National Football Championships and City Growth to the West

National Football Championships and City Growth to the West. The 1970s. Citizen participation characterized much of the municipal government dialogue during the 1970s. It was a time of government questioning nationwide and Norman residents were no exception. More than 9,000 citizens signed a petition to lower Norman's water rates after City Council members raised them. It was the first of many citizen initiatives that were brought to the council's chambers inside the Norman Public Library's Lowry Room. , On the south side of the city, the cavernous Lloyd Noble Center on Jenkins Avenue opened on Labor Day weekend in 1975 replacing the Field House on Brooks Street as the campus' largest indoor arena. Affectionately nicknamed “the house that Alvan built” – referring to basketball superstar and future N.B.A great Alvan Adams – it became the home for the OU basketball team, other sporting events, commencements and concerts. Lawrence Welk played to 11,000 on opening day. Two days later the Allman Brothers band rocked OU's new house. Westinghouse Electric Corp, opened a major air conditioner manufacturing plant on the city's northern edge, quickly becoming the city's third-largest employer behind the University of Oklahoma and Central State Hospital. The Shaklee Corp. opened a manufacturing plant on the city's southern edge, starting a manufacturing and technology corridor that has continued to today. , University of Oklahoma fund raising flourished due in part to the success of the football team coached by Barry Switzer, who won two national football championships in the 1970s (1974 and 1975). Streakers took to the campus common areas, replacing Vietnam War protesters who had filled the lawns years before. An Energy Center was proposed and built after some troubling times in the oil patch. The OU College of Law moved to a new building south of the main campus, along Timberdell Road. , Downtown retail businesses faced challenges as shoppers headed west of Interstate 35, first to a new Sears store and then an enclosed, air-conditioned shopping area called Sooner Fashion Mall. Residential development boomed as commuters who worked in Oklahoma City took advantage of easy access to Interstate 35. , The opulent Sooner Theatre, home to motion pictures since 1929, closed its doors only to reopen years later as a thriving community theater. The Campus Corner district saw empty storefronts and fewer customers, too, as students arrived on campus with automobiles and new dormitories, fraternities and sororities were built south of Lindsey Street. , In 1976, Moore-Norman Vocational Technical School opened its campus on the city's north side. High-school students and adults learned trade skills needed by industry. Based on the success of championship seasons, the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was expanded with a westside upper seating deck and donor lounge. Coach Barry Switzer and his football Sooners played host to more than 70,000 on fall Saturdays. , The Moore-Lindsay Historical Home on North Peters, built before the turn of the 20th century, was reopened as the Norman-Cleveland County Historical Museum. Scientists on OU's North Campus analyzed the first dual Doppler radar data obtained from tornadic thunderstorms. It was one of many scientific discoveries that elevated Norman and OU to the top tier of meteorology schools. , To celebrate the nation's Bicentennial in 1976, Norman neighborhoods decorated fire hydrants to resemble Continental soldiers in patriotic colors. If that wasn't enough color, the city got its first yellow fire truck, a 1,000-gallon-a-minute pumper truck replacing the traditional red engines.