Oklahoma Senator Files Bill To Rename Norman-Area Bridges & Parkways In Honor Of Toby Keith

Courtesy of Toby Keith

Honoring the late, great Toby Keith.

The state of Oklahoma is doing its part to memorialize the legendary Toby Keith. We are quickly approaching the second anniversary of Toby Keith’s death. The “My List” singer tragically passed away on February 52024, from a 2-year battle with stomach cancer.

Over his career, Toby Keith had 20 number-one hits. He also had a couple of dozen hits that landed in the top ten or top twenty on the Billboard Chart, making his career total of charted singles a whopping 65. Toby Keith was 31 years old when his breakout single “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” went number one on the charts, so if you do some quick math, he was averaging two hits a year before he passed in 2024.

Outside of his music career, the Big Dog Daddy was an Oklahoma native and was a longtime supporter of the Oklahoma Sooners. Although “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” lends itself more to the school about an hour down the road in Stillwater (Oklahoma State University), Keith’s heart lay in Norman and Oklahoma City, which are conveniently near his hometown of Moore, Oklahoma.

Since Keith’s passing, the University of Oklahoma has honored him and his music during football games and other sporting events.

While the country music world will never forget his legacy, the Oklahoma town of Norman is now proposing a way to keep his legacy alive so future generations know Toby Keith’s kind heart and unwavering love for Oklahoma and the Sooners. According to KSWO, state Senator Lisa Standridge has filed Senate Bill 1475, which would name the bridge that passes over I-35 and Indian Hills Road the Toby Keith Memorial Bridge.

The bridge also proposes that any future structures built in the bridge’s place be named the Toby Keith Memorial Interchange.

But the bill does not stop there. The bill also seeks to name the section of Indian Hills Road from I-35 to Interstate 44 the Toby Keith Parkway. Another bridge that was built over the Canadian River is to be called the Should’ve Been a Cowboy Bridge.

Should this bill pass, Lisa Standridge also seeks to have community members contribute to any artwork to memorialize Keith in the newly named spots.

“I would defer completely to the family that has lived in my district for many years, but personally, I can picture a profile rendering of Toby in his hat, with a guitar in his hands, framed by an American flag.”

Standridge shared.

However, should Keith’s family want to commission artwork for the bridges or interchange, they would have the jurisdiction to do so.

Oklahoma Legislature convenes next on February 2, when the bill will be up for consideration. I sure hope this passes, because I’d love to see Toby Keith’s name on overpasses and more as I drive through Norman.

Long live the Big Dog Daddy’s legacy.