Imagine telling your wife or girlfriend that you would be home late because the start of Saturday's Oklahoma State-Tulsa game, which you planned to attend, was 9:10 p.m. (Central).
Chances are you had some serious explaining to do. The game didn't end until 3:35 a.m. Sunday.
Shortly after the National Anthem, officials from the National Weather Service advised Tulsa officials that severe weather was about to descend on the Golden Hurricanes' H.A. Chapman Stadium. The teams were ordered to leave the field and fans were advised to seek shelter. All but one did.
Heavy rain and cloud-to-ground lightning arrived at 9:15 and the wait began. Fox Sports Net announcers J.C. Pearson, above left, and Ron Thulin kept viewers updated on conditions, and their frustrations grew as the delay passed the two-hour mark.
Hungry Oklahoma State players loaded up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Cheetos during the delay because frankly, there wasn't much else to do.
Finally the weather cleared and officials announced the game would be played, much to the amazement of nearly everyone. Then again, at $95 a ticket, Tulsa didn't want to miss this payday.
At 12:16 a.m., the teams teed it up.
Although the announced paid attendance was 24,563, only an estimated 15,000-18,000 were in the stands when the game started. That number was down to around 2,500 when the Cowboys finished off a 59-33 victory at 3:35 a.m.
"I've played five years of minor-league baseball, had some late starts and 20-inning games and still nothing really compares to this," Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden said. "This is a first."
Let's hope it's a last.
Thanks to 30fps for the screenshot.
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