Brick has OSU fans seeing 'red'

[Tommy Duncan]

www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=2165257

Brick has OSU fans seeing 'red'

MEGAN VACEK reports
Updated: August 12, 2004 8:47 AM

A bedlam blunder has OSU fans outraged.

On the side of the school's new stadium, written in the brick, is the symbol of their biggest rival - the letters O and U.

The bricks on the stadium have been up for quite a while. But no one noticed the blunder until this week. And when they did, the news spread faster than a football player sprinting for a touchdown.

Under renovation for 10 months now, the new multi-million dollar Boone Pickens stadium is the blood, sweat and tears of the Cowboys. And with the first game of the season less than a month away, construction workers are putting on the finishing touches. But, there's already a major flaw that needs fixing.

"Not even done yet and someone's already messed it up," said one OSU fan.

"I can't believe somebody would do that," said another. "To be honest with you, our first thought was this was a bricklayer that couldn't spell."

But what the bricks spell out is no laughing matter to the Cowboys and their fans. Embedded in the concrete is the mark of their biggest rival.

"I will say this, it's something that someone obviously put thought into," said Steve Buzzard, OSU associated athletic director. "They really had to plan out what they were doing."

Be it a construction glitch or a prank, the embedded image was all Cowboy fans could talk about on an Internet chat board Wednesday.

"It's not something that needs to be done. You don't see us throwing OSU on their campus," one post said.

"I think it goes beyond prank, if it's permanent," another post said.

The insignia of the Sooner nation didn't grace or disgrace the stadium for long. In fact, you can't even tell it was once there.

"The bricks that were discolored, so to speak, have now been painted to match and then they'll be replaced," Buzzard said.

But those who saw the symbol firsthand said it's something they won't soon forget.

"Just to see it spelled out in the brick was interesting, but at the same time, disrespectful to the university," said Doug Stockard, a fan.

The construction company working on the stadium is paying for the new bricks to be put in. But as far as laying blame, school officials say it's impossible to pinpoint which bricklayer – or bricklayers -- may be responsible.

Aside from the bedlam blunder, school officials said construction is moving right along and they expect the stadium to be completed by September 11, the home opener.


Copyright 2004 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Tommy Duncan]

OSU wasted little time in correcting the error...

[1369]

As a former student of OSU, that's too funny Tommy.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

SF, you're too much!!!