FLACK JACKET
Doolittle's OU sports coat a lighthouse of support for Sooners
COLUMBIA, S.C. — When the University of Oklahoma basketball players and coaches, or even their families, see Dwayne Doolittle on the road, they want to know one thing.
“Where's the jacket? Where's the jacket?”
Never fear. The gaudy, outrageous, partisan, crimson and cream sports coat is always packed and waiting to be worn. And Doolittle will be wearing the jacket Friday when the Sooners play the University of Mississippi in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Colonial Life Arena.
Yes, Doolittle absolutely is trying to be seen with the Walmart jacket made famous by Billy Sims at Heisman Trophy ceremonies. But Doolittle isn't trying to be seen by the masses. He wants to make sure the guys in OU uniforms can look up in the crowd and see a face of support. That includes Kristian Doolittle, his son and OU's best player down the stretch of this college basketball season.
Kristian Doolittle said he chose OU coming out of Edmond Memorial High School in part because his family could attend more games. And indeed, Doolittle's parents have seen almost all his games over three seasons, regardless of location.
“Family's huge for me,” Kristian Doolittle said. “Having a familiar face in the stands always helps.”
It's not easy. Dwayne Doolittle is a retired Oklahoma City fire investigator, so he's got the time. But money can be an issue. He likes to say that players get a scholarship, parents get a hardship.
“We went to the Bahamas,” Dwayne Doolittle said. “Still paying for that. Went to Orlando freshman year. Those credit card bills would come due. It's a major undertaking to be able to finance those trips, to be there and be able to support. But we're in a decent enough position where we can make that sacrifice.
“Just to be able to look in the stands and see a familiar face, a face of support, that's big, I think. So we've shared that with him. If he had played at Wyoming, I don't know how many games we would have been able to watch. But to be there and see him have success, and those days when he just needs a hug from a mom or dad, to be able to look up and see his brother in the stands, that's a tremendous feeling.”
And Doolittle says he's not there just for Kristian. He's there for his son's teammates, too, like Hannes Polla of Finland and Matt Freeman of New Zealand.
“You know, Hannes doesn't see anyone” from Finland, Doolittle said. “Matt Freeman sees family members on an interim basis. But for them to look out there and see, oh yeah, Big Doo, when they see somebody that's truly supporting them, there for them, not just a casual fan, I think that's important as well.”
Thus, the jacket. In Stillwater and Lawrence, Austin and Ames, in Kansas City and in this old Southern capital, the Sooners can look up and spot a symbol of support even if the number of OU fans is few.
“You cannot miss it in a sea of burnt orange,” Doolittle said. “You cannot miss the OU jacket.” When opposing fans comment on the jacket, especially Longhorns, Doolittle likes to tell them “yeah, they only make `em for winners.”
Doolittle said he saw the sports coat in Walmart before he saw Sims wear it to Heisman ceremonies. “I said to myself, `I've got to have that jacket; I'm going to have that jacket,'” Doolittle said. “If I could find pants to match it, I'd wear that, too.”