'A New Era': OU Athletics Prepares Day-Long SEC Celebration

The University of Oklahoma is gearing up to make its highly anticipated move into the Southeastern Conference.

OU officially joins the SEC at midnight on July 1st and it marks the beginning of a big day of celebrations for OU Athletics.

"In the next day, we will all wake up in the SEC," Leah Beasley with OU Athletics said. "We are pumping up the fans.”

The celebrations begin Sunday evening and run for nearly 24 hours.

“We've been waiting for this for a long time, planning for this for a long time,” she said.

Sunday night, the festivities kick off with a glow run 5k through campus ending on the 50-yard line inside the stadium.

"We'll have fireworks going off at midnight, and the fireworks really signify the official entry into the SEC," Beasley said.

A “Wake Up in the SEC” breakfast event is next from 8-9:30 a.m. at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. It will feature OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione, and other special OU guests, including head coaches.

The Sooner Schooner will also be on a roadshow across the state before it ends the day at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Starting at 2 p.m., the Paul Finebaum Show will broadcast from outside the stadium on the SEC Network. OU Athletics invites fans to join, directing them to Gate 6 and McCasland Field House.

"So we really need a big crowd to showcase Oklahoma and our pride at 2 o’clock on Monday, and we'll have t-shirts for the first 500 guests," Beasley said.

At 5 p.m. guests will be brought inside the stadium for the Party in the Palace with games, food trucks, and live music. The party ends at 10 p.m.

"We have loved our relationship with the Big 12 and it's time for a new era for OU athletics," Beasley said.