Dylan Pacheco put his years of gaming experience to good use.
Call of Duty. NBA 2K. Sea of Thieves. These are just a few video games Pacheco, 14, plays on a regular basis. But no game experience compared to the one he had on Wednesday.
Pacheco got to tour the Oklahoma football team’s training facility in Norman from a room in the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, where he is a patient. It was made possible by one of the hospital’s Omnibot, a 5-foot, 20-pound robot with an iPad and a microphone attached.
The robot was sent to OU’s campus for the tour, and Pacheco remotely drove it via a laptop and an Xbox 360 controller.
“It was amazing,” Pacheco said. “It was so cool.”
Pacheco and his mother, Tiffany Chancellor, began the tour at OU’s Barry Switzer Center and were guided by Josh Norman.
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The former OU tight end returned to his alma mater in February to become a director of the Sooners’ S.O.U.L. Mission, which stands for “serving our uncommon legacy.” The group consists of four former OU players. Its goal is to ensure holistic development of players while also serving the community.
“Hey Dylan,” Norman said while waving to the camera. “Do you want to give it (the robot) a test run and see how it feels?”
“Yeah,” Pacheco replied.
Pacheco eased the controller’s joystick forward. Sure enough, the robot began to crawl forward.
“That is so cool,” Norman said with a grin on his face.
And with that, the tour began.
Norman first showed Pacheco and Chancellor OU’s trophy room. They saw trophies for 14 Big 12 championships, seven national championships and seven Heisman winners.
“I was a part of this trophy right here,” Norman said as he pointed to OU’s 2000 national championship trophy.
Norman then guided Pacheco and Chancellor into one of OU’s meeting rooms, where the quarterbacks were gathered. From OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Pacheco got to say hello to the entire group.
Sophomore quarterback General Booty was also in the room. He announced on Aug. 17 that he would be donating a percentage of his name, image and likeness earnings to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
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“My family has been a really good example to me my whole life, and we talked about the importance of giving back,” Booty said in a release. “I have a special place in my heart for kids, so after my visit there, I knew Oklahoma Children’s Hospital would be where my support would go.”
OU’s quarterbacks took a picture with the robot, which had a smiling Pacheco on the screen, and the photo was later sent to Chancellor.
Norman then led the tour to a wall filled with NFL jerseys of former OU players. Pacheco, whose favorite team is the Kansas City Chiefs, got to see the jerseys of Creed Humphrey, Orlando Brown, Blake Bell and James Winchester.
Pacheco then got to see a wall of sneakers. OU, which is partnered with Jordan Brand, mounted one of each Jordan retro model along a hallway in numerical order. Each sneaker is in an exclusive Sooners colorway that has not been released for sale to the public.
“Whoa,” Pacheco said. “That’s so cool.”
Norman then took Pacheco and Chancellor into OU’s locker room. Starting kicker Zach Schmit showed them his locker, which was equipped with a lock box for his phone and keys and multiple drawers that were filled with shoes.
Next up was a stop at the players’ lounge. The area had pool tables, ping pong tables, shuffleboards and a golf simulator. Freshman linebacker Kip Lewis showed off his golfing skills for the crowd by sending a chip shot over a lake and onto the putting green.
After a stop at the SOUL Mission offices, Pacheco and Chancellor got to see OU’s Elite Recovery space, which was created in the summer. The area is loaded with HydroMassage chairs, sleeping pods, a cryotherapy room and a separate room filled with massage chairs that players like to nap on before practice.
Pacheco and Chancellor then got to see OU’s weight room, and it’s there that they ran into Lee Davis. She’s the director of on-campus recruiting for OU and is responsible for coordinating campus visits for recruits.
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“You’re our star recruit today,” Davis told Pacheco.
“I love it,” Chancellor replied.
Norman guided the group toward the equipment room, but he stopped at a wall of plaques on the way there. Each plaque had the name and number of a former All-American OU player.
Pacheco asked if there was plaque with the number 50 on it, which is the number he uses when he plays soccer. There was one, and it belonged to former center Vince Carter (2001-04).
Once the tour reached the equipment room, Norman wanted to show Pacheco one of the team’s helmets. Norman randomly grabbed one off a shelf, and his face immediately lit up when he looked at it.
“Oh, look at what number I pulled, Dylan,” said Norman, who turned the helmet to the camera to show the number 50 on the back of it.
“Wow,” Pacheco said as his eyes widened.
Norman then surprised Pacheco with a bag full of OU shirts and hats, which gave Chancellor an idea.
“Dylan’s a little shy, but he wanted me to ask,” Chancellor said into the microphone. “Can he have some of that stuff signed by some of those players?”
“I’ll try to make it happen,” Norman said as he set aside a white OU hat from the pile. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.”
Norman delivered.
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After stopping to see the Golden Hat from the Red River Rivalry vs. Texas, Norman led the tour to the entrance of OU’s practice field outside Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Sooners were about to begin practice, and Pacheco got to fist bump players through the screen as they walked out.
The players then signed Pacheco’s hat. He got signatures from starters such as Gabriel and running back Eric Gray.
Pacheco also secured a signature from head coach Brent Venables, who stopped to deliver a message before jogging onto the field.
“I want you to be great today,” Venables said through the camera. “You inspire all of us. You keep being great. I’m praying for you. I can’t wait to see you soon. I’m gonna give you a tour of this place myself when you come, alright?”
“That was so cool,” Chancellor said as her eyes began to water.
Venables’ message provided a perfect ending for the tour. After briefly showing Pacheco and Chancellor a few drills in practice, Norman guided them back to the starting point inside the Switzer Center.
The tour lasted just over an hour, but it’s a memory that’ll last in the minds of Pacheco and Chancellor for years to come.
“That was all surreal,” Chancellor said. “I think the entire experience was pretty amazing.”
