Having the family over: The OU football family
A Sooner Thanksgiving

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When her children were younger, her kitchen was always open, especially on Thanksgiving.

"We always invited their friends, teammates, to come over and eat," she said. "Our home has always featured an open door policy to all our children's friends."

Still does, which today means a few dozen of son C.J.'s Sooner friends and teammates. And their friends and families. And anyone else who may find their way through the open door to Joyce Ah You's Thanksgiving feast.

The entire Oklahoma football team is invited. And all are encouraged to invite others, a reflection of the Ah Yous' Polynesian background.

"We've been brought up with a lot of food," said Joyce Ah You, in from Utah to put on this massive feed. "The custom of our Polynesian people, we don't think just of ourselves, but others.

"This just comes natural to us."

This grand event got its roots a year ago, when facing their first Thanksgiving apart from C.J., the Ah You family called a meeting back home in Utah to decide how to proceed.

The solution: take Thanksgiving to C.J.

It began modestly.

"We did it last year, but it was kind of last-minute," said C.J., a starting Sooner defensive end. "I tried to tell as many people as I could, but a lot of people missed it.

"A lot of people won't be able to go home and get that nice cooked meal, so we just opened it up this year and tried to get the word out earlier."

The word on Joyce Ah You's cooking: incredible.

For OU's spring game, her and her husband Charles and their family hosted the team for a Polynesian luau complete with a Hawaiian barbecue, featuring roast pork, chop suey, teriyaki barbecue chicken and many extras. There was even Polynesian entertainment.

One of C.J.'s uncles flew in from Hawaii to see the game and help cook. Another came from San Francisco.

The dining party: "At least a couple hundred," Joyce said.

And consider many ? George Robinson, DeMarcus Granger, Branndon Braxton, to name a few ? pack hearty appetites.

Joyce has taken regular care of the Sooner crew. The week of every home game, she arrives in Norman to set up kitchen at C.J.