POSSE Magazine - Spring 2021

2011 FOOTBALL: 10 YEARS LATER MALCOLM RODRIGUEZ MAJA STARK BILL & KAREN ANDERSON SYDNEY PENNINGTON

NATIONAL

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THE COWGIRLS’ TURN

BY KEVIN KLINTWORTH Senior Associate Athletic Director

There’s no secret that Oklahoma State’s collection of national championship trophies rivals any school outside of the Pac-12 Conference. The history of titles pre-dates the Great Depression and title No. 52 was placed into Heritage Hall in 2018. That’s called prolonged success.

All told, Oklahoma State has earned national championships in five different sports: wrestling, men’s golf, men’s basketball, baseball and men’s cross country.

It’s a stash of hardware that is envied by about 350 Division I universities.

The only thing missing: no championships on the women’s side. Keep in mind that the men had a more than 60-year head start. The NCAA didn’t get into the women’s athletics business until the early 1980s. That’s a topic for another day. Also keep in mind that as of this moment, equestrian is not yet an NCAA-sponsored sport. If it were, the national championship seal by the OSU women would have already been broken by the program led by Larry Sanchez.

But the topic for this day isn’t the history lesson. It’s a prediction. As a rule, I frown on predictions because sooner or later they make you look silly. Usually when someone tells you they KNOW what is going to happen, they are confirming for you that they do not. But I will stand by this one. The OSU women are on their way to national championship trophies.

Truth be told, I’m not changing my name to Nostradamus any time soon, because most folks in college athletics can probably see this coming. You don’t have to read between the lines. It doesn’t take a special set of skills to realize the across the board success that now runs through OSU Athletics on the women’s side.

The Cowgirls have come so close. Runner-up finishes in golf, tennis and softball are the best examples.

The tough call isn’t predicting a national championship in the future of our women’s teams. The real fun is trying to predict which sport will get there first.

Lately, no one has been closer to a title than women’s tennis, which was one point away from a win in the national championship match vs. Stanford in 2016.

The NCAA Division I Tennis National Championships will be held in Stillwater in 2024.

I’m just sayin’.

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Historically, the Cowgirl golf program has been among the NCAA’s best and probably OSU’s strongest women’s program since its inception. The women cannot quite boast the blueblood status of the men’s program, but OSU has been a national title contender for most of its history. It is worth noting that the OSU’s women’s golf program has won 10 Big 12 championships, including 2021. The rest of the Big 12 has a combined 14. Best finish in the NCAAs: second.

The championship history of the soccer program is not at long as golf. The program wasn’t launched until 1996. The Cowgirls don’t win the Big 12 every year, it just seems like it (most recently in 2019). Twice OSU has been eliminated one step from the Soccer Cup (the final four of NCAA soccer). Both times the losses were against the eventual national champion (Notre Dame and Stanford). OSU reached the Sweet 16 in 2021.

Softball is another sport in which OSU has been on the brink, including a runner-up finish at the Women’s College World Series. It’s a program with a strong history dating back to when it was launched under the umbrella of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). The Cowgirls are 10th all-time with 10 appearances in the world series, including participating in the last series held in 2019.

The Stanford Cardinal were recently crowned as the NCAA women’s basketball national champion.

Among their toughest tournament games was a tussle with OSU in the second round. The game raised OSU’s profile nationally and probably clinched the argument that Oklahoma State was woefully underseeded by the tournament committee. The Cowgirls have multiple appearances in the Sweet 16, but the 2020-21 squad may have had a chance to advance even further with the right (dare I say correct) seed.

OSU has its cross country and track programs, men’s and women’s, rolled under the umbrella of director of track Dave Smith. Smith has led the men’s crosscountry program to three national titles. The women have yet to reach that feat, but there is little doubt that the women’s squads are on the rise.

Oklahoma State’s women’s programs are strong.

Not just Big 12 strong, but national title contenders across the board.

It’s just a matter of time.

F E AT U R E S

12 22 34 40 54 2011 FOOTBALL

10 Years Later MAJA STARK

Sweden is Swingin’

DE PARTM E NTS

28 52 66

The 150

Malcolm (Still) in the Middle SYDNEY PENNINGTON

The Honor Roll WRAYVINGS

MALCOLM RODRIGUEZ

kicking & streaming

COVER PHOTO BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

Building on Belief BILL AND KAREN ANDERSON

You Can Go Home Again POSSE 3

POSSE MAGAZINE

SPRING 2021

POSSE Magazine Staff KYLE WRAY

VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT AND BRAND MANAGEMENT

KEVIN KLINTWORTH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR / EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

JESSE MARTIN DAVE MALEC

ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER

BRUCE WATERFIELD

PHOTOGRAPHER / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

CLAY BILLMAN

ASSISTANT EDITOR

GARY LAWSON, PHIL SHOCKLEY

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

COURTNEY BAY, CLAY BILLMAN, LIZ PARKE

CLAY BILLMAN, JASON ELMQUIST

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

HALLIE HART, JOHN HELSLEY, KEVIN KLINTWORTH

ROGER MOORE, KYLE WRAY

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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.

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Remember to always “Ask Before You Act.”

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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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SPRING 2021

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Senior Associate Athletic Director. May 2021.

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.

The world is a Brighter Orange when the brightest minds have the opportunities to grow and learn at a first-class institution. At Oklahoma State University, we believe financial circumstances should never be a barrier to higher education. By making a gift to support scholarships, you remove obstacles that could prevent a student from achieving their dreams.

Need-Based Scholarships: With dwindling state support, today’s students can no longer selffund their college pursuits, and the financial burden is falling to students and their families.

Merit-Based Scholarships: These scholarships help keep Oklahoma’s brightest students in our state and provide them with a competitive learning experience that rewards academic excellence.

Learn how you can remove financial barriers at

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SPRING 2021

flamboyant freshman Freshman sensation AJ Ferrari became the 143rd individual national champion in OSU program history at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Wrestling at 197 pounds, fourthseeded Ferrari capped off an impressive 20-1 rookie season in style, defeating No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi of Pittsburgh, 4-2 to claim the crown. With the victory, OSU's 41st freshman All-American joins elite company with Richard Hutton (1947) and Pat Smith (1990) as the only true freshman to win national titles for the Cowboys. John Smith's squad placed third as a team with 99.5 points. No team outscored their seed more than the Pokes did at the event. The Cowboys combined to place 39 spots higher than thir seeds.

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POSSE 7

spring fling Head Coach Mike Gundy and the Cowboys serenaded the crowd with the Alma Mater following the 2021 OSU Football Spring Game at Boone Pickens Stadium. An estimated 17,000 fans cheered on the Cowboys as spring practice culminated with 7-on-7 drills and two live 20-minute halves of action.

“I think we had a great day,” Gundy said. “We had a great crowd, and we had great effort from the players. I feel like it was an exciting day and an end to an unbelievable spring practice.”

The Cowboys now turn their attention to fall camp in preparation for the Sept. 4 season opener against Missouri State in Stillwater.

PHO TO B

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POSSE 9

runaway on the fairway The OSU women's golf team won the 2021 Big 12 Championship in record-breaking fashion.

The Cowgirls rewrote the Big 12 record books with blistering performances at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. OSU set new records for the lowest 18-hole score (270), 36-hole score (549) and shattered the old 54-hole record by 26 strokes after carding the second lowest mark in school history at 34-under 830. Four Cowgirls (Maja Stark, Isabella Fierro, Rina Tatematsu and Lianna Bailey) finished inside the top-10. The victory marks the program's 24th conference championship and 10th title in the Big 12 era.

Head coach Greg Robertson and assistant Maddi Swaney have coached the Cowgirls to five event wins to date in 2020-21.

PHO TO L

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POSSE 11

YEARS LATER… STORY BY JOHN HELSLEY

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SPRING 2021

BRANDON WEEDEN AWAITED THE FOURTH-DOWN PLAY CALL FROM THE PRESS BOX, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD HAVE GUESSED IT.

At crunch time — and this was crunch time, down seven points to Stanford with less than four minutes remaining — keep it simple.

And smart.

So Weeden fired a pass to Justin Blackmon, again. That was the tandem’s famous tag line after all: #Weeden2Blackmon. That connection was Option A when Oklahoma State needed a play.

“Yeah, we threw a slant to Blackmon,” the former Cowboy quarterback great said, with full recall. “Didn’t try to get cute.

We just said, ‘Hey, our guy’s better than theirs. We’re going to run a simple catch-and-run type throw.’

“Fortunately, we hit it, because that was the game.”

Weeden then hit on two straight throws, both for first downs covering 35 yards, before tailback Joseph Randle tied things with a 4-yard run.

Oklahoma State ultimately prevailed in overtime, 41-38, punctuating arguably the greatest football season in program history with a final record of 12-1, the first and only 12-win season in school history.

Explosive offense.

Takeaway defense.

BCS bowl win.

Bedlam beatdown.

Big 12 championship.

No. 3 final ranking.

Eddie Robinson and Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year, Mike Gundy.

Wins over six quarterbacks who’d go on to play in the NFL. Repeat Biletnikoff Award winner, Blackmon.

“That 2011 season was historic for OSU,” said Richetti Jones, a charismatic defensive end and captain for those Cowboys.

It was a glorious season, for everyone who proudly proclaims “Pistols Firing.”

But a trying season, too, filled with highs and lows, disappointments and delirium, happy hearts and heartbreak.

POSSE 13

OPENING ACTS

The Cowboys posted an 11-2 mark in 2010, only losing shootouts to Nebraska and OU, and returned talent across the board, fueling optimism for 2011. It was the first 11-win season in the program’s history.

The early schedule only heightened hopes, with OSU blitzing Louisiana, Arizona and Tulsa to go 3-0 through the nonconference and moving to No. 7 in the AP Poll.

Still, the Tulsa game featured heavy turbulence.

Lightning nearly forced cancellation of the game — scheduled for 9 p.m. — before it ever began, with officials ruling that one more strike would send both teams home. After what was essentially a lightning show in the sky, however, the strikes abruptly ended. The game kicked off Sunday after midnight, and ended at 3:35 a.m.

Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship opened his press conference saying, “Good morning, everybody.”

Amid the craziness of the game, Cowboys co-defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer was called back to Stillwater, with his wife Angela nearing the end of a 12-year struggle with heart issues.

OSU police captain Richard Atkins was charged with getting Spencer to the hospital as Angela clung to life. With Atkins behind the wheel, the two men pushed through powerful storms and heavy wind against nature and time.

In Stillwater, doctors labored to keep Angela alive.

“I asked them to keep going until I could get there,” Spencer said at the time. “When I finally got there, they were in the room trying to bring her back, trying to resuscitate her.

Those doctors were worn out. They were just doing that for me. And when I walked in, they finally stopped.

“And I said goodbye to her.”

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SPRING 2021

KYLE COMEBACK

Spencer lost his wife, the mother to their two teenage sons, Luke and Abe. The news delivered a gut punch, too, across the Cowboys, who loved Spencer as a genuine and authentic man.

The shaken team was due in College Station the following Saturday for what shaped up as an early Big 12 clash against No. 8 Texas A&M. It was OSU’s first legitimate test, one that looked lost almost from the outset, with the Aggies carrying a 20-3 lead to halftime.

That’s when Spencer made his mark, walking into the locker room with inspiration and a revised plan. After burying his wife in Georgia mid-week, Spencer insisted on being on the team plane to College Station, despite Gundy’s suggestion that he take time off, saying he and his boys needed a purpose.

Spencer made adjustments, as did offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and the Cowboys stormed back to win 30-29 at Kyle Field.

“Coach Spencer, man, that guy in that moment, that was a true definition of a real man, a man’s man, a strong man, a man of character, a great man,” Jones said. “That was a guy who was dedicated to his players, to his team, to his job, what he signed up for and what he needed to do to persevere through.

“To bury your wife, and you still come to the next game. We had been along with him

through the process of everything. To see that was a testament of what kind of coach we had with us at that time. It was one of those life lessons for guys like myself. When things get hard, you think about Coach Spencer.”

The Cowboys secured an emotional statement win in the first meeting of top-10 teams at Kyle Field since 1975.

It was a catapulting victory, too.

THE CHARGE

After rallying at A&M, OSU went on a run, posting six more wins in a row, rarely getting tested.

Kansas: 70-28.

At No. 22 Texas: 38-26.

At Missouri: 45-24.

Baylor: 59-24.

No. 17 Kansas State: 52-45.

At Texas Tech: 66-6.

“I think the game that kind of catapulted us and set the tone for the season was at Kyle Field, against A&M,” Weeden said. “It was one of the most fun games we played all year and a game that gave us the confidence and momentum, propelling us forward.

“Looking back, it was so much fun being the team in the Big 12 that everybody said, ‘We’ve got to beat those guys.’

“That was a lot of fun.”

A SOMBER AWAKENING

The historic run to 10-0 perched the Cowboys on the national stage, as they rose to No. 2 in the BCS rankings and relished their improving chances to play in the national championship game.

Only two games stood in the way — at Iowa State and Bedlam in Stillwater.

Two games and another tragedy.

There was more than a game to contend with when the Cowboys arrived in Ames.

The night before, a plane carrying Cowgirl Basketball coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna on a recruiting trip to Arkansas crashed, killing both.

When the Cowboys woke up at their Marriott hotel in West Des Moines, their phones were flooded with calls and text messages.

Cowgirls coaches and players often dined with the football team at training table, so they were familiar with each other, and in many cases friends.

There was no avoiding the hurt, for Budke and Serna, and also the players who adored their coaches.

“They were up there with us quite a bit,” Weeden said. “Some of those things you can’t even put into words. It’s surreal. You’re going about your business and a tragedy strikes like that and you’re so caught off guard.

“It was sad. I was friends with a couple of those girls. I know how I felt, I can’t imagine how they felt.”

OSU administrators were in contact with Big 12 officials, discussing whether or not to play the game. It was a Friday night special, set for a national TV audience. Ultimately, the game was played.

The Cowboys led early, but their play was ragged and off, with the offense committing five turnovers. OSU battled and still had its chances late, before falling 37-31 in double overtime.

“SOME OF THOSE THINGS YOU CAN’T EVEN PUT INTO WORDS. IT’S SURREAL. YOU’RE GOING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND A TRAGEDY STRIKES LIKE THAT AND YOU’RE SO CAUGHT OFF GUARD.” Brandon Weeden

POSSE 15

Much debate has taken place over the years concerning the impact of the crash on the team.

“We were just in a funk, a kind of haze if you will. That was for me all the way down to the redshirt freshmen,” said Weeden, who tossed three interceptions. “You hate to blame the loss on what happened, but I don’t care who you are as a human, that sucks everything out of you.

“God rest their souls and God rest their families, because they had it much worse than we had dealing with it,” Jones said, “but to this day I feel like we shouldn’t have played that game that day.”

The team awakened to the news, saw it scroll continuously on ESPN and virtually every other news channel. A normal team breakfast on the road features ESPN GameDay on the televisions. In Iowa, the team instead watched OSU President Burns Hargis at a news conference in Stillwater being carried live by multiple national networks “It was a weird day, a weird night,” Gundy said.

Said Jones: “We usually go through our regular gameday rituals, but that day everybody was getting phone calls, getting the news of what happened. You turn on ESPN and that’s all you see.

“Then that night, we had to play a game.

I’m not one to just blame it all on that, but it played a part.”

Jones recalled the fear that suddenly gripped many players.

“I was a captain on the team and a leader,” Jones said. “We’re ready to run out on the field, and I had guys ask me, ‘Hey Richetti, are we going to have to fly back to Stillwater?’

“A lot of guys, especially those who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, had never flown on an airplane before they got to OSU. So they then have a mindset of, ‘Oh my gosh, the plane is going to crash.’

“So for a lot of guys to actually know somebody who you’ve seen every day, who you’re directly connected to, to know that they died in a plane crash and you have a fear of flying … it was traumatic for a lot of guys.”

Iowa State, 5-4 entering the matchup, captured its first win over a top-5 team in its history. The Cowboys lost for the first time, sending the national championship picture into chaos.

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SPRING 2021

“ANYTIME ANYBODY SAYS ANYTHING, ALL I’VE GOT TO DO IS SAY, ‘REMEMBER 2011?’”

Brandon Weeden

BEDLAM BEAUTY

A bye week provided OSU with extra time to recover, and to prepare for Bedlam.

The Cowboys, who had trailed only No. 1 LSU, slipped behind Alabama to No. 3 in the BCS chase, needing a decisive win over the No. 13 Sooners to restate their claim as titlegame worthy.

And they delivered, routing the Sooners 44-10 in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.

The defense forced five turnovers, with Jones scoring on a scoop-and-score fumble return. Randle ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Jeremy Smith added 119 yards and two more scores to highlight a pounding ground game.

The Sooners, who owned so much success in the series, brought some gamesmanship to the pregame, lurking outside the Cowboys tunnel in the west end zone, before coaches, game officials and security officers made them scatter.

That was about all the excitement OU offered.

OSU led 24-3 at the half and 44-3 through three quarters. The Sooners’ lone TD came with 2:25 remaining, against mostly reserves.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Cowboy fans began the chant “L-S-U!” Afterward, they stormed the field and tore down the goal posts, celebrating deep into the night.

“That was probably the most satisfying win for me, to be honest,” Weeden said. “Growing up here in Oklahoma City and Edmond, you’re right in the middle of it. I’ve known it since I was a kid. Unfortunately, we lost to them my junior year.

“Coming back my senior year, I had that one circled. And circled a few times. I knew I was going to be living around here, I didn’t want to go two times and not beat those guys and have my buddies who are OU fans talking crap. Anytime anybody says anything, all I’ve got to do is say, ‘Remember 2011?’

“We’ve got that notch on our belt.”

It was the statement win desired. But would it be enough?

They’d know in less than 24 hours, when the final rankings would be revealed Sunday.

LSU won in the SEC championship to lock up its spot in the BCS title game. Alabama, however, was left sitting idle, having finished second to LSU — which handed the Crimson Tide its only loss — in the division.

The Cowboys suffered the loss to Iowa State, which finished the regular season 6-6. But they owned five wins against teams in the BCS Top 25, compared to two for Alabama.

POSSE 17

0.0086

In 2011, the current four-team playoff didn’t exist. The BCS championship bowls were determined by a compilation of various rankings, forming the BCS rankings, leaning heavily on computer programs.

OSU players, coaches and other personnel gathered with renewed hope on Sunday, seeking their shot to shine in the big spotlight. When the rankings were released, the Cowboys were third.

Barely.

As in 0.0086 barely, the difference between Alabama’s .9419 and OSU’s .9333. It would be the smallest margin between No. 2 and No. 3 in BCS history, and many credit the 2011 season as the catalyst for the College Football Playoff.

LSU beat Bama in the regular season, 9-6 in overtime, hardly suggesting the title game would offer much excitement. The rematch returned more points, but all by Alabama, in a dud 21-0 in New Orleans.

“I felt like we had the best team in the country,” Gundy said.

The SEC was a different league in 2011, built around stout defenses. Even then, the Big 12 mastered in flinging the football and piling up points.

“Two completely different teams,” Weeden said of the Cowboys and Tigers. “They had first-round draft picks all over the field on defense, and athletes. They were a good defense, no doubt. But their offense was ground and pound, and milk the clock. That was the SEC style back then.

“But I would have taken our offense against any defense in the country that year. I really would have. I would have loved a shot at them.

I really liked the way our offense would have matched up with them. I think they would have had a hard time scoring enough points and keeping up for four quarters.”

That was the feeling throughout OSU’s roster.

“All of us knew we’d beat LSU,” Jones said.

“People never gave our defense the credit we deserved, but we were a turnover machine, and our offense would have just been too highpowered for LSU. “They hadn’t seen anything like that.”

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SPRING 2021

FINAL STATEMENT

The title game snub wouldn’t define the 2011 Cowboys, however.

OSU ranked third in total offense averaging 545.8 yards per game; second in scoring offense averaging 48.7 points; and first in defensive takeaways averaging a whopping 3.4 turnovers.

“The common denominators for a team to have success at the highest level, like we did that year, we had a first-round pick quarterback,” Gundy said. “If you have a quarterback who is playing at the level of a first-round pick, then you can push further through the season than other people.

“We had Blackmon and Randle. And if you get talent like that, and in particular an NFLlike talent at quarterback, you can make a run.”

The Cowboys made a run, too, beating what proved to be a gauntlet of teams with elite quarterbacks: Arizona’s Nick Foles, A&M’s Ryan Tannehill, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, OU’s Landry Jones, Kansas State’s Collin Klein and Stanford’s Andrew Luck.

“You’re going to be hard-pressed to produce a run of beating that good of quarterbacks,” Monken said.

Griffin III won the 2011 Heisman Trophy and remains in the NFL today, along with Tannehill and Foles. Luck, the No. 1 overall pick, might still be playing if not for injuries that forced him from the game. All but Foles were first-round picks the following spring, and Foles went in the third round and later won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Weeden and Blackmon went in that 2012 first round, too. But not until that duo led the Cowboys to one more memorable night. There was still another game to play, against No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl — OSU’s first BCS bowl appearance.

While LSU and Bama played for the national title and put the nation to sleep in the process, the Cowboys and Cardinal played the game of the postseason, an exciting, back-and-forth contest that needed an extra period to crown a winner.

A game that hinged on a fourth-down call.

An easy call for Monken.

“To have that comfort,” Monken said, “of, ‘I don’t care how that (defender) is playing, doesn’t matter. Justin Blackmon is better.

And he’s gonna win.’

“WE HAD BLACKMON AND RANDLE. AND IF YOU GET TALENT LIKE THAT, AND IN PARTICULAR AN NFL-LIKE TALENT AT QUARTERBACK, YOU CAN MAKE A RUN.” Mike Gundy

“And for Brandon Weeden, the moment was never going to get too big. His body language and his throw and his accuracy on fourth down was the same as if you were up 20-0. Drop and bang, put it on Justin. It was that easy.”

The season was special, although not at all easy, marked by multiple heavy challenges college kids should never have to endure.

Still, they found a way to rally and thrive, and in the end produce one of the most memorable seasons in OSU history.

“We gave our fans an unbelievable season,” Gundy said.

Lived an unbelievable season, too.

“It was a special year,” Weeden said. “We came up a little bit short of our ultimate goal, but we won a Big 12 championship — which hadn’t been done — won a BCS bowl game against a really good team with the No. 1 NFL pick.

“So to w in 12 ga mes, w in a Big 12 championship.

I hear it all the time here in Edmond when I go out and run into OSU fans, all they really say is, ‘Thank you for that 2011 season and thank you for all that you guys did.’

“I really take a lot of pride in it. That’s all I can ask. I just want to make them happy and win for that school. It still makes me happy. Wish I could go back and do it a couple more years.”

The draw for Weeden isn’t all about the success. It went much deeper.

“That team was so tight-knit,” he said.

“Offense, defense, special teams, we were all in. There was no selfishness on that team. We

were locked in, and everyone did their part for the team.

“I’ve been on a lot of teams, and I can’t say I’ve been on one that was as cohesive and together as that team was. That’s what made that year so special.”

That 2011 season, still the benchmark for the current Cowboys and those to come, played a major part, too, in forming future lives.

“The mindset and the mentality and the work ethic and everything that Coach Gundy and Coach (Rob) Glass and the entire staff instilled in us as teammates, as hard as we worked and grinded, to get to that elite level and have the kind of season that we had, that was something that has helped carry me throughout life,” said Jones, who now teaches special education in Lancaster, Texas.

“Because I know what it is to work hard. I know what it is to be dedicated. I know what it is to give 100 percent max effort. And I know what it is to be all-in for the greater good of a team, a family, whatever it is. “ That 2011 Big 12 and Fiesta Bowl championship team is the epitome. It’s outlined my life and helps me deal with life and manage life and push through and persevere with life, because we dealt with so much that season, including the many battles we had.”

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SWEDEN IS SWINGIN’ STORY BY ROGER MOORE

Ask the average American about Sweden and they might reference old tennis star Björn Borg, hum a tune from the band ABBA, or perhaps mention global soccer hero Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Around Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the sports-minded, there will be an immediate reference to golf.

The rise in golf success in Sweden, a country with a population just over 10 million, must be attributed to Annika Sörenstam, who, during a professional career that started in 1994, earned over $22 million and won 72 times on the LPGA Tour. Sörenstam wasn’t the only young Swedish golfer hitting the range during the age of Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush. And few would imagine that a rise in golf in Sweden would impact college golf, especially Oklahoma State, the way that it has.

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Stockholm

Abbekås

Eva Dahllöf would be the first in a long line of Scandinavians to make their way to central Oklahoma.

The three-time All-American (198789) started a trend in Stillwater. Any fan of golf — men’s or women’s — knows these names: Karin Sjödin, Caroline Hedwall and major champion Pernilla Lindberg. The men’s side started with Leif Westerberg in the late 1990s and includes Anders Hultman, Alex Norén, and Victor Hovland (Norway) just to name a few.

“There’s a history there, a lot of good Swedish players at Oklahoma State,” said OSU athletic director Mike Holder, who coached the Cowboy golfers for 32 years starting in 1973. “Annika Sörenstam really had an impact on a lot of young players. OSU has certainly benefitted from a relationship that started in the 1980s. The college game has seen a continual rise of international players and we have been fortunate to get a lot of those players. Getting Karsten Creek built has certainly helped with recruiting international players.”

Ann Pitts, coach of Cowgirl squads for 24 seasons, got the ball rolling when she brought in Dahllöf. Now, Greg Robertson, in his second year running the program, is the benefactor of not just golfers from Sweden, but of a continuing presence of internationals coming to Stillwater. Robertson knows that if you mention OSU golf, a quick reference to Karsten Creek — the Versailles of college golf — quickly follows.

“There’s no question that having a facility like Karsten Creek helps with recruiting,” said Robertson, a member of OSU’s 1995 NCAA championship squad. “And I’ve benefitted by the work of (former head coach) Courtney (Jones) and Par (Nilsson) in putting this team together. I still had some convincing to do, a little work. In the end, though, Karsten Creek is a pretty good closer.”

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That “work to do” relates to perhaps the next in a long line of quality golfers from Sweden — Maja Stark — who, by her early results on the golf course, has shown a propensity for success.

“It’s one of the main reasons I came (to OSU),” admitted Stark, who hails from Abbekås in southern Sweden, closer to Copenhagen, Denmark, than most populated areas of her home country. “OSU is known as a ‘Swedish school’ because there have been so many players that have come here; everyone in golf circles knows about Karsten Creek. Our federation works hard to find places for good players, and that has been going on for a long time. And I think they like OSU football, too.”

Stark’s first year in Stillwater has been anything but a tap-in putt.

She arrived in January 2020 at the semester break. Her second start as a Cowgirl resulted in a tournament title, but in March COVID19 shut down just about every aspect of public gatherings. Like most college athletes in 2020, nothing was normal for Stark.

“OSU is known as a ‘Swedish school’ because there have been so many players that have come here; everyone in golf circles knows about Karsten Creek."

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“I’ve really tried to not focus on my results, but on the process of getting better."

“Actually, it really was not that bad for me,” admitted Stark, who returned home to Sweden for the summer. “It was really a year of growing mentally. For the first time in seven years I was able to stay home and not have to worry about competition, schedules. A few hours of practice, then I went to the beach (yes, there are beaches in southern Sweden) or played some tennis. Just really worked on myself.”

T he ps ycholog y m ajor cred it s a n introspective journal. “(The journal) really helped me become more confident, helped me to understand myself better,” she added. “And I think it’s helped me in golf, too.”

The confidence and ability of Stark has rubbed off on teammates.

“The way she plays, it makes us all work harder,” says sophomore Isabella Fierro, a native of Merida, Mexico, who earned AllAmerica honors as a freshman. “There is a competition among the players on the team, and I think that is a good thing. When we see someone else win, that makes you want to win.

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“And having players from different cultures really makes for a fun team. Being able to play in the cold weather, that doesn’t bother Maja.

That toughness, not letting the weather bother you that much, only helps you get better at golf because it’s not always going to be perfect conditions.”

Upon returning to Stillwater after the summer of 2020 it did not take long for Stark to pick up where she left off. In just her sixth collegiate event she carded 21 birdies in shooting 66-66-69 for a 15-under total that earned top honors at the LTWF Heroes Intercollegiate in Sarasota, Fla., in early February. The 54-hole total tied Fierro’s school record for 54 holes. Stark’s results should come as no surprise, especially for someone who tied for 13th at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open Championship in December in Houston.

“That was really big,” said Stark, one of 18 international players among the top 20 on the final leaderboard at the U.S. Open. “I’ve really tried to not focus on my results, but on the process of getting better. I had some goals last year, but they sort of became irrelevant. I had a good summer, and I came to (to the U.S. Open) in the right frame of mind I think. I was aggressive at the right times, something you need at a tournament like that. “ T he ex p er ienc e , pl ay i n g i n t h at environment, and playing pretty well was good. But I can go back and look at 100 things I could have done differently or better.”

Freshman Rina Tatematsu, from Bangkok, Thailand, earned her first collegiate victory at late-February’s ICON Invitational. The 2020-21 roster also includes Han-Hsuan Yu (Taiwan), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Australia) and Lianna Bailey (England).

“Having international players, I think, helps in a number of ways,” Stark said. “Everyone is experiencing a lot of the same things … just in different languages.”

“It has sort of snowballed,” Robertson said.

“The players really motivate each other and sometimes it’s just about me getting out of the way. Karsten, the tough conditions with the weather in Oklahoma, they all contribute to why international players come here. And when you bring someone like Maja and the confidence and attitude she brings to the golf course on a daily basis it strengthens everyone around her.”

One might think that playing in her first U.S. Open, picking up that first collegiate victory, or maybe even attending her first American football game inside a packed Boone Pickens Stadium in 2018 might top the list of highlights. But it was the summer of 2020 with local golfers around Abbekos that made Stark appreciate golf and competition more than ever.

Ima g ine t he H ickor y Huskers from the 1986 film Hoosiers, inspired by the 1954

Indiana state basketball championship. Smalltown effort versus big-city money. Stark’s “village” and surrounding region put together a team of golfers to compete in the Swedish match play championship, sanctioned since 1904 and where a few familiar names appear in the historical record — Linda Wessberg, Maria Bodén and Catherine Hedwall, all known to OSU golfing circles — played for various golf clubs over the years.

“It was the most fun I’ve had playing golf; the team we had, with some 15-year-olds, won the tournament,” said Stark of her summer highlight. “To see everyone so happy, it was a great feeling to play and compete, with such a small club, against everyone in Sweden. ” Stark played with her club through the semifinals, but watched the final online.

Robertson, Stark, and OSU golf ing enthusiasts hope a similar match-play moment occurs for the Cowgirls at an NCAA venue in the future.

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TOP 150 DONORS (BASED ON PRIORITY POINTS)

AS OF APRIL 30, 2021

1 Boone Pickens – 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

28

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

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

60 Anonymous #2 61 E. Turner & Cynthia Davis 62 Wiese Family 63 Steve & Jennifer Grigsby 64 Bill & Marsha Barnes 65 Bank of Oklahoma 66 KNABCO, Corp 67 OSU Center for Health Sciences 68 Phil & Ruth Terry 69 OSU Business Office 70 David & Julie Ann Ronck 71 Steve Tatum 72 Ed Evans 73 Barry & Roxanne Pollard 74 Chip & Cindy Beaver 75 Bancfirst 76 Ed & Kathy Raschen 77 American Fidelity 78 Steve & Diane Tuttle 79 Randall & Carol White 80 Jameson Family, LLC 81 Fechner Pump & Supply 82 Anonymous #3 83 Jay & Connie A. Wiese 84 Z Equipment, LLC 85 Atlas Asphalt Products 86 Sparks Financial 87 Pam J. Russell 88 Paycom

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.

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119

Ron & Jan King Patterson UTI Richard & Joan Welborn Lon Kile Vicki & Jim Click Henry Wells Brent & Mary Jane Wooten Anonymous #4 David Bradshaw OSU Alumni Association Steve & Vicki Farris Andy Johnson David D. LeNorman The Bank of America John Groendyke John & Kaye Hull Barber-Dyson Ford Lincoln Mercury Jerry Marshall Southwest Filter Co. Philip & Shannon Smith Larry & Kayleen Ferguson Emricks Van/Storage JS Charter Investments, LLC Austin & Betsy Kenyon Harvey & Donna Yost Randy & Pati Thurman Thomas Naugle Griff & Mindi Jones Midfirst Bank AEI Corporation Douglas & Nickie Burns

120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Ronald McAfee Bryan Close Sandra Lee Bob & Mary Haiges Lindel & Donielle Larison Bill & Karen Anderson Joseph E. Eastin Matt Holliday Vionette & John Dunn Chris & Julie Bridges Bruce & Sheryl Benbrook Robert & Sharon Keating Mike & Glynda Pollard Brad & Leah Gungoll Fred & Janice Gibson Byford Auto Group Johnson's of Kingfisher Jerry & Lynda Baker K D Greiner Terry & Martha Barker Gary & Mary Ellen Bridwell Harrison Investements Prosperity Bank Cory & Lynn Bowker Drummond Investments Stan & Shannon Clark Jay & Fayenelle Helm Crossland Construction Co Jon H. Wilson Russ & Julie Teubner Mustang Fuel

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 APRIL 30, 2021 Points

Rank

6,116,024 1 240,562 69,069 44,534 35,900 28,000 20,400 11,106 5,600 2,667 870 257 96 60

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

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SPRING 2021

elite grads Track and Field’s Josh Anadu and Ariane Ballner are among 52 recipients of the OSU Alumni Association's Seniors of Significance distinction for the 2020-21 academic year.

Representing the top one percent of the Class of 2021, the prestigious award recognizes students who have excelled in scholarship, leadership and service to campus and community and have brought distinction to OSU. Anadu, a jumps specialist from Katy, Texas, earned a degree in environmental science from the Ferguson School of Agriculture. A distance runner from Elmshorn, Germany, Ballner graduated from the Spears School of Business with a degree in management.

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par for the course In a battle that came down to the final hole, Oklahoma State held off Oklahoma and Texas to capture the 2021 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship at 6,947-yard, par-70 Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. After entering the final round in a three-way tie for first place, the Cowboys posted a four-round total of nine-over-par to edge the Sooners (+10) and Longhorns (+11). The two strokes separating the top three teams is the fewest in Big 12 Championship play.

The trophy marks OSU's 11th Big 12 conference title and 56th conference crown overall. OSU freshman Bo Jin finished just one stroke shy of the individual medalist with a 5-under score of 277.

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Malco 34

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lm

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in the middle STORY BY JASON ELMQUIST

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MALCOLM RODRIGUEZ WAS RARING TO RETURN TO STILLWATER AFTER AN UNPRECEDENTED SPRING. He and the Oklahoma State football team, like all college athletes, watched the sports they love come to a halt in the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Spring football was canceled and there was no clear answer as to if, or when, they would return.

“It was kind of a merry-go-round for us,” Rodriguez said. “We were all ready, and then it kind of slapped us all in the face. It definitely took some time to get used to.”

But then as the program was starting to return to some form of normalcy in the midst of the raging pandemic, he got another slap in the face. Expecting to jump into training in mid-June, Rodriguez tweeted out that he had tested positive for the virus.

“I felt fine, then I got tested and got the positive, so for me it was kind of shocking, because I didn’t feel like I had it,” Rodriguez said.

Fortunately for him, he was asymptomatic.

He said there was one day during quarantine he had some full-body aching, but it wasn’t too severe. He still went through the process of quarantine — taking advantage of his family’s RV in Wagoner. He had limited contact during that time, mostly when his parents would bring him meals outside. Rodriguez’s family also adjusted their lifestyle a bit to accommodate him. Since he didn’t have symptoms, he wanted to keep training before returning to Stillwater.

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“They gave me the garage to work out, so I was still working out but kept my distance from the family,” said the former two-time state high school champion wrestler.

Though he was still trying to maintain a fitness routine while in quarantine, he said it took his body some time to recover when he returned to working out with Rob Glass and the training staff.

He said Coach Glass took it slow when Rodriguez returned from quarantine, to ensure “I wasn’t going to put myself at risk.”

Rodriguez said It took about two weeks back with the staff before he felt like his body was back to the condition it was prior to testing positive.

“I felt like my stamina was whittled down, so definitely had to kind of build it back up,” he said.

By the time fall camp rolled around, Rodriguez was ready to rock.

Due to losing the spring season, he was delayed in building off his first season at linebacker. Instead, he had to show his growth during the lengthy fall camp and into his second year at the position.

“Malcolm got better every game,” said Jim Knowles, OSU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. “He’s been at linebacker two years, and it’s his natural position. Even though he’s undersized, he makes quick reads, he actually sees the game better there than when he was at safety. He’s just a natural.”

The numbers for Rodriguez in the pandemic season point to Knowles being accurate in his assessment of the safety-turned-linebacker.

Despite Oklahoma State playing two fewer games in 2020 due to COVID-19 protocols, he matched or exceeded the stats he accumulated in the 13-game 2019 season — aside from total tackles, though he was close to similar numbers in tackles per game. He matched the tackles for a loss (7) between the two seasons, but improved in sacks — three this past season after just 1.5 the year before — with five quarterback hurries (to four his first season at linebacker).

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“He gets everything when we teach it right away, and we just have to keep throwing more at him because he can handle it.”

JIM KNOWLES

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SPRING 2021

“I feel like I did a lot better job recognizing plays and using my hands more,” Rodriguez said. “But there’s always room to improve in some areas. So I've definitely got stuff to work on this offseason.”

While he showed growth on the field between his first and second seasons at linebacker, Knowles has been equally as impressed with Rodriguez’s growth in preparations.

Knowles gushed about Rodriguez’s wrestling background and how those skills are “becoming even more important in today’s game of football.

“He’s really smart,” Knowles added. “I think he gets bored quickly, and it’s our job to keep finding ways to keep his mental skills at a top level. I think he gets it. He gets everything when we teach it right away, and we just have to keep throwing more at him because he can handle it.”

Knowles knows about Rodriguez’s mental skills, but apparently didn’t realize at times throughout the season just how important they were when it came to his top two linebackers working off each other.

Though fellow senior Amen Ogbongbemiga was the undisputed vocal leader in the middle of the Cowboy defense — and right there with Rodriguez in statistical categories — Knowles learned of how much they fed off each other.

“I think they were really symbiotic,” Knowles said. “Amen was the talker and the play caller — Malcolm is more low-key — but a lot of times Malcolm was giving Amen the answers to the test, just kind of like at a lower volume, which I found out later on.”

The continuing pandemic afforded Rodriguez a unique opportunity he elected to take advantage of.

The NCAA granted fall athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. While most of the seniors on the Cowboy squad decided to forego that extra year to start looking to their next venture in life, Rodriquez saw it as a chance to continue to grow at the linebacker position — with the hope of improving the possibility of playing at the next level. ”Definitely wanted to work on more things and give myself another year at the linebacker position,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted to see if I could improve from last year. I felt like I still

needed to improve here, but also get my degree.

That all kind of made my decision.”

It is not solely an improvement in his skill set that Knowles is hoping to see from Rodriguez in 2021.

With Ogbongbemiga being one of those seniors who is now focusing on a pro career, the expectation is for the Wagoner native to fill the role of leader in the middle of the Oklahoma State defense.

“I do expect Malcolm to really be in charge of everything, to be honest with you,” Knowles said. “We have a veteran defense, but he’s the guy who’s been through all the wars and different positions. He really ties things together.

“So he’s gonna have to speak up more. He’s amazingly smart, and he knows everything that’s happening on the field. He’s just gonna have to have a louder presence on the defense.”

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SPRING 2021

Building on Belief STORY BY HALLIE HART

Sydney Pennington has relished the game day environment in Cowgirl Stadium from multiple vantage points, and her favorite place has surprised her.

Pennington considered herself a shortstop when she arrived at Oklahoma State as a decorated recruit from Sand Springs. The gap between second and third base was the territory she had fiercely defended throughout her young softball career.

Then her first two seasons sent her on a tour of the field, changing her mind.

After filling a few different positions and starting more than 150 games in a Cowgirl uniform, Pennington fully embraces her identity as a third baseman.

“I’ve always taken opportunities when I can at OSU, and I try to look at them as, I get to play on the field,” Pennington said. “Since third base was open, now I’ve found that’s always where I want to be. I love third base. I’ve really thrived there, and I’m just comfortable there.”

As the senior found success at the hot corner, the softball world’s eyes have turned toward her.

Pennington’s name appeared on Softball America’s 2021 preseason list of three premier collegiate third basemen, describing her as an “absolute powerhouse.” OSU first baseman Alysen Febrey said Pennington, who boasted a .966 fielding percentage and a .375 batting average at the end of the curtailed 2020 season, “has no fear.”

POSSE 41

Coach Kenny Gajewski often hears people tell him how incredible the Cowgirls’ third baseman is, but perhaps no one understands Pennington’s importance to OSU’s softball program more than Gajewski.

When Gajewski took the helm as coach in summer 2015, Pennington stood out as one of the first to have faith in his grand visions for the Cowgirls’ future in spite of their 21-31 record the season before he was hired. While steadily gaining confidence as a third baseman, Pennington has played a critical role in reestablishing OSU’s identity as a formidable World Series contender.

Her adaptable skill set helped her make an impact from the beginning.

She sometimes played catcher in the fall, started her first spring game as the designated player and eventually filled in for then-injured teammate Rylee Bayless in left field, though Pennington had no prior experience there. By the time the Cowgirls’ Big 12 schedule started, Pennington had shifted to short, where she played until hopping to third as a sophomore.

Although Pennington hasn’t stayed in one spot, she has started every game of her career so far.

“She’s just so competitive, I didn’t see it any other way, really,” said Amy Pennington, her mother.

It’s the same feisty competitiveness that propelled Pennington to spend hours in her family’s living room tossing a tennis ball with her left hand, proving to her father she could still throw with a cast on her broken right arm. Although she couldn’t persuade him to let her pitch with an injury, it was a valiant attempt from an elementary-age athlete.

Pennington carried that spirit into her high school days as an all-state softball and basketball star. The thought of sitting idly instead of actively contributing to a team stirs up uneasiness, so she refuses to do that. The will to compete is deeply ingrained in her, a characteristic as obvious as her constant smile that spreads joy among her teammates.

It’s what makes her Sydney Pennington, and it’s allowed her to accomplish the goal she formed when she answered the pivotal question her dad, Brett, posed to her during her recruiting journey.

“Would you rather join an amazing team or help build a program?”

The Cowgirls could turn into an amazing team again. But they needed someone like Pennington to help catalyze the rebuild.

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“It kind of just put a spark in my heart.

I was like, ‘This is where I should be.’”

Building a Program Gajewski prepared himself for disappointment.

He had just finished a lengthy conversation with a marquee recruit and her parents, but he feared he had delivered his pitch only to lose her commitment. Doubt crept into his mind as he gathered with the visitors at the circular table in his office, which, despite his usual dedication to organization, was in disarray with moving boxes serving as conspicuous reminders of his status as the new guy in town.

Before Gajewski could spruce up his new space and personalize it, he prioritized meeting with Pennington and her family. She had committed to the previous coaching staff, but would Pennington, a high school junior who was sure to get plenty of possible opportunities with other universities, have any reason to stick with her decision? Gajewski didn’t know.

At the round table, Pennington suddenly replaced Gajewski’s uncertainty with relief and joy when she casually gave her affirmative response to his recruiting efforts.

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Her parents voiced their approval, too. They had been there to advise Pennington throughout every step of the recruiting process, which began early. Before starting her sophomore year at Sand Springs, she committed to play for former Cowgirl coach Rich Wieligman.

It was a departure from the family tradition of wearing crimson and cream.

During his college years, Brett never could have imagined he would one day proudly cheer for an OSU softball squad that featured his daughter as an elite athlete, the face of the team her senior year. His sister, Jamie Pennington, played softball for Patty Gasso at OU, and Brett, a former Sooner baseball player, understands the meaning of Bedlam well.

In 1996, seven years after a well-known and publicized Bedlam baseball brawl, another fight broke out when the Sooners and Cowboys, including now-OSU baseball coach Josh Holliday, played in Norman. Brett left the fracas with a broken thumb, an injury that cut his career short.

He would have had reason to harbor bitterness about the rivalry, but he didn’t sway his daughter away from choosing OSU when he could tell how much she loved it. Eventually, the Stillwater community won over Brett, and he supported Pennington’s dream of elevating Cowgirl softball.

“It was kind of refreshing,” Brett said. “It was awesome to think that she would like to do that instead of just jump on a bandwagon and go somewhere.”

Surprisingly, Pennington’s Sooner connections played a positive role in bringing her to OSU. Pennington and her parents weren’t sure how the Cowgirls’ coaching change would affect her path, but then they realized a familiar face was filling Wieligman’s position. Gajewski had been a graduate assistant at OU when Brett played there, and he also had become acquainted with Pennington when he was an assistant at Florida, one of several schools that showed interest in her.

After OSU announced Gajewski’s hiring, he wasted no time in becoming familiar with his new workplace and taking note of everything that needed renovation.

“I knew we could get this thing turned around here,” Gajewski said. “It just needed some TLC.” The walls in Cowgirl Stadium’s offices lacked proof of the glory days, yet there were plenty of highlights to celebrate, from pitcher Michele Smith’s record-shattering career in the late 1980s to four World Series appearances and six conference titles in the ’90s.

Except for a WCWS berth in 2011, OSU’s postseason success had waned in recent years. Still, the Cowgirls had talented athletes, and the addition of a top in-state recruit like Pennington could mark the beginning of a new era. Gajewski recognized that, so the standout shortstop from Sand Springs was the first prospective Cowgirl he called.

As she sat in Gajewski’s office amid the moving boxes, Pennington was ready to build the future. After she announced her intention of sticking with the Cowgirls, Gajewski joked she should play poker because her face hadn’t given away her decision, but her calm expression signaled she had confidence in her choice.

“It kind of just put a spark in my heart,” Pennington said.

“I was like, ‘This is where I should be. I can’t wait to help build this program, put it on the map again,’ because it does have a lot of rich history, and we just wanted to kind of reinvent Cowgirl softball, so (it was) pretty cool.”

Before Pennington ever enrolled at OSU, she was beginning to change Cowgirl softball because she gave Gajewski hope, a feeling that lingered with him after his meeting with Pennington and her parents.

“When they left, I just sat in there and was like, ‘OK, we can do this here,’” Gajewski said. “And it was gonna take somebody like her, one of the top kids in the state, to commit and to get kids to believe in us.”

Two years into Pennington’s Cowgirl career, recruits had another big reason to believe.

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“There’s no way to explain the feeling that your team is going to the World Series, you’re one of the best teams in the nation.”

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Building Her Identit y For Pennington, unwavering smiles defined the postgame scene that unfolded around her on JoAnne Graf Field.

It was May 25, 2019, and the Cowgirls had just defeated Florida State 3-2 to seal a Super Regional victory in Tallahassee.

For the first time since 2011, OSU had secured a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

“There’s no way to explain the feeling that your team is going to the World Series, you’re one of the best teams in the nation,” Pennington said. “And it was so surreal because we just all got to experience it together.”

Not even four full years after Pennington assured Gajewski of her commitment to OSU, the program had undergone a metamorphosis. Along with earning their coveted World Series spot, the Cowgirls posted a 45-17 record and went 13-5 in Big 12 play that season.

Promising freshmen, including Kiley Naomi, Chyenne Factor and Stillwater’s Taylor Tuck, bolstered the roster. The national spotlight belonged to Samantha Show, the senior transfer from Texas A&M who electrified the Cowgirls’ games with her bat flips and dominance in the circle.

This influx of talent couldn’t diminish Pennington’s value to her team. Instead, Gajewski said he thinks dynamos such as Show have provided Pennington with extra motivation. In Tallahassee, as the Cowgirls celebrated their advancement to the World Series, Gajewski noticed how Pennington’s unstoppable enthusiasm bubbled over to her teammates.

“These are winners, man,” Gajewski said. “And I was really happy for Sydney, as happy as anyone, because she chose to come here when it was rough and things didn’t look quite as rosy.”

It was the highest point of Pennington’s career so far, one of her favorite moments as a Cowgirl, after the ups and downs of her early days at OSU.

Although Pennington adjusted to her evolving defensive responsibilities, she weathered some challenges on offense.

Pennington started her career with power at the plate.

Regardless of field position, she usually served as the cleanup hitter, batting fourth in all but two of the Cowgirls’ 61 games as a freshman. When they competed in the Kajikawa Classic to begin the spring season, Pennington made a notable debut with 10 hits and nine RBI through five games.

Gajewski realized that couldn’t last forever.

Despite Pennington’s strength, she hadn’t worked with a professional hitting coach before college. Tweaking her swing was challenging, and to end the season, she endured a 16-game stretch with no RBI in all but one game.

It was still an impressive year — she finished with 43 RBI and seven home runs, only two fewer than Julie Ward’s Cowgirl freshman homer record — but, despite receiving all-freshman Big 12 honors and learning about precise hitting techniques from her coaches, Pennington was still missing something.

“I think the reason why I didn’t do as well my freshman year as I wanted to was because I wasn’t being a leader,” Pennington said. “And I had been a leader my whole life. I always wanted to lead. I wanted to inspire people and pump people up and make them better versions of (themselves) … I was a freshman; I was nervous I would step on some toes.”

When Pennington’s sophomore year approached, her new role eased her worries.

Pennington, Show and Elise LeBeouf were named team captains for the 2019 season. As a leader alongside two senior teammates, Pennington carried big responsibilities, but because of that, everything clicked. She had to set an example for her teammates, so she refused to pout in the dugout or engage in negative self-talk if she made a mistake.

Pennington put her positivity and resilience on display, reconstructing her individual identity while reenergizing the entire program. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t playing shortstop anymore.

With the arrival of highly touted shortstop Kiley Naomi, Pennington was on the move to third base.

“I said, ‘You know what, let’s just be the best left side there is,’” Pennington said. “And so it was the best opportunity for me for that to happen because Kiley and I work so well together.”

Amy Pennington said she and Brett have enjoyed rooting for their daughter and Naomi, who have created a nearly impassable defensive fortress on the left side of the field. Although Amy said she was skeptical at first when her daughter had to play positions other than short, Pennington changed her mom’s outlook.

“She taught me, like, ‘Mom, I just want to be out there,’” Amy said. “‘It’s all about the team. We want to go to the World Series; that’s our goal.’”

The Cowgirls accomplished that mission, but rebuilding the program didn’t stop there.

POSSE 45

Building the Future Sydney Pennington and Febrey creep closer to home plate and lock their eyes on the opposing batter when they sense she might bunt. With Pennington on third base and Febrey at first, their gazes showcase their competitive intensity, daring hitters to try to get any ball past them. It’s their go-to strategy, but Febrey’s first memory of Pennington involves no fearinducing glares or on-field intimidation tactics.

Pennington welcomed Febrey, a graduate transfer from Georgia, to OSU when she visited in July 2019. As Pennington took her potential teammate on a tour of the grounds and introduced her to people in the program, Pennington’s personality made an early impression on Febrey.

“She’s genuinely one of the happiest people I’ve ever met,” Febrey said. “That’s what I really remembered.”

Pennington’s bubbly demeanor wasn’t the only positive aspect of Febrey’s recruiting trip. As Febrey surveyed her surroundings, she realized she had stepped into a changed environment. Febrey had visited Stillwater before choosing Georgia, but Cowgirl Stadium didn’t make enough of an impression on her for her to seriously consider OSU. This second visit was different.

Febrey noticed the upgraded locker room. The wall of AllAmericans simultaneously highlighted a program steeped in tradition and showed recruits what they could become. Orange had replaced gray.

It looked like the home of World Series contenders.

Febrey called off all of her planned visits to other universities because she envisioned herself in a Cowgirl uniform. Since the 2019 WCWS appearance, the Cowgirls have drawn in several high-level transfers, including Febrey, pitcher Carrie Eberle (Virginia Tech) and utility player Jordan Doggett, Febrey’s former teammate at Georgia.

OSU’s climb to nationwide relevance has enticed softball stars from across the country, but the Cowgirls wouldn’t be the same without in-state recruiting, their lifeblood. Names of Oklahoma towns are scattered throughout the roster. Grove.

Broken Bow. Yukon. Purcell. And of course, Sand Springs, the home of the shortstop-turned-third-baseman who took a chance on Cowgirl softball because she believed the turnaround could happen.

Brett explained how he thinks his daughter’s presence on the team has influenced other in-state recruits.

“I think that it’s actually helped the state of Oklahoma girls know that they can go to OSU and be on a competitive softball team,” Brett said. “There’s more than one softball team in Oklahoma, and I think people know that now.”

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Brett and Amy, who now wear orange despite their Sooner roots, have watched Pennington grow each year. During

the 24-game 2020 season, she recorded a team-high 30 hits, including seven home runs, and led the Cowgirls with nine multihit games. After the extended break from softball because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to the lineup as a senior leader and starting third baseman this season.

A Sydney Pennington-autographed softball, the home run ball that dropped into her dad’s outstretched right hand behind the outfield wall at Cowgirl Stadium a couple of years ago, is on Brett’s desk, reminding him of what his daughter has accomplished since her T-ball days. But Pennington’s on-field skills, and even her unselfish willingness to move to third base, aren’t the only reasons her parents take pride in her career.

At camps and individual lessons, Pennington shares her expertise with young athletes who aspire to stand in her place.

It’s part of her mission to connect with people around her, to show girls they can accomplish what she has done.

“I don’t want to just come here and go to school,” Pennington said. “I want it to feel like home … I want to meet the local Stillwater people, and I think that’s something that I’ve really been excited and proud to say that I’ve done is put myself out there to the community of Stillwater.”

That mentality has allowed Pennington to become an inspiration to kids who know her, including Logan, Gajewski’s 10-year-old daughter.

“She thinks Sydney Pennington hung the moon,” Gajewski said, “and it’s really cool to see.”

Pennington’s positive influence on those girls is a sign of her leadership, the quality she realized she needed to revive in herself to have an enjoyable sophomore season. It’s an attribute that helped her quickly emerge as a third-base phenom despite playing only shortstop before college. It’s the trait that made her confident she could send Cowgirl softball on an upward trajectory when her dad asked if she wanted to build a program, an idea that would be daunting to many high school students, but not to Pennington.

And she isn’t done yet.

“It’s so cool and fun to see how this program has evolved and changed,” Pennington said. “And that’s something that I wanted to contribute to and help happen. So when I leave, I’m just gonna be so proud that I got to be a part of that.”

“There’s more than one softball team in Oklahoma, and I think people know that now.”

Brett Pennington

POSSE 47

podium pokes The host Cowboys and Cowgirls claimed individual and team accolades at the 2020 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships, held March 16 after being postponed due to COVID. Oklahoma State earned a third-place team finish in the men's 10K, led by Isai Rodriguez in the 8th (30:08.3) along with fellow All-American Alex Maier (17th, 30:23.2). In the 6K race, Cowgirl distance standout Taylor Roe nearly claimed the individual title, battling to the wire for a runner-up finish. Het time of 20:06.7 is the fourth fastest 6K in school history. Stillwater will welcome the national championships back to OSU's world-class course in 2022.

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SPRING 2021

double trouble Cowgirl senior Natasha Mack put the Cowgirls on her back this season, averaging a doubledouble with 19.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game for Juim Littell's squad. Osu finished with a 19-8 record, including 13 Big 12 victories — the highest league win total in program history.

A dominating presence in the paint, Mack broke her own school single-season mark with 112 blocked shots, the nation's best total. Her 4.0 blocks per game also led the country and were more than two per game more than any other player in the Big 12. The Lufkin, Texas native was named the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year as well as the WBCA NCAA Division 1 Defensive Player of the Year.

Mack was chosen as the 16th overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky.

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POSSE 51

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

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

But we’re not finished yet.

HALF SCHOLARSHIP Sally Graham Skaggs

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

OSU awards 229 full scholarships to student-athletes 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.

FULL SCHOLARSHIP

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

They are our Honor Roll.

Bob and Kay Norris Bryant and Carla Coffman / The Merkel Foundation David LeNorman | Dennis and Karen Wing (2) Dr. Mark and Beth Brewer Ike and Marybeth Glass 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

Cindy Hughes | Donald Coplin Doug Thompson | Ed and Helen Wallace R. Kirk Whitman | Greg Casillas Jim and Lynne Williams / John and Patti Brett Mike and Judy Johnson | Sally Graham Skaggs State Rangers | Tom Naugle | Nate Watson

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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Fred and Janice Gibson | Fred and Karen Hall Howard Thill | James and LaVerna Cobb Jerry and Lynda Baker | John P. Melot Jerry and Rae Winchester John S. Clark | Ken and Leitner Greiner Kent and Margo Dunbar | Paul and Mona Pitts Randall and Carol White | Shelli Osborn Roger and Laura Demaree Steve and Diane Tuttle Tony and Finetta Banfield

General

1.25

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Terry and Martha Barker

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

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

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

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

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Women’s Tennis

0.75

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Men's Track

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP David and Judy Powell Kenneth and Susan Crouch Sally Graham Skaggs

Graduate Athlete 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

0.75

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

Jim McDowell Men's

0.75

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

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

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Mary Jane and Brent Wooten

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

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).

POSSE 53

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

Can your heart be in two places at once? It can if you’re Bill and Karen Anderson, who have an equal love for the home teams in Stillwater and their hometown of Holdenville.

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The Andersons have been a fixture at Oklahoma State ballgames for decades, with season tickets in baseball, football, men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling. Their diverse donation history spans the full range of varsity sports programs. This longstanding loyalty has led to Cowboy VIP status with the POSSE, but their generosity and involvement reaches across the entire campus, from the College of Education to the OSU Alumni Association and all points in between.

“They’ve been so kind and generous,” says Cowgirl Basketball Head Coach Jim Littell. “I hope they realize that their contributions both in attendance and financially have been a tremendous asset to our program. They are just very genuine people who deeply care about Oklahoma State. I think they represent what Oklahoma State’s about: Loyal and True.”

POSSE 55

When you make the journey that far and that often to support your school, that’s a commitment.

JIM LITTELL

KING & QUEEN OF THE ROAD There are 104 miles of two-lane blacktop between the Andersons’ driveway and the OSU campus. Bill reckons he could drive it blindfolded.

He figures they put roughly 10,000 miles on his GMC truck in a typical year, an hour and 40 minutes at a time, just back and forth to OSU events.

The route, Bill says with a grin, “is a little familiar.”

“That’s a commitment,” Littell says. “When you make the journey that far and that often to support your school, that’s a commitment.”

“This is our main entertainment — OSU sports,” Karen says. “Everybody in Holdenville knows, if Bill and Karen aren’t here they’re probably in Stillwater.”

With Bill behind the wheel, Karen — ever the people person — uses windshield time to connect with friends.

“She gets on the phone when we’re traveling. I do most of the driving. On long trips, she’ll help.”

“Bill has the satellite radio, so he’ll scroll around and see if he can find a ballgame to listen to.”

The couple rarely misses a Cowboy or Cowgirl home contest. A pandemic hasn’t kept them away. Neither can cancer (Karen has battled multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, for a decade).

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At 80, and on the verge of celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, the Andersons remain as active as ever, sometimes ignoring their doctor’s well-intentioned advice.

“I’ve been with my hematologist/oncologist, Dr. Michael Bowen, 11 years. He’s wonderful.

We have bonded with my doctor. Bill misses going (during the pandemic) because my doctor is so cool. But he doesn’t know that I’ve been going to the ballgames … He would probably say, ‘Well, Karen, do you think you should do that?’

“I tell people it’s safer for me to come to games in Stillwater than to go out in Holdenville, because people don’t wear masks in Holdenville.”

The Andersons spoke with OSU officials about safety protocols at Boone Pickens Stadium prior to last fall.

“I had emailed and talked to (then Deputy AD) Chad Weiberg about being able to come,” Karen says. “Knowing how they were going to do the Club for football, we felt very safe.”

“Her immune system is really vulnerable, but once we got here and saw how things were spaced, it was very doable,” Bill adds.

In addition to football, the pair continued to attend just about every home basketball game, with granddaughter Mikaela using the wrestling tickets.

“I called them during the COVID times when we were all at home, and they seemed bored,” Littell says. “They were ready to get out and get back and do what they enjoy — and that’s going to Oklahoma State events.”

Even during a pandemic, Gallagher-Iba Arena was anything but boring. From Bedlam sweeps in basketball, double-overtime drama over Texas, freshman phenoms on the court (Cade Cunningham) and the mat (A.J. Ferrari), a dominant defender (Natasha Mack) and more … the Andersons have had tickets to it all in the rowdiest socially distanced arena in the country — to paraphrase PA announcer Larry Reece.

After the final buzzer sounds, win or lose, the Cowgirl Basketball team has a postgame tradition to hug, high five and thank the fans who’ve come to cheer them on.

“Both coaches, (Kurt) Budke and Littell, had the girls come by after the ballgame, where their fans could congratulate them and tell them ‘good game’ and all that.”

“I think they enjoy the opportunity to see the girls after the ballgame,” Littell says. “It’s very cool, and it’s been going on for a long time.”

Soon after pleasantries are exchanged, it’s time to hit the road home to Holdenville.

“Bill likes sleeping in his own bed,” laughs Littell.

For late tipoffs, or weekends with multiple events, they’ll stay in Stillwater at the Hampton Inn — owned by loyal OSU alumni Joe and Pam Martin, whom Karen met at Camp Cowboy while serving on the Alumni Board.

“They just treat us like family,” she says.

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Holdenville Perry Ada

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Stillwater Cushing

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Shawnee Norman

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Above: With granddaughter Mikaela at Grandparent University in 2013 Bottom left: In West Lafayette, Indiana, as the Cowgirls advanced to the 2014 Sweet 16 Bottom right: At Boone Pickens Stadium with Mike and Debbie and grandchildren Shelby and Kaitlyn

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FAMILY AFFAIR Not only do the Andersons bleed orange, it’s in their DNA. “Both of our families — our folks, his mom and dad and my dad, went to school here,” Karen says. “Four generations. My dad, Veldo Brewer, was quite active.”

Brewer earned a Civil Engineering degree from Oklahoma A&M in 1930. A member of the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame, he served as national president of the Alumni Association in 1965-66 and was appointed to the OSU/ A&M Board of Regents by Governor Henry Bellmon to fill out the 1966-67 term.

Karen recalls making trips from Holdenville to Stillwater as a child.

“Back in the old days, we played OU on Thanksgiving weekend, and that’s when my folks would bring me. It would be so cold, my mother and I would go to the library restroom where the radiator kept us warm.”

A neatly planted gridwork of peach trees was once visible from the junction of Highways 177 and 33 outside of Perkins. Karen recalls her father’s role in that local landmark.

“Whenever we’d make the turn to Stillwater, my daddy would say, ‘I helped stake that orchard for 50 cents a day’ when he was in school. When he graduated there weren’t any jobs, so he stayed and started his master’s and was the person who checked out the surveying instruments to the engineering students.”

“My dad, Bill Anderson, Jr. — I’m the third — and my mother went to school here,” Bill explains. “My mother claims that her side of the family can count somebody at OSU since the 1920s. I don’t know when the string was broken, but a cousin, nephew, uncle, somebody in the family, was on campus probably up until sometime in the ’90s.”

“Bill’s uncle (Al Waddill) was supposedly the first person to put ducks on Theta Pond.”

In the mid-1940s, the Andersons and Brewers put down roots in Holdenville.

“Our families came to Holdenville about the same time,” Karen says. “We grew up together.

Went to the same church. We were high school sweethearts.”

Bill and Karen were married while in college and graduated together in 1963, Bill with a Civil Engineering degree and Karen in Secondary Education/English.

“When we were here at school, we were very poor,” Karen recalls. “Our families helped us get through school, and we had no money for anything.”

She also recalls the meager services the city offered in those days.

“At that time, Stillwater had a pole with a gunnysack on it for you to dispose of your trash. It was pretty primitive.

“I was pregnant when we graduated, and at that point we were like, ‘Are we ever going to come back here?’ At that time, Stillwater was the last place I wanted to see again.”

Amenities (or lack thereof) aside, their fondness for their alma mater never waned.

Several years later and settled back in Holdenville, the couple joined other alumni and fans from the surrounding area on road trips to catch the Cowboys versus the Razorbacks. “ We had enough OSU people from Holdenville — and probably Ada, Wewoka, Seminole — that we chartered a bus that went to Little Rock for the Arkansas games,” Karen recalls. “It was a lot of fun.”

The Hughes County contingent was eager to watch two former Holdenville High Wolverines play for the Pokes: Jim “Chub” Moeller and Rick McCoin. “ They were pa r t of t he on ly state championship team that Holdenville ever had,” she adds, “and they were on the OSU team. That was neat.”

The Cowboys had not fared well against Arkansas during that decade, particularly across the border, but in 1967 Phil Cutchin’s squad ended a 10-game losing streak to the Hogs (in true Phil Cutchin fashion) with a 7-6 victory.

A trip to Athens, Georgia, to watch the Cowboys play "between the hedges" with good friends Bill and Janelle Eichor in 2007

POSSE 59

HOME RUN

Sightseeing at the 1995 Final Four in Seattle

LASTING LEGACIES Both of their sons, Bill IV and Mike, graduated from Oklahoma State, as did their respective spouses, Dana and Debbie.

Bill IV named his firstborn McKinzie, ending the Andersons’ generational streak of Williams.

“When his son was born he said, ‘Mom and dad, there’s not going to be a Fifth,’” Karen laughs.

“Our two daughters-in-law are first generation college graduates,” she points out. “Our younger son’s two daughters (Shelby and Kaitlyn) are teachers, and they graduated from the College of Education in Stillwater … so we have three generations in the College of Education.”

The pair helped indoctrinate grandchildren through Cowboy and Cowgirl games and Pistol Pete’s Partners kids club, as well as Grandparent University. Karen credits OSU associate extension specialist and GPU professor Andrine Shufran (aka the “Bug Lady”) for getting their youngest granddaughter hooked on a career in entomology. Mikaela is currently a double major studying Animal Science: Production, and Entomology: Insect Biology and Ecology.

“We didn’t know she had a passion for bugs,” Karen says, “but it all came from Grandparent University and the Bug Lady. How many girls would want to do Entomology I and II?”

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The Andersons are eager for the pandemic to be a thing of the past so they can visit their two great-grandsons more often.

“They’re just itty bitties,” she says of oneyear-old Cale Garrison and Eli Ray Anderson, who was born in March. “It’s hard when you have little ones like that.”

ALL ABOARD Bill was building bridges with his fatherin-law in their construction firm (Brewer & Anderson, Inc.) when they saw an opportunity to enter into the railroad salvaging business.

“We had been buying steel products from a company out of Houston, and they had a division that salvaged abandoned railroads,” he explains. “That company did the rail part, but they needed companies to salvage the ties, the bridges and the ballast.”

The Veldo H. Brewer Company was formed to buy the land and minerals, while Brewer & Anderson purchased the bridges and ties.

“One particular abandonment of the MK&T (Katy) Railroad extended 342 miles from the Oklahoma panhandle to Altus,” Bill recalls. “We sold the land back to the adjacent landowners and kept the mineral rights.”

From that purchase, The Railroad Yard, Inc. opened as an outlet to sell the ties and bridge timbers. In 1988, Bill handed over the reins to the Stillwater-based Railroad Yard to his namesake, but continues to manage the minerals.

“That’s what keeps me busy now, the oil and gas business.”

The Andersons credit Cowboy Baseball with reigniting their passion for OSU sports in the 1980s. Bill’s business interests in the Midwest made their road to Omaha a short trip.

“They salvaged railroads in Iowa, Nebraska and so forth,” Karen recalls. “And of course, that’s where the College World Series is, in Omaha. So in the summer, for seven consecutive years, we went to every one.”

“That was convenient since we had work up there,” Bill adds.

Gary Ward’s Cowboys were a regular at the College World Series from 1981-87 — a recordsetting streak that validated OSU Baseball as one of the nation’s premier programs.

“I think that really got us addicted to OSU Baseball because those years were just unbelievable,” Karen says. “I was still working as part-time librarian and part-time 8th Grade English teacher, and I would take my book order with me. I would work on it between ballgames. Then when I retired in ’95, that’s when we really started being able to do all the things that we’ve done.”

Now that it’s baseball season, the Andersons are finally enjoying the long-anticipated opening of O’Brate Stadium from their seats between home plate and the Cowboy dugout.

“It’s great,” Bill says. “Years ago when we went to a regional at Arkansas and played in their new stadium, walking in that thing and looking around, my jaw dropped. At that time I thought, ‘When we build our new stadium I hope we can pattern our stadium after (BaumWalker Stadium).’ And I think they did that, and more!”

“One of the first things I thought of is that we won’t have any problem hosting a regional,” Karen adds.

Perry Tulsa BOWL BOUND

The Andersons have road tripped to every bowl game since the 1976 Tangerine Bowl — a streak of 25 that was only broken by the pandemic and a socially distant Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando this past season.

Karen is quick to point out that OSU knocked off a perennial powerhouse in Mike Gundy’s first bowl game as head coach.

“We beat Alabama 34-31 in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport in 2006,” she says. “And I have the sweatshirt to prove it!”

The 1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl in El Paso also stands out in the couple’s memory.

Led by Thurman Thomas, the Cowboys topped the Mountaineers of West Virginia 35-33 in a surprise “Snow Bowl.”

“The band had to spend the night in the airport with a lot of other OSU fans,” Karen recalls. “The people that went with Jim Bolding and International Tours were all waiting for the plane to be de-iced.”

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Stillwater Postseason basketball has provided a number of memorable travel destinations.

“In ’95, when we went to the Final Four in Seattle, I hadn’t retired yet,” Karen says, “but my superintendent let me go. Back then, if you took time off you had to pay it back, but he let me do that as my retirement present. Then, of course, we went to the San Antonio Final Four in 2004.

“We follow the ladies as well,” she adds.

“When OSU went to the 2008 Sweet 16, we went to Des Moines and on to New Orleans … We played Purdue for the Sweet 16 in 2014, and they were the home team, and they just knew they were gonna win.”

(Led by Brittney Martin’s 20 points and 20 rebounds, the Cowgirls bounced the Boilermakers 73-66.)

Cushing

WHERE THE HEART IS “We feel fortunate that we were able to live in a small town, raise our kids in a small town,” Bill says. “We don’t know everybody by a long shot, but we have so many friends there.

I would love to live in Stillwater, but we can’t break those roots down there.”

“They love athletics, they love Oklahoma State,” says Littell. “I think it’s fun for them, and it’s been a lot of fun for us as well.”

“One of the best things out of all this, the traveling and going to those different things,” Bill says, “is the people we have met that we otherwise would not have ever met. They’re just good friends, and you can’t put a price on that.

“You hear the word ‘family’ come up a lot when you’re talking about OSU, and I guess that’s what our experience has been.”

Turns out, you can go home again. And again. And again …

Sapulpa

Oklahoma City

Everybody in Holdenville Shawnee knows, if Bill and Karen Seminole aren’t here they’re Norman probably in Stillwater.

K AREN ANDERSON

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winning spirit Oklahoma State’s cheer squad claimed the top prize at the recent 2021 National Cheerleaders Association College Nationals in Daytona, Fla. The Pokes also took home the trophy for the Group Stunt competition.

A perennial powerhouse, OSU Spirit squads have won a total of 17 NCA Division 1A Championships, including seven in the Large Co-Ed division, four in the All-Girl division and three in both the Group Stunt and Small Co-Ed divisions. The team is coached by former Cowgirl cheerleader Lindsay Bracken.

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looking up Freshman phenom Cade Cunningham led the Cowboys to nine wins over ranked squads, the program's first Big 12 Championship title game appearance since 2005 and its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2009. The projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Cunningham earned consensus first-team All-American status (OSU's first since Bob Kurland in 1944-46), Big 12 Player of the Year honors and the Waymon Tisdale Award as the top freshman in college basketball, to go along with a host of other accolades too numerous to mention.

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KICKING & STREAMING “Too much time on my hands. Too much time on my hands …”

The famous 1980s rock band STYX ended their popular song by repeating that phrase. Long after the legendary Casey Kasem announced the song as a number nine hit on the Billboard Top 40 charts, we have dealt with too much time on our hands due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

People have spent a LOT of time at home. Restaurants closed. Concerts canceled. Sports stopped. Employers, in an effort to allow for safe environments, sent workers to their homes. Laptops and smartphones in hand, they were marooned within their residences — for months.

There were, however, a host of entertainment options screaming for your attention, and they fell under three primary pillars.

The first pillar was food.

Toilet paper was difficult to get, but high caloric intake not so much. Other than a few specific items, most folks were able to get a wide variety of grocery items, which may account for a few extra pounds many reported to have piled on during that time period. Consumers consumed a great deal of carbohydrates!

(Hello, donuts and pizza.)

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The second pillar of entertainment was online shopping.

The growth in online retail shopping expanded significantly during COVID right along with waistbands. Perhaps the two were linked from a strategic perspective.

The more people ate the more they needed alternate sizes of new clothing.

Researchers indicate people turned to web shopping for six primary reasons: safety, convenience, discounts, ease of use, wide-spread variety and more informed decision making. Americans purchased a myriad of items ranging from automotive and lawn/garden to apparel and exercise equipment (see pillar number one).

The third pillar of entertainment during the office respite was streaming video.

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and others in the streaming scuffle had a 50 percent increase in U.S. subscribers in 2020 (“Forget the Streaming Wars — Pandemic-Stricken 2020 Lifted Netflix and Others,” December 2020). The most watched program on Netflix during November was The Crown. Regardless of whether you watched shows chronicling Princess Diana or the antics of Tiger King, the public binge-watched programming in unprecedented amounts. People may have been viewing England’s version of the royals, but what they weren’t watching was the Kansas City Royals or any other sports teams. Slowly, professional and collegiate athletics came back, but in such a reduced capacity from a fan standpoint it altered viewing dramatically.

Energetic fans create an environment which is paramount to the success of sports on a multitude of fronts — which is why I penned this article to you, one of the most active and dedicated fanbases to follow athletic programs. First, to say thank you. Second, to say we need you.

We always knew it, but the pandemic reminded us. When the Cowgirls and Cowboys compete, you provide the inspiration and affirmation.

We are getting back to normal. We look forward to seeing you. Before you arrive, stop somewhere that sells officially licensed OSU merchandise or revisit pillar number two by shopping online. Buy a shirt, a hat, a hoodie or whatever …

ORANGE ones.

GO POKES!

KYLE WRAY

Vice President Enrollment & Brand Management Kyle Wray OSU

@KyleWrayOSU

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