Outside the Alpha Chi Omega tailgate on game day in Norman. (Doug Hill)
NORMAN, Okla. — [dropcap]S[/dropcap]aturday, Sept. 17, was a busy day in Norman.
Probably no one consulted with Bob Stoops about it being a good day for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to visit town hours before his team was to kick off against Ohio State University. Stoops would have probably denied it was any distraction.
But the protests against Trump, a rally for his opponent Hillary Clinton and demonstration against an oil pipeline all contributed to an atypical Saturday game day on OU’s campus.
The majority of people present were focused on the game, not politics. Weather forecasts for a pleasant evening were wrong, and the area was drenched by a fast-approaching storm. Happily, the two-hour game delay made for good sales at Campus Corner merchants.
Although OU lost the game, overwhelming positive reports by visiting Ohio State fans about their experience here were a source of justifiable pride.
If only presidential candidates could display the same sportsmanship.
Hillary supporters turned out for an anti-Trump rally Sept. 17 in Norman. (Doug Hill)
A Fox 23 TV journalist interviews a Dakota Access Pipeline protester. (Doug Hill)
A family protests the Dakota Access Pipeline Sept. 17 on OU’s campus. (Doug Hill)
Two young ladies display defiance against a Donald Trump fundraising event near OU’s campus. (Doug Hill)
Collegiality was the rule of the day Sept. 17 in Norman. (Doug Hill)
Nothing can sway determined fans from getting out and about on game day. (Doug Hill)
Some Buckeyes displayed sartorial bravado. (Doug Hill)
Ohio fans and Sooner fans mingled well together on Boyd Street during the hours before kickoff Sept. 17 in Norman. (Doug Hill)
Deals are made for tickets to the big game. (Doug Hill)
Boots scoot down Boyd Street during game day Sept. 17 in Norman, Okla. (Doug Hill)
Storm approaching Norman that would eventually delay the OU vs. Ohio State game by two hours. (Doug Hill)
Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.
