NORMAN, Okla. -- We sit and wait at a private air strip just a few miles from Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. 

I’m sitting in a black SUV on the blacktop watching planes land with a University of Houston administrator and a Houston police officer, who will also serve as our driver and escort for the day. We’re waiting for Tilman Fertitta. 

The name Fertitta has become almost synonymous with the city of Houston. He owns restaurants and hotel properties all around the city. Forbes ranks him as the sixth-richest figure in Houston with a net worth of $4.5 billion, most invested through his business conglomerate, Landry’s Inc. He’s the lone owner. Two years ago, Fertitta bought the Houston Rockets for a record fee of more than $2 billion. 

But most relevant to us, Fertitta is the chairman of the board of regents of the University of Houston system, where he attended college in the 1970s. He also attended Texas Tech for a while before transferring. The bad news for Tech? Fertitta is as Houston as Houston gets. 

“I’ll tell you what, since he got his hands on this program, we’re headed in the right direction,” the Houston PD officer said. 

We’re waiting for Fertitta’s plane to land, but this day has to be one of the busiest for the small private airport. Houston faces off against No. 4 Oklahoma in a few hours. If you have a private jet and you’re not flying in to watch the Sooners play a night game on national television, when the heck else will you fly into Norman? 

A few minutes later, a plane lands on the runway. It’s noticeably bigger than the others. There’s a big, black Houston Rockets logo on the tail. Out steps Fertitta, accompanied by his two sons and a business partner. He’s greeted with a drink and then gets into the car. 

“Oh yeah, I forgot that I agreed to do this,” Fertitta said with a laugh. “Fire away.”