Step Inside: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Home of the Oklahoma Sooners

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is home to the University of Oklahoma football team. Also known as The Palace on the Prairie, the stadium is located on the university’s campus in Norman, Oklahoma, a suburb to the south of Oklahoma City. Read below to learn more about the stadium.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium History

The stadium opened as Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 23, 1923. Named for the University of Oklahoma students and personnel who died in World War I, the facility had just 500 seats of bleachers constructed on the east side of the field at the time. Permanent seating came in 1925 in the form of 16,000 seats on the west side of the field.

Originally, the stadium was not built as a fully enclosed “bowl,” with the north end of the venue finally being enclosed in 1949. That renovation created the stadium’s distinct horseshoe shape with, by the late mid-1970s, a capacity of more than 70,000.

The stadium was renamed in 2002 after Christy Gaylord Everest, the publisher of The Oklahoman, donated $12 million toward a $75-million renovation of the facility. In 2009, U2 brought their 360° Tour to the stadium, selling out the venue and packing it with more than 50,000 fans.

The most recent round of renovations to the stadium were completed prior to the 2019 football season.

Parking and Admission at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Public parking is limited to the University of Oklahoma campus on game days, so fans are strongly encouraged to arrive early. Parking spots are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis with a $30 parking charge. Locations of reserved lots, RV lots, paid cash lots and more can be found on the Sooners’ Game Day Parking Map.

ADA accessible parking is available for patrons with disabilities in the Asp Avenue Parking Facility connected to the west side of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and can be accessed with a parking fee. An ADA accessible shuttle can also be taken from in the OU College of Law parking lot at the intersection of Chautauqua Ave and J Willis Stovall Dr.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium enforces a clear bag policy. Bags allowed in the stadium should be clear plastic bags (12 in x 6 in x 12 in or smaller), plastic freezer bags (1 gallon or smaller), clutch bags with either a shoulder strap or wrist strap (no larger than 4.5 in x 6.5 in), clear fanny packs or clear crossbody bags. All other bags are not permitted in the stadium.

Items prohibited inside the stadium include outside food and beverage (including alcohol), flags, signs, banners, containers of any kind, strollers or baby carriers, noisemakers, chairbacks over 16 in wide or with oversized metal frames, video cameras, cameras with lenses larger than 6 in, weapons of any kind, umbrellas, inflatables (including balloons) and more.

For a complete list of rules, regulations and prohibited items, check out OU’s Carry In Policies.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Capacity & Seating Options

Following its most recent renovation in 2019, Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium has a seating capacity of 86,112.

The bowl-shaped complex has traditional stadium seating on all four sides, with upper and lower levels along the length of the field. Loge seating and suites are located on the southern end of the stadium, as well as ADA accessible seating just below the loge on the southeast and southwest corners.

Get a look at a seating chart for Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium here.

Food & Beverage Options at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium offers a wide variety of dining options including Levy Restaurants, Boomerang Diner, Cupbop, RibCrib, COOP Ale Works, Taco Mayo, Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs, Pizza Hut, Poppin’ Okies, NASHBIRD Hot Dang! Chicken, Kona Ice and more, in addition to numerous grab and go stations, alcohol vendors and other concessions.