Oklahoma Superfan Wade Huckabay: The OU Superfan Who Spent 82 Hours Boating from OK to AL
If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to be a superfan, buckle up — because Wade Huckabay doesn’t just circle games on a calendar. He charts them on a map.
By day, Wade is a banker. Responsible. Practical. Buttoned-up. But when kickoff calls? He’s a full-throttle river adventurer who hears a game announcement and thinks, “Time to untie the dock lines.”
On a recent episode of Super Fan Diaries, Wade shared a story that feels larger than life — because it is. Eighty-two hours. Eight hundred and twenty miles. Nineteen locks. All to get from Oklahoma to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a football game. Not by plane. Not by car. By boat. And not just any boat — a 58-foot inland water beauty with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and enough space to sleep seven. This wasn’t transportation. It was a floating headquarters for fandom.
But what makes Wade’s story so special is that it didn’t start with this trip. It started years ago on Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma, when he was in college, crashing on a friend’s 29-foot cabin cruiser. Someone mentioned a wild anecdote of putting a boat in the water in Oklahoma and driving it all the way to Alabama. For most people, that’s a late-night “what if.” For Wade, it was a seed planted deep.
Fast forward to adulthood. Wade hears the Oklahoma Sooners are set to play Tennessee in 2024. Suddenly that old memory roars back to life. He thinks about the legendary game-day flotillas at the University of Tennessee, where the iconic VOL Navy fills the river beside Neyland Stadium with hundreds of boats and thousands of fans. It’s one of college football’s most electric traditions — a river full of orange, engines humming, flags flying.
So he didn’t just talk about it. He did it.
Eighty-two hours navigating winding waterways. Eight hundred and twenty miles of determination. Nineteen locks lifting and lowering him closer to kickoff. Every mile powered by pure love of the game and the joy of the journey.
When he finally docked in Tuscaloosa, his boat sat just over a mile from the stadium — and unlike Knoxville’s sea of vessels, Wade and his crew were the only boat tailgaters in town. A one-boat navy. A spectacle. A statement.
People couldn’t resist. About 50 curious fans stopped by to check it out — including an Alabama congressman. That’s the kind of energy Wade brings. He didn’t just show up; he created an experience people wanted to be part of.
And when Wade talks about it, you can hear the pride, the gratitude, the pure happiness in his voice.
“It was fantastic, it was a great trip,” he said. “By Monday, anybody that knew about this trip will forget about it, but for me, I’ll never forget about it. You’re looking at a happy man.”
That’s the heart of it. This wasn’t about attention. It wasn’t about headlines. It was about chasing an idea that wouldn’t let go. It was about turning a college memory into a grown-up adventure. It was about building a story he’ll tell for the rest of his life.
And yes — there were negotiations at home. Wade laughs that his wife was the biggest opponent of the journey. But true partnership prevailed. She got to redecorate the boat. She got naming rights. “Against Her Will” didn’t make the cut. Instead, they landed on the perfect name: Jaws.
Of course they did.
Because this whole story is bold. It’s joyful. It’s slightly outrageous in the best possible way. A 58-foot boat named Jaws cruising 820 miles because a fan believed the journey should be just as epic as the game.
Wade Huckabay didn’t just attend a football matchup. He lived one. He proved that being a superfan isn’t about convenience — it’s about commitment, creativity, and the courage to say yes to adventure.
Some fans buy tickets.
Wade fired up the engines.
🎧 Hear Wade's full story on the SuperFan Diaries Podcast — where passion meets the game.
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