Long before the charcoal is lit in grills, and before the Ruf-Neks fire blanks into the air, a few dedicated fans already have football on their minds.

Even before the Pride of Oklahoma has their pre-dawn practice, before Interstate 35 is clogged with crimson-clad fans and the sound of car horns blaring Boomer Sooner echoes through the campus, the first signs of game day in Norman come in the form of white and crimson tents nestled between the large oak trees lining Lindsey Street.

On Wednesdays before each home game, dozens of Sooner fans arrive as early as 8 a.m. to start staking their claims to the best spots south of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. By Thursday mornings, there isn't a vacant spot to be found under the shade trees.

Jay Fitzgerald, OU alumnus, Oklahoma City resident and veteran tailgater, has been performing the ritual before OU football games for 20 years.

Even though the atmosphere and location have changed since Fitzgerald and his friends began in 1985, their loyalty has not.

"We used to do it on the practice field until Joe [Castiglione] kicked us out," Fitzgerald said. "That's when we started doing it on Lindsey."

The same year the practice field closed to tailgaters, 2000, the Sooners won their seventh national championship. But that year, there was no need to arrive four days before kick-off to get a prime spot, Fitzgerald said.

He said the early rush for prime real estate along Lindsey started just two years ago. Now, not only must would-be tailgaters come out on the Wednesday before the games, but they must also come early. The best spots go in the morning. But if all else fails, Fitzgerald and his friends make sure to stake out the ideal position by Wednesday evening.

"Now we try to get out there by 6 p.m. Wednesday," Fitzgerald said.

One of Fitzgerald's friends, Link Barr, OU alumnus, comes out with a trailer and finds a spot Wednesday mornings. This is Barr's first year to partake in the pre-game ritual.

"It's like the land run of '89," Barr said. "We just put out our stakes."

Fitzgerald and Barr's spot for this weekend contains one 20 feet by 20 feet tent, and two 10 feet by 10 feet tents, Barr said. That's a relatively recent development; Fitzgerald said he didn't buy a tent until some time in 1997 or 1998.

The ritual for each game remains fairly constant. This week, these fans will eat a breakfast of waffles and a champagne-orange juice mix.

"Someone's bringing a waffle maker," Fitzgerald said. "So we'll have champagne and waffles before the game and beer and burgers after the game."

Not all tailgating changes have been externally prompted, as the move to Lindsey Street was. Since Fitzgerald started tailgating in 1985, some changes have taken place within the group as well.

"This year, about half the crowd will be kids," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said even in the last few years, corporate changes are obvious among those who pitch tents.

"Three years ago there was one bank tent," he said. "Now there are a lot, and in campaign years there are multiple campaign tents set up."
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