At the reins of tradition: Brianna Howard makes history as OU’s first Native American woman to drive Sooner Schooner

By Troy Littledeer | @candyminksprings | Photos by Troy Littledeer

Before the crowd arrives, before the stadium fills, the RUF/NEK and Lil’ Sis teams are already at work. They gather at a training area just outside Norman they call the farm, washing ponies and preparing the Sooner Schooner for a game day that will put them in front of 80,000 people.

Brianna Howard, a 19-year-old sophomore from Tuttle, Oklahoma and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, finds something settling in that work. In the Schooner’s 100-year history, she is the first Native American woman to take the reins and only the seventh woman to drive the wagon.

She did not arrive with a horse background. “I had maybe two lessons when I was 10, and that was the extent of any knowledge I had about horses, except maybe from movies,” Howard said. “When I applied, I had no prior knowledge about anything. It was all learning from the start. I learned how to take care of the ponies, what they need, and how to take care of everything else around here.”

The selection process was narrow. More than 140 students applied. Twelve were interviewed. Five were chosen.

Howard traces the pull toward OU to her childhood. “Growing up, attending OU games with my family made me fall in love with the tradition, the energy, and the community,” she said. Cheer, dance, basketball and school spirit activities followed, and eventually friends and family pushed her toward the RUF/NEK and Lil’ Sis programs.

The weight of the historic role landed on her early. “People are going to be looking at me and seeing me differently,” she said. “I was really nervous that I would mess up, and it would be horrible for Native Americans. I don’t want to be known as the Native driver who messed up.”

On game days, Howard sits atop the box as Boomer and Sooner prepare to move. The mental work begins before the horses do. She maps every turn and angle before kickoff, absorbs the nerves, and then something shifts.

“By the time I actually start driving, it’s silence,” she said. “I know there are people watching me, but that’s the last thing on my mind. I’m just thinking about looking at the field and making my drive.”

Between games she is a college student with a 3.77 GPA in OU’s education program who recently spent evenings watching Smallville. “It’s just a way to relax and feel like a normal person,” she said.

The balancing act has taught her something about presence. “Sometimes, you don’t have to constantly think about what this means or what you should do,” she said. “You just gotta enjoy what you’re doing, and live in the moment. Not every experience is a learning moment.”

The visibility matters to her. “Even if it’s just one person who thinks, ‘She can do it, then I can do this,’ that’s something I really care about as well,” Howard said. “We can do whatever we want.”

Troy Littledeer is a journalist and photographer based in Candy Mink Springs, Oklahoma. He is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and reports on tribal governance, education, and public accountability across Indian Country and its surrounding communities. His work centers primary documents and recorded statements, with a focus on tribal law, the public record, and all people in our communities.