NORMAN, Okla. — For the first time in its 60-year history, the Sooner Schooner, the University of Oklahoma’s iconic covered wagon mascot, was driven by a Native American woman.

Brianna Howard, a junior at OU and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, first drove the Schooner onto the field during the football team's season opener against Illinois State.

“I only had a minute to get on the Schooner, get the reins and go,” Howard said Saturday before the Sooners beat Missouri 17-6. “I didn’t have enough time to get too nervous. When I went out there, it was amazing. I could not even hear the audience I was so zoned into driving.”

Members of the RUF/NEKS and the all-female spirit group Lil’ Sis take care of the Schooner and its ponies, and they take turns driving it during the game.

First introd

See Full Page