If you’re new to Tulsa, and a fan of watching sports, you might be wondering where you can go to see all your favorite sports. Wonder no more! This is your guide to the different teams around the city of Tulsa.
Tulsa Drillers
Founded in 1977, the Drillers began as the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, but in 2003, they switched to the Colorado Rockies. Just this past offseason they switched again, becoming the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While minor league baseball might not be as exciting as it is in the majors, you still get the opportunity to see some great players as they make their way on up.
Some players that played for Tulsa throughout the years include; Matt Holliday (Cardinals), Ubaldo Jimenez (Orioles), Ivan Rodriguez (retired) and Sammy Sosa (retired).
This season the Drillers have a record of 24–25 and sit one game back of the Springfield Cardinals for the top spot in the Texas League North.
The Drillers play at the ONEOK Field in downtown Tulsa, which is a short drive from campus, and the tickets start at roughly $7 per game. Parking is pretty easy: there are paid lots and street parking.
The Drillers play until the first week of September, but pick back up again in early April.
Tulsa Roughnecks FC
The Roughnecks are Tulsa’s newest sports team, having begun playing just this year in the United Soccer League, and they are not currently affiliated with any Major League Soccer team as many of their competitors are.
The team’s name is a homage to the early Roughnecks that played in the North American Soccer League during the late 70s and early 80s.
With their record currently sitting at 10–9–6. the Roughnecks are currently in position to take the final playoff spot in the USL Western Conference with three games left before the end of the regular season.
The Roughnecks are owned by the Tulsa Drillers, so they share ONEOK field, converting the baseball diamond into a soccer pitch during their home games. Their season ranges from the end of March to mid-September depending on playoffs.
Tulsa Oilers
Tulsa’s hockey team, the Oilers, plays in the Western Conference of the ECHL. Founded in 1992 as part of the Central Hockey League, the Oilers were one of two teams to play in every season before the CHL was dissolved in 2014.
They were approved as an expansion team by the ECHL soon after, and played their first season as members of the ECHL in 2014–15. Last month they announced their affiliation with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose, and the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets.
In their first season in the ECHL, the Drillers finished 4th in the central division earning a spot in the divisional round of the playoffs. They lost four games to one against the first seeded Allen Americans.
The Oilers play in the BOK Center downtown with plenty of parking available throughout the downtown area. Their season will start in mid-October and run through April or May depending on the playoffs.
Tulsa Shock
Tulsa’s WNBA team, the Shock, was founded in 1998 in Detroit, but moved to Tulsa before the 2010 season. While they had great success in Detroit—winning three championships and four conference titles, they have not been able to make the playoffs in their five years at Tulsa.
The Shock has had some of the best players in the WNBA including; Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith (women’s basketball all-time professional scorer), Cheryll Flood and Liz Cambage.
This season started off well as the Shock jumped to a 10–7 start, but they became plagued with injuries as the season wore on, losing seven of their last eight.
They currently sit in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 11–14.
Unfortunately, it was suddenly announced that with full approval of the WNBA owners, the Shock will be moving to Dallas-Fort Worth following the 2015 season.
Golden Hurricane
Finally of course, there’s our Golden Hurricane. TU, while a small school, is still able to support being a part of a Division I conference in every sport played, recently moving from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.
One of the greatest perks about being a student here is free admission to every Tulsa game: football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, softball, track and field, rowing, golf and tennis.
Last year, our first year in the AAC, Tulsa won four conference titles in men’s soccer, women’s and men’s cross country and women’s tennis. This year, we’re looking to add even more to that number.
For any student sports fans, you can’t beat Tulsa accessibility and price. Every home game is on campus and free to attend.
Men’s soccer kicks off the return of Tulsa sports on Monday, August 17 at 7:30 against SIUE.
In addition to these teams, there are lots of different niche sporting events around the Tulsa area, including dirt car racing and indie professional wrestling (which is an absolute blast to attend). Be on the lookout to find them all.
