"Great program, great fans," Mike Herd of Oklahoma City said. "If you are willing to deal with the heat, you have to be a great fan. We are just enjoying the Sooners. We love Sooner football. We try to come whenever we can."

Coach Bob Stoops was not on hand. He was at a memorial service for Bobby Murcer.

"I regret the inconvenience to our fans, but Bobby and I were good friends and I want to be at his service in support of his family," Stoops said in a statement. "I will look forward to seeing many of our fans on Friday."

Stoops will be available to sign autographs following OU's practice Friday at the OU Rugby Fields. Practice is scheduled to end at 11:30 a.m.

Even without Stoops there, Meet the Sooners had another huge turnout. Jennifer Patton of Oklahoma City was one of those who attended the event for the first time. She brought her son Ian, and her niece Mia and nephew Aedan.

"They enjoy it," Patton said. "They like to do the Sooner thing. We are just diehard Sooner fans."

Michael Kinney 366-3537 mkinney@normantranscript.com