The term sooner was used in a derogatory fashion to describe the group of American settlers who unlawfully claimed lands in what eventually became Oklahoma. These people staked their claim to land when it was called the “Unassigned Lands,” prior to 1889 when the territory was opened by President Benjamin Harrison with his Indian Appropriation Act of 1889. These lands were opened up for land claims in the famous land runs of 1889, in which settlers basically participated in a race to claim a piece of land for themselves.

Legal settlers believed that the sooners cheated their way into their land claim by laying claim to the land before the official beginning of the land run. This event was portrayed in the movie Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, in 1992. Legal settlers resented the illegal methods with which sooners had settled the land. Many a sooner was forced to defend his or her claims in court, in cases such as Smith v. Townsend in 1893.

A sooner should not be confused with a boomer, who believed that the Indian lands were public property. Many boomers participated in raids to attempt to compel the settlement of the lands by whites. This practice was deemed illegal, and many boomers were physically removed from the Unassigned Lands. It was due in part to their actions that the land runs of 1889 were made possible.

The term “legal sooner” was used to describe settlers who had been in the territory legally prior to the land run, such as railroad workers and federal marshals. Although they were in the area legally to help build the infrastructure of what would become Oklahoma, their land claims were also denied because they had not participated in the land runs.

Over time, the term sooner lost its derogatory connotations and began to represent the irrepressible, hardy pioneer spirit of Oklahoma. Sooner was adopted by the University of Oklahoma in 1908 as their football team’s name. Oklahoma was unofficially deemed the “Sooner State” in the 20th century. The term sooner now identifies members of University of Oklahoma sports teams, current students and alumni, and devoted fans of the university’s teams. The term sooner has become a badge of honor among Oklahomans.