Why the most raucous rivalry in Oklahoma sports history actually started on a wrestling mat
In short: The Bedlam Series is synonymous with football, but the name originated from the chaotic, high-energy wrestling matches at Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena. While football games now dominate the headlines, this deep-seated intrastate rivalry spans decades of competition, including legendary tales of frozen creeks, alleged mob fixes, and lopsided wrestling dominance.
The term Bedlam was not born on the football field, but rather from the intense atmosphere surrounding wrestling matches between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma State has historically dominated this original Bedlam sport, boasting 34 team national championships and 145 individual NCAA titles compared to Oklahoma’s seven team titles and 67 individual championships. This wrestling rivalry, which began in 1920, remains a point of contention even as the schools shift conference affiliations, with Oklahoma continuing to compete in the Big 12 for wrestling despite its other sports moving to the SEC.
Football Bedlam, which began in 1904, has its own share of folklore. The inaugural game was played in freezing, windy conditions at Island Park, where a punt was blown backward into a half-frozen creek. Players from both teams dove into the icy water to recover the ball, with Oklahoma eventually securing a 75–0 victory. Decades later, in 1954, author Steve Budin claimed that mobsters conspired to poison the Oklahoma team with laxatives to fix the game. However, contemporary accounts and newspaper reports from the time contain no evidence of such an incident, suggesting the team's poor performance was likely due to fatigue from a previous match against Nebraska.
The rivalry has evolved significantly over the last century, moving from annual conference matchups to a more uncertain future. Following Oklahoma's move to the SEC, the annual football series concluded after the 2023–24 season, with scheduling conflicts preventing a resumption until at least 2031. Nevertheless, the spirit of the competition persists in other sports. Basketball continues as a non-conference event, and the schools maintain a competitive history in baseball, where Oklahoma State holds an all-time record of 189–160. Despite the changing landscape of collegiate athletics, the Bedlam Series remains a defining element of Oklahoma’s sporting identity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Bedlam Series
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