The Switzer Center rebuild began in 2015, and it was completed just before the 2017 season. On a day where Barry Switzer, Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley helped cut the ribbon to dedicate the Switzer Center and show it off to the public, Hart's letter delivery illustrated the personal connection that so many feel to the program and to its players.īefore Hart raced through the locker room, weight room and offices along with more than 1,500 other fans, a couple hundred gathered on the south lawn of the Switzer Center for its formal dedication ceremony. “I just hope that he gets better soon,” she said, adding that she went to every game but one last season. She put the envelope down on the crimson cushion seat and grinned her snaggletooth smile. Your favorite fan, Riley.”Īs the adults marveled at the trophies and the high-tech upgrades, Hart made her way through the room, finally stopping she found Basquine's locker. “And I hope I can see you on the field someday. “Dear Nick, I hope you get better soon,” she wrote. So before her family made the short drive to Norman from Newcastle for the dedication of the Switzer Center and the facility's open house on Saturday, Riley sat down and wrote Basquine a letter. 'Because he was a walk-on, and he's from Norman,' she said, explaining why she likes Basquine.Īnd when Hart heard he tore his right Achilles this spring after missing the 2017 season with the same injury to his left Achilles, she knew she had to do something. Since the wide receiver gave her his jersey and autographed it at Meet the Sooners last year, the 7-year-old has been Basquine's biggest fan. Her long, blonde ponytail swished across her shoulders as swiveled her head looking up at each nameplate in search of the locker belonging to Nick Basquine. NORMAN - Clutching her crayon-labeled envelope, Riley Hart strode into the Oklahoma football locker room on a mission.

The End Zone by Riley Hart