NORMAN – University of Oklahoma president David Boren was taken off in a stretcher by paramedics Saturday morning after delivering a speech honoring retired Sooner football coach Bob Stoops.
Boren seemed to slur his words near the end of his nine-minute speech before the dedication of the Stoops statue just south of Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Boren needed help getting to his seat off the podium. Eventually, paramedics were summoned just before the statue unveiling.
But OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, who was at the microphone when Boren was taken away, said Boren gave a thumbs-up sign after he was placed on the stretcher.