Toby Keith Was A Lifelong Fan Of OU

Krystal Keith paid tribute to her late father by performing the National Anthem at his favorite college’s recent softball game.

As a native Oklahoman, Toby was a huge fan of The University of Oklahoma, otherwise known as OU. After Toby died, Krystal shared just how much the college meant to him:

“My dad started selling Cokes at 12 or 13 yrs old in the stadium so he could see the games live,” Krystal said. “We have traveled as a family with the teams to bowl games and championships as long as I can remember. Planning weddings, vacations and big life events around team schedules.”

Toby strongly encouraged all three of his children to attend OU, and they did exactly that.

Since his death on February 5, OU has honored Toby in several ways. For starters, they painted his logo on the field for their spring football game.

OU also recognized Toby with an honorary degree at its May commencement ceremony. Toby was actually selected to receive the degree before his passing and was incredibly touched by the honor. Krystal attended the ceremony to accept the degree in her late father’s name, and delivered a moving speech.

She said:

“When he learned, last fall, that he was being inducted to Sooner Nation on this high of a level, he was so excited and he was so proud. I actually made a joke about how many hours I spent here getting my bachelor’s degree, and he joked that he didn’t have to work that hard to get his. But we all know he earned it and spent many more hours dedicating his life to earning it this way. He loved his family (he loved all of us), God, our country, and Sooner Nation!“

Krystal Keith Sings National Anthem At Recent OU Softball Game

Krystal Keith further strengthened her family’s connection to OU by performing the National Anthem at one of the college’s recent softball games. Her performance occurred ahead of Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series Championship Series between OU and Texas.

Krystal delivered a stunning a cappella rendition of the National Anthem. Her performance ended as a plane from Altus Air Force Base flew over home plate. The plane had an all-female crew.

A fan page for the OU softball team shared a video of Krystal’s performance on Facebook. People reacted to the performance in the comments, writing things such as:

“BOOMER SOONER LADIES SOFTBALL…So emotional knowing how [Toby] loved his SOONERS !!”

“Now THAT’S how our anthem should be sung!”

“Absolutely beautiful. You have a great voice just like you daddy. The National Anthem always makes me teary and gives me chill bumps. Especially the way you sang it. That is the way it should be sung. Great job Krystal Keith. Daddy looking down very proud.”

“We’re all very proud of you and I know your dad is watching down and he’s extremely proud of you!”

“What a great tribute to one of Sooner Nation’s biggest fans. Boomer!”

“Bet her dad was beaming from Heaven.”

The video of Krystal’s National Anthem performance has been watched over 778,000 times so far. Enjoy it below.