‘We Have A Great Time’: Football Fans Celebrate The University Of Tulsa’s First Home Football Game

The Golden Hurricane took the field for the first time this year on Thursday night.

Thousands of fans were out around Chapman Stadium for the game against Northwestern State.

Several fans say there’s a little something different in the air because it’s officially football season, and they’re excited to see TU in action again.

Grant Cooper and his family have had a prime tailgating spot at TU home games for the past seven years.

“We have a great time,” said Cooper. “The kids run around, throw the football and have a great time. Every year, it’s a lot of fun for us.”

The Coopers count down the days each year to when they can cheer on the Golden Hurricane and say it’s one of the best family activities money can buy.

“It is completely underrated,” said Cooper. “That’s what people don’t realize, is that it’s a great family environment; it’s a lot of fun, a lot of things to do, you kind of mark your calendars every year for it. We have a blast.”

Doug Panfil and his son-in-law Jake Alexander are both former TU football players who now make it to every game.

“It’s small, it’s unique,” said Panfil. “It’s the smallest D1 school in the nation, yet we compete. That wall says it all up there; we’ve had two Hall-of-Famers, we’ve had four first-round picks.”

While being on the field has its perks, Panfil and Alexander have fun cheering from the stands.

“Obviously, playing on the field was great, and you get to be around the camaraderie of guys and the locker room, and that’s what I miss the most, and game days,” said Alexander. “That’s the thing about doing these tailgates and coming to these games is that you get to keep that same camaraderie.”

The next TU home game will be against Oklahoma State on September 14.