Brianna Howard steers the Sooner Schooner across Owen Field with steady hands, her focus locked on the path ahead as 86,000 fans roar in approval. The moment marks a quiet revolution in University of Oklahoma tradition — Howard is the first Native American woman ever to drive the iconic covered wagon.
“I only had a minute to get on the Schooner, get the reins and go,” Howard told reporters after her historic debut during Oklahoma’s season opener against Illinois State. “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.”
Howard, a junior at OU and citizen of the Choctaw Nation, didn’t just break a barrier — she reclaimed a symbol. The Sooner Schooner, pulled by matching white ponies named “Boomer” and “Sooner,” has been the university’s official mascot since 1964, racing across the field before games and after Oklahoma scores. Yet for some Native Americans, the covered wagon resembles the Conestoga wagons used by settlers who claimed Oklahoma Territory.
“I know that for me, it’s a representation of taking back something that was used to oppress my people and my culture, and now that I’m in charge, it’s giving us the power,” Howard explained. “Not everyone’s going to see it that way, and that’s OK.”
Intense Competition, Historic Selection
The path to becoming a Schooner driver isn’t easy. More than 140 students applied for the coveted position this year, with only 12 receiving interviews and just five ultimately selected. Howard’s achievement is even more remarkable considering she’s only the seventh female driver since the all-female Lil’ Sis spirit group was established in 1973.
Jack Roehm, a senior at OU and president of the RUF/NEKS spirit group, which shares responsibility for the mascot with Lil’ Sis, emphasized the uniqueness of their tradition. “It’s a historic tradition after every score having the ponies run across the field. There’s nothing like it in college football.”
The weight of representation wasn’t lost on Howard. “People are going to be looking at me and seeing me differently,” she admitted. “I was really nervous that I would mess up, and it would be horrible for Native Americans. I don’t want to be known as the Native driver who messed up.”
Game Day Focus
What goes through a driver’s mind when steering a historic wagon pulled by two ponies across a field surrounded by tens of thousands of spectators?
For Howard, it’s all about preparation and focus. Before driving, she mentally maps every turn and angle while calming her nerves. But once the moment arrives, something remarkable happens.
“By the time I actually start driving, it’s silence,” she described. “I know there are people watching me, but that’s the last thing on my mind. I’m just thinking about looking at the field and making my drive.”
Howard has been a member of the Oklahoma spirit groups since arriving on campus and continues to develop her skills with each appearance. “Becoming only the 7th female driver since the Little Sis program started in 1973…. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at driving,” she noted with characteristic modesty.
The Sooner Schooner remains one of college football’s most recognizable symbols, with RUF/NEKS and Lil’ Sis members taking turns caring for and driving the wagon and its ponies. And now, with Howard at the reins, it carries a new layer of meaning — a symbol not just of university pride, but of reclamation and representation for Native Americans in a state whose name itself comes from the Choctaw language.
