Please visit the web site for complete instructions on submitting the online application form.
Media Availability
Monday: Bob Stoops participates on the Big 12’s Weekly Teleconference at 10:10 a.m. Media Luncheon at 11:30 a.m., at the stadium. Coach Stoops’ comments, beginning at noon. A few players also are available. Selected coaches^ and eligible players* are available following practice. Tuesday: Selected coaches^ and eligible players* are available following practice. Saturday: Post-game availability only. Members of the OU Athletics Communications staff will escort media representatives to the appropriate post-game interview areas with five minutes remaining in the game. The Oklahoma locker room, home or away, is closed to the media at all times. Head coach Bob Stoops and several Sooner players will be brought to a designated interview area. At home games, that area is the Adrian Peterson Team Meeting Room, located in the Switzer Center (first floor). At the beginning of the fourth quarter, interview requests will be collected. For games in Norman, the opposing head coach will meet with the media inside the opponent interview room, the SoonerVision studio (southwest corner, under the stadium grandstands). A representative from the OU Communications Office will be on hand to assist the media in finding this area. Interviews with the head coach and players from the visiting team will be based on the postgame policy of that institution. * Some players have evening classes that could preclude them from post-practice interviews. ^ Bob Stoops’ weekly radio show takes place each Tuesday night during the season. Depending on the length of the workout, he may not be available for interviews after practice.
Credential Pickup (OU Home Games) Credentials may be picked up from the Oklahoma Athletics Communications office during the week or from media will call (Gate 2) at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on game day beginning three hours before kickoff (see map on page 33). Each media representative must claim his or her pass. No group pickups are allowed on the day of the game.
60 1950 • 1955 • 1956 • 1974 • 1975 • 1985 • 2000 l NATIONAL CHAMPIONS