The Schooner was introduced in the fall of 1964 and become the official mascot of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1980. The Ruf/Neks, OU's all-male spirit squad, maintain and drive the Schooner. Mick Cottom, a freshman Ruf/Nek member from Liberty Mounds, Okla., has the distinction of being the first person to pilot the Schooner across Owen Field in 1964.
Schooner Mascots - University of Okla…
http://soonersports.com/news/2013/5/20/2088061
I am an OU grad. The Ruf/Neks are a spirit squad. Not the mascot.