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Former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett Appointed ULI Fellow to Steer Urban Development and Downtown Revitalization Efforts

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Former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett Appointed ULI Fellow to Steer Urban Development and Downtown Revitalization Efforts


Former Mayor Mick Cornett

ULI has announced the appointment of Mick Cornett, the former mayor of Oklahoma City, as the ULI Canizaro/Klingbeil Fellow for Urban Development.

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Cornett served as mayor of Oklahoma City from 2005 to 2018, leading a major redevelopment plan for the urban core, securing an NBA franchise for the city, creating an entertainment district that now attracts 2 million visitors a year, and generating 80,000 new jobs. He also served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors and in 2018 was listed among Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders in the World. He is also a well-known public speaker and author of The Next American City.

“ULI’s programs and multidisciplinary members are uniquely equipped to help communities tackle challenges like downtown revitalization, economic development, and connectivity,” said Janice Periquet, president of the ULI Foundation. “It’s thanks to the generosity of our members and their commitment to the built environment that opportunities to engage with leaders like Mick are possible. His rich experience will propel critical conversations that strengthen long-term vitality and improve the health of cities and their people.”

The fellowship was created in 2011 through a generous gift from James D. Klingbeil and Joseph C. Canizaro to advise and collaborate with ULI and its members on issues related to urban development and revitalization. It is part of the ULI Curtis Infrastructure Initiative, which identifies and promotes infrastructure solutions by creating new global and strategic partnerships, providing technical assistance, building capacity at the local level, investigating innovative and effective strategies, and acting as a feedback loop for real estate and land use professionals.

“I’m honored to join ULI in this capacity, eager to support cities of all sizes in enhancing walkability, livability, and affordability,” Cornett said. “While I bring insights from our achievements in Oklahoma City to everything I do, I’ve come to understand that every city is unique—my city is not your city. The real key is building partnerships, fostering leadership that unites everyone toward a common goal, and ensuring local communities have a voice.”

The ULI Fellows program was established in 1996 to enhance ULI’s role in raising awareness of its mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI Fellows explore, research, document, and educate ULI members and stakeholders across a global network on topics ranging from real estate finance to urban development policy, retail and entertainment markets to transportation, and attainable housing to decarbonization and resilience.

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Klingbeil is the founder and CEO emeritus of Klingbeil Capital Management, a multi-faceted national real estate company based in San Francisco. He is one of the original 17 donors, known as Governors, to establish the ULI Foundation in 1970 and has given over $11 million to the ULIF over his lifetime. He previously served as Chair of ULI and ULI Foundation Chair and is now ULI Foundation Chair Emeritus.

Earlier this year, Klingbeil gave $1 million to support ULI’s Advisory Services program. The gift was first announced at a ULI event in Oklahoma City ahead of next year’s 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Klingbeil was the chair of an Advisory Services panel in December of 1995 tasked with offering Oklahoma City hope, and a roadmap to downtown revitalization after the devastating bombing.

Joseph Canizaro is CEO of Corporate Capital, LLC, a ULI Trustee and past Global Chair, and was chairman of the Urban Planning Committee of the 17-member Bring New Orleans Back Commission, created by then-New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, Canizaro developed a large portion of the Class A buildings that make up the New Orleans skyline and is largely credited with having a major role in the city’s post-Katrina recovery.





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Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: Mar. 1, 2026

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Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: Mar. 1, 2026


Big night in downtown OKC as the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Denver Nugget and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is back on the floor.

Steve McGehee reports live from Paycom Center with the latest on SGA’s return after missing nine games, the Thunder’s push to hold the top spot in the Western Conference, and what getting healthy means for OKC’s title hopes.





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How Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy ‘Put More Around’ John Mateer During Offseason

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How Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy ‘Put More Around’ John Mateer During Offseason


Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy experienced great success during his first year in Norman.

Nagy, who joined OU’s staff in February 2025, oversaw the Sooners’ scouting staff as Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. He also helped OU sign a top-15 2026 recruiting class and land several key transfer portal players after the 2025 season.

Though the wins outweighed the losses in Nagy’s first year, the Sooners’ general manager knew that there was much to fortify during the offseason.

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Oklahoma’s offense sputtered late in the season, as the Sooners scored fewer than 25 points in each of their last four games.

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For Nagy, a major focus was surrounding OU quarterback John Mateer with quality talent.

“(We wanted to) just really put more around John Mateer,” Nagy said on The Dari Nowkhah Show on KREF on Friday.

Nagy and his scouting team added plenty of pieces from the portal that should elevate Oklahoma’s offense.

The Sooners signed three portal wideouts — Trell Harris (Virginia), Parker Livingstone (Texas) and Mackenzie Alleyne (Washington State) — after the 2025 season to join returning receivers Isaiah Sategna, Jer’Michael Carter and Jacob Jordan.

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Sategna, who transferred to OU from Arkansas after the 2024 season, served as Mateer’s safety net in 2025. The receiver finished the year with 965 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches.

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Harris and Livingstone are both proven producers at the Power Four level, and Nagy believes that those two will make OU’s receiving corps stronger in 2026.

“Those two, we’re very excited about both of those guys,” Nagy said.

Nagy also did plenty of work to ensure that OU’s run game improves in 2026.

The Sooners added three tight ends — Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State) and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) — from the portal. They also added three transfer offensive linemen: Caleb Nitta (Western Kentucky), E’Marion Harris (Arkansas) and Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech).

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OU will have its two top running backs from the 2025 squad, Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock, back in 2026.

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For those two to reach their full potential, the Sooners’ blockers will have to regularly open up running lanes — and Nagy is confident that they will.

“We have to run the ball better, there’s no way around that,” Nagy said. “Our job is to create more competition in every room in the offseason. I feel like we’ve done that.”

On the show, Nagy revealed that the Sooners added nearly 9,000 collegiate snaps to their roster during the offseason. 

The general manager believes that both sides of the ball will be stronger as a result of his scouting team’s offseason efforts and their collaboration with OU’s coaching staff.

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“I’ve tried to be really intentional with our communication,” Nagy said. “There’s a common goal: We’re trying to win a national championship. This is a true partnership, and we all have the same goal in mind. It’s going to continue to evolve and get better.”

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Oklahoma will open its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.



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Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion

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Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion


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The loss was on Ritson Meyer’s mind all week as he prepared for his final state wrestling tournament. 

A senior 215-pounder at Elgin, Meyer isn’t used to getting beaten, but he got a wake-up call when he lost against Coweta senior Aiven Robbins by five points in their regional championship match. 

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For Meyer, it set in that winning his fourth state championship wouldn’t be an easy task. 

“I lost to him last week and I’m not a loser, so it was eating on me all week in practice,” Meyer said. “So (in) practice, I really leveled up everything. Everything about it.” 

Meyer and Robbins met again on Saturday, this time with the Class 5A state championship on the line. 

Intensely focused from the start, Meyer came out aggressive. And although it was another great match, Meyer did just enough to etch his name in the state history books. 

Meyer held on to beat Robbins in an 8-7 decision in the new OG&E Coliseum as he claimed his fourth state championship, while Coweta won the team title. 

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An Abilene Christian football signee, Meyer’s wrestling days are over, but he leaves the sport with satisfaction. 

“I came out here — even though it hurt, even though I was tired — I got it done,” Meyer said. “I’m so happy. I got to celebrate with my parents, my family, my friends. It’s a crazy feeling.” 

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A standout running back and linebacker on the gridiron, Meyer helped his team win the Class 4A state title in football as a junior before Elgin lost to Tuttle 23-20 in the 2025 championship game in December. 

It’s a different sport, but that loss fueled Meyer’s wrestling season in a way. 

“I like to tell people that wrestling is like offseason football,” Meyer said. “I can’t go out, lose. Everybody wanted me to win this. I won it for the whole entire community. First four-timer at Elgin. And that football (loss) really did eat me alive. It didn’t feel good at all, and I didn’t want that same feeling again.” 

Meyer had a great start against Robbins on Saturday and never trailed, but Robbins battled to set up a great finish and both were gassed when it was over. 

“I just gave it my all,” Meyer said, “and I got it done.” 

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This article will be updated.

Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at@nicksardis. Sign up forThe Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.





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