Why SEC Network's Paul Finebaum wanted 'a taste' of Norman for OU football spring game

NORMAN — Paul Finebaum remembers his only trip to OU well.

It was Sept. 7, 2002, the No. 2 Sooners were facing Alabama in a battle of the bluebloods and Finebaum, then a columnist for the Press Register in Mobile, Alabama, was on assignment. He recalls the ongoing construction at OU's football stadium, when every seat was replaced and one of the scoreboards was dismantled.

But most of all, he remembers the sweltering 98 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.

“I'm not sure I was able to completely appreciate the tailgate experience,” Finebaum, the renowned SEC radio-television personality, told The Oklahoman on Friday.

That’s why it was important for him to return this weekend for OU’s spring game. While OU doesn’t officially join the conference that “just means more” until July 1 — a day Finebaum will be back in Norman for a live taping of his weekday show on the SEC Network to commemorate the school’s entry into the heralded conference — it’s never felt more like SEC time in Oklahoma.

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Fans lined the top of the stands on the first base-line at Love’s Field Friday night to catch a glimpse of Finebaum filming an upcoming interview with legendary Sooners linebacker Brian Bosworth. The duo even stopped by OU head coach Brent Venables’ office Friday evening.

Few know SEC football like Finebaum, who spends every weekday covering, defending and promoting the most respected conference in the country, and his visit to Norman signifies OU’s entry into the elite is inching closer. He’s even seen an uptick in calls to his show from Sooners fans and met up with a caller Friday who gifted him some OU football books.

“I just wanted to get a taste of it,” Finebaum said. “I just think it helps you as somebody who does a show that is geared for the entire conference to be able to make a reference being here. Being here for a game 20 years ago just doesn't quite cut it anymore. I mean, it gave me an experience. But this was to me, this weekend was really the last shot to at least get a sense of what this place is going to be like in early September.”

While they haven’t been in Finebaum’s region of expertise, he’s admired the Sooners from afar for years. He still vividly remembers watching the “Game of the Century” between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma as a 16-year-old.

One of his favorite experiences watching an OU football game came this past season. Following his Saturday morning gameday show in Athens, he was scheduled to fly out of Atlanta back to his home in Charlotte, N.C. There was an issue with his flight, so he and one of the producers, who’s an OU alum, decided to drive back during the Sooners’ game vs. Texas.

“We shouldn't admit this,” Finebaum said, “but we literally watched the OU-Texas game in the car as we were driving back, and fortunately we just pulled off the interstate when OU scored to go ahead. My producer, he was like literally going crazy. So I got a really good game experience watching the Texas game with an OU graduate.

“And I've never seen anybody screaming and jumping up and down more while trying to grab a car in my life. I was quite scared that I would never live to see OU’s first game in the SEC.”

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In 2009, Finebaum was in Houston when legendary OU coach Barry Switzer was awarded the Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award. He was taken aback by all the Sooners alumni who showed up to support Switzer.

“I was gobsmacked just seeing the names of guys (who played for him),” Finebaum said.

Finebaum has even grown close to OU’s former senior associate athletics director for administration and development, Zac Selmon, since the latter became the athletics director at Mississippi State, and the two have spoken about the Sooners’ SEC entry at length. There is no doubt in Finebaum’s mind that OU is ready for what’s to come in the conference.

“I don't think OU really has to do anything," Finebaum said. "I mean, this is, in my mind, one of the great programs in college football history. We are thrilled to have OU in the SEC. I don't think OU has to do anything other than show up, quite frankly. Gymnastics is a fantastic sport here and softball goes without saying. There are always programs that are challenged, this is not one of them. Joe Castiglione has the reputation as one of the preeminent AD’s in the country.

“What I admire about OU fans is their understanding of who they are and the richness of the program. Every school can say, ‘We have great tradition.’ But there are only a handful who can talk about championships and talk about everything this program has encountered.”

A Tennessee graduate, one of Finebaum’s most anticipated college football games in the country in 2024 is when the Volunteers travel to face the Sooners on Sept. 21 in Norman.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is returning to the school he led to a national title as quarterback in 2000 and then fired him as its offensive coordinator over a decade later. The Volunteers will also be looking for revenge after the Sooners’ double-overtime victory in Neyland Stadium in 2015.

One thing is for certain: Finebaum will have a better understanding of Norman by then after this weekend’s trip.

He’ll also be more prepared this time around for the suffocating humidity that is a staple of Saturdays in September in Oklahoma.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Paul Finebaum wanted 'a taste' of Norman for OU football spring game