He would’ve been proud.
Toby Keith is a country legend, but he was born in Clinton, Oklahoma in 1961, and he eventually found himself in Nashville, Tennessee, where he busked on Music Row until producer Harold Shedd signed him with Mercury Records after hearing a copy of Keith’s.
In 1993, Keith’s debut single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” shot to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and it reached number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit too. Not bad for a debut single.
And earlier this week, his beloved Oklahoma Sooners won the 2026 Men’s College World Series by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 13-2 in a winner-take-all Game 3, making it the Sooners’ third national title in program history, and their first since 1994.
After the game, Toby’s wife Tricia was interviewed, and of course, she was asked what her husband would’ve thought about all of it, and she explained that he would’ve been thrilled, joining in with all of the celebrations:
“My husband would be down here, he would be in the locker room. He’d be shaking the champagne with everybody else. He wouldn’t miss a beat with that.”
She added that he was a “big part” of the program, and as a young teenager, he would sell cokes in the stadium until halftime, so that he could watch the second half of the games without having to work.
It was a dream come true for his team to win any big championship like they did this week, and she knows he would’ve loved to see it:
“Everywhere. You know what, it’s one of those things where you just… my husband was such a big part of this program, he sold cokes in the stadium at OU when he was 13 years-old. Sold them until halftime, where h could go and watch the second half without having to work. This is what he dreamed of is this kind of championship.
Every time they got to get here in his days early on when he was working, he wasn’t in a place where he could come. They didn’t quite get to a place where he felt like he could get there, shut down and come, and so he just dreamed of this. He knew it was gonna come eventually. He would love this, yes he would.”
I’m sure he was smiling down on all of them, and it’s great to see his wife and family there, continuing to show their support for the team and school he loved so much:
@hurrdatsports “He would love this.” 🥹 Tricia Keith celebrated Oklahoma baseball’s national championship with the memory of her late husband close to her heart. Country music icon Toby Keith passed away in 2024 and was a fixture in the OU program. #oklahoma #omaha #cws #sooners ♬ original sound – Hurrdat Sports
