Sooner Tailgating: The Catering Girls

Sipping on beers, Bloody Marys and cocktails from a full bar.

It started nine years ago with two women, an ice chest full of drinks and Sooner football.

Today, ask most Sooner tailgaters where "the catering girls" are, and they'll know right away that you're looking for Paula Barrington and Pam Wiley.

"When we first started we'd just sit with our cooler and drink beer. We just made friends with everyone, and here we are today," Barrington said.

The women now host about 40 people a game at their tailgate.

"We met a lot of them at games. They're our tailgating friends," Barrington said.

The women are popular among tailgaters because of their bubbly personalities — and their bubbly bar.

"Oh yeah — they're the ones with the full bar," said a Sooner fan named Clark when asked where "the catering girls" were set up. "I need to get over there and see them."

Tailgaters started calling Barrington and Wiley "the catering girls" because they bring so much food and gear to their tailgate. They now have a banner bearing the nickname hanging from their tailgate tent.

The women are out to prove that "girls can tailgate, too," said Barrington.

Barrington and Wiley, of Oklahoma City, claim their spot on Fridays and set up early Saturday morning. They boast of having the best bratwursts and Bloody Marys around.

"I'll put it up against anybody's," Barrington said as she served up a bratwurst.