The Oklahoma Sooners are making a huge effort to honor a man who was a mainstay at sporting events with a ton of red Solo cups. Toby Keith passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer.
Not everyone who enjoys country music is unfamiliar with Toby Keith, who made a strong splash in the mainstream in the 1990s with songs like “How Do You Like Me Know?” and “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”
His output in the 2000s was largely defined by the somewhat divisive (albeit wildly successful) “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” and close to a decade later, he found himself with another hit on his hands courtesy of “Red Solo Cup,” which is best known for the “LET’S HAVE A PARTY” refrain virtually every person who hears it will reflectively belt out when it comes on.
Keith was born and raised in Oklahoma, and while he briefly attended Villanova before deciding to pursue the passion that made him famous, the musician was a lifelong fan of the Oklahoma Sooners and made plenty of trips to Norman and beyond to watch the school’s teams play.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team took to the court for the first time since Keith’s death at the age of 62, and a guitar and a red Solo cup were at the center of a memorial shrine that popped up inside the Lloyd Noble Center before the game.
The team also honored Keith by raising some of that signature drinkware in the locker room after walking away with the 82-66 win over BYU, and during the contest, Sooners radio announcer Toby Rowland informed fans every single drink that’s ordered when Oklahoma hosts Oklahoma State for their Bedlam showdown on Saturday will be served in a red Solo cup.
Props to the Sooners for nailing the tribute.
