Superman’s identity can be confusing, fun
Roy Williams knew exactly what to expect during the national championship game between North Carolina vs. Kansas.
Lots of emotions.
But by noontime, he was prepared for whatever might happen.
“I’m welcoming it,” he said. “I’m ready.
“Thumbs firing.”
Thumbs firing?
Yes, for this Roy Williams, posting on social media from his phone is what Monday night was all about. This Roy Williams, after all, is the legendary OU football player, the Sooner safety who became known as Superman and went on to play nine seasons in the NFL. Made quite a name for himself, really. But it’s a name he shares with another famous Roy Williams, the legendary basketball coach.
That Roy Williams, of course, had his former teams playing each other Monday night for a national title. He spent 15 seasons at Kansas, then 18 seasons at North Carolina before retiring a year ago.
UNC Roy has gotten plenty of screen time because of that in recent days.
That means OU Roy has gotten plenty of screen time, too, but his is a little different. It comes via Twitter. UNC Roy doesn’t have an account, so when people search his name, @roywilliams31 pops up with the coveted blue check mark of verification and they figure they’ve found UNC Roy.
OU Roy receives tweets all the time from people thinking he’s UNC Roy, giving his thumbs a workout as he replies on his cell phone.
“I love it, man,” he said. Someone recently asked OU Roy on Twitter how often he was mistaken for UNC Roy on the social-media platform.
“Every day,” OU Roy replied with a few laughing emojis. “Don’t ruin it.”
He actually enjoys the fun, the laughs
he gets, the smiles he gives.
The truth is, UNC Roy isn’t even the first Roy Williams for whom OU Roy has been mistaken. In 2010, former Texas Longhorns receiver Roy Williams was playing for the Dallas Cowboys. OU Roy was a Cowboy for seven seasons (he and UT Roy actually overlapped the 2008 season in Dallas) before being traded to Cincinnati, so the Dallas ties confused some folks.
“You know that wasn’t me, right?” OU Roy responded initially when people confused him for UT Roy. “You’re tagging the wrong person.”
Then something dawned on him. “Why am I arguing?” he thought. “I’m just gonna roll with it.”
That’s what he did then.
What he’s done ever since. When he’s mistaken for UNC Roy, OU Roy will respond as though he actually is UNC Roy. After Saturday night’s national semifinal, for example, OU Roy got tagged in a tweet with a video of UNC Roy dancing.
“$5 if @roywilliams 31 did this (Monday),” @WonRogers wrote, “he’d break a leg.”
OU Roy’s response: “Bet $100 I break my foot off in yo butt.”
Another fan tagged OU Roy wondering who UNC Roy would root for in the title game. Someone suggested it would be the Tar Heels.
“Pssh!” @OChem_Grenning wrote. “We know he’s a Jayhawk first!”
OU Roy replied, “If you really knew what’s up, you would know I’m a Sooner over every other team.”
The whole thing has become such a part of his Twitter experience that OU Roy changed his avatar photo to reflect it. When someone shared a photoshopped picture of his head on UNC Roy’s body — poorly done on purpose, by the way, to emphasize OU Roy isn’t UNC Roy — OU Roy decided to steal it.
OU Roy has been needling people who mistake him for UNC Roy for so long that folks with Oklahoma ties have started needling the former Sooner. Over the weekend, Tulsa TV newsman and former OKC sportscaster Ron Terrell responded to a picture of UNC Roy pumping his fists in celebration at the Final Four by congratulating OU Roy with a few laughing emojis.
“You got jokes,” OU Roy replied. Sooner fans have even gotten in on the act. After OU Roy got tagged recently by a Kansas fan who meant to tag UNC Roy, @NJBoomerSooner replied, “Not another one … ” with a GIF of Anthony Fauci trying to stifle a laugh.
Speaking of GIFs, OU Roy often uses ones that include UNC Roy. OU Roy’s favorite GIF is UNC Roy dancing on the court, surrounded by his players. He’s wearing a plaid blue blazer, snapping his fingers and smiling.
“Just the joy in his face when he’s dancing, he’s movin’ and he’s in his own world,” OU Roy said, “and I think that’s just awesome.
“I think a lot of people in the world just need to relax and just enjoy and be appreciative for what you have in life.”
He loves the fun interactions all of this has created. That’s why he decided to enjoy the mistaken identity instead of getting mad or frustrated about it. He hopes it brings a little relaxation, a little joy into the world.
“It’s just something to laugh about,” OU Roy said. “It’s just comic relief. “Laughter and smiles for the soul.” OU fans think of Williams as someone who smashed opponents and crushed souls as a Sooner. (Chris Simms, we’re looking at you.) But OU Roy has always had a fun-loving side. He jokes liberally. He laughs easily.
He likes to think his tweets about UNC Roy bring some fun into the world.
“I hope it’s just bringing some light to somebody’s day that may be dark,” he said.
That’s why he was excited about the national championship game Monday night. It gave him a chance to have some fun. It was an opportunity to bring a bit of levity to an intense situation.
“I’m ready to fire it off,” he said. “My popcorn is ready, that’s for sure.”
So, too, were his thumbs.