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Sooners enjoy 50-degree warm-up
Associated Press
MIAMI -- Top-ranked University of Oklahoma's long-awaited trip to the
FedEx Orange Bowl lasted longer than scheduled.
The team's plane took off from Oklahoma City in sleet and
freezing rain, four hours behind schedule and arrived in Miami at
6:30 p.m. It was 21 degrees when the 241 players, coaches and
family members boarded the chartered plane, and 71 degrees when
they got off.
"I left my jacket at home," said coach Bob Stoops.
Oklahoma's opponent, No. 3 Florida State, was scheduled to
arrive in Miami on Wednesday to prepare for the national
championship game next week.
Oklahoma's coaches took their wives and children along for the game next
Wednesday rather than leave them at home the day after
Christmas. Most of the first 40 passengers to get off the plane
were children.
"Coaching this week will be easy," said Stoops, who was
carrying his 18-month-old son Drake. "The hard part was getting
all our families on the plane."
The players laughed as the coaches had a hard time quieting down
their children before takeoff, said Stoops, who was also
accompanied by his wife Carol, and Drake's twin brother, Isaac.
Oklahoma immediately went to Barry University to practice after
a three-day holiday break, beginning with stretching exercises.
Oklahoma is 3-1 lifetime against Florida State, including a 24-7
victory in the 1980 Orange Bowl and an 18-17 victory at the 1981 Orange
Bowl.
The Sooners lost to the Miami 20-14 in 1988 in their last Orange
Bowl appearance.
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