NORMAN, Okla. — Whether he’s on the affable borders of Owen Field, a aloof asylum like the Cotton Bowl or on the alley at Bill Snyder Ancestors Stadium, Oklahoma drillmaster Lincoln Riley ability be the safest man in America on any accustomed abatement Saturday.
That’s because aback it’s gameday, Riley’s babysitter is Brian Orr.
Orr, 45, is the Oklahoma Highway Patrolman assigned to assure the Sooners football coach. He’s 6-2, 240 pounds of beef on muscle, a able-bodied and adventurous bouncer with an hawkeye eye and razor wit, a above baby academy linebacker who patrols rural byways and Sooner sidelines with according square-jawed seriousness.
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When Riley all-overs easily with Matt Campbell or Tom Herman or Bill Snyder — or if Riley should anytime appear above an assertive fan — Orr cuts an arty amount over the coach’s shoulder.
“He’s funny,” Riley says of Orr, “but you can see aback he affectionate of clicks into that mode, too: Aback it’s business time, he’s all business.”
Orr isn't abandoned in his duties; he's absolutely aloof the best arresting affiliate of the aegis detail assigned to Riley. Although beneath arresting than Orr, the man in allegation of analogous Riley’s assurance — and for the antecedent 11 years, the assurance of Bob Stoops — is University of Oklahoma Badge Administration Master Sgt. Steve Chandler. Orr jokes that Chandler is the accuracy of the outfit, while he’s the brawn.
In 2005, Orr was asked by his then-captain if he capital to accompany the Sooner aegis squad. His appointment that year was to aegis the opposing aggregation to and from the airport, and to accompany them on gameday.
But in 2006, Stoops’ own detail had an opening, and he chose Orr to be at his side.
Orr aboriginal beneath the action because, growing up in Okemah, Okla., (population 3,239), he was an Oklahoma Accompaniment fan. He capital no conflicts of interest. But Stoops met with Orr alert and eventually talked him into it. Orr attentive Stoops during every academy football Saturday for 11 years.
And now, he protects Riley.
“There’s a lot of troopers that are OU fans. A lot of Troopers would like to accept that job. I was adored to get this job,” Orr said. “… Appealing accurate deal. Appealing adored to be able to do this assignment.”
It’s 6:30 a.m. on the Friday afore Oklahoma’s home bold adjoin Iowa State, and the sun hasn’t appear up yet on Orr’s eight-acre ranch, aloof south of Interstate 40 abreast Shawnee. One of his four beasts sounds absolutely anxious about her breakfast as Orr allotment from demography his girls to school.
Today, Orr is giving a media ride-along, and afterwards a quick conference on what to do in an emergency — this button releases the AR-15 (semi-automatic rifle) in the aback seat, here’s how to alcove a round, here’s the safety, don’t hit your arch on the in-car camera — Orr is accessible to activate his patrol.
“Let’s go hunt bad guys,” he says.
Orr is kidding, but alone a little. His primary job with the OHP is blockage out bartering motor cartage (CMV), a abstruse appellation for 18-wheelers. Bad guys don’t blare about in big rigs.
Unless they do.
“Being a Trooper is very, actual agitative assignment aloof because you don’t apperceive what’s activity to appear every day,” Orr said. “You apprehend that analogue a lot — ‘routine stop’ — there’s no such affair as a accepted stop out here. You never apperceive what you’re activity to airing up on on a vehicle, on a semi, on a crash. So you’ve consistently got to be prepared. So that’s one of the abounding things I like about this job, the ambiguity of it.”
Orr has a amount in bent amends from the University of Central Oklahoma, area he played linebacker afterwards an All-State aerial academy career at Okemah Aerial School. He bankrupt into law administration with the Okemah Badge Department, spending bristles years in Moore, a growing suburb amid Oklahoma City and Norman.
Then he activated for the OHP Academy, a grueling, 20-week cossack affected weeding out all but the best of the best. How boxy is it? Initial training with the U.S. Marines lasts 13 weeks. Added branches ambit from 6-10 weeks.
Orr accelerating top buck with aerial marks in arresting driving, accurate fitness, academics, arresting approach and marksmanship. That was in 2002, the 54th OHP Academy. One of his “littermates” in the “Hard Core 54” was John Vincent, who now protects Oklahoma Accompaniment drillmaster Mike Gundy.
Orr formed in the Accessible Information Office and patrolled the interstates, was answer to abettor in 2013 and afresh took his captain’s test. But his absolute calling, Orr said, is active Oklahoma’s abate roads. And every day, addition recognizes him.
Those postgame shots of the coaches’ handshake at midfield? For 12 years now, Orr has been in the background. So he’ll generally absorb a few account talking Sooner football with a trucker he has pulled over.
“That’s acceptable publicity for the Patrol,” Orr said. “If it makes the Convoying attending good, that’s what we want.”
It’s 8 a.m. and the Sooners, who bang off adjoin the Cyclones in three hours, are bistro breakfast at the aggregation hotel. Outside, Orr and his caravan-mates in the badge escort — Chandler and OHP Lt. Mike Roe — are eyeing over the Bentley Coupe of football operations administrator Matt McMillen. Players activate to crawl out assimilate the two buses, and the badge escort bound saddles up in three abstracted vehicles.
On Oklahoma Accompaniment Highway 9, aloof south of Norman, cartage has amorphous to congeal. Four stoplights abstracted the aggregation auberge and Jenkins Avenue, but the Sooners stop at none. With both lanes jammed, the escort navigates the 4 1/2-mile avenue with surgical precision. Lights are on, sirens are wailing, and aback the cartage can’t move, Orr and the others abscond through about-face lanes or over the shoulder.
Some drivers move, some don’t. But the band never stops. As a celerity alarm comes in about a man beneath a car and not moving, the aegis aggregation becomes laser focused, leapfrogging one addition to block off the abutting intersection, acceptance the buses to cycle on unencumbered.
It’s a appropriate about-face assimilate Jenkins, and the amphitheater looms aloof two afar ahead. Once on campus, the band slows to a safe acceleration as Sooner Nation takes a breach from affair to band the street, beachcomber and breeze photos. The band swerves about accurate barriers and peels off at the bend of Jenkins and Lindsey as the buses about-face larboard in advanced of Memorial Stadium.
Orr talks with acclaimed Oklahoma fan and WWE fable Jim Ross afore a game (John E. Hoover)
Orr escorts a bedfellow into the stadium, accomplished security, through the team’s deluxe new facility, out of the amateur adit and assimilate the field. There, as he waits for his cue to affair with Riley, Orr meets an old friend, WWE Hall of Fame anchorperson Jim Ross, Acceptable Ol’ J.R., the acclaimed cowboy hat-wearing Sooner fan who roams the amusement on gamedays.
“If I’d met Lt. Orr 20 years ago, I’d be recruiting him heavily for WWE,” said Ross, who apparent John Cena, The Rock and endless added pro angry superstars. “Brian’s acceptable the best acclaimed built-in of Okemah aback Woody Guthrie, but he has bigger arms.
“Seriously, Lt. Orr is a abundant adumbrative of our state, and drillmaster Riley should feel actual safe and secure.”
Orr and Ross shoot the breeze for a spell until Orr looks up at the admission clock. It’s time. He ducks into the adit and up the ramp, headed for the coaches locker allowance to acquisition Riley.
“He’s commonly appropriate there,” Riley says. “Sometimes I leave afterwards him and he gets mad at me. But he doesn’t let me go far.”
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A tractor bivouac has absolute through an I-40 architecture area abreast Shawnee, at 17 mph over the acceleration limit. Orr aeon through his hand-held Lidar device, pinpointing the agent and its absolute speed. He turns on his emergency lights, merges cautiously into traffic, bound pulls abaft the barter and waits.
And waits.
Orr switches lights, activates the sirens, assault a horn, weaves in and out of the mirrors’ views, but for three miles, the disciplinarian doesn’t react. Surely this corrupt is perpetrating some bent act, apparently armed with automated weapons and acquisitive to shoot.
“Nah,” Orr says. “He aloof ain’t advantageous attention.”
But Orr plays it cool. Afterwards the disciplinarian eventually pulls assimilate the shoulder, Orr accomplish to the commuter ancillary and approaches with caution, his appropriate duke on his Glock 17 Gen4 sidearm as he knocks on the door.
Orr accomplish up to the cab and reminds the disciplinarian to analysis his mirrors added often, afresh performs a Level 2 analysis — disciplinarian almanac and vehicle/trailer exterior. The disciplinarian is from Amarillo, Texas, on his way to Peabody, Mass., accustomed a amount of cow hides. Orr checks the driver’s abstracts and examines the company’s history (its assurance appraisement of 85 is in the red, so “we apparently charge to attending at this company,” he says).
Orr doesn’t address up a cartage commendation for speeding, but does access several federal violations into his computer and prints them out to accord to the driver. Those will aching both the company’s assurance appraisement and the driver’s CDL-A license.
It all looks routine, but Orr disagrees.
“There’s no such thing,” he says, “as a accepted cartage stop.”
Orr spends the blow of the morning patrolling Pottawatomie, Lincoln, Oklahoma and Cleveland counties for OHP Troop S. He’s beholden for whatever accepted he can get: A backhoe on a drop-deck bivouac has four securement credibility instead of six; a amount of I-beams with no admonishing banderole absorbed protrudes from the bivouac above the 4-foot allowance; a bivouac carries six ample canal pipes anchored with annihilation but bailing wire.
Orr doesn’t address a cartage commendation all day, but does spell out actual acutely what he wants anniversary disciplinarian to do. They all assume to get the message.
“Everybody that gets chock-full out actuality doesn’t consistently get a ticket,” Orr says. “Our job is accessible safety. If I can get my point above afterwards a allotment of paper, afresh I’ve done my job.”
Riley trots assimilate the acreage for pregame warmups, and Orr is one footfall behind.
No one anticipates any trouble. But aloof like those “routine” cartage stops, you never know.
There was the time in Lubbock in 2007, aback the third-ranked Sooners absent to Texas Tech in a agitated 34-27 finish. The Texas Rangers — the law administration agency, not the baseball aggregation — extend the address of accouterment two Rangers to advice assure the visiting team. Aback admirers abounding the field, one decidedly bashed Red Raider adherent anticipation he’d booty a potshot at Stoops.
He clubbed a guy in a white cowboy hat instead.
“As we’re walking off, I affectionate of feel article abaft Bob, and this little ol’ Texas Ranger, he’s got this guy chicken-winged up the ramp,” Orr said. “During his interview, he said his absorbed was to get to Bob. I assumption he was so drunk, he hit the Ranger. Bad move. But, if he would accept hit Bob, it would accept been over.”
Then in 2011, afterwards a 44-10 accident to Oklahoma Accompaniment in Stillwater, Cowboy admirers chock-full the field. It got so alarming one fan was actively afflicted aback a goalpost was broken down. Afterwards the handshake collection amid Stoops and Gundy, Orr rushed Stoops through the melee. Out of the bend of his eye, he saw addition in the stands barrage a canteen at Stoops. It was a acceptable throw.
“I was able to affectionate of beating it out of the air afore it got to him,” Orr said. “That was your archetypal going-to-an-away-game blazon of deal.”
When warmups conclude, Orr sidles up to Riley afresh and caliginosity him into the locker room. Later, 11 account afore kickoff, they appear again, together, through a alleyway of fans, beneath arrant music and smoke and fireworks.
Orr takes up his column on the Sooner sideline, continuing acuity for about four hours. Annihilation adverse happens before, during or afterwards the Iowa Accompaniment bold — added than the Sooners’ 38-31 accident to a 31-point underdog. Aback it’s over, Riley and Orr jog to midfield, find Campbell for a quick handshake, afresh arch aback to the adit as the drillmaster contemplates his aboriginal career loss.
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Orr says he apparently averages 500-600 afar a anniversary in his 2017 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab pickup. It’s loaded with assurance accessories and the latest cyberbanking law administration gadgets. Best of those afar absolutely are on the accepted side. But Orr additionally said he apparently draws his sidearm an boilerplate of three times a month. Thankfully, he has never accursed it.
There was the one time he and a adolescent Moore PD amateur answered a calm agitation alarm and the citizen pushed a shotgun out the window and accursed at them.
“We were out in the street. We got abaft the curb,” Orr said. “I don’t apperceive if you apperceive this or not, the animal anatomy can get beneath a curb. I apperceive this.”
The alone added time he has been “scared,” Orr said, was aback he got a alarm about a CMV on blaze on Interstate 35 aloof south of Norman. He put a little too abundant on the accelerator advancing off an access ramp, absent control, spun around, bounced through the centermost average and begin himself staring bottomward an advancing tractor bivouac rig.
“He locks that affair up, ‘eeerrrch!’ gets about me, hits the shoulder,” Orr said. “My car was dead. It hit the average and shut bottomward and I’m sitting alongside in the arctic lane. Man, luckily that dude could drive a truck.”
The abutting day, he collection his damaged cruiser to Dallas to adumbration Stoops for the anniversary Oklahoma-Texas showdown.
“It is actual challenging,” said Krista Orr, the lieutenant’s wife. “Every day — abnormally in the apple we alive in appropriate now — every day he puts on that compatible and walks out that door, I just, me and the daughters, we say the aforementioned thing: ‘Just appear aback to us.’ Every day.”
Krista Orr knows all too able-bodied the dangers her bedmate may face on any accustomed day. She rode forth with him a few times aboriginal in their marriage, but it wasn’t for her. Sometimes he tells her some appealing agonizing stories.
“He puts his activity on the band every day,” she said, “and it is a struggle.”
Both Krista and Brian were affiliated previously. He came with two daughters, and she came with one. They are the acumen why, aback he accomplish out of his convoying barter every day, he accomplish into his aggregate workshop/home gym. A self-described gym rat, Orr spends 30 account a day on cardio and addition 30 account on the weights, isolating a altered anatomy allotment anniversary day.
It’s an ideal accent reliever, yes, but it’s additionally a all-important arch amid his home activity and his assignment life.
“I appetite to appear home to my ancestors anniversary and every night,” Orr said. “I appetite to appear home to my accouchement and my wife, and befitting in appearance is how I do that.
“So if I’m in the bar canal angry with some guy that’s strung out on meth, I apperceive I’m activity to win that battle.”
Above all, that accelerated Academy training and those 15 years’ acquaintance on the Convoying accept artificial a high-level peacemaker.
“People anticipate we’re robots. We’re not robots. I’m aloof like you are,” Orr said. “You allocution about our training, yeah, we accept to accept training for bodies that are mentally ill and bodies that are on blockhead and bodies that are aloof combative. We accept to apprentice how to defuse those situations. And it’s not all the time that you can. And bad things do happen.”
Orr says he’s abiding abyss and truckers apperceive area he lives, but he’s not worried. He has a wrought adamant fence about his acreage and, as a “gun nut, I’ve got a gun beneath every pillow and in every corner. My 11-year-old and my 14-year-old, they can grab that AR-15 right now and dispense it and go to work. My wife doesn’t leave the abode afterwards her pistol in her purse.”
Nobody admires Orr and the job he does added than his wife.
“Whether it’s OU football or addition anarchism or addition at the Governor’s abode throwing a fit, he’s the aboriginal one to say, ‘I’ll put the compatible on and I’ll be there to assure you and it will all be OK,’” she said.
“But there’s times I attending at it and I can’t delay till his aftermost day, so that I apperceive he’s home and I apperceive he’s actuality with us from actuality on out. He would apparently be agitated with me adage that, because he doesn’t attending at it in that sense. You know? To him, this is the job he took on.”
Orr escorts Oklahoma drillmaster Lincoln Riley off the acreage afore Oklahoma's bold adjoin Iowa Accompaniment (John E. Hoover)
The Sooners accept been all over the abode lately, actually and figuratively, from that crushing home accident to Iowa Accompaniment to a final-play, neutral-site achievement over Texas to a blood-tingling win on the alley at Kansas State.
Saturday’s bold in Manhattan was Orr’s 153rd in a row on the Oklahoma watchtower. In a accord formed out amid the Oklahoma Highway Convoying and the University of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Accompaniment has the aforementioned deal), the Troopers’ overtime bacon is paid not by the Oklahoma Administration of Accessible Safety, but by the school’s able-bodied administration — no aborigine dollars.
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And as high-profile accompaniment employees, Riley and Gundy are afforded honorary dignitary status, about a footfall beneath the governor and abettor governor.
After accepting the Sooners to Dallas in a record-hour and 48 account on Oct. 13, Orr endured 95 amount temperatures and 50 percent clamminess the abutting day in his Class A dress compatible — but did get a abrupt cool-down afterwards the game.
“Lincoln got his aboriginal dosage of Gatorade dumped on him,” Orr said. “I bent about bisected of it. That was air-conditioned though. Big smile on his face aback that happened.”
And for the bold in Manhattan, delayed 30 account by lightning, Orr’s OHP rain accessory was at his ancillary — ablaze chicken for cartage stops, antipodal to atramentous for football games.
“I don’t appetite to angle out like a big ol’ banana,” he said.
Of course, there were no on-field incidents. There about never are aback Orr is continuing guard, admitting there was the one time in 2013 aback a bashed Sooner fan ran assimilate Owen Acreage and Orr raced out there and laid him out with the affectionate of teeth-rattling anatomy accouterment today’s OU aegis could use added of.
“He’s a abundant guy — as continued as you bolt him in the appropriate mood,” Riley said. “When he goes into aegis mode, that’s aback he’s different.”
