OU Honors Toby Keith With Epic Drone Show During First SEC Football Game

The University of Oklahoma took its Toby Keith tribute to the next level on Saturday (September 21) with an impressive drone show.

During the University of Oklahoma’s first SEC home game of the 2024 football season, the OU band, The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, honored the late Toby Keith by playing a medley of some of his biggest hits. In addition, a choreographed drone performance took place over the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium where the game took place.

Keith, a longtime supporter of OU, often attended the college’s sporting events to cheer on the Sooners. Following Toby’s death in February 2024, the university announced that they would remember Toby during every home game with a third-quarter singalong of his hit song, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.”

Toby Keith’s family and former OU head coach Bob Stoops have each taken a turn leading the crowd in the third-quarter singalong in recent weeks. But Saturday’s drone show was a surprise halftime show for Toby Keith and Sooner fans as it was the first time they were treated to a medley set to a drone show.

The Toby Keith tribute started about halfway through the 8-minute-long halftime show. It included three songs; “Beer For My Horses,” “Red Solo Cup,” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!” The crowd enthusiastically sang along as the drones demonstrated a covered wagon, a Solo cup, and a guitar in the sky above the stadium.

The drone show is the latest in a series of Toby Keith tributes made by the University of Oklahoma.

Toby Keith didn’t go to college himself, but he grew up in nearby Moore, Oklahoma, and was a lifelong Sooners fan. Following his death, the university painted Toby’s name on their football field for the team’s Spring Game in April.

The following month, Toby was given an honorary degree from OU, an award his daughter, Krystal, accepted on his behalf. Toby knew about the honor prior to his death and was looking forward to accepting it. His daughter told the crowd during the ceremony that her dad “simply bled Crimson and Cream.”

“He loved his Sooner Nation! His passion started far back before he was 12 and 13 he sold cokes at the stadium just to be able to see the OU games. He broke his ankle while playing a celebrity OU Alumni game in the ’90s. For as long as I can remember, he took our family to bowl games and was on every sideline or courtside of every OU event that he possibly could, regardless of sport or gender. He wanted to be at all of them. He supported them wholeheartedly.”

Hear Toby Keith talk about his love for the University of Oklahoma in the video below.