What is "sooners"

Sooners is the name given to settlers from the Southern United States who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889. President Grover Cleveland officially proclaimed the Unassigned Lands open to settlement on March 2, 1889 under the Indian Appropriations Act. The name derived from the "sooner clause" of the act, which stated that anyone who entered and occupied the land prior to the opening time would be denied the right to claim land.

According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the designation Sooner initially had a very negative connotation. However, the negative connotation began to change by the time of statehood, and is no longer considered negative by most residents.. In 1908, University of Oklahoma football team adopted the nickname "Sooners." The U.S. state of Oklahoma has been popularly nicknamed the "Sooner State" since the 1920s.