POSSE Magazine - Fall 2020 by Oklahoma State

T HE OF F IC I A L M A G A Z INE OF O S U AT HL E T IC S

REMEMBERING

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DEFINING MOMENTS

BY KEVIN KLINTWORTH Senior Associate Athletic Director

There are many ways to define the modern era of college athletics. Some think the modern era of college football started in 1900. Others say it was after World War II. A third precinct insists it all began in the 1950s and 1960s as first radio and then television showcased the sport to a broader audience, breaking its history of existing only in the form of regional rivalries. College basketball is different. There has been an NCAA Tournament champion every year since 1939, without debates, multiple national champions or hypothetical winners. It’s all simple and bracket-like. In the eyes of many, Oklahoma State’s basketball history can also be categorized. There are the Iba years (decades actually) and the “modern era” that most think kicked in with the arrival of Eddie Sutton. Those are broad strokes and not meant to diminish the exciting teams of Paul Hansen (1983 Big Eight Tournament champs), the Leonard Hamilton building years, which included several foundational pieces left for Sutton, nor the men who had the unenviable task of following in Mr. Iba’s immediate footsteps. But it was Sutton who reignited the basketball spark in the eyes of OSU fans. His first five teams lost a total of four games in Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU recorded one NCAA Tournament win from 1959 until 1990. Sutton had two his first season in Stillwater. But it was the 1994-1995 team, 25 seasons ago, when the Cowboys truly re-emerged on the national scene with a magical run to the Final Four. That team had a hall of fame coach, a legendary player known nationwide not only by his name, but also his nickname. There was an all-conference shooter with biggame buckets, a freshman not afraid of the big stage, the “Toothless In Seattle” t-shirt and a fan base that grew more delirious with each passing round of the tournament. March Madness truly engulfed the OSU faithful.

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In an earlier POSSE Magazine piece, Gary and Claudia Humphreys, whose names you might recognize from the Boone Pickens Stadium video board, described not having the finances in place to attend the 1995 Final Four in Seattle. They decided to throw caution to the wind and head northwest anyway. There was an OSU student, the son of a preacher, who “borrowed” his father’s fourseat Cessna and then hired another OSU student to fly him to Seattle for the Final Four. He paid for the trip by selling the back seats of the plane to two more OSU students. You now know him as Gov. Kevin Stitt. In many ways that 1995 Final Four team, led by Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, and shooter extraordinaire Randy Rutherford, paved the way for the Oklahoma State we know today. The expansion of Gallagher-Iba Arena from just over 6,000 seats into today’s 13,611 came in part due to the waiting list for Cowboy season tickets. An athletic department which had always prided itself on the success of its entire portfolio, suddenly saw its brand expanded by those three weeks in March. Under Eddie Sutton, there would be lots of successes. A trip to the Elite Eight in 2000, another Final Four run in 2004 and a total six appearances in the Sweet 16. But in many ways it was that 1995 team, a quarter of a century ago, that showed it could happen, again, at Oklahoma State. The biggest achievements in the history of the school didn’t have to be viewed on old black and white film. The size of the building didn’t matter. Neither did the budget, or the location. There was life in the OSU basketball program after Mr. Iba. All things were possible, even in the modern era. Thanks, 1995 Cowboys!

F E AT U R E S

12 24 32 42 52 62 70 EDDIE SUTTON

Remembering Eddie Sutton MICHAELA RICHBOURG, SHALEE BRANTLEY AND JULES CALLAHAM

Same Neck of the Woods O'BRATE STADIUM

A Place for Everyone MOE IBA

A Blast from the Past

DE PARTM E NTS

50 60 74

The 150

Rooted in Stillwater

The Honor Roll WRAVINGS

we get it

GREG ROBERTSON

COVER PHOTO BY ANDY MAXEY

1984 COWBOYS

Hanging Ten the First Time KAITLYN SEILER

The Girl in the Hat Comes Back POSSE 5

POSSE MAGAZINE

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POSSE Magazine Staff KYLE WRAY

VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT AND BRAND MANAGEMENT

KEVIN KLINTWORTH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

JESSE MARTIN

SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR / EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

DAVE MALEC

ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER

CODEE CLASSEN

DESIGNER

BRUCE WATERFIELD

PHOTOGRAPHER / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

CLAY BILLMAN

ASSISTANT EDITOR

GARY LAWSON, PHIL SHOCKLEY

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

COURTNEY BAY

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CLAY BILLMAN, RYAN CAMERON

JOHN HELSLEY, GENE JOHNSON

KEVIN KLINTWORTH

ROGER MOORE, KYLE WRAY

Athletics Annual Giving (POSSE) Development Staff ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR / ANNUAL GIVING

ELLEN AYRES CLAY BILLMAN

PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ANNUAL GIVING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ANNUAL GIVING / EVENT COORDINATOR DONOR RELATIONS AND GIFT PROCESSING SPECIALIST

RYAN SEVERSON ALEXA ABLE ADDISON UFKES

Athletics Major Gift Development Staff SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR / DEVELOPMENT

LARRY REECE

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT

MATT GRANTHAM

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT

SHAWN TAYLOR

OSU POSSE 102 ATHLETICS CENTER

STILLWATER, OK 74078-5070

405.744.7301 P OKSTATEPOSSE.COM POSSE@OKSTATE.EDU

405.744.9084 F @OSUFANEX

ADVERTISING 405.744.7301

EDITORIAL 405.744.1706

At Oklahoma State University, compliance with NCAA, Big 12 and institutional rules is of the utmost importance. As a supporter of OSU, please remember that maintaining the integrity of the University and the Athletic Department is your first responsibility. As a donor, and therefore booster of OSU, NCAA rules apply to you. If you have any questions, feel free to call the OSU Office of Athletic Compliance at 405-744-7862. Additional information can also be found by clicking on the Compliance tab of the Athletic Department web-site at okstate.com.

Remember to always “Ask Before You Act.”

Respectfully,

BEN DYSON

ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE

Donations received may be transferred to Cowboy Athletics, Inc. in accordance with the Joint Resolution among Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma State University Foundation, and Cowboy Athletics, Inc. POSSE magazine is published four times a year by Oklahoma State University Athletic Department and the POSSE, and is mailed to current members of the POSSE. Magazine subscriptions available by membership in the POSSE only. Membership is $150 annually. Postage paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran, in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. The following have been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 408 Whitehurst, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; Phone 405-744-9154; email: eeo@okstate.edu.

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This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Senior Associate Athletic Director, POSSE, was printed by Royle Printing Company at a cost of $1.136 per issue. 9.5M/March 2020/#8166. POSSE magazine is published four times a year by Oklahoma State University, 307 Whitehurst Stillwater, OK 74078. The magazine is produced by OSU Athletics and University Marketing, and is mailed to current members of the POSSE Association. Membership starts at $150/year and includes benefits such as the POSSE Magazine and member auto decals. POSSE annual funds contribute to student-athlete scholarships and operating expenses, which are critical to helping our teams stay competitive. Gifts of all sizes impact all areas of athletics. Postage paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices.

THIS IS If you have ever lived in Oklahoma, visited Oklahoma, driven through Oklahoma or even sang “Oklahoma!” then you have probably lived through an Oklahoma storm and lost power. In the dark or by candlelight we debate ways to occupy our time while coming to the realization that without electricity, we are figuratively in the dark as much as literally.

PAUL SAGE

In the modern world, power means technology. And in Oklahoma State Athletics, the team of IT professionals literally keep the lights on, the ticket scanners humming, the video boards working and make replays possible. Their work allows us to compile analytics, secure the facilities, control temperatures and communicate to the rest of the world. Their jobs have evolved well beyond the email problem, the frozen computer or a software upgrade. There is no function they don’t touch. Their cell numbers may be the most important contact info any of us have in our phones.

SONYA PETRE

They are the team behind every single team.

IAN ATKINSON

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O'BRATE AWAITS O’Brate Stadium, the new home of Cowboy Baseball, awaits its christening. The state-of-theart ballpark’s grand opening was postponed in March due to COVID-19, just as crews were putting the finishing touches on the facility.

B TO PHO

CE B RU

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remembering

Eddie sutton

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Following the death of Eddie Sutton, POSSE Magazine asked for the thoughts and memories from a group of people who each had a unique perspective on the Hall of Fame coach.

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Eddie sutton: the change agent BY LARRY REECE

Larry Reece has been the public address voice of OSU Athletics since 1991 and serves as the department’s senior associate athletic director for development.

In journalism school at OSU they taught me to never bury the lede. So here it is: Coach Eddie Sutton made my life better. I was a student when Coach came home, and Stillwater was buzzing with excitement with Mr. Iba leading the parade. Coach immediately started working on his culture of Dedication, Discipline and Defense. He began preaching about the Sixth Man and the difference a fanbase could make in a game. Coach Sutton started building his army by being seen everywhere, and he got the students invested by doing his coaches shows in their living rooms at each fraternity and sorority. The students paid him back. They lined up. They camped out. They brought the noise and the spirit. During coach Sutton’s first year, my roommate and I raced to front row seats with basketballs on our heads. We did everything we could to help Sutton and his Cowboys. By year two, I had been hired by Sports Information Director Steve Buzzard to try to do what I could to add to the atmosphere on the public address. It was a dream come true for me and such a magical time for OSU. Following that season with Sean (Sutton), Darwyn (Alexander), Corey (Williams), Cornell (Hatcher), Byron (Houston) and some young guy they called Big Country, Coach Sutton sent me a letter. Coach told me I was worth 10 points a game on the mic. I share this not to brag that I averaged double digits for a D-I college basketball program, but to show you the essence of Coach. You see, he didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to make me feel special ... he wanted to make me feel special. And he did it all of the time. Coach loved to lift people up, and he seemed to always know when and how to do it, in good times and bad.

Coach Sutton was a legendary letter writer. It is becoming a lost art, but he was the most prolific I have ever seen. Thank you notes,

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congratulations, nice to meet you, just because ... he did it all. His birthday calls were classic. He tried to be the first to call you in the morning, and he would croon the entire song. He really got a kick out of that. Coach Sutton felt like OSU gave him a second chance, and he paid it forward with second chances for players. I’m not saying

these players were in trouble. They just needed a new home and the right coach. Think of all the transfers who became difference makers for the OSU basketball program: the Graham twins, Daniel Bobik, John Lucas — all on a Final Four team together with Tony Allen. Tony was from the mean streets of Chicago, but in Stillwater he became a changed man. He credits much of his success to his coach. Doug Gottlieb needed a second chance. He found it in Stillwater and with his dad’s former boss, Eddie Sutton. Coach Sutton always thought of himself as a teacher, and he taught many a Cowboy how to be better men. How did he do it? He and Patsy treated them like sons. Flowers … oh my, the flowers! Coach seemed to always know when to send them, such as an illness or death. I often wondered how he seemed to know what everyone was going through? Baby Nikes were his signature touch when a new Cowboy or Cowgirl came into the world. When my daughter, Lauren, was born, here came Coach with her first Nike shoes. Lauren wore them, and then we had them put in ceramic. Coach autographed them for us, in bright orange no less. I would love to know how many letters he wrote, happy birthdays he belted out, second chances he handed out, flowers he sent, Nikes he gave away. He was remarkable. Let’s sum it up this way, Coach Sutton had a huge heart — or as he would put it, a big valentine.

Steve Sutton said it best outside of Coach’s home on the afternoon before he passed. “Beyond basketball, my dad really had a ministry.” Let’s take a look at some of the things Eddie Sutton did for his alma mater. Out of tiny Bucklin, Kan., he chose OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) and Henry Iba over some of the greatest coaches in history, including Phog Allen and Adolph Rupp. As a player, he led the team in scoring the night Mr. Iba and his boys took down top-ranked KU and Wilt Chamberlain. He also helped take his team to the Elite Eight in 1958. Coach saved us when we needed saving. You see, when he came home to lead the OSU Basketball program, there wasn’t much to cheer about in Stillwater. Football and wrestling were in NCAA trouble and Cowboy hoops had been to one NCAA tournament over nearly three decades. Coach built a loyal and true fan base, and together we created the Rowdiest Arena in the Country. Coach used to say that Gallagher-Iba is so intimidating because our fans can reach out and grab the hairs on the opponents’ legs.

Our fans know basketball, and they know how to help the good guys. Eddie Sutton knew how to coach the game, and he immediately brought our program back to national prominence with conference titles and Final Four appearances. Coach lifted us through our greatest tragedy and helped us make and keep the promise to Remember the Ten! He also chaired the annual Remember The Ten Run, which has now raised more than $250,000 for OSU Counseling Services. Berry Tramel said it best during this difficult time when he called Eddie Sutton “our John Wayne.” When his friend Norm Stewart was diagnosed with cancer, Coach Sutton helped create Coaches vs. Cancer. Today, OSU Coaches vs. Cancer is consistently among the top fundraising programs in the country. We raise money for cancer research, we salute

cancer survivors at home games, and we give cancer-fighting kids and their families the escape of OSU Athletics. Our coaches, staff and student-athletes truly make a difference in their lives. They inspire ours. I believe it is the best thing we do. Coach Sutton made us believe we could do big things, and the ticket demand he created was the reason we were able to renovate GIA into a comprehensive Athletics Center. The decision to expand by Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips led to the OSU Athletic Village we see today by inspiring Boone Pickens. Boone’s unprecedented generosity would inspire the Greenwoods, Neal Patterson, Cecil O’Brate and many others. It took a village to build the Athletic Village, but Eddie Sutton gave us the initial spark and it changed our mindset forever. The OSU family continued to pay Coach back, even after his coaching days were over. Son Steve, grandson Hunter and the Sutton family kept him going, and our fans kept loving him up. He lit up any time he knew he was coming back home to Stillwater and Gallagher-Iba Arena. I was thrilled to introduce him each time he made it to a game, and believe me, the

chant “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!” was music to his ears and helped him continue to fight. With Coach Sutton’s passing, I found my joy for him outweighing my own sadness. My thoughts kept going to his reunion with the love of his life and his number one assistant coach, Patsy. And his renewed conversations with his coach, Mr. Iba and his longtime friend Whisperin’ Richard (Danel), the barber to so many of us in OSU Athletics. I wish I could’ve been there for his big hug from Brooks Thompson and to see his reunion with the 10 men we lost on January 27, 2001. I know Coach Sutton is back to feeling good, telling stories and making people feel good. Eddie Sutton helped transform our school, and in many ways he made all of our lives better. OSU is a better place because Eddie Sutton was one of us and because he loved his alma mater. What a ride he gave us. Thank you, Coach Sutton! Steve Sutton was right. Coach Sutton did have a ministry, and we were all lucky to be part of his congregation. And it’s only fitting for me to close by using Coach’s mantra: “Always have faith in God, yourself and the Cowboys!”

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mutual admiration BY STEVE BUZZARD

Steve Buzzard is the senior manager for business administration for OSU’s Department of Public Safety. From 1983 through 2006 he served as OSU’s associate athletic director for media relations.

April 11, 1990, was historic for Oklahoma State University. It was the day Eddie Sutton came home. In perhaps the biggest announcement in the history of OSU Athletics, Sutton was named the school’s head basketball coach. The evocativeness of the moment could not have been scripted any better. In front of dozens of cameras and a throng of print media and prominent OSU figures, the keys to the OSU basketball program were handed to Sutton. Making the moment event more meaningful was the heartfelt and moving introduction he received from the then-sitting patriarch of Cowboy Basketball, Henry P. Iba. It was Mr. Iba who had led OSU through its halcyon years of national championships and yet-to-be equaled success. It was Mr. Iba who helped change the landscape of the game of basketball. It was Mr. Iba for whom Eddie Sutton played, learned and respected more than anyone else in the game. So, on that April day in 1990, a proud coach/teacher introduced his prize pupil. It was heartwarming. It was overdue, and it was the most significant day in the history of OSU Basketball. Everyone in the room that day (and those who were not but had any insight into Cowboy Basketball) knew that, at that moment, the landscape of the sport at OSU was undergoing a cataclysmic change. I’m not sure any of us had an idea of just how dynamic that change would be.

The drought in OSU Basketball success between Mr. Iba’s tenure and the beginning of Coach Sutton’s was undeniable. At the time Sutton took over, the Cowboys hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since the 1982-83 season, and that was a first-round loss to Princeton. The photos of Mr. Iba and Coach Sutton shaking hands that day reveal so much more than simply two great basketball coaches during an iconic moment. The smiles on both faces

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reveal something much, much deeper. Those smiles represented a homecoming that filled a void in both men. Eddie Sutton and Henry Iba were connected by more than just basketball genius. They

were connected by love of the game. They were connected by a methodology. They were connected by mutual respect. They were connected by a school they both loved. The last few years of Mr. Iba’s tenure as basketball coach at Oklahoma State were not nearly as successful as he wanted. Adding the duties of athletic director late in his career no doubt contributed to the slide. Have no doubt, however, that in the years following and under multiple head coaches, there was no bigger supporter or fan of Cowboy Basketball than Henry Iba. While he didn’t voice them frequently, there were some disappointments. He would love to have seen his son Moe as the head coach at OSU, but the timing never seemed quite right. Timing is everything, and while the basketball Cowboys struggled through the sixties and seventies and most of the eighties, a Cowboy alum named Sutton was well on his way to earning his eventual place in the Hall of Fame with successful stints at Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky. It seemed like a Sutton-OSU reunion just wasn’t in the cards. When Coach Sutton may have wanted to be OSU’s coach, the Cowboys didn’t call. When OSU might have been interested in bringing him back in the early eighties, he wasn’t available. But on that April day in 1990, the two basketball giants stood together. Two men, united in respect for each other and love for their school. Eddie Sutton was home, and Henry Iba could not have been happier. For context, I need to share that longevity brings familiarity. I have been blessed by almost 38 years of employment at Oklahoma State University, 23 of those years in the athletic

department. The second person I met when I arrived at OSU was Henry Iba. We became friends, and for the next 10 years he blessed me with weekly visits. I was young and naïve and didn’t realize until sometime later that I was being blessed with the presence of a true, living legend. He talked basketball. He talked football (he loved football) and he talked life. He scolded me one day when I was bashing an official from the last night’s game. “Cut that out,” he said. “In all my years of coaching I never lost a game because of an official’s call.” Mr. Iba’s influence was deep and wide. He would regularly take calls from Mike and Dean and Bob. To the rest of us that would be Coach Smith, Coach Krzyzewski and Coach Knight. They sought his advice and coveted his presence at their practices. When Mr. Iba passed in 1993, one of the first calls I made was to Bloomington, Ind. When Coach Knight got on the phone and I informed him, there was silence. He then made a simple but profound statement. “Of all the shadows cast on the game of basketball, his was the largest.” He then told me to make sure I used that in any news release about Mr. Iba. Mr. Iba’s shadow on the game was immense. And, it produced many who made their own shadows. This path leads us to where the union of Mr. Iba and Coach Sutton starts to come full circle. Mr. Iba recruited Eddie Sutton as a pureshooting guard from Bucklin, Kan. During his college career, Sutton led the Cowboys in free throw percentage and, as a senior, averaged more than eight points per game on an NCAA Tournament team. But wins and losses and statistics tell only a fraction of the story. Playing for Mr. Iba at OSU allowed Eddie Sutton to form a foundation rooted in hard work, discipline and defense. While playing for Mr. Iba, he was able to further develop a character that helped him become

more than just a Hall of Fame basketball coach. He became a maker of men. Coach Sutton, a master story teller, often spoke of his playing days for Mr. Iba. He talked about the New Year’s Eve in old Gallagher Hall, when, after a particularly grueling practice and with players ready to leave for their evening festivities, a former player of Mr. Iba’s and his team pulled up outside. They were on their way to a game later that week and needed to practice. Mr. Iba didn’t just oblige by letting them use Gallagher Hall to practice. He ordered his own players to get their practice gear back on. They would be a scrimmage opponent for their visitors. Sutton graduated from OSU and went on to be an ultra-successful high school coach, then college coach. He tasted and savored success at every stop. And, while Mr. Iba cherished his relationship with the Knights and Smiths of the college basketball world, Eddie Sutton held a special place. Eddie Sutton was one of “his own.” Then, in 1990, after twists of fate that no one could have predicted, Eddie Sutton came home. OSU was able to hire a hall of fame coach.

Eddie Sutton got another chance to prove what everyone who had sense already knew, that he was simply one of the best coaches in the game, even rivaling the man from whom he learned so much. The next 15 years of OSU basketball were remarkable. NCAA Tournament appearances became the rule not the exception. Conference championships, Sweet Sixteen appearances and a pair of Final Fours were the realization of every Cowboy basketball fan’s dream. None of us knew how quickly success would come. None of us except Henry Iba. At an early practice before the 1990-91 season he made a statement that proved quite prophetic. After he and I watched a few short minutes of practice, he said, “If they will listen, learn and

execute what they’ve learned, we will win big and quickly.” Indeed! Mr. Iba didn’t live long enough to see the 1995 Final Four appearance. But he was able to clearly see that Sutton and his Cowboys were headed that direction. The renaissance in OSU Basketball wasn’t just evident in the play on the floor. The breath Eddie Sutton breathed into the program started with the team and multiplied into the game-day atmosphere and into every tentacle of the program. Eddie Sutton didn’t just revive a basketball program, he brought an unmistakable sense of pride to entire university. A proud, championship-laden history led by Mr. Iba finally had a connection to the present. And, it happened because Eddie Sutton listened, learned and executed the things his coach taught him. And then he built on it. All of us who were fortunate to be around for the transformation consider ourselves blessed. There is a famous picture of Henry Iba. It was shot from behind at the south doors of old Gallagher Hall as he was leaving the building when he retired. When you look at the image and if you squint your eyes just enough, you don’t just see Coach Iba. You see Eddie Sutton. Maybe it’s the way the jacket hangs off the shoulders. Maybe it’s the slight, forward tilt of the head. Or maybe it is because, in so many ways, the two were one. And, while he wouldn’t want to hear it, the impact Eddie Sutton had on the game and particularly his alma mater was just as large, if not larger, than that of his beloved coach and mentor. And that would bring a gratifying smile to Mr. Iba’s face.

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Eddie, Eddie, Eddie … Something to Cheer About BY HARRY BIRDWELL

One night after a nationally televised Cowboy basketball game on ESPN, Coach Sutton and I were chatting with Dick Vitale. “Oh, Eddie,” he began (can’t you just hear him?), “I loved the chant: ‘Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.’ Where did that come from?”

Coach Sutton deadpanned, “Oh, I guess they think we are doing something right. But it warms my heart on a January night!” Since he died, I have asked myself what it really was that carved Eddie Sutton’s image onto the Mount Rushmore of OSU Athletics as one of the most beloved Cowboys ever. Perhaps it was that when he returned to OSU in 1990, he came to the rescue of our university when the condition of our athletic facilities was causing the other members of the Big Eight Conference to demand improvement or risk sanctions — possibly even expulsion from the league. Maybe it was that he was warm and friendly to every member of the OSU fanbase, from the greatest to the least. Maybe it was because so many in every crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena had received a hand-written, encouraging and congratulatory note from him. Perhaps it was how he handled and managed the affairs of the OSU Basketball program with integrity and competence. Could it have been that so many knew he was a “second father” to the hundreds of young men he coached at Oklahoma State?

Or just maybe we knew we were seeing a “master teacher, a sociologist and a psychologist” who counseled while carrying a basketball under his arm, daring young men to dream beyond all expectations. Perchance we all recognized a guy who gave us pride in our university and brought OSU Basketball back into elite prominence. Perhaps it was to acknowledge a man who played a major role in the development of the national “Coaches Versus Cancer”

program and who spent many days in cancer wards comforting, spreading goodwill and encouraging children in need of hope. Perhaps the “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie” chant was just to say “thank you” for the role he played in leading the Cowboy Nation through a tragedy that brought the university to its knees. Could we have known that our cheers were good medicine to help heal his broken heart? Maybe it was about thanking the coach who made OSU Basketball tickets the “most valued” in the state. What if it was to recognize him as one who made you want to camp out on bitter cold Oklahoma nights while he helped deliver your pizza, so that you could get one of those coveted tickets to watch the Cowboys’ next game? Might it have been to appreciate the coach who helped create the rowdiest, home teamfriendly environment in America, where the noise was deafening and intimidating to opponents, where the excitement caused your pulse to race, where your love of Cowboy Athletics became a passion for life? It could be as simple as he lifted our expectations for OSU and showed us the possibilities for our alma mater, impacting thousands of us to invest from out of our success into OSU’s future for its students and facilities. Would it be to salute a man from a very ordinary beginning who, despite fame and success, continued to maintain the “common touch,” loved his wife and family and treasured his OSU friends he called “SPACIAL” in his down-home drawl? Maybe it was because of how he shared our dreams, raised our expectations, and sent our pride through the roof at Gallagher-Iba Arena. I believe it was all that and more. For as long as Cowboys remember Eddie Sutton, don’t forget how a simple repetitious chant filled Coach’s soul as little else could.

Harry Birdwell is an OSU graduate, former staff member and also served as Oklahoma State’s athletic director.

Be grateful for his legacy, and never forget how we celebrated “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!”

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more than a coach BY KAREN AND ANDREA HANCOCK

Karen Hancock started the OSU women’s soccer program in 1996 and currently serves as the program’s assistant coach. She also is the senior woman administrator for OSU Athletics. Andie, who was the two-month-old baby referenced by Karen, just completed her freshman year at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

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My relationship with Eddie Sutton can be broken down into two parts: prior to January 27, 2001, and after January 27, 2001. Many in the Oklahoma State family know that date. It’s the date when a plane carrying 10 members of the men’s basketball team’s travel party crashed in a snowy field outside Strasburg, Colorado, killing all on board while traveling home from a conference game. The crash took the life of my husband, Will Hancock, who I had been with for eight years and married to for four. He was the team’s media relations coordinator, and part of his job was to travel with the team to every away game. Will felt blessed to be working with the OSU men’s basketball program where he interacted with what he knew was a future hall of fame coach in Eddie Sutton. He used to come home, describe his impressions of Eddie to me, and tell me what a strong personality he was. People were drawn to Eddie, according to Will; his staff worked hard for him, and his players, without a doubt, would have followed him to the ends of the earth. Whatever the “it” factor was, he had it. He reminded Will of his maternal grandfather — a small town attorney in southwest Oklahoma. He would talk about how Eddie was revered by players and staff alike. Will certainly revered him. He would watch most practices, and on occasion, I would join him. I knew at the time that I was witnessing greatness in coaching. He had it all. The brain, the awareness, the confidence, the voice, and all of the results in competition to back it up. It was something to watch. I’ve worked for OSU Athletics for as long as I’ve been in Stillwater. When Will and I first arrived in 1996, I had my hands full with starting the women’s soccer program while Will was working in the media relations office. We had this beautiful blend of work and personal life that intertwined through OSU Athletics. For example, my schedule allowed me to tag

along on a handful of men’s basketball trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas and then the NCAA Tournament games in Buffalo and Syracuse in 2000. During those trips I would get to observe even closer how Eddie operated as a coach. And I tried to take notes as a young coach at the time. But on a personal level, Eddie seemed out of reach to me. I felt too far outside of the circle to get to know what he was like. That changed after January 27, 2001. Before the crash, he was always very cordial and polite to me, but a little distant. Maybe I was just the spouse of one of his support staff members at that time, but after the crash, it seemed very clear that I was a spouse of a man who died under his watch. In the weeks and months after the death of the 10 men, I could not imagine what he was enduring. Personally, I was in survival mode: I had a two-month-old daughter to care for on my own, and most of my thinking revolved around how I was going to make it with an unexpectedly fatherless infant. Most of my attention was on how my family members and I were struggling with our loss. But as time passed, I started figuring out how hard it was on Eddie, too. The more I could step outside my own circumstances, I could see what it did to him. Because whatever I had going on as far as grieving, he had it times 10. You could see it on his face. You could hear it in his voice. He was always so good to me after Will died. He opened up more to me. He would ask me about the soccer team, and we would talk about coaching in general as a common ground. He was also always quick with a compliment about Will when he could fit one in. He would express to me how much he missed him and all of the 10. It was a significant comfort to me. Before our daughter was born, one of the things Will and I liked to do was go to the movies. We quickly learned that Eddie and Patsy loved going to the movies, too. It seemed

I also know that the crash led him to emphasize with me and others that if we love someone, we should tell them. “Tell them every day,” he always said. I’ve tried to be better about that in my life, but it does not come easy to me to be that vulnerable. I told Coach Sutton nearly every time I saw him over the last five years that I loved him. Unfortunately, as I was getting to the point where I had the courage to say it, he was getting to the point where he couldn’t say it back. But that didn’t matter to me. It was more about me making sure that he was hearing it from me. After all, that was the lesson he was trying to impart. “Tell them.” I think of those two words often and know I will carry that strong voice of his in my head the rest of my life.

like just about any Friday night that we went to the theater, we would see them in line. They must have gone every weekend, as I do not remember us being there on a Friday night without seeing the Suttons. They would see us, say hello, and we would talk about what we were going to see. Most of the time, Eddie and Patsy were watching new releases while Will and I would watch movies that had been out for a couple of weeks, so we always looked forward to hearing Eddie and Patsy’s review. After the crash, Eddie and Patsy knew I had lost my movie-going partner, so they invited me to go with them. I went. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I knew that they were trying to find anything they could to try and make me feel better. So we would go, and they went out of their way to be kind and accommodating to me. They always picked me up at my home. I always got to pick the movie, and they always bought my tickets and concessions. After a while, I decided I should let them enjoy their date night without a third wheel, and we

eventually stopped going, but I always thought the gesture was so kind — proof of what great people they were. I’ll always remember those efforts by them fondly. The last time we went to the movies early that summer Eddie finally told me what I think he had been wanting to tell me since January. He was driving me back to my house, with Patsy in the passenger seat and me in the back. “If it could have been me instead of Will, or any of those guys, I would have traded,” he said. On some level, I already knew that.

Nevertheless, it was very powerful hearing him give voice to it. I knew he carried around a lot of guilt. And as a fellow coach, maybe I could empathize with losing people under your charge and feeling the weight of the responsibility. I told him that I believed him and wanted him to know that it was okay. It was simply a horrible accident. His admission was nice, but he and I were both aware that it didn’t take away the pain. I know it took a toll on him. There was no way to escape the gravity of that kind of loss.

A year ago, at the 2019 Remember the Ten basketball game, my mom and I went down to courtside to visit Eddie. We asked him how he was doing, and he leaned towards me and started talking. It wasn’t easy for him to talk by then, and I couldn’t hear him over the roar of the crowd in Gallagher-Iba. When he realized this, he did something I’ll never forget: he simply reached out and took my hand, and we sat like that together in silence, watching the game hand in hand. I tell you this because I think it exemplifies something my mom said. Eddie believed in telling people he loved them, but he also showed us that there are more ways to say “I love you” than by simply using those three words. Taking my mom out to the movies after my dad died? That was love. Taking my hand that night at the game? That was love. Eddie taught me that love isn’t a word — it’s an action, and I will carry that lesson with me forever.

POSSE 21

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woods O F

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STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

FALL 2020

THE END OF TRAIL MOTEL SITS AT THE JUNCTION OF U.S. HIGHWAYS 259 AND 70 IN BROKEN BOW, OKLA., BECKONING WEARY TRAVELERS WITH THE LURE OF “COLOR TV” AND “HEAT & AIR.” PINK NEON PROCLAIMS “VACANCY” — AS IF ONE HAD TO ASK.

Less than a mile south of this vintage landmark is Broken Bow High School, which could be described as the end of the recruiting trail. Broken Bow is a unique place — not so much a hidden treasure. It’s on the map, albeit the edge of it. The locals (all 5,000 of them) are somewhat isolated by geography and topography. Broken Bow is a destination, not a stop along the way to someplace else. You have to want to go there. And many people do. Nestled in McCurtain County in far southeastern Oklahoma, the area boasts the beauty of the Kiamichi Mountains, Ouachita National Forest, Mountain Fork River and Beavers Bend State Park. Nearby Hochatown (a once-bustling timber town flooded by the creation of Broken Bow Lake in 1970) has reinvented itself along the highway west of the reservoir. The area has since grown into an outdoor tourist mecca, offering luxury cabins, boat rentals, four-wheelers, fly fishing and hunting, along with restaurants and wineries. Not to mention Bigfoot lore. Sasquatch t-shirts and trinkets are a cottage industry in this neck of the woods.

Oklahoma State head softball coach Kenny Gajewski has become a frequent visitor to the area. He hasn’t spotted the elusive legend, but he did discover a trio of talented studentathletes who now wear orange and black in junior Michaela Richbourg, senior Shalee Brantley and freshman Jules Callaham. With those three Broken Bow grads currently on the 23-person roster, roughly 13 percent of the Cowgirl squad hails from the same small town. Generally speaking, the chances of an athlete from a 4A school earning a Division I scholarship are slim. The odds of three teammates from the same school doing so are even greater.

POSSE 25

SHALEE BRANTLEY

MICHAELA RICHBOURG

JULES CALLAHAM

FALL 2020

“SHE WAS THIS PHYSICAL KID, AND SHE HAD THIS LOOK IN HER EYE THAT WAS A LITTLE NASTY. IT WAS A LITTLE TOUGH. AND I LIKED WHAT I SAW.” Kenny Gajewski

BIG MOMENTS Richbourg was the first Broken Bow player to appear on Gajewski’s radar, thanks to an out-of-the-blue email. “Her high school coach, Patrick Williams, reached out to me and basically said, ‘I’m sure you get a thousand of these, but we have a kid down in Broken Bow you’ve probably never even heard of. She plays no travel ball, but I think she’s a Division I type kid. She’s all-state basketball, all-state fast pitch and slow pitch … and we’re going to be playing in the state tournament this weekend. If you’re there, we’d love for you to come watch her play and see what you think.’” Gajewski printed off the email and put it in his notebook, along with various references and notes on a number of potential prospects. He planned to spend the state tournament watching several other in-state recruits compete on the three diamonds at Oklahoma City’s USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex. “I had been on the back fields watching two of our committed kids while Broken Bow was on the main field,” Gajewski says. “As I was leaving through the front, a girl hit a foul ball about 260 feet, and it kind of made me go, ‘Whoa! That ball was hit forever — I need to see who that was.’ I looked through my rosters and saw this name and thought, ‘I think that’s the same girl this guy e-mailed me about’ … So I sat down and flipped through my emails, and sure enough, it was Michaela.”

Now that she had Gajewski’s attention, Richbourg delivered. “I hit a home run that at bat,” she says, “and then I ended up hitting another one that game.” “This kid’s not bad,” Gajewski recalls thinking. “You have to keep in mind, it’s still high school. You have to put everything into perspective, but it was a big moment, and this kid’s playing well. She had a couple other hits and made some really good plays at shortstop. I went home that night and emailed the coach back.” In her first plate appearance the next day, Richbourg crushed another home run. Her hitting impressed the coach, but it was an error that Gajewski remembers most about that state semifinal. “She got to a ball she probably shouldn’t have gotten to, then made a throw she probably shouldn’t have made — threw it away — and the go-ahead run scored for the other team. What caught my eye was the way she handled the situation, the way she walked toward the circle and told her pitcher, ‘Hey, it’s my bad. I’ve got you. Give me another one.’ I could see it all unfolding. It never fazed her. And I think she could see at that moment it was probably going to cost them the game, because in these tournaments runs are at a premium.” “As a leader and a captain at the time, I knew I couldn’t be upset and pout,” Richbourg recalls. “You’ve just got to take the fault and

get ready for the next play, because you can’t dwell on the play before or you’re going to mess up the next one.” “It’s one of the things we talk to our team about,” Gajewski adds. “You have to own your mistakes, and you have to make sure your teammates know that you’ve still got them and you’re okay.” The next step in the recruiting process was getting Richbourg to come to a Cowgirl Softball camp for a closer look. “I couldn’t believe what I saw when we got her to camp,” Gajewski says. “She was this physical kid, and she had this look in her eye that was a little nasty. It was a little tough. And I liked what I saw.” A multi-sport standout, Richbourg had been recruited by smaller colleges not only for softball, but also basketball, which offers full scholarships. “I was kind of star struck,” Richbourg admits. “I was dead set on going somewhere for basketball because it was the best offer I had. OSU had never been in my view of my future until then.” “The dilemma is, how do I convince a kid to come to OSU for less money?” Gajewski says. “I’ve got to sell her on this dream and this opportunity. We were able to do that. She committed and has just been awesome here.”

POSSE 27

BIG STRIDES “WE KIND OF HAD A MINDSET THAT WE HAD TO WORK HARDER THAN EVERYBODY TO GET WHERE WE WANTED TO BE.” Michaela Richbourg

FALL 2020

Richbourg blossomed during her second season on the big stage. In 2019, she started 60 of 62 games and blasted 14 home runs — the most ever by a Cowgirl sophomore — and helped the Cowgirls reach the Women’s College World Series. She earned all-Big 12 second team and NFCA all-Midwest Region honors, with some big moments along the way. “A lot of people remember last year at Florida State when she hit the big home run in the ninth to help us win that game,” Gajewski says. “She’s a middle of the order hitter, and I expect her to put up some pretty big numbers this year. She brings a fighter’s mentality. She’s just a tough, hard-nosed kid and a joy to be around.” Like Highway 259, Brantley’s road to Stillwater was a little more winding. A year ahead of Richbourg, her first stop after high school was Seminole State College. “I actually committed to Texas A&M Commerce first, which is Division II, but I decided that I wanted to try and go Division I, so I took the junior college route,” Brantley says. Seminole State has been a reg ular scrimmage opponent of the Cowgirls in fall ball, and that’s when Brantley set her sights on Stillwater. After our fall season was over, I was at a game with Jules, and I told her that I wanted to try and come here. She actually laughed at me.” Undeterred, Brantley transferred to softball powerhouse Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., for her sophomore season. After helping lead the team to a 53-6 record, she got the opportunity to realize her dream. “Shalee is kind of a lefthanded triple threat,” Gajewski says. “Hit, slap and bunt. Can run. Can score from first base, which is something that’s a huge thing to have. She came in here as an infielder but primarily plays outfield now. She’s going to pinch run, play some defense, do some pinch hitting and fight for a starting job.” Gajewski says he’s noticed another element to Brantley’s game this season.

“She’s starting to bring a little different leadership in her senior year here,” he says. “Shalee’s kind of a quiet kid. She doesn’t talk a lot, but when she does, we listen. She’s very observant about what’s going on. Very mature. She’s a kid that works hard, kills it in school and is the type of person we want here.” Callaham is a true freshman on the squad, reuniting with her former Broken Bow teammates last fall. “Jules can really run. She’s probably the fastest of all of them,” Gajewski says. “She’s a kid that can steal bases and score from first base. Jules came here as a catcher and outfielder. Lefthanded bunter/slapper first, but is working on her hitting and just continuing to get better every day that she’s here.” The trio’s lack of softball specialization made their transition to Big 12 Conference softball a little more challenging, but Gajewski says he actually prefers multi-sport athletes. “I think what we’re finding in our sport is that kids who only play one sport are more prone to over-use injuries and are more prone to injuries in general because their bodies aren’t cross-trained through other sports,” he says. “I like athletic kids that do well in basketball and softball and track or volleyball. We’re a big proponent of kids who play multiple sports. You need to play other sports and learn how to be a good teammate. “If you’re a Division I athlete — and there’s not a lot of those that are coming out of Broken Bow — these are the best of the very best. If you’re of that caliber, you need to be able to lead your school in a lot of ways, not just in sports, but be a leader in life. That’s how you leave your mark. And I think that’s what these kids have done where they’ve come from.” Brantley says she rarely had a day off going from sport to sport in high school. “We probably had one day off between each sport, and there was no easing into it. It was like zero to 100 from day one. We never got a break all year long until the summer. And then even then we would have maybe a week and we would start working out again and practicing.

“Our team was our friend group at school,” Brantley adds. “We’d all hang out together and then go to practice and hang out after practice. We were always together in every sport because we all did the same things. Personally, my favorite was basketball, I just wasn’t as good at it.” “I wouldn’t say we’re the smallest school,” Richbourg adds, “but our softball team was the whole basketball team, and the whole basketball team was most of the track team and the slow pitch team.” Gajewski says he’s seen marked improvement from all three. “These kids may not be as seasoned from coming from down there and not playing elite travel ball like a lot of our kids have, but I knew once they got here that they were going to really improve.” “The pitching was really what surprised me more than anything,” Richbourg says. “The speed is definitely a big change from high school. Other than that, I felt like I adjusted and just got out there and went for it.” That blue collar work ethic is rooted in their in Broken Bow upbringing, she adds.

“We put so much work in, even after games if it didn’t go how we wanted it to. There were times where Shalee and I would stay after games. They’d leave the lights on, and we’d hit with my dad — he’d pitch to us. There were times when we’d go to Jules’ house and hit in the cages. Before a game. After a game. Before practice. At night … we kind of had a mindset that we had to work harder than everybody to get where we wanted to be. It’s just like here, where you have to work harder if you want to play. You have to work if you want to get something.” Callaham agrees. “We work hard down there, and I think it correlates up here just how hard you have to work,” she says. “I hadn’t played any travel ball and I knew coming in that I was going to be behind. Coach G. told me when he recruited me, ‘You’re a little behind, but I think we can get you there.’ It’s been going great.” Gajewski expects Callaham to continue to make strides and compete for playing time this spring.

“IT’S GOT THE SAME HOMEY FEEL. THAT WAS A BIG REASON OF WHY I CAME HERE.” Jules Callaham

POSSE 29

BIG FEATS The coach has built a lasting friendship with Coach Williams and travels to Broken Bow often. He’s even led team retreats in that corner of Oklahoma. Gajewski says he’s not sure if the pipeline of players from Broken Bow to Stillwater will continue, but he’s glad to have those three on this year’s roster. “I think it’s unique that they’re from this little town of 5,000 and have become a big part of our program. I’m excited that they’re all here. “It’s just really cool to see,” he adds. “They’re great people. They come from great families. These kids know what hard work is all about, and it mirrors Stillwater in a lot of ways … in our culture and our blue collar mentality that we have around here. So it just make sense for us.” “It’s got the same homey feel,” Callaham says. “That was a big reason of why I came here.” By car, Broken Bow is about 250 miles from Stillwater. There are no shortcuts. “Any way you go, it’s four hours,” Brantley says. “Four solid hours.” There are no shortcuts in the classroom either. “Softball doesn’t follow everybody forever, so after you leave this program you have to have something you’re going to be able to continue through life,” says Callaham, who is studying animal science with a pre-vet option. “That’s where the classroom comes in and why it’s so important to me.” Gajewski calls them “true student-athletes.”

FALL 2020

“They are way above average in school. They are elite students. Michaela was first team academic all-Big 12. Shalee wants to work in the medical field. Jules is wanting to be a veterinarian. I think it tells you a little bit about the type of kids they are.” The coach says he’ll continue to pursue leads on recruits, whether in a major metroplex or in the far corner of the state. “We’re just continuing to build our contacts with people,” Gajewski says. “If Patrick calls me and says, ‘Hey, there’s a kid down here’ or ‘We ran across a kid we just played,’ I’m going to listen to what he says. I can trust his judgment. He knows the standard here. He knows the expectations here. He knows the type of kids that we want. I want to build more of those relationships. “We’re going to try and beat the bushes in our state first, so it’s kind of cool to have the southeast part of the state covered up. We can’t cover the entire country every single day, so this all about your relationships and people you know and trust. That’s how these things start.”

“THEY ARE WAY ABOVE AVERAGE IN SCHOOL. THEY ARE ELITE STUDENTS. I THINK IT TELLS YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TYPE OF KIDS THEY ARE.” Kenny Gajewski

POSSE 31

FALL 2020

A PLACE FOR

EVERYONE STORY BY KEVIN KLINTWORTH

“COWBOY BASEBALL HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT CHAMPIONSHIPS. WITH THE NEW BALLPARK, IT WILL ALSO BE ABOUT AN EXPERIENCE THE ENTIRE FAMILY CAN ENJOY.” — Larry Reece

POSSE 33

Oklahoma State Baseball has a new home. The move is historic. Not once-in-a-lifetimehistoric because, after all, OSU opened a new park in 1981. But 1981 gets further in the rear view mirror every day. Ronald Reagan was in his first year as president, and Jimmy Johnson was coaching Oklahoma State football. But it is still a rare occurrence. OSU has been playing ball just north of Bennett Hall since long before Allie P. Reynolds Stadium was constructed on the location. The site was called University Park and was home to the OSU baseball team for decades. And while OSU is saying goodbye to its historical home—a place where it won 20 conference championships in 39-plus years— it would be hard to blame the Cowboys if they literally sprinted up the street to their new digs. O’Brate Stadium, named for principle donor Cecil O’Brate, is not just a new gameday home for the program. The stadium is the heart of what can only be described as a new Cowboy baseball complex. An artificial turf practice infield, a pitching laboratory, a new indoor facility, a locker room twice the size of OSU’s dressing quarters at Allie P., premium areas, a 360-degree concourse and even a new parking lot all constitute the new facility on the corner of McElroy and Washington, just across the street from the Greenwood Tennis Center. As Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday likes to say, “O’Brate Stadium will make everyone happy.” “Honestly I think my favorite part is just the way things all came together,” Holliday said as construction began to wind down. “We started out with a focus on the player

FALL 2020

and the development of the team and the day in the life of a student-athlete concept. And then we started diving into the stadium itself and thought about creating an unbelievable ballpark our fans will love—one that will reach our student body and open our doors to the community. It all just kind of clicked, and that’s what is so fun to show people. “There’s something for everyone.”

The Pretty Stuff

At his introductory news conference, Holliday told those gathered that his pitch regarding the historic but aging Reynolds Stadium would be that recruits would have the opportunity to play where the greatest players in college baseball history had laced them up. And that spin, along with Holliday’s passion for his university and college baseball, has worked well. Under the former Cowboy player, Oklahoma State has never missed an NCAA Regional, added three more conference championships, made three appearances in the NCAA Super Regionals and returned to the College World Series for the first time since 1999. But by today’s standards, Reynolds Stadium had become a barebones facility and in many ways an obstacle. And with Bennett Hall to the south and OSU softball headquartered just beyond left field, a buildup around OSU’s traditional home was briefly considered but deemed impossible. Thus the move to O’Brate Stadium, which is already paying dividends.

“Facilities do mean a lot in recruiting, even though there are countless occurrences of great teams being built with modest facilities,” Holliday said. “But I think people who have had a chance to see our new place have been taken aback. “It has definitely opened the eyes of elite players and their families. It has changed the dynamic. It’s one thing to have drawings and plans and good intentions. It’s a whole new deal to be right down the home stretch of completing a world class facility. “We are getting access to some players that maybe we wouldn’t have had a chance to get a visit from in the past. And once you get on this beautiful campus and meet the wonderful people and start to realize all the awesome DNA that exists here, it makes for a great college experience.” For the players, there are some very tangible benefits to the new digs, including six new batting cages, state of the art pitching technology and bullpen sessions in a controlled climate. The turf practice field allows OSU to prepare for any kind of field conditions it may find on the road. “The synthetic turf has an extended infield and so we will have a tremendous amount of space and will be able to do a number of different things we’ve never been able to do before,” Holliday said. “It gives us premium space for drills, baserunning and defensive repetitions, pitcher fielding. And it will reduce the wear and tear on our natural grass inside O’Brate Stadium.

“We will have time to get the kids through a great workout and do so in a time frame that allows them to move on to the next stage of their day … more time for academic investment, more time to be students. “I can’t wait to get into the space every day and get into that environment to train and develop the kids. The building just north of left field is going to be a game changer for us. “I’m excited about the beautiful classroom setting we have created where we can meet as a group and prepare kids for the task at hand. To use teaching videos in an environment that gets them ready for practice that day or listen to a guest speaker, show video clips and current things that are happening in the sport ... things that are a part of these guys’ culture.

“So walking into that building, whether it’s the training room or weight room, the locker room, the team meeting room or heading up the steps to the coaches level, where we will be able to spread out and really attack our work and have a beautiful place to welcome alumni, it’s all exciting.” The former Cowboys, the ones that used Reynolds Stadium as a springboard to OSU’s nearly unmatched baseball achievements, have also been included in the O’Brate Stadium plans. “I think the other feature of the building I’m so excited about is the alumni locker room where past players, whether they are currently playing professional baseball or just back here going to school and finishing their degrees, also have a place where they

can locker and call home,” Holliday said. “We continue to keep the doors wide open for those guys beyond their playing years. We continue to encourage and to promote finishing school and getting degrees and give those guys a place to call home in the winter while they are training and getting ready for spring training. “We want the (new) facility to be someplace that the players who made Allie P. so special have a spot in as well so they can be a part of the excitement.”

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FALL 2020

For The Fans

As Holliday detailed, the early plans centered—rightfully so—on the studentathletes. But there was a lot of homework and attention paid to fan amenities, premium areas and the gameday experience in general. “We have a chance to create some new baseball experiences and environments, such as the club and suite areas and the outfield seating areas,” Holliday said. “It gives us a chance to tap into the awesome gameday atmosphere that we see in the fall at Boone Pickens Stadium.” The new park includes 13 suites and a club located on the media level. There will be food and drink options in the left and right field corners and a bleacher experience that will include grills for fans who want to create their own ballpark cuisine. “O’Brate Stadium will give OSU fans an opportunity for premium seating to watch one of the most tradition rich programs in college baseball history,” said OSU senior associate athletic director Larry Reece. “Cowboy baseball has always been about championships.

With the new ballpark, it will also be about an experience the entire family can enjoy. “During the construction process, a lot of people questioned if the field had been measured to the correct dimensions because the sheer size of the facility provides such a change in perspective. “The magnitude of the stadium will blow our fans away.” OSU athletic director Mike Holder wants O’Brate Stadium to spawn a new generation of Hollidays. “I wanted to build a place that produces more stories and more lives like Josh and Matt Holliday,” Holder said. “It’s not about the sport. It’s about them basically growing up at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. It was where they spent their childhood. It’s amazing listening to them talk about their memories of those days and the influence it had on their lives. “I want that for a lot more youngsters. I want families to be in that stadium. Those are my favorite pieces of the stadium—the areas for families.

“The magic happens when everything comes together. You need the facility, which leads to our coaches recruiting and developing the players, which leads to a full stadium. That’s when the magic happens.” With a new spacious parking lot behind center field, the gameday experience begins on a much better note for fans from the moment of arrival. A great benefit of Reynolds Stadium has always been its proximity to campus. But when it comes to parking, location has also been a hindrance. The tight squeeze on the northeast corner of campus was further cluttered with the popularity of Cowgirl softball program and its growing fan base. In the new digs, fans can enter O’Brate Stadium from center field and make their way around the concourse to seating along both foul lines and behind home plate. The traditional entry behind home plate remains an option as well.

“ THE MAGIC HAPPENS

WHEN EVERYTHING

COMES TOGETHER. — MIKE HOLDER

”

POSSE 37

WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART

Everyone was a child at some point and can identify with wrapped presents under a tree that can’t be opened until Christmas. The agonizing last two weeks of the holiday season drag by and occasionally lead to some “peeking” or maybe some “accidental” unwrapping. Josh Holliday can identify. But his Christmas season lasted almost two years, from the announcement of a new stadium in March of 2018 through the opening of the facility this spring. “I’d say there was a stretch there of at least 60 days on my way to work I’d drive around it, peek at it from the parking lot and then revert back to work,” Holliday said. “On my way home I’d do the same thing. The notable changes that took place in June, July and August were pretty awesome. There was so much going on, at least from the exterior. “During last season it was pretty easy to stay locked into baseball since we were so immersed in what we were doing. But when the season ended and summertime came, if I was in town it was pretty much a twice daily occurrence.” And now the wait is virtually over.

The Future

An intersection of events in the early 1980s helped launch Oklahoma State—and college baseball—into the national spotlight. Predating the decade was the arrival of Gary Ward as OSU’s head coach. He orchestrated the campaign for Reynolds Stadium and proceeded to stock the roster with power hitters and the gaudiest numbers in the history of the sport. At the same time, ESPN was born, and in its quest to fill the network with programming outside of Australian rules football, it stumbled across college baseball, the College World Series and players named Incaviglia and Ventura. As a result, OSU became a fixture on national television, a fixture at the College World Series and one of college baseball’s blue bloods. It is a label it still wears today.

FALL 2020

But can a new stadium still have the same kind of effect on a program when the world is such a different place? Lightning striking twice would seem hard to fathom. Baseball lived on the perimeter of college athletics when Reynolds Stadium was constructed. Today college baseball is much more in the mainstream, with entire conference networks seemingly built around the baseball and softball seasons and every pitch of every Regional and Super Regional now televised. The talent level has changed as well, with the Major League Baseball Draft skewing more and more toward players with college experience, a big change from 1981. Overall, the college baseball landscape is much more competitive than it was before OSU helped grow it in popularity. However, the construction and completion of O’Brate Stadium announces to the rest of the baseball community that OSU is all-in on the sport that it helped propel into the public eye. “Facilities are important because they illustrate a university’s commitment to a sport,” Holder said. “Baseball is important at Oklahoma State.” Consider the message delivered. “Some of the folks who have had a chance to see it say they feel like they are in a small major league park,” Holliday said. “So the awe factor has been delivered, but the seating is cozy like a Fenway or Wrigley. We didn’t lose the intimacy of a park and still built one heck of a stadium. Game on.

POSSE 39

FALL 2020

COURSE WORK Located on the northwest corner of campus, OSU’s newly revamped cross country course is set to host the 2020 NCAA Championships in November. Billed as the premier collegiate cross country course in the nation, the course boasts a blanket of fully irrigated running surface. But don’t let that beautiful Bermuda grass fool you – this turf will test the nation’s top runners with challenging terrain and deceptive hills over races from 5-10 kilometers.

B TO PHO

R ATE EW RU C

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POSSE 41

MOE

IBA STORY BY GENE JOHNSON

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A BL A S T F R OM T HE PA S T

POSSE 43

During his 36 years as head basketball coach for the Aggies and Cowboys, Hall of Fame coach Henry P. Iba led two teams to NCAA titles, made four trips to the Final Four, won 14 Missouri Valley championships plus a Big Eight crown. The celebrated Iba also coached three U.S. Olympic squads. At the time of his 1970 retirement, Iba had posted 757 victories on his resume, the third best total in the history at the time.

“I had never heard of basketball lectures until I played for Mr. Iba in the Olympics,” said former U.S. senator, past presidential candidate and NBA star Bill Bradley. “But his lectures were as much about life as they were basketball.” What would it be like to be the son of this legendary coach? More unnerving perhaps, what would it be like to have your father as your legendary coach? The year was 1939. Time magazine’s man of the year was Russian leader Joseph Stalin. Yankee Lou Gehrig’s streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive starts came to an end. The college craze was swallowing goldfish and Henry W. [Moe] Iba was born to Henry P. and Doyne Iba in Stillwater, Okla. Shortly thereafter, an uncle hung the moniker Moe on the infant, after a popular comic strip baby that never grew. IT STUCK. Eighty-year-old Moe Iba looks at least 15 years younger than his chronological age. He played for his dad, then went on to coach college basketball for 32 seasons. Moe’s life-long friend since grade school, Stan Ward, told me, “Moe deserves a story. Cowboy fans need to know more about him. I hope you do a good job.” SO HERE GOES.

FALL 2020

Meeting Moe

I was a freshman basketball player at Oklahoma State during Moe’s senior year. I’d see him on the rare occasion when the varsity practiced with us underlings, and they would work us over pretty good. Moe’s teammate, all-conference forward, Cecil Epperly, remembers those days. “We were just trying to toughen you guys up.” One 100-plus degree July evening in Gallagher Hall, several basketball players worked out. Sweat dripped off everyone. I shagged balls for Moe as he sank 113 consecutive free throws, then missed before drilling another 47. AMAZING. I’VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A SOFT TOUCH. Fast forward some 58 years, and I’d probably seen Moe twice — both times at basketball reunions — and we only spoke briefly. This past September, Moe showed up at Mike Boynton’s annual reunion of former players, which makes all us old guys feel appreciated. I saw Moe across the court from me. He looked dapper in a dark pullover sweater, tailored slacks and polished loafers. Possessing a full head of hair, which was mostly grey with specs of brown, his raspy voice reminded me of his dad’s. Approaching him, he smiled as we shook hands and exchanged small talk. I found Moe to be an easy person to talk with. Before we parted, he gave me the okay to write a story on him. I looked forward to it as it provided me an opportunity to get to know him better and, hopefully, the same for Cowboy fans.

Starting in Stillwater

For Moe, growing up in Stillwater was the perfect place. “Small college town, and I attended all the high school and college sporting events,” he said. “As a young teenage boy, I could leave in the morning with some of my friends, spend the day playing ball or whatever, then return in the evening and nobody worried about us. “Dad was a normal dad. He taught me to hunt and fish. Of course, being a coach, he was gone a lot. Mom instructed me on how to play golf and was there with me all the time. They were both excellent parents and taught me to be the best person I could be. I had a very good upbringing. Mom was probably the best female golfer in Stillwater, winning several state championships. She loved to play, and it was excellent exercise for her. Her father had been a U.S. congressman from Missouri for 18 years.” MOE’S INTEREST IN BASKETBALL CAME AT AN EARLY AGE. “I can’t say exactly when,” he ref lects, “because, at a young age, probably four or five, I would go to practices with Dad all the time. I played on my first town team when I was about six-years-old, and then on the 12-14 age group. Our Stillwater team won a state championship. All I wanted to do was shoot baskets. “I don’t think I was that good at baseball,” Moe added. “And during football season, all I wanted to do was shoot the basketball, so that’s what I did.” Moe became an all-state player and a high school All-American, but broke his hand as the state playoffs began. Ironically, on that same high school squad was Epperly, Don Linsenmeyer and Eddie Bunch, all of whom became stellar players for OSU. LINSENMEYER WAS A FAN OF MOE IBA. “He could shoot lights out with anyone,” he said of his former teammate. He was a terrific ball handler and passer, smart player and a great teammate.”

“HE COULD SHOOT LIGHTS OUT WITH ANYONE.” — Don Linsenmeyer

As a youngster, Moe knew there was something special about his dad. “I don’t remember the national championship teams in 1945 and ’46, but in 1949, when I was 10 years old, I listened on the radio to the NCAA finals when Kentucky beat us. I knew Dad was very successful. I saw how other coaches respected him for his innovations, coaching abilities and because he was honest.” Moe, on high school Stillwater’s Hall of Fame coach Martin “Red” Loper: “Red was great, I spent a lot of time talking basketball with him after I got out of high school. He was very knowledgeable.” Following Moe’s senior year, TCU offered him a full scholarship, and he accepted. “I was in Gallagher Hall working out for the upcoming all-state game when trainer Doc Johnson walked onto the court and asked me what I thought about coming to OSU,” Moe said. “I told him, ‘Of course I wanted to come.’ That was the first time anyone had asked me. Back then a letter of intent wasn’t binding, so I switched. Dad never said anything to me about it.”

POSSE 45

TERRY NOVAK Former Nebraska Player Terry Novak “The older I get, the more I appreciate Moe, and what a super, genuine gentleman he was and is. I value his friendship. When he was coaching, he frequently yelled at me, but I knew it was to make me better. “Today Moe remains one of my best friends. I’d do anything for that guy. A few of us get together two or three times a year for golfing and fishing outings and we’ll continue to do that as long as Moe wants to do it. We’ve already scheduled an Arizona event for next year. “We don’t really go out in the evenings, but I believe he is impressed with our beer drinking abilities. Moe takes good care of himself, but when we’re all together, he seems to enjoy the rest of us acting like clowns. He frequently refers to Stillwater as God’s Country. I laugh and tell him that is a stretch. “You probably have maybe four or five basketball coaches in your life from little league through college; I learned a lot about basketball from Moe. After Moe’s dad retired, he would come up for a week or so to watch us practice. Marvelous man, Mr. Iba. He would talk to anyone, whether you were the star or the last guy on the end of the bench. Moe has those same characteristics. I see where he gets them.”

FALL 2020

Dad MOE IBA WAS BORED BY HIS FRESHMAN SEASON. “I felt it was a waste of time,” he said. “We couldn’t play on the varsity nor could we play any real games. Occasionally we got to scrimmage the varsity. Only thing besides practice that we could do was play intramural teams, which wasn’t a lot of fun.” B e g i n n i n g h i s s o p h o m o r e y e a r, disappointment engulfed Moe as he had knee surgery and had to redshirt. He didn’t play in a single game, which was a bitter pill for Moe to swallow. Finally, following 12 months of rehab and preparation for a return to the court, Moe saw action. As a part-time starter he averaged just over five points a game, his high being 19 against Kansas State during a season he remembers as “losing a few more than we won.” As a junior starter, Moe averaged 11 points per game, scoring 21 against both K-State and Iowa State. “Looking back, that was my best year,” said Moe. “I stayed healthy, we won some games and finished third in the conference.” Also, that season Moe connected on 92 percent of his free throws, including 11-for11 against Colorado. Moe’s season free throw percentage set a record that stood for 46 years — until 2017 when Phil Forte hit 95 percent of his attempts, breaking the OSU record and leading the NCAA in the process. Readying themselves for Moe’s final season, the Cowboys seemed poised for success. It appeared the Pokes would have four starters from Stillwater High. They called themselves the Four Amigos: Moe Iba; junior post player Eddie Bunch; junior Epperly, an absolute demon on the boards who would lead the conference the following season in rebounding; and sophomore Linsenmeyer, who could do it all and might have been the best player of the bunch.

But it was not to be. Moe and Linsenmeyer both went down with knee injuries. Linsenmeyer was just coming into his own and averaged 19 points per game his last two pre-injury outings. Moe played in 15 games, averaging 12.5 points. Toward the end of the season, Moe didn’t know if he could play, but after discussing it with Mr. Iba, decided to give it a try. “There were about four games left: Kansas, Nebraska, K-State and OU,” Moe said with a smile, “and we won all four of them! I’m kind of proud of that fact.” K-State was ranked third in the nation at that time. Beating them was a huge deal, and Moe played a major role in those victories. The Nebraska encounter was a nail-biter. OSU trailed by a point with six ticks left and a jump ball on the Husker free-throw line. Epperly, a terrific leaper, tipped the ball to Moe who had a head of steam up as he raced toward midcourt. He caught the ball in stride and released it two steps before he reached half-court. As a witness to the event, the ball seemed to float in slow motion, and then suddenly, the ball went in! PANDEMONIUM BROKE OUT WITH FANS STORMING THE COURT TO EMBRACE THE VICTORS. “Yes, I remember that game,” Moe says, with a grin. “Thing is,” Moe reflected, “I really didn’t expect to play again. It’s one of those things I look back on, and I’m glad I did it. If Don and I don’t get hurt, we might have won a few more games.” The Cowboys finished 14-11 (7-7 in conference for a fourth-place finish). After great expectations, it turned into a disappointing season. But Moe was ready to get on with his life.

Coach Moe Iba FOR AS LONG AS HE COULD REMEMBER MOE IBA WANTED TO BE A COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACH, JUST LIKE HIS DAD. “Only thing about being the son of the coach,” said Moe, “is that I wanted to be accepted by the coaches and the players, and I believe I was. What I got out of college basketball was a foundation to take with me into coaching. I learned so much from my dad — offense and defense, really all parts of the game. If things were going bad for me, I tried to recall what he would do. “That next year, 1962, along with my wife Cindy (a former OSU cheerleader) and young sons Bret and Greg, we moved to El Paso, where I took a job as an assistant to Don Haskins.” The school is now known as UTEP — back then it was called Texas Western. “The only reason I got the job was Don had played for Dad,” Moe said. “Being the only assistant coach, I coached the freshman team and assisted Don with the varsity, plus helped recruit. Don pretty much ran things as Dad did, except he applied more defensive pressure on their guards, so there wasn’t a lot for me to learn. “Don had been a great shooter in college, had terrific eye-hand coordination, was a good golfer and would take your money on the pool table. I’m fortunate Don hired me. He was a great coach and a really, really good recruiter. He could charm the recruit, his mother and whoever else might be in the room. It’s remarkable how Don got all those kids down there. We had terrific players, players who could play today.

“Bobby Joe Hill, one of the quickest players I ever saw, drove Don crazy by dribbling and passing behind his back, but he was good at it. Don was constantly on him, raising hell with him. I was having dinner with Don, and he’s complaining to me about Bobby Joe. Finally, I suggested to Don that he would either have to run Bobby Joe off or let him do what he was capable of doing. Don was quiet. Next practice he began to pull back some.” Fast forward three years to the 1965-66 season: UTEP won the national championship, beating Kentucky in the finals. A Hollywood movie, Glory Road, was filmed, based on this event. According to Moe, “Some UTEP fans felt our 1963 squad was better than our championship team. That team included Jim Barnes who

went on to be the number one pick in the 1963 NBA draft. Also, Glory Road compresses everything into one year, when it actually took three. But overall, I thought they did a good job with the movie. “We really didn’t know what we had with that ’66 team; but then we played No. 4 Iowa on the road and beat them by 40,” he added. “We knew we were pretty special and began steamrolling. We only had two regular season games in which we had a chance of losing. Beating Adolph Rupp and Kentucky, was that a big deal? Not really. The movie had innuendos about racism since our team was black and Kentucky was white. We didn’t see it that way. We just wanted to win a championship. I do think that game helped open doors for black athletes in the southeast.”

POSSE 47

“I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM MY DAD.”

FALL 2020

STAN WARD The Head Coach FOLLOWING THE 1966 SEASON, MOE IBA BECAME THE HEAD COACH AT MEMPHIS STATE. “I thought I knew a lot, but found out I didn’t,” he said. “It was a mistake. I wasn’t ready. Memphis had never had a black player and freshmen couldn’t play. The first year, as an independent, we won 17 games and went to the NIT. Then we joined the Missouri Valley Conference, and I was able to recruit a few players. My last year there I recruited two that would eventually lead Memphis to the NCAA finals, losing to UCLA. But I lost my job because we didn’t have good years in the conference.” Moe went on to take the freshman job at Nebraska and then became an assistant to Joe Cipriano at the school. When Cipriano got cancer in 1980, Moe became the head coach. “Nebraska was my favorite job,” Moe recalls, “We had good teams, went to three NITs back when only 32 teams got in the NCAAs, and my final season, 1986, we went to the NCAA Tournament, a place where Nebraska had never been. “Unfortunately, I had a problem with a regent so I resigned.” Moe spent one year as an assistant coach at Drake University. Jim Killingsworth, a friend of Moe’s and a former OSU head coach, retired at TCU and was instrumental in getting Moe that job. “That was a good job,” he said. “I enjoyed my time there, and we had four or five good teams. We played in the Southwest Conference, and if you didn’t win your conference, you couldn’t go to the NCAA, which we weren’t going to do any time soon, so I decided to retire from college coaching.”

And Now

“I think you know I lost my wife Cindy a while back,” Moe said. “We married during college. She was a wonderful mom and wife. She took care of the kids, enjoyed sports, supported me well while I was coaching and was always there for me. Her passing was a great loss.” MOE RETIRED FROM BASKETBALL, BUT DIDN’T REALLY RETIRE FROM BASKETBALL. “For seven years I was an NBA scout, working at different times for Detroit and Toronto,” he said. “It was something I enjoyed, but lots of travel. I’ve liked having free time, and it’s enabled me to get closer to my three sons (Bret, Greg and Blake), which has been good for me. “My health enables me to play golf, take fishing trips, travel and do whatever I want to do. Plus, I have a circle of great friends I enjoy. “After I’d been out for several years, Haskins, also retired, asked me if I missed it. I told him no and didn’t see how some guys coach into their mid-70s and he agreed. “Someone asked me if I ever shoot free throws anymore. I haven’t shot any in a long time with one exception. A few years ago, I was with a group on a fishing trip in Alaska and we were staying at a lodge. Outside was a basketball goal and a ball. I went outside, picked up the ball and shot it. It came up about four feet short and I’ve never picked up another ball,” Moe laughed. M O E S TI LL K E E PS A N E Y E O N STILLWATER AND THE OKLAHOMA STATE BASKETBALL PROGRAM. “I think (Mike) Boynton has the right stuff and will do a wonderful job,” he said. “They hired the right guy!” “Something else I’d like to add to your story,” he concluded. “I realize Dad accomplished a lot of good for OSU. He earned Oklahoma State a lot of respect, fame, glory and notoriety. At the same time the university has done a wonderful job recognizing and appreciating my father.

The lifelong relationship between Stan Ward and Moe began at Eugene Fields Elementary school in Stillwater. “We played on the same little league teams. Moe was in my wedding. We always kept up with each other, and then one day we woke up and we are both 80! Neither one of us have a brother, but Moe is like a brother to me. “Dedicated, at an early age, to becoming a great basketball player, Moe spent countless hours on the court shooting the ball. Moe also had excellent eye-hand coordination and could hit a baseball better than any of us. “In high school, Moe would attend the OSU practice sessions, and on occasion, played ‘horse’ against varsity players. More often than not, he won. Too bad the three-point shot wasn’t in back in those days because that’s where Moe shot from. “The only regret I have for Moe is that he never coached at OSU. He bled orange all the time he was here and had deep affections for the program.”

“But I want the fans to know how much OSU meant to him. It was everything. He used to say, ‘Family comes first, then OSU and last, basketball.’ He appreciated and loved everyone and everything about Oklahoma State. That was his whole life. Also, I loved OSU as well. Still do.” So, Cowboy fans, here is your Moe Iba story: From OSU royalty, someone who bleeds orange, a basketball player extraordinaire, long-time coach. I found him to be sincere, humble, easy to communicate with, a quality individual and a family man — a delightful blast from the past!

Author solicits your comments/questions @osu52johnson@yahoo.com or 405-922-0096.

POSSE 49

TOP 150 DONORS (BASED ON PRIORITY POINTS)

AS OF JULY 1, 2020

1 Boone Pickens â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6,116,022 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Malone & Amy Mitchell William S. Smith Patterson Family Dennis & Cindy Reilley John A. Clerico W & W Steel, LLC Michael & Anne Greenwood Robert A. Funk Ross & Billie McKnight Karsten Manufacturing A.J. & Susan Jacques Anonymous #18 Vicki & Bob Howard Harold Courson Helmerich Family Jim & Mary Barnes Chesapeake Energy, Inc. ONEOK, Inc. Joe & Connie Mitchell Simmons Bank Ken & Jimi Davidson Jack & Carol Corgan Mike & Robbie Holder OSU Foundation OSU President's Office Kent & Margo Dunbar Watson Family Foundation Chad Clay Baloo & Maribeth Subramaniam

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31 Greg & Rhonda Casillas 32 David & Tracy Kyle 33 Waits Family 34 OG&E 35 Vickie & Tucker Link Foundation 36 Russ Harrison & Natalie Shirley 37 Richard Bogert 38 Gary & Jerri Sparks 39 The Cobb Family 40 Johnston Enterprises 41 RCB Bank 42 Calvin & Linda Anthony 43 Cecil & Frances O'Brate 44 Bryant & Carla Coffman 45 Anonymous #1 46 Mike Bode & Preston Carrier 47 Brad & Margie Schultz 48 Jerry & Rae Winchester 49 Gary & Claudia Humphreys 50 Joullian & Co. 51 Darton & Jamie Zink 52 Lambert Construction 53 Baab Legacy, LLC 54 Joe & Vickie Hall 55 Mark & Lisa Snell 56 Flintco, Inc. 57 Jana Drummond 58 Anonymous #2 59 Wiese Family

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

KNABCO, Corp OSU Center for Health Sciences Phil & Ruth Terry OSU Business Office Barry & Roxanne Pollard David & Julie Ronck Ed Evans E. Turner & Cynthia Davis American Fidelity Steve & Diane Tuttle Z Equipment, LLC Anonymous #3 Jameson Family, LLC Jay & Connie Wiese Chip & Cindy Beaver Sparks Financial Mark & Beth Brewer Steve & Jennifer Grigsby Bank of Oklahoma Ed & Kathy Raschen Pam J. Russell Patterson UTI Atlas Asphalt Products Fechner Pump & Supply Vicki & Jim Click Larry Albin Anonymous #4 Richard & Joan Welborn David Bradshaw

OSU ATHLETICS POSSE POINT SYSTEM The Priority Point System provides a fair, consistent and transparent method of providing benefits to donors in exchange for their financial investments in OSU athletics. Donors gain points three ways: Contributions All current and lifetime contributions (cash or stock) are worth 3 points per $100 donation. Planned (deferred) gifts in the new Leave a Legacy Endowment Campaign will receive 1 point per $100. Commitment Donors will earn one point each year for purchasing season tickets (one point per sport annually), as well as one point for each year of POSSE donations.

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Connection with the University Donors (or their spouses) who are OSU Alumni receive a one-time 10 point bonus, as do OSU faculty/staff and letterwinners. Points never diminish and will carry over to subsequent years. Donors retain all previously earned Priority Points in their giving history. For questions about the POSSE Priority Point System, email posse@ okstate.edu or call us at 405-744-7301.

HOW DO MY POINTS RANK?

as of JULY 1, 2020 Points

Rank

6,116,022 240,562 68,303 42,865 35,050 28,107 19,740 11,106 5,632 2,667 881 249 92 60

1 5 25 50 75 100 150 250 500 1000 2500 5000 7500 8500

POSSE 51

FALL 2020

ooted

in Stillwater STORY BY RYAN CAMERON

How long did it take first-year Cowgirl head coach Greg Robertson to earn sweat equity in Oklahoma State and its golf programs? Less than 48 hours.

On an August Friday in 1993, Robertson arrived in Stillwater via New Mexico to begin his collegiate journey, staying with teammate Billy Brown. “The first night I got into town, he told me to make sure and wear some clothes I could get dirty. We had to be at the golf course in the morning so we didn’t really know what we were going to be doing,” Robertson said. The Cowboys’ future home, Karsten Creek, was under construction at the time. Therefore, any team members in town preparing for the start of the academic year and not competing in the summer’s final amateur events spent the majority of that Saturday laying sod on the course’s closing hole.

“We basically laid half or two-thirds of the 18th fairway,” Robertson said. “It was 90-something degrees and humid and we hated everything about it, but you look back on it now and it was a pretty cool thing we did.” To this day, the satisfaction from a hard day’s work and the lessons gained from it still exist for Robertson. “It was good, and it is what Coach Holder is all about, having an appreciation for what you are a part of,” Robertson said. “Any time we hit a shot on 18, I think we may have laid that piece of sod right there, and I have a bit more appreciation for what we have here.”

POSSE 53

“The setting made it even better, getting to spend one of the most important and best days of your life at a place you love.” — Greg Robertson

Robertson developed such an appreciation for Karsten Creek, it was the chosen site for one of his most significant life moments — his wedding. With the turf he helped lay as part of the picturesque backdrop, he married his wife, Ashlee, on July 12, 2003, on the patio overlooking Lake Louise. “Karsten Creek and Oklahoma State were special places for me. My wife grew up in Stillwater and went to school at Oklahoma State. Her dad was a professor at Oklahoma State. Both of us had a lot of ties and love for Stillwater and for Oklahoma State, and this place was special to me,” Robertson said. “The setting made it even better, getting to spend one of the most important and best days of your life at a place you love. Everything about it, having spent four years here and being special in terms of golf, and to have your wedding in the same place is pretty cool.” Before he could find his way to the backdrop that would set the course for his future, he first had to find his way to the golf course. So what was it that drew Robertson to the game?

FALL 2020

The competition? The pursuit of victory? The satisfaction of a well-struck shot? None of the above. Rather the distinct sound of metal spikes meeting the concrete cart paths proved to be the lure. “When I was young, probably five- or sixyears-old, my parents played,” Robertson said. “I loved the sound they made on the ground so I told my parents that I wanted some of those shoes. They told me if I got into it and played, they would get me some of those shoes.” With the spikes providing the initial hook, the game eventually sealed the deal and provided the Robertsons a chance to spend time together as a family. With both parents being educators, the end of the school day meant everybody was available at the same time to hit the links. “The golf course was right across the street from where my dad was the elementary school physical education coach so we would go to the golf course. There was a little triangle where we could play three holes and come back to the clubhouse. We would go out there as a family and play three holes,” Robertson said.

From three holes with the family, Robertson progressed to tournament golf as an eightyear-old before graduating to national events a few years later. At the high school level, Robertson won a pair of state championships at New Mexico Military Institute and was twice runner-up. While consistently finding himself in the top five on the leaderboard and advancing to match play at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Robertson began to gain the attention of college programs. However, one coach in particular showed interest, and the decision was essentially made. “When I was younger, I knew about the tradition and the program at Oklahoma State. It wasn’t until I got that initial letter from Coach Holder that it became real. Once I got the letter from him, from that point I was mostly in with Oklahoma State,” Robertson said. “I took visits to Oklahoma State, New Mexico and UTEP and had one set up for UNLV. After my visit here, I decided this was the place to go.”

JOJO ROBERTSON

Already well versed in the history of the Cowboy program, when Robertson saw with his own eyes the future, the past and what it truly had to offer, he knew Stillwater was home. “For me when I got here, Karsten Creek was just being built. Coach Holder took me out and the holes were cut out of the trees and there was no grass on them so you kind of had to visualize what was going on. He showed me his vision for the course and the plans and the layout,” Robertson said. “When I saw the national championship trophies and the All-America plaques, I knew this is where I wanted to be.” Following his collegiate career, Robertson’s transition to the coaching profession was not immediate. Multiple trips to Qualifying School, a season on the Canadian Tour and a start at the PGA Tour’s Nissan Open would come first. “I gave it a shot for a couple of years and got to the second stage of Q-School. I have always had an interest in coaching, and as I was getting into my last year of playing and

having given it a shot for a couple of years, it is not easy. I was kind of thinking I need to have a Plan B because I don’t want to be a 38-yearold playing mini tours,” Robertson said. After seeing the University of Florida had a volunteer assistant on its staff, Robertson made a phone call to his former head coach in Stillwater and expressed interest in getting his career started. Holder agreed, and Robertson’s new career plan began to take shape. Robertson spent time working in the golf shop at Karsten Creek as well as with the OSU men’s team. The following summer, a series of events would begin which would ultimately lead Robertson back to Stillwater. Purdue’s Devon Brouse had an opening for an assistant coach, and it just so happened he crossed paths with Holder on the recruiting trail and asked if he had any suggestions for the position. The OSU head coach did, and Robertson had landed his first coaching gig.

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In West Lafayette, Robertson was given the title of associate head coach, which would be key to his future as well. In that role, Robertson would spend time working with both the men’s and women’s programs. To that point, he had solely focused on working on the men’s side. However, the women’s program was enjoying immense success, and Brouse urged him to spend more time at their practices and accompany them to tournaments. “I really was only working with the guys. To be honest with you, that was all I really wanted to do,” Robertson said. “After I started spending time with the women’s team, I started to realize it was fun, and I enjoyed working with them.” Near the end of a decade-plus run of success that included a national championship in 2010, five Big Ten crowns and 16 All-America selections, the next meeting of chance would occur and bring Robertson one step closer to Stillwater. The head coaching position at Kent State had opened mid-year, and Robertson assumed the next coach was already lined up. Therefore, he did not pursue the post. However, while inputting scores during Purdue’s event that spring, he overheard Kent State coach Herb Page’s inquiry to Brouse about potential candidates. Immediately upon finishing his tournament duties, Robertson zipped an e-mail to Page to express his interest. Within days, Page contacted Robertson. “I told him I would drive over there right then if he wanted me to. He said he would bring me in after the conference championship, which was about a week later. So I went over, they offered me the job, and I took it,” Robertson said. “Had I not heard that and waited any longer, they were getting ready to make their decision in the next day or two.” Robertson doesn’t just consider himself fortunate in the circumstances that have shaped his career path. He counts himself lucky in that every step along the way he has drawn from some of the greatest names in the history of college golf.

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In addition to competing for the man he describes as “the best golf coach who ever lived” in Mike Holder, Robertson learned from former OSU assistant Bruce Heppler, who has gone on to a highly successful head coaching career at Georgia Tech. Upon graduating from OSU, Robertson spent his final year of eligibility under J.T. Higgins at New Mexico, who has a national championship on his résumé. Mix in coaching stints with former Cowboy head coach Mike McGraw, Brouse and Page, and you realize Robertson has had an encyclopedia’s-worth of knowledge at his disposal as he has skyrocketed through the coaching ranks. “If you take all of those coaches that I got to spend time around playing for, working with or working under, I don’t know if anybody else has had that kind of experience that I have been fortunate enough to have,” Robertson said. “There are a lot of different ways to coach and a lot of different ways to do things. It has been an unbelievable ride for me and what I have been able to learn along the way.” In his six seasons as head coach at Kent State, Robertson put that knowledge to good use, winning 27 tournament titles, including six Mid-American Conference championships. He led the Golden Flashes to three consecutive NCAA Championships, where they advanced to match play twice. Only the top eight finishers in stroke play advance to match play, the final stop on the road to the national championship. You do not have to look far to see why Robertson was destined to be a coach and a successful one at that. In addition to the list of legends he has coached or played under, Robertson’s father, Andy, was a high school football coach, while his mother, Becky, served as a high school golf coach. His sister, JoJo, enjoyed a decorated career at OSU and has gone on to a successful run as head coach of the Texas Tech women’s program. “As a family, honestly the best coach in our family is my mom. She coached high school golf in New Mexico for 16 years, won 14 state championships and finished second twice,” Robertson said.

“Having coaching in your blood and that competitiveness and work ethic all point to him being a really good coach.” — Alan Bratton

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“Coming from a coaching family we all try to help each other out. We all pull for each other and from each other, and we are always sending as a group anything we find about coaching to each other.” Cowboy head coach Alan Bratton vividly recalls Robertson’s recruiting visit and witnessing a coach in the making. “We went to the football game, and I can remember sitting with him and he was calling the plays from the stands. He knew this is a run, this is a pass after watching one series from the opposing team. He knew something in their scheme, and I remember being fascinated by that,” Bratton said. “Having coaching in your blood and that competitiveness and work ethic all point to him being a really good coach.” And while the thought of returning to Stillwater may have been in the back of his mind, Robertson maintained tunnel vision and stayed locked on the task at hand. “When I was at Kent, we were just doing our thing, and I never thought about where I was going to go from there. We were just focused on doing the best we could and trying to win a national championship there,” Robertson said. “In the end, this job opened up, and for me and my family it’s a perfect situation.” In his efforts to carry over the momentum of his success at Kent State, Robertson landed a key recruit in the form of assistant coach Maddi Swaney. Robertson inherited the young assistant upon taking the job with the Golden Flashes and quickly realized retaining her was the right choice and a key ingredient to the successes he has had. “When I first got there, they told me I could hire whoever I wanted. They told me she was a hard worker, and I thought I will try this for a year. She knew everything about Kent State. It was the best decision I ever made,” Robertson said. To elevate the OSU program, Robertson has emphasized the importance of being able to bring his trusted assistant into the fold. MADDI SWANEY

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“For the level of success we had at Kent State and what we are trying to get done here, she was 100 percent a part of what we have done. So for me to be able to bring her here and hit the ground running and keep that continuity is huge,” Robertson said. “I have let her become her own coach, and I trust everything she does. I would not be where I am without her.” Where he is now is a place with lofty standards, and Bratton expects his former teammate to thrive because of his familiarity, his track record elsewhere and the resources now available to him. “There is a comfort level for him because he is coming home. He understands the expectation. He has benefitted from knowing he could do it somewhere else. He took Kent

State to a level they had never been to with their women’s program so there is a confidence that what he knows and what he believes and values works anywhere,” Bratton said. “Now he gets to come back where you have support and a fanbase that loves golf like nowhere else.” Not only does Bratton believe Robertson will take the Cowgirls to unprecedented heights, he feels both programs will fuel each other. “I draw from Donnie (Darr) a lot because he has coached at other places. I only know here, so collectively, Maddi and Greg bring another outside influence as well. He has played for and worked for other coaches at other universities. That adds value, and I can learn from them both. We can learn from each other and share ideas, get better and not get stale,” Bratton said.

A s Rober t son begins to put his fingerprints on the Cowgirl program, he agrees knowing the Cowboys have long been the standard in college golf will benefit him in his efforts. “What I have wanted to do from day one is try to pull from the men’s side. The success that they are having does nothing but help us out and vice versa. If we are both playing at a high level, it just validates the quality of the program you have here and that you can get it done here,” Robertson said. “Everything I know about this place you can be successful, you can recruit the best, you can get the best and you can have the best team in the country.”

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Baseball

10.25 When OSU announced its scholarship endowment initiative, the athletic program was last in the Big 12. Now, more than halfway through the 10-year program, OSU leads the conference.

Full Scholarship

But we’re not finished yet.

Half Scholarship

Dennis and Karen Wing (2) | Hal Tompkins Sandy Lee | Jennifer and Steven Grigsby Mike Bode and Preston Carrier (2) David and Julie Ronck Sally Graham Skaggs

Quarter Scholarship

OSU awards 229 full scholarships to studentathletes each year at a cost of $4.5 million. Each dollar freed up through endowed scholarships goes back into our programs. Better equipment. Better facilities. Better support. Each dollar has a direct impact on the lives of our student-athletes.

Bryant and Carla Coffman David and Grace Helmer | Jill Rooker Martha Seabolt | Dr. Scott Anthony John and Beverly Williams Richard and Lawana Kunze

Equestrian

1.25

“Each scholarship we endow secures the future of OSU athletics and provides more opportunities for our student-athletes on and off the field,” says Mike Holder, Vice President for Athletic Programs and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Full Scholarship

Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam

Quarter Scholarship

David and Gina Dabney

Football

33.0

This is the list of all the generous supporters who have helped to provide a bright orange future.

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

They are our Honor Roll.

Full Scholarship

Bob and Kay Norris Bryant and Carla Coffman / The Merkel Foundation David LeNorman | Dennis and Karen Wing (2) Dr. Mark and Beth Brewer Jack and Carol Corgan Jim Click | John and Gail Shaw Ken and Jimi Davidson | Leslie Dunavant Mike and Kristen Gundy Mike and Robbie Holder Ron Stewart | Ross and Billie McKnight Sandy Lee | Tom and Sandra Wilson Wray and Julie Valentine James and Mary Barnes

Half Scholarship

Quarter Scholarship

Al and Martha Strecker Arthur “Andy” Johnson, Jr. Arthur Couch | Barry and Roxanne Pollard Bill and Ruth Starr | Brad and Leah Gungoll Brian K. Pauling Bridgecreek Investment Management LLC Bryan Close | David and Cindy Waits David and Gina Dabney | Dr. Berno Ebbesson Dr. Ron and Marilynn McAfee Eddy and Deniece Ditzler | Flintco

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Men’s Golf

5.25

Full Scholarship

David and Julie Ronck Dennis and Karen Wing Jack and Carol Corgan Men’s Golf Scholarship Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam

Half Scholarship Simmons Bank

General

1.25

Half Scholarship

Quarter Scholarship

Bob and Elizabeth Nickles Garland and Penny Cupp Richard and Joan Welborn

Terry and Martha Barker

Quarter Scholarship

David and Judy Powell Kenneth and Susan Crouch Sally Graham Skaggs

0.75

Quarter Scholarship

Bob and Joan Hert | Neal Seidle Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

Men’s Basketball

23.5

Full Scholarship

Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam A.J. and Susan Jacques Bill and Marsha Barnes Brett and Amy Jameson Calvin and Linda Anthony Chuck and Kim Watson David and Julie Ronck (1.25) Dennis and Karen Wing (2) Douglas and Nickie Burns Griff and Mindi Jones James and Mary Barnes | Jim Vallion Ken and Jimi Davidson Kent and Margo Dunbar | KimRay Inc. Sandy Lee | Mitch Jones Memorial

Half Scholarship

David and Julie Ronck Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow Jay and Connie Wiese | Sally Graham Skaggs Stan Clark | Billy Wayne Travis Holloman Family

Quarter Scholarship

Dr. Scott and Lynne Anthony Gary and Sue Homsey Michael and Heather Grismore Rick and Suzanne Maxwell Robert and Sharon Keating Steve and Suzie Crowder Terry and Donna Tippens

Bill and Roberta Armstrong Bill and Sally Cunningham Donald Coplin | Jill Rooker Richard and Linda Rodgers Jo Hughes and Deborah J. Ernst Richard Melot

Women’s Golf

2.0

Full Scholarship

Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam

Half Scholarship

David and Julie Ronck

Men’s Tennis

Quarter Scholarship

Women’s Tennis

0.75

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

Graduate Athlete

Quarter Scholarship

Half Scholarship

Jim McDowell Men's

Men’s Track

0.75

Quarter Scholarship

Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow Susan Anderson | Ken and Leitner Greiner

Soccer

1.0

Full Scholarship

James and Mary Barnes

Softball

0.75

Quarter Scholarship

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton Richard Melot Ann Dyer

Women’s Basketball

7.25

Full Scholarship

Brad and Margie Schultz Ken and Jimi Davidson Mike Bode and Preston Carrier

Half Scholarship

Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam Don and Mary McCall John and Caroline Linehan Calvin and Linda Anthony Mike Bode and Preston Carrier

Amy Weeks | Kent and Margo Dunbar

0.5

Quarter Scholarship Jamie Maher Richard Melot

Wrestling

10.75

Full Scholarship

A.J. and Susan Jacques Bruce and Nancy Smith Chuck and Kim Watson Lon and Jane Winton OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Gallagher Endowed Wrestling Scholarship OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Myron Roderick Endowed Wrestling Scholarship OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Ray Murphy Endowed Wrestling Scholarship OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Tommy Chesbro Endowed Wrestling Scholarship The Cobb Family

Half Scholarship

Mark and Lisa Snell Bobby and Michelle Marandi

Quarter Scholarship

Danny and Dana Baze / Cory and Mindy Baze John and Beverly Williams | R.K. Winters

To learn more about scholarship opportunities and how you may contribute, please contact: Larry Reece (405-744-2824) Matt Grantham (405-744-5938) Shawn Taylor (405-744-3002)

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Hanging Ten the First Time STORY BY TOM DIRATO

Oklahoma State fans were still celebrating the Cowboys’ New Years Eve Bluebonnet Bowl win over Baylor (24-14) when the rumor mill started to spin. A number of college programs were zeroed in on Jimmy Johnson, who in five years produced 30 wins and two bowl teams while calling the shots in Stillwater.

Some of the rumors were just that — false speculation. But, the University of Miami was serious about luring Johnson, who came to Oklahoma State from Pittsburgh and quickly energized a fan base with his “Press On” attitude. Johnson hit the ground running. He brought coaches to OSU from Pitt. The Cowboys posted a 7-4 record (5-2 in the Big Eight) in year one, and he took the Cowboys to the Independence Bowl in 1981 and to the Bluebonnet Bowl two years later. Excitement was back in Stillwater. Oklahoma State finished with an 8-4 record in 1983, and the Cowboys would be returning many of the key players in ’84. But, the chance to coach in the Sunshine State proved to be too much for Johnson. He took the Miami job and left those in and around the Oklahoma State football program asking what now? Who would be the next head coach? How long would the search process take? How far would the administration look to find a replacement?

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Spring had turned to summer. The off-season workouts were well underway. Recruits were left wondering who their next head coach would be. Time was of the essence.

LARRY COKER

HOUSTON NUTT

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Athletic director Myron Roderick was on top of the situation from the jump. As soon as it became obvious that Johnson was serious about listening to other offers, Roderick, a former NCAA championship wrestling coach and wrestler, quickly came up with a list of coaches he would target to become Oklahoma State’s 19th football coach. But, a meeting with several of the Oklahoma State players early in the process turned out to be just what Roderick was looking for. In fact, his next coach was sitting in an office in the OSU football complex. Erwin Patrick Jones, OSU’s hard-nosed defensive coordinator, was a clear-cut choice. “Pat was a player’s coach,” recalled former linebacker Matt Monger. “We went to the AD and told him he was our choice. We were all behind him.” So, slightly more than 48 hours after Johnson departed, the University’s Board of Regents acted on the appointment of Jones. And, a golden era of Cowboy football was underway. “Obviously, I was very excited about getting the job,” Jones would say after his first press conference. “But, what really thrills me … actually overwhelms me, is the way the university community rallied behind the program and me. “The quick and unanimous support of the administration, friends, alumni, players, coaches, just everybody involved, might have drawn this program closer together in that respect than at any other time.” Tributes poured in from every corner of the coaching world. Frank Broyles, former coaching great at Arkansas and the Razorback AD at the time said, “Pat has very striking and engaging qualities. They lend themselves to be an excellent football coach. He has prepared himself diligently for this role. Anyone who knows him recognizes he is ready for the challenge of being a head coach.”

Perhaps the most impressive sign of support came from the coaching staff. Despite chances to leave, the staff remained almost intact to bolster a team that returned 16 starters from that ’83 Bluebonnet Bowl team. The staff read like a Who’s Who of coaches. George Walstad stayed on as assistant head coach and defensive line coach. The offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach was Larry Coker. Other notables included Brad Seely (offensive line), Reggie Herring (linebackers), Kevin Steele (tight ends) and Houston Nutt (receivers). I spent a lot of hours with Pat and his staff over his 11-year stay. He became the winningest coach in OSU history (now second behind Mike Gundy) and finished with a 62-60-3 record. He took OSU to four bowl games. Pat was always an intense football coach. Perhaps that came from his days at Hall High School in Little Rock, where he was an all-state guard on a state championship team. Because he lacked the size to attract a lot of what we now know as Power Five offers, he spent his first college season as a nose guard on Arkansas Tech’s 7-3 team. He transferred to Arkansas the next year as a walk-on linebacker and guard. Ankle injuries plagued him in Fayetteville and ultimately turned the self-proclaimed “gym rat at heart” to coaching. He spent a successful five years at Hall High School (won two state titles) then joined the Razorback staff as a graduate assistant. Jones was named defensive line coach at Arkansas in 1975 by Broyles. He spent two years with coach Ron Meyer at SMU before joining Jackie Sherrill in Pittsburgh as defensive line coach. “The only thing I ever wanted to do in life was coach football,” he would tell me many times over the years. “I consider this the greatest opportunity of my life. Of course, I’m no better than the men behind me. Our coaches and players know how to win. And we will continue

“The only thing I ever wanted to do in life was coach football.” PAT JONES

to win games. I’ve never felt any other way and I don’t see any reason to change now.” Armed with a new head coach, a solid staff of assistants and a roster of talented football players, Oklahoma State jumped into the 1984 season. It would be one of the most significant campaigns in the long history of Cowboy football. It began with a stunning 45-3 win over 12th-ranked Arizona State in Tempe and ended with a thrilling down to the wire 21-14 victory over No. 7 South Carolina in the 40th annual Gator Bowl. OSU finished 10-2 (5-2 in the Big Eight). It was the first 10-win season for the Cowboys and the first of three such seasons Oklahoma State would roll up over Jones’ first five years at the helm. In fact, the Cowboys posted identical 10-2 seasons back to back in 1987 and 1988. And, keep in mind that’s when teams were only playing 11 regular season games. Arizona State was predicted to be a national championship contender by Sports Illustrated prior to the 1984 season. The Cowboys didn’t care. In a smashing debut for Jones, OSU crushed the Sun Devils 45-3 behind the running of tailbacks Charles Crawford and Shawn Jones, the on-target kicking of Larry Roach, the steady play of quarterback Rusty Hilger and a mauling defense led by the talented tackle tandem of Leslie O’Neal and Rodney Harding. Crawford, a bruising back from Bristow, rolled up 137 yards and scored on 44-yard run; Jones added 101 yards on the ground; Roach kicked field goals of 32, 27 and 47 yards; Hilger passed for one score and ran for another; O’Neal and Harding led a fierce defensive effort that forced four interceptions and a fumble. A Sun Devil Stadium crowd of 70,244 watched as the Cowboys came out as hot as the 97-degree temperature at kickoff. The Pat Jones era was underway.

MARK MOORE

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BARRY HANNA

LESLIE O'NEAL

Bowling Green came to Stillwater the next week and Oklahoma State wasn’t near as sharp. It was a workman-like 31-14 win. OSU had two interception returns for a touchdown and Jones ran for 114 yards and a touchdown to win the game going away. Rod Brown had a spectacular 95-yard pick six that followed Mark Moore’s 17-yard TD interception return. Crawford hurt his knee and left the game. Thurman Thomas came on and rushed for 63 yards on 14 tries. Oklahoma State had to survive against San Diego State the next weekend. The upsetminded Aztecs pushed OSU to the limit before the Cowboys won their third straight game. It took a crucial defensive play at the Cowboy two-yard-line with 98 ticks left on the Lewis Field scoreboard to preserve the win. O’Neal tackled Chris Hardy at the two, Moore stripped the ball away and Jim Krebs recovered to hand the Cowboys a 19-16 win. OSU took a safety with 14 seconds left and had to weather a trick play on the ensuing kickoff to finally put the game away. Oklahoma State journeyed to Tulsa the next weekend. A record Skelly Stadium crowd of 40,235 turned out to watch the 10th ranked Cowboys and turnpike rival Tulsa. This one was all OSU as the Cowboys led 21-0 at half

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and rolled to a 31-7 victory. It was the most lopsided win in the series since 1964. The Cowboys had received some love from Sports Illustrated the week before, and there were some wondering whether they could play through the “jinx.” OSU had cracked the Associated Press top 10 for the first time in 39 years and SI featured the program in an article just days before the trip to T-Town. Jones again shouldered the running load with 174 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Hilger threw for 149 yards and Thomas got into the act when he threw a halfback nine-yard TD pass to Jamie Harris to start the scoring. O’Neal, Monger and Krebs made life miserable for the Tulsa offense. “They kicked us pretty good,” admitted Tulsa coach John Cooper. “They are an excellent team … well coached.” The season was on its way to becoming historic for Oklahoma State. Ninth-ranked OSU opened the conference season in Lincoln against eighth-ranked Nebraska. It was big boy football for four quarters. The final score: Nebraska 17, Oklahoma State 3. But, it wasn’t that easy. Nebraska scored all of its points in the final 15 minutes and Oklahoma State muffed three chances to score.

Husker Shane Swanson scored on a 49-yard punt return midway through the fourth quarter to create the separation the Huskers needed. A clipping penalty wiped out one OSU score, an end zone pick snuffed another chance, and a blocked 42-yard field goal thwarted yet another Cowboy score. “You can’t win big ball games and get touchdowns called back,” said Jones on the post-game radio visit. The loss, OSU’s first of the year, broke a six-game win streak, dating back to a defeat at Missouri in 1983. Oklahoma State took out its Nebraska frustrations on Kansas the next week. Erupting for 551 yards, the Cowboys ripped out-manned Kansas 47-10. The 5-1 start by the Pokes was the best since 1945. At the time, the 551 yards represented the fifth largest total in OSU history and the second most rolled up against a Big Eight team. Kenny Zachary led the way with 96 yards (87 on a touchdown run), Hilger threw for 139 yards and a score while Roach booted a pair of field goals. The game was over at halftime as OSU bolted out to a 31-3 lead. Oklahoma State somehow overcame four lost fumbles, six crucial penalties and a long distance (80 yards) touchdown pass to ease

“We knew we were good. I’m not sure at the time we knew just how good we were.”

RUSTY HILGER

MATT MONGER

past Colorado the following weekend at Lewis Field. The final score (20-14) was every bit as close as it appeared. The Cowboys used a safety, a 47-yard TD strike to Malcolm Lewis and a Roach field goal to climb to 6-1 on the year. Oklahoma State piled up 446 yards (265 on the ground), but the four turnovers kept the Cowboys from having any easy afternoon. Third-string tailback Thurman Thomas took advantage of a big opportunity when the Cowboys journeyed to Manhattan to take on Kansas State. The Texan freshman made the most of extended playing time as he piled up 206 yards and two touchdowns to spark Oklahoma State to an easy 34-6 win. He carried the ball 34 times as he gave us all a hint of what his AllAmerica career was going to entail. Roach kicked a 52-yard field goal. Hard hitting corner Mark Moore, who would also go on to earn All-America honors, scored on a 55-yard pick six as the Cowboys blew the game open with a 19-point second quarter. K-State coach Jim Dickey said it all after the game. “It’s obvious Oklahoma State is a very good football team, especially on defense. That Thomas, he’s got the ability. He cut back against the grain when we pursued and made good yardage. He’s going to be a great player.” The big Bedlam battle in Norman was still two weeks away. Missouri and Iowa State would come calling before what would be a battle for the Orange Bowl took place at Oklahoma. November 10, 1984, will always hold a special place his Cowboy football history. Not because OSU won a hard-fought 31-13 game, but because for the first time in 52 years

Oklahoma State played a night game in Stillwater. I recall the excitement as we watched Musco bring in portable lights for a nationally televised game. OSU and Missouri went back and forth for most of the game. O’Neal’s block of a Tiger field goal with 12 minutes remaining set up a short 36-yard scoring drive. Hilger connected with Jamie Harris after getting the ball back on a flea-flicker and the Cowboys extended the lead to 24-13. Missouri could’ve closed the score to 17-16 had O’Neal not overpowered a Missouri blocker to bat down the 33-yard attempt. It looked like a heavyweight fight as Thomas ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Hilger threw for 235 yards and a score. Mizzou’s Jon Redd answered with a 96-yard night while talented quarterback Marlon Adler had a 194-yard game through the air. Oklahoma State upped its record to 9-1 on a blustery, rainy, 39-degree day as Iowa State pushed the home team to the limit. It wasn’t until Windell Yancy knocked down a pass at the OSU 10 with 1:33 left fans could celebrate a hard-earned 16-10 win. O’Neal and John Washington came up with one big defensive play after another to help out an offense that sputtered the entire afternoon. The win was significant. It set up a Big Eight championship game in Norman against second-ranked Oklahoma. The winner would head to the Orange Bowl and keep its hopes alive for a national title. The loser would be headed to the Gator Bowl.

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10-WIN MILESTONE Arizona State Bowling Green San Diego State Tulsa Nebraska Kansas Kansas State Missouri Iowa State Oklahoma South Carolina The Iowa State victory also gave OSU its first nine-win season since 1976 and its first nine-win regular season since 1932. At that time no OSU team had ever won 10 games. The undefeated team of 1945 was 9-0, including its bowl win. It was No. 2 against No. 3 in a high stakes game in Norman. At the time, it was billed as Oklahoma State’s most important football game ever played. As one would expect the margin of error was razor thin. Oklahoma State committed two huge mistakes that enabled Oklahoma to win 24-14 and claim the conference title. A fumble at midfield and a controversial fumbled punt in the second half doomed Oklahoma State. The Pokes, who finished second in the Big Eight, held an early 14-7 lead in the third quarter. A mishandled handoff gave OU a short field that produced a field goal. Early in the fourth, Bobby Riley appeared to be interfered with as he tried to handle a punt. He fumbled, OU recovered and cashed in the short field gift (25 yards) with a touchdown that turned out to be the difference. Hilger threw a pair of touchdown passes, but the running game could never get in gear against a rock-solid Sooner defense.

45-3 W 31-14 W 19-16 W 31-7 W 3-17 L 47-10 W 34-6 W 31-13 W 16-10 W 14-24 L 21-14 W O’Neal had 13 tackles and three sacks, Monger added 16 tackles and Moore 10 more. OSU’s offense ended up with 198 total yards. So, it was on to Jacksonville, Fla., where ninth-ranked Oklahoma State would meet seventh-ranked South Carolina in a high celebrity matchup. A Gator Bowl record crowd of 82,138 watched a classic. OSU led 13-0 at halftime, but the Gamecocks came back with two third quarter TD passes and the teams headed into the final stanza with South Carolina on top 14-13. What would take place in the game’s final 3:41 still ranks as one of OSU football’s finest moments. The Cowboys began “the drive” on their own 12-yard line. Hilger methodically moved the Cowboys down field. He saved the drive on third and 10 and again on fourth and six with a 13-yard pass to Barry Hanna that took the ball to the Gamecocks’ 36. Thomas, who rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown and threw for another — and was named Gator Bowl MVP—gained 11 to the 25. Then came the play that Cowboy fans will always remember. Hilger scrambled away from two defenders, hit Hanna on the sideline at the seven, and the Cowboy senior, who had not scored a touchdown since his first year at OSU, banged off two tacklers, somehow stayed

PAT JONES

in bounds and carried three defenders into the end zone with 1:04 remaining. The Cowboys completed a two-point pass to go up 21-14. But, there was still work to be done. It wasn’t until Demise Williams picked off a last-gasp South Carolina pass inside the Cowboy 30 with 37 seconds left could the celebration begin. Both teams finished 10-2 on the year. Oklahoma State picked up its seventh bowl win in nine tries. It was a fitting way to end one of the most incredible football seasons ever at Oklahoma State. So many storylines, so many big plays and so many big-time players who suited up for the Cowboys. The ’84 roster was jam-packed with All-Americans and future NFL stars. In my opinion, it was a team as talented from top to bottom as any you can find in the history of the program. It finished seventh that year in the polls and began a great five-year run. “We knew we were good,” said Monger a number of years later. “I’m not sure at the time we knew just how good we were. It was a great experience playing with these guys, some of whom I played against in the league. It’s a season I’ll never forget.” And neither will the loyal and true of Oklahoma State.

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PHOTO BY GARY LAWSON

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The Girl in the Hat Comes Back STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

During every game, dozens of cameras dot the sidelines at Boone Pickens Stadium or the baselines at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Armed with powerful telephoto lenses, photographers pan the crowd looking for that compelling shot, the one that tells a story or captures spectators’ emotion and the essence of gameday atmosphere. A decade ago, OSU photographer Gary Lawson’s gaze was caught by a little girl in a big hat — A BIG, FURRY, FABULOUS,

BRIGHT ORANGE HAT!

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“IT WAS MY GOAL EVERY GAME TO GET ON THE JUMBOTRON.” Ten-year-old Kaitlyn Seiler was easy to spot in the south side stands in 2009. Along with her fuzzy headwear, she sported a “Cool Chicks Wear Orange” shirt and a Pistol Pete puppet on her right hand. “It was my goal every game to get on the Jumbotron,” Seiler says. She was usually successful. Her outgoing attire was a magnet for the media. Lawson’s photo wound up being used by OSU Athletics to promote the Pistol Pete’s Partners kids club in membership brochures and marketing materials. “When all this happened, we lived in Wichita and had season tickets,” she explains. “My grandparents (Brian and Charlotte Johnson) live in Oklahoma City so we would go visit them a lot and go to games. “I actually remember where I got the hat,” Seiler recalls. “I saw it at the store in Boone Pickens Stadium in 2008, and the reason I wanted it was because we had Crazy Hat Day at school and I’d never had anything to wear. My mom was like, ‘Okay, maybe some other time’ … And then it was Bedlam, and it was really cold outside. We were waiting to get into the stadium and my Nana bought it for me and surprised me with it. I wore it ever since.” For gamedays in 2010, the sixth-grader donned a new No. 24 replica jersey and adorned her wrist with the latest youth fashion craze. Lawson’s lens found her again. “Kendall Hunter signed my jersey on Fan Appreciation Day,” Seiler said. “I had OSU Silly Bandz back when those were a thing, and he asked to trade me. Now I look back and think, ‘Oh my gosh, look at the Silly Bandz!’” Seiler is an OSU legacy — the daughter of 1991 grads Michael and Kerri (Johnson) Seiler. A retired Air Force colonel, Michael’s job meant frequent moves across the country: Washington, South Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Florida, Illinois …

FALL 2020

“Being an Air Force family, OSU was really our connection to home,” Kerri says. “Since OSU was where Mike and I met, of course it would be a part of our kids’ lives. No matter where we lived we always wore orange and rooted for the Cowboys. If any of the OSU teams were playing anywhere near us we went and took the kids.” Now living in Edmond, Okla., Michael and Kerri don’t miss a game — and for good reason. Because in 2017, the girl in the hat came back — as a member of the OSU Pom squad. “My mom said when I was in kindergarten I told her that’s what I want to do,” says Seiler, now a junior multimedia journalism major. “I had always been in dance and I didn’t start to get serious about it until high school, but that was always the end goal. People would always ask me what I wanted to be, and I’d say, ‘I’m going to go to college at OSU and be on the Pom squad.’ “I remember OSU played a Halloween game against Texas (2009), and they were encouraging fans to dress up. I had a pair of jazz pants that I would wear to dance class, and I had an OSU cheer top that looked like one of the tops they wore so I wore that all day and carried pompoms.” As a teenager in Belleville, Ill., Seiler attended a number of OSU pom clinics and camps to prepare for the highly competitive tryouts. “I just got lucky because I have great people behind me that gave me all the tools I needed to be successful. That goes back to my mom and dad just being so awesome, taking me to all those clinics and prep classes. Without them I definitely would not be here.” Though Seiler spent most of her life far from Stillwater, there was never any doubt as to where she’d end up.

“She was all-in for OSU always,” her mother says. “I never worried about her wanting to go to any other university because her heart was with OSU.” “I remember in high school they asked me my top four college choices. I wrote, ‘Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State’ … I missed a lot of things so I could be ready for this. I missed my prom to try out, and it didn’t bother me. I wouldn’t take any of it back.” Seiler says being a member of the OSU spirit squad has exceeded her expectations. “It was more than I ever thought it could be. I watched these girls on the Pom squad for so long and I knew the dancing part, but there’s so much more that goes into it that I don’t think I could’ve ever anticipated. Our coach (Beki Jackson) always says it’s about 10 percent dancing, and the rest of it is all the community service we do, interacting with your teammates, going to OSU events. I think back to all the things I’ve gotten to do. There’s no way I would’ve been able to do that anywhere else. We get to do Coaches vs. Cancer and the Tim Tebow ‘Night to Shine’ prom — those are two of my favorite events.” Another magical memory stands out, she says. “My rookie year we went to the Camping World Bowl in Orlando and got to be in a Disney World parade. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I walked by the castle and was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is real!’ I got a little teary-eyed. “It’s so crazy to think about because I feel like that was yesterday when I was that 10-year-old with the crazy orange hat in Boone Pickens Stadium.”

POSSE 73

WE GET IT Carter’s shoe store in downtown Sand Springs, Okla., (my hometown) was a small, family-owned place. They had a variety of shoes for men, women, boys and girls. It wasn’t Michael Kors, Cole Haan, Prada or Gucci. Rather than high fashion, they provided high touch — when you walked in, they knew your name, what was happening in your life and what your growing shoe size was. The owners wanted to converse about hometown happenings and, at the old-fashioned cash register, they would hand you a free lollipop. The Carters were kind and friendly. Relationships were as important as the sale. If you grew up in a small town, you probably frequented a store like Carter’s, along with a host of other small-town staples like Woolworth’s, OTASCO, CR Anthony and others. Think back to going inside those stores with your parents. Each visit was like Christmas — a primary reason why our parents probably despised taking us there. They knew the all-toofrequent question (“Can I have this?”) would commence. Those places were cool. You could buy a banana seat for your bike and an Old Timer pocket knife for your dad’s birthday all in the same place. You went to school and church with the children of the people who worked in those retail establishments. How they treated you mattered, and that was why your family kept going back. This type of retail experience is part of what made your hometown special, and the catalyst

FALL 2020

for all those great memories you recall from time to time that make you long for simpler eras. George Strait sings a song — ironically about Tulsa — which reminds us, “But all good things must end, all rivers have to bend.” The mega-marts moved in and everything changed. Sure, efficiency and volume of sales skyrocketed, which was good for big business. But the customer experience was never the same. The transition to online purchase habits have placed a whole other twist on things. The reality is, a key piece of small-town character disappeared when those locally owned and operated cornerstones fell. Bigger isn't always better. Quality interactions add color to life. All of you reading this have several things in common, one of which is Stillwater. There is no shopping mall here. In fact, a recent Fortune Magazine study finds that shopping malls are dying all across America, and only the ones who go through extreme reinvention through insertion of more restaurants and colossal churches have a chance to survive. When anchors like Sears, JCPenney and Macy’s set sail, malls scramble for viability. What Stillwater does have is people who provide a unique atmosphere which can’t be manufactured because it comes from your roots. It’s about sincerity, kindness, hard work, education and a love for a land grant university and everyone associated with it. Stillwater personifies the exact opposite of the mega-mart mentality

where one concrete jungle town grows into the next. And that is a huge competitive advantage for Oklahoma State. A lot of prospective students and their families visit Stillwater each year, facing decisions about attending college and, often, contemplating playing a sport for Oklahoma State. Those families always remark about how this place feels. Sometimes they have difficulty articulating it, but the conversation usually includes something to the effect of, “We just feel at home here.” In some ways, Stillwater has preserved the nostalgia many of us fondly associate with places we grew up — and that gives parents and students comfort. The hometown of Oklahoma State University is proof that bigger isn’t always better in a place where the quality relationships color our life in the brightest shade of orange. When you’re here, you get it. #WeGetIt.

GO POKES!

KYLE WRAY

Vice President Enrollment & Brand Management Kyle Wray OSU

@KyleWrayOSU

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POSSE Magazine - Fall 2020

Articles inside

EDDIE SUTTON

KAITLYN SEILER

GREG ROBERTSON

MOE IBA

MICHAELA RICHBOURG, SHALEE BRANTLEY AND JULES CALLAHAM

O'BRATE STADIUM