<P> Those who actually observed the official start of the land run and began the race for free land often found choice sections of land already occupied by Sooners or, in some cases, by Boomers . Problems with Sooners continued with each successive land run; in an 1895 land run as much as half of the available land was taken by Sooners . Litigation between legitimate land - run participants and Sooners continued well into the 20th century, and eventually the United States Department of the Interior was given ultimate authority to settle the disputes . </P> <P> In 1908, the University of Oklahoma adopted "Sooners" as the nickname of its football team, after having first tried "Rough Riders" and "Boomers". Eventually, Oklahoma became known as "The Sooner State ." The school fight song is titled "Boomer Sooner ." The school "mascot" is a replica of a 19th - century covered wagon, called the "Sooner Schooner ." </P>

Where did the oklahoma sooners get their name