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Surprise Homecoming for Oklahoma Guardsman

Table of Contents

  1. The Setup: A Secret Kept Overseas
  2. Game Day at Gaylord Family Stadium
  3. The Reunion on the Field
  4. After the Game

Story By Sgt. Daniel Nelson Jr., 145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. Videos By Sgt. Christopher Bruce, Oklahoma National Guard Public Affairs.

With more than 84,000 cheering fans in attendance at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., the University of Oklahoma’s homecoming football game was the farthest thing from the mind of one lucky Soldier. First Sgt. Brian Curtis, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 1220th Engineer Company, anxiously awaited a special homecoming of his own — set to take place on the field between the first and second quarters of the game.

As the stadium began to fill on Saturday morning, Curtis’s long wait was nearly over. He knew that his family would be somewhere in the sea of crimson and cream. But his family had no idea that Curtis was hidden away somewhere within the stadium, getting ready to give them the surprise of a lifetime.

The university had also selected their homecoming game between OU and Iowa State University as a military appreciation game, hosting more than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen on the field to hold an American flag the size of a basketball court as the National Anthem played.

The Setup: A Secret Kept Overseas

A few months earlier, while stationed in Sharana, Afghanistan, Curtis was approached by his command and asked if he would like to return home early to surprise his family at an OU game. He was reluctant at first, suggesting that several of his soldiers were more deserving.

“It’s a tremendous honor — but I felt kind of guilty about it,” stated Curtis. “Deep down though, I wanted to do this.”

Curtis continued to push for one of his soldiers to go instead of him, but his commander felt that he deserved the opportunity since he had always put his soldiers’ needs before his own. With just a few weeks before he would return home, Curtis and his unit worked with the staff of Patriot Ford, who sponsored his return, to complete the coordination — all while keeping it a secret from his family and the soldiers of his unit.

“I felt bad that I couldn’t tell them,” said Curtis. “We were living in a transient tent at Bagram Airbase where we had been temporarily stationed, so I had to sneak a little stuff out here and there.”

Game Day at Gaylord Family Stadium

With the roar of the crowd booming, Curtis watched the kick-off on a television from an office deep inside the stadium. As he put on his multi-cam uniform and prepared to reunite with his family, Curtis said: “I don’t have anything to compare this to. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel so fortunate.”

Back at the stadium, Curtis laced up his combat boots and played out scenarios of how his wife, Lori, would react when she saw him coming out of the stadium tunnel. He said he told Ben Hayes with Patriot Ford that he was nervous she was going to faint.

“I hope my granddaughter remembers me because before I left she was pretty clingy,” added Curtis. “We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.”

Kelly Collyar, account executive with Sooner Sports Properties, explained how the arrangement was made: “Traditionally, when we honor Servicemembers during a game, the Servicemember and family are brought down onto the field. Curtis’ wife was called and told that he had been nominated, and that he was the person they wanted to select regardless of whether he was here. She was asked if she would accept the award on his behalf.”

Collyar researched who would have welcomed Curtis home if he had returned with his unit, and then made sure every one of those people was at the game. “We wanted to make sure that if they were going to be there then, they were here now,” stated Collyar.

The Reunion on the Field

With the first quarter of the game winding to a close, Curtis was escorted to a tunnel leading onto the field where he climbed onto the Sooner Schooner, a scaled-down covered wagon pulled by two ponies named Boomer and Sooner. Meanwhile, on the field, his wife, two daughters, son, granddaughter, brother, and other family members were on the 50-yard line where they believed they were accepting an honor for Curtis in his absence.

As Curtis’s family faced a large screen at the south end zone, the Sooner Schooner pulled out of a tunnel at the north end of the stadium with Curtis holding on tight with one hand and raising his finger into the air with the other in true OU fashion. His brother, Clayton, was the first to realize what was going on and immediately turned around and began running toward the Schooner — with the rest of the family at his heels.

The 84,000 fans in attendance let out a big cheer for the reunion as Curtis jumped off the wagon and ran toward his family.

“I saw my brother first; he came running at full sprint. I don’t think he’s moved that fast in years,” Curtis recalled. “Words can’t describe the joy. When I jumped out of the Schooner, I hardly remember anything other than trying not to fall. It was all kind of a blur.”

“My girls had a feeling that something like this was possible,” said Lori Curtis. “I told them to stop getting my hopes up.”

After the Game

Curtis and his family were escorted off the field and into the Chesapeake Energy Stadium Club area to watch the rest of the football game together. Later in the game, 10 more members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard were welcomed onto the field for a reenlistment ceremony conducted by Maj. Gen. Myles Deering, the adjutant general for Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the game strong, winning 48-10. Head Coach Bob Stoops passed out game balls to key players and then called the room to silence so he could personally thank Curtis for his service — and presented him with a game ball of his own.

At the end of the day, Curtis expressed deep gratitude for the support he receives from his community and fellow Oklahomans.

“When I came home from my last deployment, Eufaula hosted a parade to welcome us home. There is a lot of community support for a small-town armory — the whole town really rolled out the red carpet,” added Curtis. “For as long as we’ve been deploying Oklahoma Guardsmen, Oklahoma is still very supportive. There are still those people out there who are patriotic and really support what we’re doing and support the troops.”

Within a week, Curtis would rejoin his unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, to complete the demobilization process. Once complete, Curtis’s unit would return to Oklahoma and be released from federal service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was First Sgt. Brian Curtis?

First Sgt. Brian Curtis was a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 1220th Engineer Company, deployed to Sharana, Afghanistan at the time of the homecoming event. He was selected for the early homecoming surprise because of his consistent dedication to putting his soldiers' needs before his own.

Curtis was initially reluctant, suggesting that several of his soldiers deserved the opportunity more than he did. His commander ultimately overruled him, citing exactly that selflessness as the reason he had been chosen.

How was the surprise homecoming organized?

The event was coordinated between Curtis's military command, the staff of Patriot Ford (the corporate sponsor), and Kelly Collyar of Sooner Sports Properties — who managed the University of Oklahoma side of the arrangement. Collyar researched which family members would have been at the official homecoming had Curtis returned with his unit and ensured every one of them was at the game.

Curtis had to keep the secret even from his own soldiers, sneaking belongings out of the transient tent at Bagram Airbase where he had been temporarily stationed, a little at a time so no one would notice he was packing for departure.

What happened on the field during the surprise?

As Curtis's wife and family stood on the 50-yard line believing they were accepting an honor on behalf of Curtis in his absence, the Sooner Schooner — the University of Oklahoma's iconic covered wagon — emerged from the north tunnel with Curtis aboard, raising his finger in the classic OU 'number one' gesture.

His brother Clayton was the first to recognize what was happening and sprinted toward the wagon. The rest of the family followed as 84,000 fans cheered the reunion. 'When I jumped out of the Schooner, I hardly remember anything other than trying not to fall,' Curtis said. 'It was all kind of a blur.'

How did the OU football team react to Curtis's presence?

Head Coach Bob Stoops personally recognized Curtis after the game. Following the Sooners' 48-10 victory over Iowa State, Stoops paused the locker room celebration to thank Curtis for his service and presented him with a game ball — an honor typically reserved for the players who had the biggest impact on the game.

The gesture underscored the University of Oklahoma's ongoing commitment to honoring military service members and the broader military appreciation theme the university had built into that particular homecoming game, which hosted over 200 Oklahoma National Guard members on the field during the National Anthem.

What was the broader military appreciation event at the OU game?

The University of Oklahoma designated the homecoming game between OU and Iowa State as a military appreciation game. More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen were on the field holding an American flag the size of a basketball court as the National Anthem played before the game.

Later in the game, 10 more members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard participated in a reenlistment ceremony on the field, conducted by Maj. Gen. Myles Deering, the adjutant general for Oklahoma — adding further significance to what became a memorable day for both the military community and OU fans.

When did Curtis return to his unit after the homecoming?

Within a week of the surprise homecoming event, Curtis rejoined his unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, to complete the demobilization process. Once demobilization was complete, the 1220th Engineer Company would return to Oklahoma and be released from federal service.

Curtis expressed deep gratitude for the support he received from the Oklahoma community, noting that his hometown of Eufaula had hosted a parade to welcome his unit home following a previous deployment — a tradition of civic support he found both humbling and motivating.