OU Football Game Day Changes At Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium

Traffic and parking may be more manageable this year for Sooner football fans.

Police say less construction will allow game day routes to return to normal, especially on or around Lindsey Street. 

The major changes this year will affect visitors at the gate.

“We’re actually opening up the gates two hours prior to kick off for the general public this year as opposed to the former 90 minutes,” OU Assistant Athletics Director for Communications, Mike Houck said. 

The stadium rolled out an entirely new entrance policy this year. 

The new rules could turn fans away from the gates and send them walking back to the parking lot if they aren’t careful.

“The metal detector process could slow things down a little bit especially the first couple of games while fans get accustomed,” Houck said.

Along with metal detectors at each gate, the stadium is enforcing a new bag rule. 

All large bags brought into the stadium must be clear, and no larger than 12 by 12 inches.

SEE: OU Athletics Introduces Clear Bag, Metal Detector Policies For 2018-19

Fans can also bring a gallon-size plastic freezer bag or a non-transparent clutch purse 4.5 x 6 inches or smaller.

Houck says these changes are for safety’s sake, following what many other stadiums are doing across the country. 

“That’s of the utmost importance to us and we want to keep everyone in the stadium safe,” Houck said. 

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 1.