The number of OU specialty tags has doubled over the past three years.

DAILY STAFF WRITER
Sooner pride is spreading across the state as crimson and cream get stamped on every type of object imaginable, from sweaters to shot glasses.
In increasing droves, Sooner fans are taking it to the streets--literally. The number of OU specialty license tags, the red and white plates complete with Sooner Schooner in the center, has steadily increased as more Sooner supporters equip their autos with the tags.
"There has been a dramatic increase in requests for numbered, official OU tags," said Michelle Thompson, public affairs officer at the Oklahoma Tax Commission. "The demand for the tags has doubled, as it's done every year for the last three years."
For the 2003 financial year, a period from July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, the Oklahoma Tax Commission issued 2,748 OU plates, Thompson said. Last year, about 1,300 OU plates hit the roads.
One factor in the increasing number is the plate's new crimson design.
"The demand has skyrocketed since the design was changed," said Barry Feuerborn, associate executive director of the OU Alumni Association.
The old plate had one color in the corner of the plate and the older, slanted OU logo. The lettering was done in black.
While the black lettering may have fit the color scheme of rival Oklahoma State, it was out of place on the OU plate. In 2001, special permission was granted to OU to change the design, Feuerborn said.
A focus group composed of OU alumni chose the current red-and-white plate design from a selection.
"The redesigned plate is more spirited," Feuerborn said. "It promotes OU when alumni drive across the country."
When people purchase the OU plate, they not only "brag with their tag," they also support the university, Feuerborn said.
The plates sell for $25, with $20 going to OU.
Though the plates are offered through the Alumni Association, some students choose to buy them, such as Josh Davis, University College freshman.
Davis bought a new truck in June, and his mother and grandmother picked up a form for the OU tag, since Davis would be attending OU in the fall.
"My grandmother picked up a flier at the tag agency," Davis said. "She figured I'd want one."
Specialty tags are different from personalized or vanity license plates, where owners can request specific letters and numbers. Specialty plates cannot be personalized.
But tag agencies get a fair amount of requests for personalized tags with OU themes, Thompson said. A sampling includes OU4LIFE, IM4OU, IM4OURU, SOONERU and SNRBRED.
In blacktop bedlam, OU's road warriors outnumber OSU. In 2002, OU plates adorned 1,339 autos, compared to OSU's 1,166, Thompson said.
The state of Oklahoma created the college specialty tags in 1991, when legislation provided for 29 new plates, one for each state-supported university.
In 1996, legislation was passed to create plates for smaller or private colleges such as Oral Roberts University, Oklahoma City University and Southern Nazarene University.
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