POSSE Magazine - Winter 2015

In honor of four of our employees who have had recent and ongoing battles with cancer, Emrick’s will donate $50 to Coaches vs. Cancer for each OSU employee or alumni interstate move. Please mention this ad when you call our office.

THE BEDROCK OF A GREAT FAN BASE

is its unwavering support of their teams and schools. At no time has that support been on such display as it was during the tragedy which occurred on October 24th, 2015. I WANT TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION TO THE COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED AND CAME TO THE AID OF THE INJURED THAT DAY. THE SACRIFICE AND SERVICE MANY OF YOU DEMONSTRATED HAS INSPIRED CALLS, LETTERS AND EMAILS FROM AROUND THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE. Those efforts to communicate with OSU Athletics have been in reference to the spirit and dedication of the people of Oklahoma State University and the city of Stillwater. The Cowboy family is forged by good and challenging times alike.

Greetings, OSU fans.

Your spirit is reflected in the success that we are enjoying this football season. You have responded by purchasing season tickets and attending games at Boone Pickens Stadium, creating one of the most intimidating atmospheres in collegiate athletics. Coach Gundy and the OSU football team will spend the postseason playing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. I hope you will join us there!

As always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY AND OSU ATHLETICS.

GO POKES!

MIKE HOLDER DIRECTOR OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS Former OSU Men’s Golf Coach OSU Class of 1973

PLAY BOOK

for Jeff “Pitt” Naple

FITTING TRIBUTE THE COWBOY

TEAM honored late video coordinator Jeff “Pitt” Naple WITH MEMORIAL DECALS ON THEIR HELMETS. The 54-year-old Naple passed away in September after battling pancreatic cancer. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Naple served OSU for more than 25 years in two stints with the university and was a vital contributor to the athletic department. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and his 16-year-old son, Nick .

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

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

Respectfully,

BEN DYSON

POSSE POKES

POSSE MAGAZINE STAFF

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ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER PAUL V. FLEMING

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PRODUCTION ASSISTANT / PHOTOGRAPHER BRUCE WATERFIELD

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS PHIL SHOCKLEY, GARY LAWSON, CLAY BILLMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS RYAN CAMERON, JOHN HELSLEY, GENE JOHNSON, WADE M c WHORTER, TAYLOR MILLER, ROGER MOORE, CLAY BILLMAN, AND KEVIN KLINTWORTH

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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.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Senior Associate Athletic Director, POSSE, was printed by Royal Printing Company at a cost of $1.115 per issue. 8.175M/December 2015/#6240.

POSSE magazine is published four times a year by Oklahoma State University, 121 Cordell North 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.

CORRECTION

In the last issue of POSSE magazine (v9 Fall), the photos on pages 44 and 45 of “Danny’s Story,” taken from the 1968 Redskin yearbook, actually depict the Cowboy Baseball team of 1967. We apologize for any confusion.

Remember to always “Ask Before You Act.”

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

WINTER 2015

PROUD PARTNER

OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Now open in Stillwater.

NUMBERS in STRENGTH

THEY SAY THAT

COLLEGE ATHLETICS IS A BUSINESS. AND THAT’S TRUE — BUT ONLY PARTIALLY SO.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS IS ACTUALLY A LOT OF BUSINESSES.

LAURILYN HARRIS — TRAVEL COORDINATOR

TABITHA SABINS — PURCHASING COORDINATOR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

SCOTT TUCKER — ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR COWBOY ATHLETICS, INC.

IT’S A PEOPLE BUSINESS, A TRAVEL BUSINESS, A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS, A FUNDRAISING BUSINESS, A FRIEND-RAISING BUSINESS AND A MEGA-PERSONNEL OPERATION.

AND SOMETIMES IT’S JUST ABOUT THE ACCOUNTING.

The ABSOLUTE HUB for all of those operations at Oklahoma State is the southeast corner of Gallagher-Iba Arena where the business operations of Oklahoma State Athletics is housed. It is safe to say that every employee in the athletic department knows that corner of OSU very well.

Taking a recruiting trip, booking team travel, need a reimbursement, it’s all handled by the business office . Improving your facility, making a new hire, balancing your budget or worse (not balancing your budget), again it all runs through the business office.

From head coaches to department heads to administrative assistants to student employees, the business office is on a first name basis with each one of them.

The business office staffers are PART HALL MONITOR AND PART CONFIDANTE . They can keep secrets, but they are an open book — by state law. They monitor numerous budgets with too many line items to count (by anyone but them).

AS THEY SAY, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE GOING OUT OF BUSINESS YOU NEED AN ACCOUNTANT. WHEN YOU ARE IN BUSINESS YOU NEED AN ACCOUNTANT. AND WHEN YOU ARE IN A LOT OF BUSINESSES, LIKE COLLEGE ATHLETICS, YOU NEED THE BUSINESS OFFICE OF OKLAHOMA STATE.

MICHELLE WILHELM — ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, BUSINESS MANAGER

TONY PETRO — ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER

KERI MARR — HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST

JASON LEWIS — EXECUTIVE SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL SHOCKLEY

DESIGNS ON

Ask Alex Dieringer

IF HE THOUGHT HE WOULD MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST DOMINANT SPORTS DYNASTIES, AND HE WOULD TELL YOU WITHOUT HESITATION AND WITH BEAMING CONFIDENCE … “Yes!” And he’s done just that.

STORY BY TAYLOR MILLER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

DIERINGER CAME TO OKLAHOMA STATE IN 2012 FROM PORT WASHINGTON, WIS., AND REDSHIRTED HIS FIRST SEASON AS A COWBOY WRESTLER.

HE ADMITTED TO HAVING HIS SHARE OF STRUGGLES WHEN HE GOT HIS FIRST TASTE OF COLLEGIATE WRESTLING.

“It’s a big difference from high school,” Dieringer said. “The main thing is being able to finish a takedown. Once you get to college, it’s really hard to finish on the really good guys. They practice a lot of defense. That was the hardest thing. I pretty much flipped a switch halfway through the season and just started winning some matches. I had to make a change and make it quick, and that’s what happened.”

However, Dieringer didn’t win just some matches. He won almost all of them during his redshirt season, compiling a 17-1 record as he competed exclusively in open tournaments.

Although a redshirt season may not mean much to onlookers, it was crucial for Dieringer as it gave him a chance to acclimate to collegiate-level wrestling.

Dieringer came out strong in the 2012-13 season, rolling through his competition on a weekly basis. In fact, he started the season 14-0 before his first hiccup of the year, falling to Penn State’s James Volrath in a tiebreaker match at the Southern Scuffle. Just three matches later, he came face-to-face with the first roadblock in his career — Iowa’s Derek St. John.

I’ve always gotten way better after losses.

That mindset helped Dieringer as he flattened Ness, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and near-fall. He added a pair of takedowns, another near-fall and a riding time advantage of more than two minutes to seal his first NCAA title.

“I WAS READY FOR HIS FUNKY STYLE OF WRESTLING,” Dieringer said. “Two weeks before winning my national title, Jordan Oliver worked with me every day. He actually helped me with the Dylan Ness gator bacon move. We didn’t know I was going to end up wrestling him, but Jordan got me prepared for it and I was ready for it and ended up coming away with a pretty DOMINANT win.”

Dieringer didn’t get the semifinals matchup against St. John like he hoped, but he achieved what he had worked so hard for.

“It was bittersweet,” he said. “I wanted to wrestle [St. John] because I hadn’t beat him before, but then again, I went up against a good opponent that I had beaten before and it made my journey to my first title a little bit smoother. I DON’T NECESSARILY WANT IT TO BE SMOOTH, BUT I ENDED UP WITH THE TROPHY SO THAT’S WHAT MATTERS.

“Ever since I was really young, my main goal was to be a national champ. That goal is what I have been working for since I was in fifth grade. I’ve been working a long time for this so to reach that goal of becoming a national champ was an incredible feeling.”

Dieringer finished the 2013-14 season with a 32-1 record, which included 10 wins over ranked opponents and 19 bonuspoint wins. In the end, it didn’t matter that his season record had just one small blemish — he was a national champion and proved he was the guy to beat.

I want to dominate so badly. If I win by less than a major decision, I get frustrated.

“I JUST WANTED TO DOMINATE When I won at 157 pounds, I competed pretty well. I had 19 bonus-point wins, and I knew I could do better than that so the next year, I came in and said that I wanted 10 more than that. I went up a weight, too, so I just wanted to prove that I’m still the guy to beat and that I CAN CONTINUE TO DOMINATE.”

DOMINATE, HE DID.

The junior debuted at a new weight, 165 pounds, when he was invited to compete at the prestigious NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES ASSOCIATION’S ALL-STAR CLASSIC . He was pitted against 2014 NCAA fourth-place finisher Nick Sulzer of Virginia, who was a seasoned 165-pounder. The Cowboy showed that he belonged in the new weight class, securing the only takedown of the match and defeating Sulzer, 4-2.

As the season progressed, it became clear that there was no stopping Dieringer, who held a yearlong No. 1 ranking.

Throughout the season, he met up with four opponents who were ranked in the top five. With each matchup, Dieringer began to separate himself more and more from his competition, including a 14-4 beating of No. 2 Mike Moreno of Iowa State at the 2015 Big 12 Championships in Ames, Iowa. It was Dieringer’s thirdconsecutive Big 12 title.

“I always respect my opponents, but I just tell myself that I’m going to win the match. I picture myself winning in 20 different ways before I wrestle, and I just have to keep a positive mindset,” he said. “I want to dominate so badly. If I win by less than a major decision, I get frustrated. Having that mindset is huge. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m different. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WRESTLING FOR SECOND, NOT FIRST. I have this mindset where if I don’t DOMINATE, I get irritated and I go back to the room and I work on it.”

That mindset propelled Dieringer to another successful season and put him in a position to take the NCAA title at 165 pounds.

He entered the tournament with a perfect record and LED THE TEAM IN WINS, DUAL WINS, BONUS-POINT WINS, WINS BY FALL, WINS BY TECHNICAL FALL, DUAL TAKEDOWNS AND DUAL NEAR-FALLS.

His 2015 tournament run was just as impressive as the previous year. He opened with two secondperiod falls. He also notched an 18-6 major decision over Jackson Morse of Illinois in a match that saw the Cowboy give up only his second takedown of the season.

A lot of talk surrounded his semifinal matchup with Ohio State’s fifth-ranked Bo Jordan. It was their first meeting, and they were known as two of the most dominant athletes in their respective conferences. Dieringer hushed any doubters, putting Jordan away with a 6-1 win to make his second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA finals.

As usual, Dieringer put on an exciting show in the finals as he defeated the nation’s leading pinner, Taylor Walsh of Indiana, 14-7, to not only secure his second national title but also his 100th career win. In reaching the century mark, he joined the likes of fellow Cowboy greats John Smith, Pat Smith, Kenny Monday and Kendall Cross, just to name a few.

WITH HIS SENIOR SEASON UNDERWAY, DIERINGER SITS ON A 49-MATCH WIN STREAK, A CAREER RECORD OF 100-4 AND HOPES OF BECOMING THE FIRST COWBOY WRESTLER TO WIN THREE NATIONAL TITLES SINCE 2006.

WHAT’S HIS GOAL THIS SEASON?

CONTINUE TO DOMINATE.

“If I want to be one of the best OSU wrestlers to ever compete, I have to dominate like last year, maybe even more. If I do that, I’ll be one of the most dominant guys to ever come out of this program, and that’s what I’m aiming for,” he said. “I HAVE TO PUT IN A LOT OF WORK THIS YEAR AND FOCUS ON THE GOAL. I JUST KEEP ATTACKING — ALWAYS. I CAN’T BE SCARED TO GET TAKEN DOWN. I HAVE TO KEEP TAKING SHOTS. If I’m constantly doing that in the room and creating those habits, that’s going to translate into success on the mat.”

This season, as the Oklahoma State wrestling program celebrates 100 years of history, Alex Dieringer is making it his mission to assure his place w ithin the tradition of the program.

“I KNEW COMING HERE WITH ALL THE TRADITION AND SUCCESS THAT THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE,” Dieringer said.

If I want to be one of the best OSU wrestlers to ever compete, I have to dominate ….

“I KNEW I HAD A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING GREAT HERE.”

Great First a CENTURY

STORY BY ROGER MOORE | PHOTOS / OSU ATHLETICS ARCHIVES

Of the 86 NCAA Tournaments contested in collegiate wrestling, 34 times Oklahoma State has raised the trophy. Cowboy wrestlers have won 139 individual titles. The University of Iowa is second with 80. In dual meet competition, OSU IS AN ASTOUNDING 1,046-122-24 ALL-TIME ENTERING 2015-2016

The Olympic legacy is also unmatched. Eleven gold medals have been claimed by Cowboys with at least one OSU grappler competing in every Olympiad from 1924 to 1976. At the 2012 London Games, Coleman Scott wrestled to a bronze medal.

All told, there is no trophy case large enough to house all the hardware earned by Oklahoma State wrestlers over the last century.

The true measure of a program, however, has more to do with those who shaped it, those who set standards from the outset and made sure each succeeding generation knew the sacrifice required to maintain a championship level. Their names will always be part of the wrestling lexicon: Gallagher, Griffith and Roderick Those three coaches led the program from 1916 to 1969, and that trio combined for 26 national team titles.

IF YOU BASE A PROGRAM’S SUCCESS ON CHAMPIONSHIPS, WINS AND LOSSES, AND LARGE TROPHY CASES, THEN OKLAHOMA STATE WRESTLING HAS NO RIVAL. IN ANY SPORT. ED GALLAGHER

It started with a man, Edward C. Gallagher, who never wrestled, but became the “father of collegiate wrestling.” Oklahoma A&M’s first physical education major, Art Griffith , continued that legacy, developing his own style and making sure the post-World War II collegiate athletic scene would include the sport of wrestling. The next leader of the orange and black, Myron Roderick , added to his talented roster of rural stock by bringing in outsiders — national and international.

The next half-century provided new coaches with new ideas and kept the program among the nation’s elite.

The fourth coach, Tommy Chesbro , brought a style all his own with stars and more memories. Joe Seay coached the Cowboys to a pair of national titles with one of his pupils, John Smith, becoming arguably the best the sport has produced.

Smith was asked to resurrect a program in desperate need following NCAA sanctions in 1992. Two years later, there was a championship, and a decade’s worth of rebuilding later, there were four straight to bring the total to 34.

Hall of Fame coaches, superstar athletes and stories to fill endless volumes. That is Oklahoma State wrestling.

“There really is no comparison,” said Smith, entering his 25th year as head coach. “Coach Gallagher built something special, and to look what the program has accomplished over the last century is pretty remarkable.

“A standard has been set, and every wrestler who puts on that singlet has to understand what that means.”

One hundred years of wrestling. Immeasurable impact with infinite stories to tell.

MYRON RODERICK

FOLLOWING IN BIG FOOTSTEPS

ART GRIFFITH , a 1924 OAMC graduate, had many challenges. Following in the footsteps of a legend topped the list, but at the same time, he had to beat those coaches who trained their charges in the Gallagher style. Instead of leverage and power, Griffith taught diversion and counter-attacking with speed.

“There was a time when everything kind of looked the same; every wrestler worked the same holds and techniques,” said Art’s son, Jack, in 2004. “(Coach Griffith) would have a bunch of different styles. No two wrestled the same.”

Like his predecessor, Griffith’s numbers speak for themselves: 78-7-4 in dual meets with eight NCAA titles. Also like his mentor, A&M’s second coach contributed much more to the growing sport, including what is known as “chain wrestling” and the initiation of a scoring system to further enhance that development.

Griffith’s final year, 1956, saw A&M host the NCAA Championship. A fiery senior named Myron Roderick won his third title and would finish fourth at the 1956 Tokyo Olympics. Griffith recommended that his star pupil succeed him and make sure that Oklahoma State University, renamed in 1957, continued the tradition created by OAMC.

Roderick, at the age of 22, kept OSU at the top of the wrestling ladder. With collegiate athletics’ increased profile in 1950s America, Roderick knew that a broader recruiting base was necessary. More wrestling programs meant more choices and Oklahoma did not have the population to provide all the necessary stars needed for championship-level teams.

Outside of the state line, those stars included Masaaki Hatta , son of the director of Japanese amateur wrestling, and Yojiro Uetake, perhaps the best to ever don an orange and black singlet. Uetake did not lose a collegiate match in 57 tries. HE WAS A THREE-TIME NCAA CHAMPION AND WON OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS FOR JAPAN IN 1964 AND 1968.

Said Roderick of Uetake, “He was the best collegiate wrestler I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them.”

During his induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame last summer, Uetake said, “I still think (Roderick) is the best coach I’ve ever seen.”

Uetake knew 1960 Olympic champions Doug Blubaugh and Shelby Wilson trained in Stillwater. So in order to be an Olympic gold medalist, Uetake felt Oklahoma State was the place to be.

With stars like Uetake, Roderick coached the Cowboys to a 140-10-7 dual meet record and seven NCAA championships.

Tommy Chesbro was next to mentor Cowboys. His 15 years produced more stars and some of the most memorable moments, including Daryl Monasmith’s Gallagher Hallshaking victory over Iowa State’s FRANK SANTANA , a reigning national champion, in the 1978 Big Eight finals, and Mitch Shelton’s dramatic pin of STEVE “DR. DEATH” WILLIAMS in the 1982 Bedlam battle.

Monasmith’s victory has become the stuff of legend.

“My match (with Santana) is only eight minutes of 100 years of excellence,” Monasmith said. “I am humbled and so proud that when that 1978 Big Eight (Tournament) is discussed, people smile when they think back to that moment.

“I am honored and blessed to be a part of the OSU wrestling family. Never could I imagine having so much fun with teammates, fans, coaches and students as I did during those four years in Stillwater. And to be included in conversations of great wrestlers and great moments over the 100 years is truly an honor.”

YOSHIRO FUJITA

OKLAHOMA STATE RECORD-HOLDER

INGEBORG LOEVNES HAS MADE HER MARK WEARING THE NEON-ORANGE RUNNING SINGLET ON THE TRACK AND CROSS COUNTRY COURSE.

NEXT SUMMER, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THE COWGIRL WILL BE WEARING THE RED, BLUE AND WHITE OF HER NATIVE NORWAY AT THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES. AND A YEAR FROM NOW, SHE’LL DON A WHITE LAB COAT AS SHE RESUMES MEDICAL SCHOOL. YOU READ THAT RIGHT — RESUMES.

The SCANDINAVIAN SENIOR BEGAN HER COLLEGE CAREER STUDYING MEDICINE for two years at the University of Oslo before venturing overseas. Her home country’s path to becoming a doctor differs from the curriculum in the United States.

“We finish high school one year later so we’re basically done with all the general-ed classes in high school,” she explains. “In Norway, you sort of have your pre-med and med school combined in one six-year program, and you don’t have any general classes. You only take classes related to med school.”

Initially, Loevnes had no desire to become a physician.

“A lot of people who go to med school have always had this dream of becoming a doctor,” she says. “I was never like that. GROWING UP, I DIDN’T REALLY KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. THE ONLY THING I KNEW WAS THAT I WOULD NOT BE GOING TO MED SCHOOL. I DIDN’T WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR.”

That attitude began to change thanks in part to a required science class.

STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

“In my final year in high school I had to take biology, and I found out I actually really liked it,” Loevnes says.

and cross country, says he originally recruited Loevnes while she was competing in high school.

“I was pretty high on her. Ingeborg was one of the best kids her age in all of Europe,” Smith recalls. “I went over there and visited with her and her mother. When she decided take a year off, we stayed in touch, and I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE’D COME TO OSU EVENTUALLY.

Ingeborg Loevnes:

When you’re racing, you’re racing. You don’t really think that much. It’s basically all out.

“BUT ONCE SHE GOT INTO MED SCHOOL — WHICH IS REALLY DIFFICULT — SHE WAS NO LONGER ON MY RADAR. In my recruiting travels through Europe I’d bump into her or her mother every once in a while, say ‘Hi’ and that would be it.”

“My original plan out of high school was to come to OSU,” Loevnes says. “I started to talk to Dave as early as he was allowed to recruit me and I was pretty set on coming here, but then I changed my mind. I didn’t really know what to do. When I started med school the next year, I guess it was always in the back of my mind that I might want to take a year off and come here, but I didn’t say it to anyone. I wasn’t really sure.”

In 2014, Loevnes reached out to Smith.

“She contacted me and said, ‘Hey, I think I want to take a break from med school and come over to the U.S. and run. Is it possible?’ Fortunately it was. AND HERE SHE IS.”

Getting Loevnes enrolled at OSU was no easy task, Smith says, simply because the two academic paths didn’t align.

“Some of her credits transferred and some of them didn’t because she had very specific, high level classes,” he explains.

Credit Smith and OSU’s academic and compliance staff who helped put the puzzle together. Loevnes enrolled in the fall of 2014 and was classified as junior eligibility-wise.

“IT WAS A LONG AND COMPLICATED PROCESS TO GET ME ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE,” Loevnes says, “Since I had gone to university for two years they had to consider me as a transfer, but to be eligible to compete, I had to be following a plan. You can’t go to med school as an undergrad here in America, but enough of the classes I took back home managed to fit into my degree so that’s the first two years, but I’ve been in a lot of general ed classes because that’s what I had to make up — American government, comp and all those classes.”

Loevnes plans to graduate in the spring with a University Studies degree and then go back home and finish med school next fall, although she may have to make up or retake some med school courses when she gets back to Oslo.

“I’m not sure. I just know that I will have a really busy year ... but I think it’s worth it.”

Loevnes says it’s common for Norwegian students to take some time off from med school, but a two-year hiatus is unusual.

“A lot of people in the program, especially if you’re on the younger side, take maybe half a year or a full year off. ORIGINALLY I HAD ONLY PLANNED TO COME

HERE FOR A YEAR. I just felt like I needed to do something else. I think I was just a bit overworked. It’s hard trying to do med school and run competitively at the same time. SCHOOL AND ATHLETICS ARE REALLY SEPARATED IN NORWAY, ESPECIALLY MED SCHOOL.”

Upon arriving in Stillwater last August, Loevnes immediately showed signs of being one of the Cowgirls’ top runners. A stress-fracture delayed her progress, however.

“She got hurt within 10 days of being here and was out for the entire cross country season,” Smith says. “She ran indoors at the very end of the season and ended up getting fourth in the conference in the 3K, but she was running on about half training. She just went out and did it.”

For the 2014 outdoor track season, Loevnes made a splash in the steeplechase, a grueling 3,000meter event on the oval with four 30-inch hurdles plus a fifth barrier featuring a water pit. At Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational in May, she shattered the school record by nearly 13 seconds with a personal best of 9:48.89.

She won her heat at the NCAA West Regional before the injury bug bit her again.

“She ran the regional meet and looked fantastic,” Smith recalls. “Won her race into nationals and looked like a million bucks. A day later she said, ‘My calf’s really tight, I probably need to take a day off.’ After a few days, it started to seem like more than just race soreness. We got to Eugene (Ore.) hoping that more time off would get that calf to loosen up.”

As the national championships approached, Loevnes still hadn’t been back on the track.

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

“A few days before her race, we went out to try jogging a few miles and just see how it felt. She jogged about 100 meters and said, ‘There’s no way. I can’t run on it.’ From that point on we treated it like it was another stress fracture — probably the most common injury in track and field. We said let’s just take six to eight weeks off, get over it completely and be able to start back.”

“IT WAS HARD BEING AT NATIONALS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO RACE,” she says. “I talked a lot with Dave and that sort of helped me figure out that I have to be more careful with how much I’m running. It made it easier to accept that I have to adjust a bit what I do training-wise because I don’t want to go through that again. That’s not how you want your season to end.”

“We just have to keep her healthy,” Smith says of the 201516 campaign. “INGEBORG GETS AEROBICALLY FIT VERY QUICKLY. She will cross-train really hard in periods of injury to the point where she’s very strong aerobically, ready to go, so when she starts running it feels easy to her. The problem when you’re cross training and swimming and running in the pool using the underwater treadmill is that you’re not loading your bones the same way you are when you run. So she’ll come back from a period of time off and go out for a few runs, feel really good and think she’s ready to start running hard. Her whole career I think she’s been prone to do more than she’s ready for. So we’re really keeping the reins tight on her this year. SHE’S STARTING TO FEEL REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW, AND HER NATURAL INCLINATION IS TO GO.

“We need to go conservatively because if we don’t, she might run herself into another injury. That might mean she sacrifices a few places at the conference meet or at nationals, but we’re trying to keep her healthy for a full year and not have interruptions like she’s had her whole life.”

“RIGHT NOW I’M REALLY CAREFUL WITH WHAT I’M DOING,” Loevnes says. “I’m not allowed to run as much as I would like. I have to go to the pool instead and aquajog. That’s probably why I’m still healthy so it’s nice to at least be running.”

Despite growing up in a running household, Loevnes considers herself a rookie on grass.

“I’m a senior and on the older side of the girls on the team right now, but at the same time, I feel like I’m a freshman when it comes to cross country running.”

This cross country season, Loevnes showed the talent and toughness that made her an HONORABLE MENTION ALLAMERICAN on the track — with no signs of inexperience slowing her down.

I feel like I’m a freshman when it comes to cross country.

“When you’re racing, you’re racing,” she says. “You don’t really think that much. It’s basically all out. It’s more about being smart when it comes to training. When the gun goes off, you’re not holding anything back. I give it my all.”

Loevnes led the Cowgirls to their firstever Big 12 Conference championship, a Midwest Regional title and a seventh place finish at Nationals — the OSU women’s best finish since 1989. Loevnes placed 35th at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors

Smith says she isn’t the most gifted athlete, but her combination of physical and mental strengths makes Loevnes a formidable competitor.

“She’s not extremely fast. Pretty good mechanics, but not great. SHE RUNS VERY EFFICIENTLY. SHE’S GOT A REALLY GOOD AEROBIC STRENGTH. SHE’S PATIENT IN THE WAY SHE RACES. SHE DOESN’T PANIC. SHE’S VERY MENTALLY TOUGH.

“Ingeborg is very knowledgeable about training and her sport,” he adds. “She’s a very focused individual. She understands how the process works. She’s had to deal with some ups-and-downs, and luckily she’s mature and she can handle that.”

Those traits translate well to the steeplechase, Smith adds.

“SHE RUNS WITH A LOT OF CONTROL AND POISE, WHICH IS WHAT YOU NEED IN THE STEEPLE — you’ve got to pace yourself right in that thing.

“Ingeborg will probably make the Olympic team for Norway next year in Rio. She has a great shot at it. She’s got big goals and knows where she wants to go and is pretty dialed in on getting there.”

This coming spring, Loevnes needs to shave several seconds off her time to make the 9:45.00 Olympic standard in the steeple. It’s a goal Loevnes hadn’t thought possible until becoming a Cowgirl.

“It’s kind of surreal to think that I actually have a chance,” Loevnes says. “It’s a realistic goal. When I came to OSU last fall, it was in the back of my mind, but I didn’t really think about it that much because it just seemed too far away.”

Smith says having a handful of world-class athletes as teammates has helped changed the mindset of the entire Cowgirl squad.

“ Natalja Piliusina WON AN NCAA TITLE AND HAS OLYMPIC HOPES. Monika Juodeskaite RECENTLY MADE THE LITHUANIAN OLYMPIC TEAM IN THE MARATHON. Kaela Edwards AND Savannah Camacho HAVE EACH BEEN SECOND AT NATIONALS, AND THOSE TWO WOMEN CAN CONTEND FOR OLYMPIC SPOTS. Clara Nichols IS ANOTHER ONE WHO’S GETTING THERE.

“I think that’s the beauty of being around a group of athletes with big goals. Talking about it — realistically pursuing it—changes the way you think. It changes what’s possible in their minds, JUST BEING AROUND PEOPLE WHO ARE TALKING ABOUT MAKING OLYMPIC TEAMS, BEING ALL-AMERICAN, WINNING NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE TITLES. They see each other as friends and teammates who have upsand-downs just like they do.”

Loevnes agrees.

“I see those girls working out every day. I know they’re super talented, and they work really, really hard. But I see them in workouts, and they’re human. They have good days and bad days like I have, like everyone has.”

Despite a relatively short stint in Stillwater, Loevnes will leave a lasting legacy on the Cowgirl program.

“I wish she’d come to OSU right out of high school,” Smith says. “To have four or five years with her would’ve been outstanding. But I’m thankful for the two years we got with her because she’s had an impact on our team.

“Five years from now when she’s a former Olympian — maybe even a two-time Olympian — we’re going to say, ‘That’s Ingeborg. She went to Oklahoma State and look what she’s out there doing.’ And at some point she’s going to be one of the best doctors in Norway.

“WHATEVER SHE DOES IN LIFE, SHE IS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. IT’S JUST IN HER DNA. SHE WILL EXCEL AT EVERYTHING SHE DOES.”

Whatever is happening in your life, there’s a good chance your college experience helped you get to where you are today. When you reflect on that time, you may be overwhelmed by fond memories — meeting your spouse, celebrating a big football win, pulling an all-nighter to study or laughing with people who became your lifelong friends. Today’s Oklahoma State University students are having the same experiences as they pursue bright orange futures. Visit OSUgiving.com to learn how you can be a part of their journey.

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STORY BY GENE JOHNSON PHOTOS / OSU ATHLETICS ARCHIVES AND COURTESY

TOUGH one

COWBOY

SO COWBOY FANS, WHICH FOOTBALL PLAYERS RECEIVE

LESS LOVE, NOTORIETY, PHOTOS IN THE PAPER OR PATS-ON-THE-BACK THAN ANY OTHER?

GOT A QUICK ANSWER?

It wouldn’t be the quarterback ... Everyone knows the team’s fate depends on how well/poorly these adored gridiron idols perform. Next, running backs and receivers earn more than their share of time in the spotlight and ink from the media. Also, much hoopla spews out when the defense gets credited with a sack, a critical goalline stand, forcing consistent three-andouts, causing and recovering a fumble or making a key interception.

Who does that leave? The last group, OFFENSIVE LINEMEN — those less notables of obscurity, who must block

without using their hands, open holes for the running backs and protect the quarterback. Their mention is usually limited to their failings.

“WHY CAN’T OUR LINE BLOCK ANYBODY?”

“NUMBER 62 GOT ANOTHER STUPID HOLDING PENALTY!”

In actuality, a superb performance by this group is critical to winning ball games.

This story is about one of those guys, Charlie Harper, number 60, who in 1965 helped Oklahoma State snap a miserable, frustrating 19-game losing streak to the Oklahoma Sooners. At 6-foot-2, 210

pounds, he became a dominant All-Big Eight Conference guard, sometimes playing on both sides of the ball.

At 250 pounds, he went on to play seven seasons for the New York Giants. Recruited as a fullback out of high school, Harper was subsequently moved to the offensive line.

“That was a sad day for me,” Harper said. “But the truth is, I WOULD HAVE HAD TO BEAT OUT WALT GARRISON (an all-conference running back and future Dallas Cowboy) to play in the backfield, and that wasn’t going to happen. It ended up being a blessing for me.”

BROKEN ARROW ROOTS

Charlie Harper grew up several miles outside of Broken Arrow, “in the country” as we used to say. He attended grades one through eight in a one-room schoolhouse with the same teacher for all grades and walked 1.5 miles to and from school every day, rain, snow or shine. The high school was seven miles from the Harper home, but fortunately, buses ran.

“WE WERE POOR — NO ELECTRICITY OR INDOOR BATHROOM UNTIL I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL,” Harper recalled. “We didn’t have a phone or car for a long time. Our family went to town in a wagon pulled by horses, and we weren’t going there to be in a parade. But I believe my childhood was blessed.”

Harper started for the junior varsity (the term was B-team in those days) his sophomore year and played some for the varsity. For the opening road game they traveled to Claremore and returned after 10 p.m. to Broken Arrow High School. No one offered him a ride home, nor did he ask, so he began the solitary seven-mile journey on a gravel road.

“After about two hours or so, I was about a half-mile from home, going down this last dark, lonely road. Ahead of me, in the middle of the road, was this large black object, which I couldn’t quite make out.

“Man, I’m tired, and all I know is I’m not going around it — I don’t care if it’s a bear or what. Finally I can see it’s a huge Black Angus cow that has gotten out. At that exact instant it saw me and jumped ... scared me pretty good. One of those things you don’t forget.”

Harper is the son of a farmer.

“One time, a hailstorm came through and beat our crops down to nothing but stubble,” Harper remembered. “After the weather cleared, Dad and I walked out to survey the damage. He didn’t say a word, but I knew it wasn’t good. Soon after that Dad went into construction and, eventually, began building houses. I was always proud of him. In the end, he had everything paid for and was able to retire.”

Broken Arrow always came at least a game short of making the playoffs during Harper’s high school career, but HE WAS AN ALL-STATE PERFORMER AS A FULLBACK AND DEFENSIVE END

“I played with a bunch of good guys who played well together; we never gave up, and I considered us winners,” Harper said. Recruited by the Pokes, Oklahoma and Nebraska, Charlie decided not to visit the Cornhuskers and eventually chose OSU.

“OU wasn’t as friendly an atmosphere as OSU. I liked the people in Stillwater so I decided to go there. It was a great decision for me, and I’m so thankful I decided to do that.”

STILLWATER

Harper’s freshman team at OSU played only two games, defeating both the Sooners and Arkansas, a noteworthy accomplishment. As an undergraduate, he planned to become an optometrist, never dreaming that one day he’d play professional football.

An event akin to an F-5 tornado arrived during the offseason that changed the OSU football landscape. OSU’s Board of Regents fired eight-year head coach Cliff Speegle . In his place would be Phil Cutchin , a disciple of the legendary PAUL ‘BEAR’ BRYANT at Alabama. Cutchin had helped coach Bama to the 1962 national title.

For the Pokes, there soon would be hell to pay — things were about to radically change. Offseason drills commenced after Christmas break. One hundred fifteen players participated and practiced in the clammy, smelly basement of Gallagher Hall, which consisted of no air-conditioning, a dirt floor and a 15-foot ceiling. It was appropriately, although not affectionately, called The Dungeon. Workouts were brutal, and as expected, no fans were allowed to watch.

For two hours, non-stop, players went from station to station, performing agility drills, running sprints or doing isometric exercises in which the athlete pushes against an immovable 3-feet by 1.5-inch thick steel rod with all his strength.

Larry Elliot , a 5-foot-8, 158-pound halfback from Elk City, recalled, “We’re changing stations, our group going to isometrics. When we got there, I saw several steel rods bent, laying on the ground and wondered out loud what happened. I was told Charlie bent them all, pushing up on them with his legs. Some strength! He was mighty powerful.”

Periodically, a group would run upstairs to the wrestling room where they were paired against a comparably sized teammate for a 12-minute, non-stop match. Then back to The Dungeon.

One assistant coach routinely yelled at the players, “I hope the whole damn bunch of you quit — that way, next season we can start with all new players.”

When the daily ordeal of practice concluded, the zombie-like players, beyond exhaustion, headed for the locker room. More than a few needed help to undress so they could shower. IN A FEW DAYS, PLAYERS BEGAN TO QUIT, DROPPING LIKE FLIES. They were leaving three or four at a time, mostly at night. The experience was nightmarish to say the least. In addition, most injuries were not an excuse to miss practice.

That season, Harper spent a brief time in the university infirmary.

“My foot got infected, swelled up and I couldn’t get my shoe on. After I’d been there a couple of days, two student football managers, on a Sunday, came over, helped me to their car and took me back to Bennett Hall. That next day my foot was so big that I still couldn’t put my cleats on. A trainer split a side of my shoe with a razor, stuffed my foot in, taped it up and I practiced.”

The spring game finally rolled around, and there were only 46 players on the squad, of which a mere 12 tipped the scales at 200 pounds or more, the heaviest at 220.

Following that summer, the squad returned in August for spring practice. The hell they had left behind for summer break was alive and well. Players, during 100-degree-plus days, couldn’t have as much as a sip of water. Stories say five players passed out in one practice, including one who was hospitalized for three days.

The Cowboys had a miserable record that season, going 1-8. A winnable game against Kansas State had been cancelled because of President Kennedy’s assassination. In the season’s finale against OU, only 28 (28 survivors — a band of brothers, some not even able-bodied) suited up. Eighty-seven players had either quit or were injured, mainly the former. Today that group’s bond is thicker than blood.

How does Harper recall the experience?

“I bought into Cutchin’s philosophy of ‘Never give up, believe you can, do your part, don’t play half-hearted, play with all your heart, always do the best you can.’

“I would have never made it in pro ball without the things Cutchin instilled in us. Practice in the pros was a picnic compared to what we did back then. I’m proud I stayed and of all the guys who did. In life those guys are winners. We probably lost more games than we won, but we always left everything we had on the field ... didn’t know any other way to play.”

Harper’s final two years the Pokes finished 4-6 and 3-7, respectively, with seven of those loses being by a touchdown or less. “Sure, I’d liked to have won more games,” he said, “but I’m proud to have been on those teams ... honored to have played with my teammates.”

That last season, 1965, there was icing on the cake to be had — a perfect way to end a career. It had been 1946 since the Cowboys last tasted a Bedlam victory, but lightning finally struck. The Pokes smacked the daunted Sooners 17-16 on a late field goal by Charlie Durkee before a partisan, somewhat deflated, crowd of 57,000 in Norman.

In that victory, Walt Garrison ran for a tough 74 yards, Charles Trimble blocked two first-quarter field goal attempts and receiver Lynn Chadwick made a miraculous leaping third-down catch. He was playing with a broken finger and hauled in the pass

between two defenders late in the contest. It was a critical drive on the Pokes’ winning possession.

Harper anchored the defense with 12 tackles. Just before the half, Trimble and Willard Nahrgang stuffed OU on a twopoint conversion try.

Larry Elliot remembers the end of that game. “THE FANS WENT ABSOLUTELY NUTS, TORE DOWN A GOAL POST, CARRIED PLAYERS OFF THE FIELD, AN OUT-AND-OUT FRENZY!”

“The only bad thing about it for me was that I’d already been drafted by the Giants, and they had plans to fly Linda and me back to New York after the game to watch their game the next day,” Harper said. “I didn’t get to stick around and celebrate. We weren’t supposed to beat OU. One of those things I’ll never forget ... a big day in my life.”

Five players off that squad — Harper, Garrison, Durkee, Dennis Randall and Harold Akin — went on to NFL careers. Another, Leon Ward , lost his life in a tragic boating accident or he would have made that list. In the NFL Draft, Harper was selected in the eighth round with the 113th pick.

MATT HARPER and FAMILY

NEW YORK

“BACK AT HOME, THE TALLEST THING I EVER SAW WAS A TWOSTORY HAYLOFT, AND NOW I’M IN NEW YORK CITY,” Harper said.

ERNIE KOY, former Giant teammate, recalled, “For the first month or so, all the rookies, including Charlie, walked around New York City and stared with their mouths open up at the skyscrapers. I kiddingly told them they were going to get their tonsils sunburned! When Charlie came in, he helped right away. Not flashy. You could count on him getting his job done. A very smart player.”

Harper said, “When we were there, Linda got on The Price is Right TV show, hosted by BILL CULLEN , and won the darned thing.”

During Harper’s time in New York, Monday Night Football was launched, and in the booth was former Giant FRANK GIFFORD

“Amana, an appliance maker, was one of their sponsors,” Harper said. “We needed a refrigerator. One afternoon Frank was in our locker room. One of my teammates suggested I tell him I needed an icebox. No way was I going to do that. My teammate did, and a few days later a huge side-byside, an avocado green one, was delivered to our home. We kept that darn thing forever. New York City was exciting and we enjoyed it … saw a lot of places.”

Back then the Giants practiced and played their games in Yankee Stadium.

“First time I’m in the stadium locker room, my eyeballs about pop out,” Harper said. “Mickey Mantle was stenciled on the locker that I was assigned! Back then he was every kid’s hero. To this day it’s still a great memory for me to have used his locker.”

Mantle, of course, is the legendary Yankee from Commerce, Okla.

“Another time that first year in the stadium, I’m getting ready for a kickoff in a regular season game against the Colts. I look across the field and there’s number 19, already a legend and a future hall-offame quarterback, JOHNNY UNITAS , and I think, ‘Man is this a dream or what?’”

JOE TAFFONI was a Giant teammate.

“(Charlie was) a great teammate, fun to be with. We rented houses across the street from each other out on Long Island so we carpooled together into the city, became good friends, drank some beer together after practice. My wife, Susan, is from Ponca City and was an OSU grad.”

“Charlie could read defenses, very intelligent, and called offensive blocking assignments. If one of our halfbacks missed his block, Charlie would chew him out when he got back to the huddle. Mondays were our day off, and a group of us regularly played golf. Charlie took everybody’s money. Heckuva golfer, hit it a mile — and straight.”

Before he became a Giants’ teammate, JERRY SHAY played with Harper in several college all-star games, including the Coaches All-American Game and in a contest against the Green Bay Packers.

“Charlie was a lot of fun to be with,” he said. “A group of us players went to buy some bell-bottom trousers when they were just coming out. The legs were slender except where the bottoms flared out, but they couldn’t fit Charlie because his legs were too muscular. We kidded him about that.”

In Harper’s seven years, the Giants missed the playoffs twice by one game. Four times, Harper received a bonus given to the top 22 players who logged the most playing time.

Listed as the fifth down lineman on the depth chart, and in what seems to be an unbelievable scenario, Harper could play all of the offensive line positions

“No matter where I was, when the play was called, I visualized it and knew what my assignment was and did it,” Harper said.

“Probably my best game ever was against the Rams in Los Angeles. My good friend, Jim Click , who was center on the team when we upset OU, was working in L.A. and came to the game. One of our guys got hurt so I played against DEACON JONES for one-and-a-half quarters. Then another teammate had to come out because of the heat, and I blocked MERLIN OLSON for one-and-a-half quarters. Then a third

teammate got kicked out, and I went against LAMAR LUNDY for a quarter. All three of those guys, at one time or another, were All-Pro, and I can honestly say, on that day, I didn’t get beat on a single play. For the season, I would play more than most of the starters. I also started a lot of games. What kept me around was I didn’t make mistakes or get penalties.”

During the offseason, Harper decided against becoming an optometrist and sold appliances and took a few agronomy classes.

“I never did anything professionally with those classes, but I always had the greenest lawn in my neighborhood.”

Asked about his best play ever, Harper smiled, “We are in Yankee Stadium. I broke my hand earlier in the game, had a splint put on it. We lined up for a kickoff — you’re supposed to protect your area on a kickoff. I don’t know what happened cause I’m the first guy down the field, and this little scatback is about to catch the ball. I’m going straight at him, not going to let him fake me out. I hit him with the cast going full blast right in the belly, absolutely fileted him. He fumbled! THE DEAFENING ROAR OF THE CROWD WAS SCARY ... AN INTENSE MEMORY.

“That whole experience — the Giant team was family, like OSU. Owner WELLINGTON MARA would sometimes be on the practice field but never told us what we should have done. Sometimes he’d ask me how Linda was doing.”

During his seventh season, Harper was injured the majority of the time and only played in one game.

“I figured it was time to quit. We moved back to Broken Arrow, and I went into the insurance business with State Farm.”

The most Charlie earned in a single season was $45,000. Adjusting for inflation, that works out to be $248,000 in today’s dollars versus the minimum of $435,000 paid today to NFL rookies.

AFTER NEW YORK

The Harpers raised two sons, Scott and Matt. Scott starred at quarterback for Tulsa Union High School. The summer following his junior year, he attended a football camp at South Carolina, which was coached by former Giant JOE MORRISON. Morrison was on the opposing sideline when Oklahoma State defeated South Carolina in the 1984 Gator Bowl.

“When Scott got home, Joe called, told me Scott was an outstanding prospect, fastest guy there, and he was offering him a full scholarship,” Harper said.

That following season tragedy struck. Harper tells the story.

“Union had just lost a first-round playoff game. After the game, Scott asked me for my hunting jacket as he and some of his buddies had plans to drive to Lake Eufaula early the next morning and go duck hunting, something they did all the time.

“Late that following evening, the SUV Scott drove was in a one-vehicle accident. Seems all three boys had gone to sleep. Scott’s brain stem that was connected to the rest of his body had been severed, making him a quadriplegic, couldn’t do anything for himself.”

Scott was hospitalized for 10 months. Upon his release, Charlie and Linda decided to care for Scott at home and soon moved to Dallas in 1990, where there was more experienced medical care available for his injury. Asked if caring for Scott had been tough, Harper replied, “Not really. Actually it was a blessing and taught me a lot. Scott never seemed to have a bad day.”

Initially doctors thought Scott was brain dead, but Harper found out different.

“I used to write Bible verses on 3x5 cards and read them to him, holding them where he could see them. After a while, I noticed he was following along with his eyes as I read them. I said, ‘You’re reading them!’ His eyes blinked, his way of letting me know he understood. Also, he could move his thumbs a little. After that, we pointed to different letters on a board. Scott blinked when a letter appeared that he wanted to use to spell a word. His mind

was good. We could communicate! One blink for yes and two for no. He was great for teasing jokes. If it was a good one, he would grin and blink once. If it was stupid, he’d just look at you!

“One day our family received a $6,000 check from the Giants’ owner. A new computer had been developed that would help Scott communicate better by wearing a special set of eyeglasses, and the check covered the purchase.”

“Mr. Mara doing that was such a special thing,” Harper said. “I couldn’t do anything for the Giants anymore and hadn’t had any contact with them in over 15 years. I WASN’T ALL-PRO OR ANYTHING, BUT THAT’S JUST THE WAY THE GIANTS AND THE MARA FAMILY WERE.”

When Scott’s computer arrived, everyone was excited. Two therapists and a doctor came out the next day to hook it up.

“They made us wait in another room while they were with Scott,” Harper said. “After a while, we could barely hear what was going on. The doc asked Scott a simple question and when he correctly answered it, there was a mild noise of approval from the doctor and therapists. Finally, they invited us in. Scott answered three consecutive questions wrong. They were deflated. I looked at Scott. He slowly pushed at the computer with his thumbs and curled his lower lip, his way of saying, ‘I gotcha.’

“From his response it was easy to see he was pleased. Such a blessing — there was just something about him. Well, it wasn’t just something, it was Jesus Christ.”

SCOTT PASSED AWAY IN 2006 AT AGE 37.

The Harper’s younger son, Matt, was an outstanding football player in his own right, playing two years at Stanford, then finishing at TCU, before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers’ taxi (practice) squad for two seasons. While at TCU, he beat OU and was selected as the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

With regards to his wife Linda (whom he married in college), Harper stated, “I’m fortunate she put up with me these 51 years. I was richly blessed and had overmarried — couldn’t have picked a better person, never wanted to.”

On the OSU experience, Harper added, “If I don’t get a scholarship, I don’t go to school. So much good came out of it for me. I sure wouldn’t be down here playing golf every day.

“Although it’s never fun to lose, I think a person sometimes learns more from losing than from winning. My last game when we beat OU to snap that long losing streak was a great way to go out.”

Charlie and Linda moved to Houston in 2013 to be close to Matt and his family. And what occupies Charlie’s time today?

“I love to play golf and tinker with clubs. I don’t like getting in a hurry so I can try to make them perfect. I enjoy my Bible study, which I do every day first thing when I get up. Linda and I enjoy our grandkids, two girls and a grandson. I only watch two teams — OSU and the Giants. Always proud to say I played at OSU — loved the players, coaches, students, fans. I couldn’t have found a better place.”

CHARLIE HARPER IS ONE TOUGH COWBOY.

The author invites your comments/questions at OSU52JOHNSON

@YAHOO.COM

A Path PAVED by Family

STORY BY RYAN CAMERON P HOTOS COURTESY

KENZIE NEISEN , center, at the US WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP with her older sister STEFFI , far left, and parents CHRIS and ANGIE . WINTER

BIG

12 CONFERENCE CHAMPION.

MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE OPEN CHAMPION.

MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE AMATEUR CHAMPION.

MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE MATCH PLAY CHAMPION.

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPION.

Oklahoma State’s Kenzie Neisen is all of the above and more. However, those accomplishments do not define the talented golfer. Cross paths with her and you are instantly greeted by a friendly smile and pleasant demeanor, lending some insight into the type of person you have encountered.

“KENZIE HAS AN ENERGY, AN EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM ABOUT HER THAT IS CONTAGIOUS. When you pair that with her work ethic and her drive, you have a really neat kid. We are very fortunate to have Kenzie here at Oklahoma State,” Cowgirl head coach COURTNEY JONES said.

“WORDS CAN’T DESCRIBE HOW IMPRESSED I AM.”

To comprehend how the sophomore became a champion away from the sport at such an early age, look no further than the manner in which she responded when saddled with adversity.

Last spring while traveling to Hawaii for an event, Neisen received word her younger brother, TOM , had been hospitalized due to complications from Hunter Syndrome, a rare genetic disease resulting in a life expectancy of approximately 15 years.

“It was tough when everything started to happen and getting phone calls and knowing that it was going to happen fairly soon,” Neisen said.

With her brother’s condition declining and the inevitable looming, who could blame Neisen if her performance dipped or she opted to step away from the game. To the contrary, she demonstrated great resolve and performed at a high level on her way to a second-place finish — despite her mind swirling.

“I have had moments on the golf course where emotions just come out of nowhere and you just start crying and you don’t really know what to do with yourself,” Neisen said. “MY COACHES HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE, HELPED REDIRECT MY FOCUS AND STAY SUPER POSITIVE. That has been great, and I have been so lucky to have that.”

“

My parents have always been really good role models for us to stay positive and not complain about the negative things because it is so easy to do that.”

KENZIE NEISEN

After her runner-up showing, which propelled the Cowgirls to the team title , Neisen proceeded on to San Diego for the squad’s next outing. In the midst of the event, the New Prague, Minn., native received word that Tom had taken a turn for the worse.

After capping the match play tournament with a win over the No. 2-ranked player in the country, Neisen returned to Stillwater and quickly rerouted north to say goodbye to her 15-year-old brother. Two days later, Tom passed away.

Unfortunately, the Neisens were all too familiar with these unthinkable circumstances , having lost their first son, SAM , at age 16 to the same ailment in 2009.

“I was in seventh grade when that happened. That was really hard because that was the first time we had been through it,” Neisen said.

Nearly a month to the day of losing a brother for the second time, Neisen produced her first victory as a Cowgirl in dramatic fashion, winning the 2012 Big 12 title in a playoff.

When the final putt dropped and the program’s newest conference champion was crowned, Neisen once again ran the emotional gamut.

“After I made my birdie putt, I didn’t really know what to do with myself. It was just kind of a rush of emotions from being so proud of myself and excited to thinking about my brothers. And having my family there was pretty surreal,” Neisen explained.

“It was so cool to have my parents there when I won it. I know I made them so proud and they were so excited, but I knew, too, that I MADE MYSELF PROUD FOR WHAT I DID AND THAT MY HARD WORK PAID OFF. Just a fun combination of everybody being so happy and being together to enjoy the moment.”

The layers to Neisen’s story do not end there. Her Big 12 title marked the second time she had countered tragedy with triumph on the course. During her junior year of high school, Neisen’s high school coach, MATT SHETKA , suffered a fatal heart attack while shoveling snow. A few months later, she delivered the first two individual state titles captured during an accomplished prep career.

Through it all, Neisen says her hometown, a community of nearly 7,500 residents located southwest of the Twin Cities, helped her move forward.

“I am so lucky to be where I am from. The community I have grown up with and my friends that I have for support have been amazing for both of my brothers. HAVING THAT SUPPORT HAS HELPED OUR FAMILY STAY POSITIVE AND KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY.”

As fate would have it, Tom and Sam would bring a pair of important men into Neisen’s life. As the boys’ doctor, STEVE BAISCH , got to know the family, it was revealed that golf was common ground. His son, CHRIS , worked as an instructor.

“My sister went to (Baisch), and I saw her and I decided I wanted to try it too, so I started going. I have been with him ever since,” Neisen said.

“Both Steve and Chris have been amazing. They are great people. It is fun to call a swing coach and not always talk about golf but check in and see how I am doing and talk about his kids. It has been a good combination of a lot of things.”

KENZIE , left, with sister STEFFI , right, and older brother SAM

KENZIE at home with TOM , the night before his passing.

Neisen’s older sister, STEFFI , credits the infusion of positive reinforcement from the Baisch family as a driving force behind the girls’ ability to make the best of trying circumstances.

“Every time we were at the hospital, Dr. Baisch was so positive. He really stressed that it was a blessing and a gift that we received with these boys. He really made us think this way and so did our parents,” Steffi said. “BECAUSE OF THE BOYS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MEET SO MANY INCREDIBLE PEOPLE AND POSITIVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE INFLUENCED US AND WE WOULD HAVE NEVER MET IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE BOYS.”

From unthinkable circumstances, Neisen has focused on the silver linings and counts her parents, CHRIS AND ANGIE , as unsung heroes in her life

“I am so lucky to have the family that I have and the parents that I have grown up with and how amazing they are. I DON’T THINK THEY GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR HOW MUCH THEY HAVE DONE. I think our family is so close and so supportive of each other and so positive all the time that we have been able to handle the situation really well and enjoy every moment that we have,” Neisen said.

“My parents have always been really good role models for us to stay positive and not complain about the negative things because it is so easy to do that.”

During her time as a Cowgirl, Neisen’s support system has grown to include Stillwater and the OSU golf family.

“KENZIE HAS AN AMAZING SUPPORT SYSTEM AT SCHOOL. She constantly talks about how awesome everybody is and how they treat everybody,” Steffi said. “It doesn’t matter if you are on the men’s team or the women’s team. Everybody is very supportive, and she says that on a weekly basis. That is pretty cool that she found a place that is that supportive of her.

“It is almost hard for her to come home because she doesn’t even know how to describe Oklahoma State to people because it is that amazing to her. She talks about it all the time, and that is when you know you made the right choice.”

As the recruiting process played out and Jones was trying to persuade Neisen to make that choice, she realized she was pursuing someone gifted beyond golf.

“When Coach (ALAN) BRATTON and I started the recruiting process several years ago, we thought we saw some special things out of her on the golf course, but more importantly, the more we investigated, the more we learned about her as a person. Those qualities are part of why she has seen this success,” Jones said.

“It is the parenting and the way she was raised, and it is a credit to her and what a quality person she is. She had a very early exposure to dealing with adversity and viewing things that aren’t necessarily very rosy, but taking the best outlook. That is a testament to Chris and Angie and the way they raised their daughters and their sons.”

Through tragedy, Neisen also had the good fortune of having an older sister to lean on and reinforce the importance of maintaining a positive outlook.

“I think she looked to me a lot when we were younger, and I tried to have a positive attitude about things when she was pretty young and didn’t really know what was going on,” Steffi said.

“I tried to distract her from the negative so I do think that our relationship grew a lot stronger just because we had to rely on each other, and we knew that when we were positive we could make our parents feel happy as well.”

In return for creating a positive diversion, Steffi, who played golf at Nebraska, learned from her younger sister to put golf in its proper place.

“Kenzie has always had this ‘golf is not life’ attitude. Even when I was in college and she got older and into high school, I looked at her positive attitude towards the sport and that influenced me,” Steffi said.

Kenzie Neisen:

I think our family is so close and so supportive of each other and so positive all the time that we have been able to handle the situation really well and enjoy every moment that we have.

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

“Even though I was older, I believe to this day that she had an even more mature per spective on life than I did. I got really beat up about golf and she didn’t so I learned a lot from her in that way. She would come home from tournaments and you would never know. Once golf was over, she was able to totally forget about it and focus on other things, and I respect that. I think I learned a lot from the atti tude she has.”

The simple joy the game brought to her close-knit family stands at the forefront of countless memories for Neisen.

“Our family would go out to the New Prague golf course, and we would bring Tom out in the golf cart. He was so excited to ride in the cart. My sister and my dad and I would just go play for fun growing up, and he would get so excited to come on the green and take out the flag for us and was so excited to put it back in when we were finished,” Neisen recalled.

Ironically, golf was not always viewed so fondly by Neisen. But lucky for the Cowgirl program, she changed her tune.

“I actually didn’t like golf the first time I went out when I was younger. My parents told me when I was little and would go out on the course I was doing sand angels in the bunkers while my sister was hitting the golf ball. I would go out and do that and pick up tees around the golf course,” Neisen explained.

Neisen credits her sister with eventually piquing her interest in the game.

“I really started taking an interest in golf when I saw my sister play. I think it was being the third child and wanting to keep up with an older sibling. Then I started playing it, and I had so much fun when I went out on the course and started hitting balls,” Neisen said.

As the girls grew older, Neisen’s desire to keep up with her older sister morphed into the urge to get the better of her on the course.

“She would laugh about this, but my short game was always better than hers. I would take her out to the golf course and she would play really good golf, then she would three-putt or chip two times and two-putt,” Steffi recalled.

“I took her out and I challenged her to all these things, and she would get kind of mad when I would beat her because she hit the ball so much farther than me. So by the time ninth and 10th grade rolled around for her, she spent hours and hours and hours practicing her short game because it made her so mad when I beat her.”

After spending countless hours honing her craft, Neisen started to see the fruits of her labor before she reached the high school level. After qualifying for the state tournament as an eighth grader, Steffi began to see the potential in her younger sister. However, it was not until a few years later when a certain program came calling she realized how great that potential was.

“To be honest, I didn’t even think about it until about her junior year when I heard she was being recruited by Oklahoma State. THAT IS THE DEFINING MOMENT THAT YOU HAVE REACHED GREATNESS AND YOU ARE REALLY GOOD AT THIS SPORT. Having been at Nebraska, I knew about Oklahoma State, and I knew they were a good team,” Steffi explained.

As she improved her game, Neisen maintained a glass-half-full outlook on life and to keep the frustrations golf can bring in a perspective usually reserved for someone much longer in the tooth.

KENZIE with swing coach CHRIS BAISCH , left, and Dr. STEVE BAISCH , right

“I use it more as motivation to go out there and have fun and whatever happens, happens, and to not get upset about hitting a bad shot or if I have a bad round. BECAUSE IF I TRY MY BEST TO HAVE FUN, THAT IS ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS AT THE END OF THE DAY.” Neisen said.

“I think it is good to just focus on the moment and not results. Otherwise, I might press myself or put too much pressure on myself if I focus on the end result.”

That mentality continued to pay dividends this past summer in her home state. After rolling to a 12-shot victory at the Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship, she won the Minnesota Women’s State Open title to become the first player in Minnesota history to capture both titles in the same year. Her ability to stay in the moment kept her oblivious to her accomplishment until after the fact.

“I didn’t even know that was the case until both were over. It was special to do it, and I had no idea that no one had ever done that before. It was exciting to come home and let it sink in that I was the first,” Neisen said.

Said Steffi, “I couldn’t be more proud of her. MORE THAN ANYTHING, I AM JUST PROUD OF THE WAY SHE CARRIES HERSELF. For someone who succeeds so well at a sport, she really doesn’t like the limelight and doesn’t seek attention for things. I think a lot of people respect her for that. Accomplishments aside, it takes a pretty strong person to be able to handle, not only the people around you, but to not break under pressure and get emotional with all of the stuff going on.”

Neisen is quick to deflect attention toward her teammates and remains humble despite her ever-growing list of achievements, a common trait found within the OSU golf programs.

“Kenzie has said it is the culture at OSU for golf with how prominent and successful the teams are that you are expected to be humble about winning, and that is the nature of those teams. There have been so many successful players and they carry themselves very well and they don’t brag about their successes and they are humble, and she said that culture has helped her with that too,” Steffi said.

With the intangibles firmly in place, Neisen also possesses the desired physical attributes to be as successful as she wants to be in the sport.

“She is nearly 5-11 , and she bombs it. She carries it over 255 yards and has a great ability when it comes to striking the golf ball. She is a fast learner, and she is smart and she is athletic. When you combine all of those things and the desire to learn, someone is going to improve quickly and she has,” Jones said.

“Combine that with her work ethic, and that is why you have seen the success you have seen and will continue to see as she grows as a person and as a golfer.”

How far golf takes Neisen remains to be seen. But if the professional ranks do not work out, her potential career path offers you a glimpse into the type of person she is away from the course.

“I would like to do something in the medical field. I think growing up and being in the hospital with my brothers has inspired me to want to go help other people. We have met so many amazing nurses and doctors since we have been there, and it is cool to see how they have impacted us and how they have supported us. I THINK IT WOULD BE FUN TO GO DO THE SAME FOR OTHER FAMILES ,” Neisen said.

SPOKEN LIKE A CHAMPION IN MORE THAN JUST GOLF.

“I THINK IT IS GOOD TO JUST FOCUS ON THE MOMENT AND NOT RESULTS.”

STORY BY WADE McWHORTER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

AND EVEN IF THEY HAVE, CHANCES ARE FORTE HAS THEM BEAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE NUMBER OF JUMP SHOTS HOISTED INSIDE THE HISTORIC HOOPS VENUE.

Forte’s shooting regimen is the stuff of legend around OSU hoops circles. Brad Lewis, one of a dozen or so managers for the program, arrived in Stillwater four years ago, same as Forte, and said it’s not far-fetched that the number of shots Forte has launched during his collegiate career has surpassed seven figures.

“It’s not just shooting, it’s making — and of course he’s not making them all,” Lewis said. “Every time, it’s anywhere from 300-500 makes and even more in the summer. He does that at least once a day so that’s a big number right there. We’re probably literally getting into the millions over the last four years. It’s pretty incredible.”

If one thing is certain regarding Cowboy basketball, it’s that no one outworks Phil Forte.

Because for OSU’s senior shooting guard, to borrow from a recent Nike ad campaign, “Basketball Never Stops.”

“There’s two things I can guarantee in this world — THE SUN IS GOING TO COME UP THE NEXT DAY, AND PHIL FORTE WILL BE IN THE GYM,” said OSU junior forward LEYTON HAMMONDS. “I’ve been around basketball my whole life and a lot of different players, a lot of great players. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING HARD, WORK ETHIC, STRICTLY TO BASKETBALL, PHIL FORTE HAS PEOPLE BEAT BY MILES. I don’t know anybody else that every single day is going to be in the gym.”

OSU head coach TRAVIS FORD echoes that sentiment.

THE WHITE MAPLE FLOOR IN GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1938

IT’S LIKELY THAT NO OKLAHOMA STATE ATHLETE HAS SPENT MORE TIME ON IT THAN Phil Forte

“I’M IN MY 19TH YEAR AS A COLLEGE HEAD COACH, AND I’VE NEVER BEEN AROUND ANY PLAYER THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE TO WORKING AS HARD AS HE DOES . And the point that needs to be made is — I’ve had players work as hard as he does maybe in practice, but outside of what we require, I’ve never had a player close to putting in as much time and effort to get better.

“He lives in the gym. I’m a person who gets in really early and sometimes I don’t leave at night. It’s not uncommon for me to be walking downstairs through the halls and you hear the ball bouncing and you know who’s in there, you don’t even have to look.

“It gets to the point a lot of times where we’ve got to tell him he needs to go home and rest a little bit.”

Chances are good that suggestion will fall on deaf ears. Forte epitomizes the term “gym rat,” and the blood, sweat and tears from countless hours on the hardwood are simply what makes him tick.

“It’s something I take a lot of pride in — I TRY HARD TO MAKE SURE NO ONE EVER OUTWORKS ME,” Forte said. “That’s something I control. I can’t always control how many shots I’m gonna make or every win and loss or how high I can jump. But I can control how hard I work, I can control my hustle and whether I give it my all on the practice floor and in the games for my coaches and teammates.

“It’s just something I’ve been blessed with, and growing up I’ve kind of always been this way. For me, if I want to play at the level I want to play at, these are

the things required of me. I don’t have the natural ability of some of the guys on our team, but fortunately I was blessed in another way.

“My work ethic has carried me, and it’s something I try to rely on. I really don’t know where it came from — it’s just how I was made. Some people can jump high, some people are fast. I just work hard, that’s kind of what I do.

“Going into every game, that’s mentally what helps me, knowing that I put in the work and when the lights come on I’m prepared and ready to go.”

So what exactly is entailed in that exhausting schedule that defines Forte as the hardest of workers?

During the Cowboys’ season, Forte’s day starts with the OSU training table before class. Done with lunch by 12:30 or 1:00, Forte is off to the gym where he strives to get at least an hour of shooting by himself before practice. Following practice, chances are there is even more solo shooting before it’s time for an ice bath and treatment in the training room. After dinner, Forte does homework and tries to catch other Big 12 Conference teams in action on TV before heading to bed around 10:30.

Forte’s shooting regimen varies depending on any number of factors — OSU’s upcoming opponent, do they play mostly man defense or zone, do they pressure a lot? He’ll work on floaters, shots off the dribble, step-backs, catch-and-shoot situations. While studying film, he’ll notice if his footwork is off or if he’s not following through properly on his shot — should that be the case, he adds correcting those details to his workout agenda.

“I can’t begin to explain to you how hard (Forte) works and how much time he puts in; it can’t be said enough, you can’t overstate it, you can’t exaggerate it — it’s unbelievable,” Ford said.

And for Forte, it’s “more quality than quantity,” which is why he only counts shots made, never just attempts.

During the OSU season, Forte won’t leave the gym with anything less than 300 makes . During Big 12 play, that number dips slightly, but in the summer it’s likely to more than double.

Needless to say, Forte keeps the OSU managers at the ready. They know at any moment, Forte could summon them to the court.

“He’ll usually text us once or twice a day asking us if he can come get up some shots, and that’s on top of whatever (team) workout we have,” said OSU manager BRENDAN ROBERTS . “He’ll tell us he’s only going to shoot for 20 minutes, and it turns into 45 minutes or an hour.

“He puts in a ton of work in the gym, and even during workouts, he’s the guy that’s usually setting the tempo and the energy level in the gym. He’s going hard in every drill. And even when he’s shooting on his own, he turns it into a whole other workout with how hard he goes.”

Accompanying Forte to the gym isn’t necessarily a chore.

“It’s easy to rebound for him because you’re standing under the net most of the time just throwing the ball out — with other guys you’ve got to chase the ball,” Lewis said with a laugh.

However, Forte’s personal rebounders aren’t immune to Forte’s inner drive — which can sometimes cost them valuable shuteye.

Lewis remembers one such instance from Forte’s sophomore season. The Cowboy guard missed a free throw with five seconds left in a game at Iowa State that would have given OSU a 72-68 lead and all but sealed a win. Following the miss, the Cyclones hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime and eventually went on to win the game.

“After the game, Phil texted me and said, ‘Meet me at the airport, let’s go to the gym,’” Lewis said. “WE WENT TO THE GYM, AND HE MADE 100 FREE THROWS IN A ROW. He stopped when he missed one and started over. It had to be 100 in a row.

“They probably got back at midnight, and we probably got out of there at 1:30 or 2:00. But he wouldn’t leave until he did it — and that was after a Big 12 game, in the middle of the conference season with practice the next day.

“It drove him nuts, and it meant so much that he had to get back in the gym.

That’s just one story, but it’s every day that something like that could happen. It’s not just a one-time thing — he’s consistent.”

Hammonds recalls a similar tale.

“My freshman year we lost at Texas, and we got home really late, probably midnight or 1:00,” Hammonds said. “Phil didn’t shoot well that game, and that was the gym where he won two state championships in high school. As soon as we got back, he was in the gym shooting, basically shooting until his arm fell off.

“That opened my eyes. I was like ‘THIS KID IS A MACHINE.’”

But those types of stories are why Forte has evolved into one of the most productive players in OSU hoops history.

The 5-foot-11, 185 pounder from Flower Mound, Texas, entered his senior season with 1,267 career points , and an average of nearly 13 points per game over his first three years. He’s a virtual lock to finish in the top 10 on OSU’s career scoring list.

Chances are also high that Forte, who is nearly a 40 percent shooter from beyond the arc, will break KEITON PAGE’S school record for three-pointers made, which stands at 300.

He’s also virtually automatic when it comes to the charity stripe, having made over 300 free throws at an almost 87 percent clip, the second-highest success rate of any Cowboy ever. The all-time leader is JOHN LUCAS at 89.5 percent. However, it is worth noting that Forte is likely to end his career with more than twice as many free throw attempts as Lucas, who spent his first two seasons at Baylor before transferring to OSU.

One might think those impressive numbers and a résumé that includes All-Big 12 status validate Forte’s hard work.

But that’s not the way the Cowboy star sees it.

“I’m always like, ‘I still have to do this, I still have to do that,’” Forte said. “There’s a lot of things in my senior year that I still want to accomplish that I haven’t done yet. That’s just how I think, how I’m programmed. Especially in my last year, I want to look and say I don’t regret anything. You only get one shot at this, and it’s been such a blessing for me to be here. I WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, ‘IT WAS WORTH TAKING A RISK ON THAT GUY.’

“OSU took a risk that other schools didn’t, so I feel like I owe them a favor. I owe this university something. So every time I put the jersey on, that’s what I’m trying to do, trying to give them every ounce of effort that I have because I appreciate the chance they gave me.”

For his head coach, that’s an attitude that validates the evolution of Phil Forte the basketball player.

“Phil is driven in so many different ways,” Ford said. “One of those things is that a lot of people didn’t think he could play at this level. That got him into the gym in high school. Then he signs here at Oklahoma State and now he becomes driven by ‘Can I be one of the better players in this league?’ And halfway through his junior year, HE LED THE BIG 12 IN SCORING. Who would have even thought that — I don’t know that I would even have thought that big for him.

“Now he’s driven by ‘CAN I BE ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY?’ And in today’s society, you see it all the time, so many players want to talk about it but their actions don’t back up their words. At this level, everybody is going hard in practice and going through individual workouts. But where you separate yourself is what you do extra outside of what the coach requires. You’ve got to live in the gym, you’ve got to want it bad enough. You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice going to parties and doing all that to reach your goals.

“PHIL FORTE IS THE EPITOME OF THAT, AND THERE’S NOT ANOTHER PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY THAT CAN MATCH THAT. HIS GOAL IS TO BE THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER HE CAN POSSIBLY BE, AND HE PUTS ACTION BEHIND HIS WORDS.”

Both player and coach admit that last season, the mental and physical grind Forte took on from practice, his extra shooting workouts and heavy minutes played (he averaged 33.7 minutes per game) began to wear him down and affect his play as the season went on.

Ford’s approach to remedying that is not what you might think.

“A lot of people were asking if I was going to tell him not to come in and do all the extra shooting and stuff? No. What I’ll do is cut him back in practice because the extra shooting and getting in the gym is where he gets his confidence — that is his time. I don’t ever want to take that away from him,” Ford said. “He knows he deserves success in the game because he’s doing that. He loves that time. And he sees the rewards of it. When you see the rewards of hard work, it’s not hard to continue to do it. And he’s seen it a lot.”

A lot of success from a lot of shots and a lot of time in the gym — it’s the only way Phil Forte knows.

“It’s something I love doing — it’s kind of my time, my space to get away and be by myself,” Forte said. “I do it before the game so I know ‘OKAY, I GOT MY SHOTS UP, I’M READY TO GO!’

“Of course there are days when I don’t want to shoot, don’t want to work out — I mean, I’m human. But even if I feel like that, I tell myself I’ve got to go, even if it’s only 30-45 minutes. Then when you get in there and get into it, it turns into an hour, an hour and a half.

“Now I just keep saying, ‘It’s my senior year, it’s my senior year.’ So any time that doubt creeps in or I don’t want to do anything, I’m sarcastically like, ‘Yeah, I’m sure Kansas isn’t doing anything right now or (Iowa State All-American Georges) Niang isn’t doing anything.’ THAT GETS IN MY HEAD AND KEEPS ME MOTIVATED.”

And that motivation only leads one place for Phil Forte, Cowboy of a million shots —

BACK TO THAT WHITE MAPLE HARDWOOD.

IT ALL MADE SENSE THEN, SURE. YET NOT WITHOUT RISK. YES, HE’D BEEN A LEGENDARY COWBOY AND INTERNATIONAL WRESTLER, AMONG THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND DECORATED IN HISTORY. YES, HE WAS A HOMEGROWN TALENT, RAISED ON THE COWBOY WAY AND ENGAGED IN A FULLBLOWN LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE UNIVERSITY AND THE COMMUNITY.

YES, ALL HIS ASSETS AS A WORLD-CLASS ATHLETE — DRIVE, PASSION AND STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE — MIRRORED THE MAIN INGREDIENTS OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COACHES IN ANY SPORT. AND YES, HIS NAME AND PRESENCE ALONE WOULD ELEVATE OSU’S PROFILE DURING A DIFFICULT TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY WHILE DOUBLING AS A DRAWING CARD FOR THE NATION’S ELITE RECRUITS.

Still, John Smith offered unknowns, too, as a 26-year-old, first-time coach tasked with molding a complete team from varying personalities and motives; few, if any, willing to approach his own standards of excellence.

So tabbing Smith as just the seventh coach in school history, at a critical time for the program, while seemingly the obvious choice, nonetheless provided a bit of a wild card feel. He could be great, or … he might not yet be ready.

Of course, the rest is history, with the years that followed Smith’s hiring revealing that wild card as an ace.

HE’S RESTORED THE PROGRAM TO THE LOFTIEST OF STATURE. And now, with Smith entering his 25th season as head coach, he is no longer the new kid on the block. Instead he is OSU’s MOST TENURED COACH and the shine is as bright as ever, with the Cowboys once again adorned with a No. 1 ranking entering its 100th year of wrestling.

The John Smith story continues at OSU, to rave reviews. No longer a wild card, just wildly successful.

“It’s gone quickly,” said Smith, who has spent the bulk of his life at OSU, as both an athlete and a coach.

“IT’S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE. I DON’T HAVE ANY REGRETS, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

“It’s nice to be ranked No. 1 going into your 25th year. We’d like to end there, and that’s our plan. But it’s a good start to your season.”

Smith’s list of accomplishments — truly impressive accomplishments — are literally too long to list in a magazine story.

The CliffsNotes ® version

WRESTLER: Two-time OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST (1988 and 1992). Six-time WORLD CHAMPION . Two-time

NCAA CHAMPION . James E. Sullivan Award winner as the nation’s TOP AMATEUR ATHLETE (1990). U.S. Olympic Committee

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR (1990). FILA OUTSTANDING

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR (1991). USA Wrestling ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (1989). Amateur Wrestling News MAN OF THE YEAR (1988). Distinguished Member, NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME . Member, FILA HALL OF FAME . Member, OKLAHOMA SPORTS HALL OF FAME . NCAA COLLEGE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR (1987). Named one of the 100 GREATEST OLYMPIANS OF ALL-TIME . Smith’s competitive record, including high school, college, freestyle and international matches: 436-20-2

COACH: OSU’S ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH , at 371-56-6 . Five-time NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP COACH

Two-time NWCA NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR . 17-time CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP COACH . 12-time BIG 12 COACH OF THE YEAR . Two-time BIG EIGHT COACH OF THE YEAR COACHED 29 NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS, 111 ALL-AMERICANS and 95 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS . USA OLYMPIC WRESTLING COACH (2000, 2012). USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM COACH (1998, 2009, 2010, 2011). USA WORLD CUP TEAM COACH (1997). Distinguished Member, NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME

AND YES, THERE’S MORE WITHIN THOSE SUPERLATIVES.

So, yeah, Smith is a winner. And if winning was everything to Vince Lombardi, the old football coach had nothing on John Smith, who once said:

“For me, a loss is something that takes a little piece of your heart and rips it out.”

It was that passion for winning — and to despise losing — that drove Smith’s dominance on the mat. And it’s what initially got in his way as a young coach. Fresh off winning a second Olympic gold medal, Smith inherited an OSU program in the throes of an NCAA investigation that would result in sanctions. His first team went 4-7 in duals. More startling than the record, SMITH HAD TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THE IDEA THAT HIS WRESTLERS MIGHT NOT SHARE THE SAME DRIVE THAT HE DID, EVEN IF FEW DID, IN STILLWATER OR AROUND THE WORLD.

As an athlete himself, Smith forbid himself of vices. He went to class and worked out — three times a day — often at odd hours, reveling in the thought that his competitors were sleeping while he was sweating and grinding. There was no time for dating or partying. Only minimal time for friendships or even family.

Smith operated with tunnel vision. And it was the only way he knew, even if it didn’t fit most of the world around him, including many in his rugged sport.

“That was very stressful,” Smith said. “To go to coaching 30 student-athletes who have problems, weight issues, grade issues, whatever, it was unbelievable. I was thinking there about midway through my first year, ‘What did I do? Three months ago I was being driven in a parade, to, we can’t even win a match.’”

The Cowboys got to winning. And fast. The very next year, OSU romped to a 13-1 dual record and won the 1994 national title, as Smith quickly adjusted on the fly.

“IT’S DEFINITELY SOMETHING I NEEDED, from the standpoint of living in that self-centered world for so long, where everything’s about being the best, to becoming a coach where there’s a lot of people who are counting on you,” Smith said. “And it has nothing to do with yourself. It has to do with others.

“THOSE WERE FRUSTRATING TIMES. It was a real struggle trying to figure out why people weren’t motivated or why an individual wouldn’t take care of his weight. And why wouldn’t you go to class? IT WAS TOUGH. IT WAS HARD WORK. NOTHING CAME EASY. IT WASN’T NATURAL FOR ME.

“I just kind of bit my tongue and stayed tough and realized I needed to build up some callus with all this. And if I’m going to continue to do this and be successful, I NEEDED TO LEARN IN A HURRY ON THE FLY OR THIS THING IS NOT GOING TO WORK.

“They were tough days. I wore everything on my sleeve. I took a lot of things personal. I definitely made some wrong steps with individuals. WITH TIME, I WAS RESILIENT WITH MY EFFORT AND DIDN’T LET A LOT TEAR ME DOWN. Now here we are 25 years later, and it all worked out okay.”

John Smith:

For me, a loss is something that takes a little piece of your heart and rips it out.

PHOTO / PHIL SHOCKLEY

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

PHOTO / SUE OGROCKI PHOTOGRAPHY

Oh, it worked out alright, with the Cowboys regularly ruling the conference, whether in the Big Eight or the Big 12, and tacking on six of OSU’s record of 34 NCAA championships, highlighted by a run of four straight from 2003-2006.

With Smith, it always works out. And not by accident

The will to win may have always existed inside him, but it was tested and fully formed in Del City, where the Smith family, a dozen strong including mom and dad, were bound by their Catholic faith and their constant competition.

JOHN MIGHT HAVE BEEN CHAMPION OF THE WORLD (SIX TIMES), BUT HE WAS NEVER CHAMPION OF HIS OWN LIVING ROOM IN DEL CITY. That’s where the Smiths, brothers and sisters, too, along with neighbors and friends, regularly worked on their moves and worked out their excess energy.

“IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A WRESTLING TOURNAMENT IN THE LIVING ROOM EVERY NIGHT,” John said. “Sometimes it was more important to win that tournament than the real tournament on Saturday. “There were several tough matches, and it wasn’t always with your brother. There was a little hair pullin’ and scratchin’ and probably some biting going on. It was intense. A LOT OF FURNITURE GOT BROKE.”

In the name of wrestling, it was all good.

“I got good at gluing things,” John’s mother, Madeline said. “Something was constantly getting tipped over, some valuable memories that had to be glued back together. I was forever gluing things. But whatever happened, happened.

“THE HOME WAS ALWAYS A HOME. I never got caught up too much in things being perfect. I kept a clean house, but if things got broken, they got broken. Big deal.”

Wrestling became the big deal.

Four brothers took to the mats, starting with the oldest, Lee Roy, who won a national title at OSU. Six sisters, when not mixing it up with the boys on the living room floor, served as mat maids or cheerleaders or tournament workers.

MADELINE and LEE ROY SR. did all they could to offer support, after the younger Lee Roy was plucked from an elementary school playground and introduced to the sport, which he’d quickly master. Lee Roy was all-city champ, state champ and national champ. And when he wasn’t beating up foes, he was beating up John in the backyard or on the carpet where the sofa and chairs had been shoved aside.

Not that John would go down without a fight — literally.

“THE KID WAS INTENSE FROM DAY ONE,” Madeline said of John. “I remember him telling us when he was in junior high, ‘First, I want to win state. Then I’m going to win the Big Eight. Then, I’m going to win the Olympics.’

PHOTO SET / BRUCE WATERFIELD

“We kind of laughed at him. But he always worked hard and was a person who set his goals. And when John made his mind up about something, he did it.”

And it was a mind all about winning.

“I don’t care what it is, John can’t stand to lose,” said Lee Roy Sr. “And he’s always been willing to pay the price, no matter what it took, to be a winner.”

Winning was a family thing, too, with OSU becoming a benefactor. After Lee Roy and John thrived as Cowboys, brothers Pat and Mark followed, adding to the Smith legacy in Stillwater.

“The kids just took off in the sport,” Madeline said. “Lee Roy was talented from the beginning. He’s the one who really started it in the family. Then when John came along, he just idolized Lee Roy. And Pat idolized John. And Mark idolized all of them.”

As a foursome, the Smith brothers are responsible for 10 state high school titles, seven NCAA titles, two Olympic gold medals, four world championships and 13 AllAmerican finishes. All remained connected to the sport, with Lee Roy serving as the executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame across the way from Gallagher-Iba Arena, where the Smiths paved their way as the first family of American wrestling.

Scary thought: what if Lee Roy had gone somewhere else to wrestle rather than OSU?

Scarier thought: it could have happened — at Bedlam rival Oklahoma.

Back in the mid-1970s, when Lee Roy was starring at Del City High, the Sooners certainly had the eye of the Smiths.

“With Lee Roy, I think it was a tough decision between OU and OSU at the time,” John said. “My family was more OU oriented than OSU, living in Del City. We actually went to a couple football bowl games as a family following OU.

SCARY THOUGHT: WHAT IF LEE ROY HAD GONE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO WRESTLE RATHER THAN OSU? SCARIER THOUGHT: IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED — AT BEDLAM RIVAL OKLAHOMA.

“I think if he made that choice, wherever he wanted me, was where I was going to go. I grew up with him. I trusted him. If OSU was where he thought I should be, or anywhere else, I probably would have gone with him.”

Of course, John did follow Lee Roy — to Stillwater.

“All I can say is, there’s no regrets,” John said. “I’m sure glad he made that decision to be a Cowboy.”

And John is just that, a Cowboy, revered in rare company in which few are included.

“Above and beyond being a great tactician and a great recruiter and motivator and all that, that’s all trumped by the kind of person he is,” said OSU athletic director Mike Holder. “I have a lot of respect for him, his values. He’s a great father. And you see somebody with five kids and the time he makes for them and the great job he and his wife Toni do as parents. I think he brings that to the wrestling room.

“We’re just lucky to have him as our wrestling coach. He’s a real leader in our department, a real leader nationally, and I think someone who really exemplifies what it means to be a Cowboy.

John’s latest season brings a new experience. And he’s experienced a lot, standing on the highest perch of the Olympic medal stand twice, winning more championships, coaching championships, coaching brothers and nephews.

“I’D SAY JOHN SMITH’S A TRUE COWBOY.”

But this season John’s coaching becomes even more personal. He’ll be coaching his son, Joseph .

“Yeah, it’s different, there’s no question,” John said. “My brothers, we grew up together, competing every day against each other. Threw a couple punches. Said a few words that were probably not proper. It’s different.

“Your son is somebody you’re raising, you look at differently. You do care when they’re hurt. I’m not sure I ever cared when one of my brothers was hurt. Yeah, you look at it differently. The challenge coaching a son …. I’M REAL CAREFUL ABOUT NOT BEING TOO SOFT.”

Joseph, for a freshman, sounds like he’s been raised on tough. At Stillwater High, he was a three-time Oklahoma state champion. Over the summer, he won a Junior Freestyle national championship and was named that event’s outstanding wrestler.

“We have a great relationship,” John said. “It’s been good that I haven’t had to coach him a whole lot, other than spending time with him on the mental side of the sport and the things you have to stay focused on outside the wrestling room and in the classroom.

“There’s definitely expectation there from me. ‘You do have issues when there’s 40 guys. And you do have problems. And things sometimes don’t go your way. I just don’t want you involved in that, as your father.’

“Those are the challenges. Sometimes, he doesn’t quite understand why I’m giving him lectures after practice that I may not be giving to everybody. NOT THAT I TREAT HIM DIFFERENTLY, IT’S JUST THAT THERE’S A LEVEL OF EXPECTATION THERE AS A FATHER. Hopefully, our relationship will grow. But it’s going to be harder. There’s no question.”

John has faced and conquered challenges before. At times, it’s required change, some that have carried him through these past 24 seasons.

He’s still driven to win . And the competition still revs his engine.

But, and this goes against the Vince Lombardi comparison, that’s not everything.

“IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT WINNING NOW. YOU’RE REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE HERE,” John said. “With Mike Holder being the athletic director, there’s a value he puts in wanting these student-athletes to have the five best years of their life. A coach is going to create an environment that allows for that.

“I maybe didn’t think of it that way when I started, but I think that way now. It’s real important that I recognize it. This is an important five years. Not everybody’s going to have success, but you do want people leaving and being proud of what they were a part of.

“The value of that five years, and that experience, don’t just write it off. There is the pressure to win, the pressure to succeed, but also we need to put pressure on ourselves that that five years is an experience they’ll remember.”

A RISKY HIRE AS COACH? CLEARLY NOT.

If possible, OSU has continued to grow on Smith. He covets his own experience, and not for all the obvious reasons, but the experiences, too, provided TONI and their children: JOSEPH , SAMUEL , LEVI , ISABELL and CECILIA .

“Oh, I love Oklahoma State,” he said. “The reason I’m really proud to be a part of it, I’ve had five children, and I’ve really raised them in Gallagher-Iba Arena. That experience, for young kids, being around dedicated student-athletes, not only on the mat or the field, but in the classroom, it’s really rubbed off on my kids.

“MY WIFE AND I ARE LUCKY TO BE AROUND NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONS WHO HAVE A GOOD BALANCE IN THEIR LIFE AND HAVE A GREAT MORAL COMPASS. I WOULD PAY TO DO IT. THAT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN INVALUABLE. When you see that happening in your own family, you just can’t beat it, especially in today’s world. You just can’t beat that environment.

“YOU REALIZE, NOBODY OWES ME ANYTHING. I OWE THIS PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THIS SCHOOL, EVERYTHING.”

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

STORY BY JOHN HELSLEY

KENNY G. the sweet sounds of

KENNY GAJEWSKI WAS HANGING OUT IN HIS SON PRESTON’S ROOM, THEIR NIGHTLY ROUTINE BEFORE THE BOY WOULD NOD OFF TO SLEEP, WHEN KENNY’S CELL PHONE BUZZED THEIR ATTENTION.

STILLWATER CALLING.

“MY HEART STARTED TO BEAT,” GAJEWSKI SAID. “I WAS LIKE, ‘WHO WOULD BE CALLING ME FROM STILLWATER?’”

EXCEPT DEEP DOWN, HE KNEW.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

Oklahoma State was looking for a softball coach. And eventually, once Gajewski helped Florida to a second-straight Women’s College World Series championship, he surfaced as an OSU target.

Gajewski answered.

“I knew the job was still open,” he said. “And at that point, I knew it had become real.”

It only became more real when Gajewski (pronounced Guy-ess-kee) was flown in for an interview the next day, then announced by Mike Holder as the program’s seventh head coach on June 13.

What’s happened since – and it’s substantial – occurred amid a whirlwind of activity. Gajewski’s journey to his first head coaching job, however, couldn’t be more circuitous or slow-developing, starting as a budding prep baseball star in Los Alamitos, Calif., routing through four college stops as a player, two more as a volunteer assistant coach, a 10-year turn as a field maintenance guru and then a return to coaching that started with baseball, before he joined his pal TIM WALTON at Florida. Helping the Gators accomplish great things put him on the map for something more, which now involves restoring pride to a Cowgirl program that once was the jewel of the Midwest.

Phew.

“The path I’ve been on is nuts, but I really think it’s what’s prepared me to coach,” said Gajewski. “I tell people this a lot, only about 40 to 50 percent of what we do is Xs and Os. The rest is managing people.

“I think all these things I’ve done have helped me to be able to manage people. And I think that’s one of my strengths.

“I’m sure there are coaches out there who Xs- and Os-wise are ahead of me, but that’s just time. They’ve just managed more games. I don’t think they’ve got more knowledge, they’ve just got more experience. And we’ll catch them there.

“MY PATH IS WINDING. BUT EXCITING. I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO BE HERE.”

Let’s get this out of the way up front, although it’s out of sequence: one of Gajewski’s stops was Oklahoma. That’s right, the Oklahoma Sooners. He played baseball there one season, one great season, as a pitcher on OU’s 1994 national championship squad. The following year he served as a volunteer assistant with the Sooners and then worked a full decade in Norman as the school’s turf and maintenance director.

So yeah, there’s some crimson in his blood.

“OU will always have a place in my heart, I can’t change that,” Gajewski said. “I told Coach Holder that when he interviewed me. I cannot change that. It’s not going away.

“But I’m here. I wear orange every day because I want everybody to know I love it here.”

Gajewski embraces the orange, too. Sitting for an interview, he was sporting an old-school “AGGIES” shirt, with the big O in the middle.

The same goes for his family, for Preston and daughter Logan. His wife, Kristen, may have initially had more trouble with it, as an OU graduate with deeper roots into that school, but the charm of OSU and Stillwater have swung her to the other side.

“My two kids, their pistols are firing every day,” Gajewski said. “They wear orange, it’s all they’ve got. My wife is a little different in the fact that she was born and raised here (in Oklahoma) and went to school there. But you know what, she’s all-in here now. She was probably the hardest one at first, but that’s normal. My wife is all-in now, she loves this place.

“Our family is so in tune. The more we’re here every day, it’s easier to see why this place is so great.”

Want more evidence? The Gajewskis are planting new roots.

“We’re building a house here,” Gajewski said. “Coach Holder asked me, ‘Are you building a house?’ I said, ‘We’re going to be here a long time, Coach.’

“That’s where it’s at.”

Getting to this place, at this time, required many turns.

There were the college playing days, starting at one university, one year of junior college and a misguided stint at a Division II school, before the move to OU, facilitated by a previous relationship with then-Sooners pitching coach Vern Ruhle.

After one year playing at OU and another year with the club as a graduate assistant, Gajewski took a similar job at Kansas State. The baseball wasn’t good, and he had to work a day job, heading to Junction City Country Club at 5 a.m. each day.

“I mowed greens and did all the dirty work,” Gajewski said. “I coached in the afternoon, went home and did it all again.”

It wasn’t one of his favorite years, but that’s where Gajewski learned turf maintenance. And soon he was back at OU, eventually finding himself in charge of all the school’s athletic fields and in a big job with big responsibilities and plenty of perks.

But also away from the intricacies of the game.

“I got away from the coaching part,” he said. “For 10 years I got away.”

And that was long enough.

“At some point, I decided it wasn’t the path I wanted to follow,” Gajewski said. “I really wanted to coach. As much fun as I was having, I wasn’t fulfilled.”

Gajewski returned to baseball, taking advantage of more connections to land at Tennessee in the director of baseball operations role. Meanwhile, former Sooners teammate Tim Walton was coaching softball at Florida and tugging Gajewski to join him.

It happened in 2013, with Gajewski arriving to upgrade the defense and play a part in two national title teams.

“The biggest thing that I saw was somebody who had a knack for seeing the little things,” Walton said. “We both had the same background playing wise. Just having the comfort of mind of having someone with the same vision and work ethic I have was probably the first thing that drew me to wanting to have him on board.

“He figured out how much he really missed coaching and how much he really missed working with kids. From the time that he came on board, he was just so passionate about it. Just an endless supply of energy. I think my quote when I hired him was, ‘I’m really excited to get Kenny on board to bring in his energy.’

“He’s got the energy. He’s very passionate. He’s an emotional person. You can have an emotional downer person or you can have an emotionally uplifting person. He’s very uplifting, very motivational, very inspirational. He just brings a great deal of energy — I’d say every day, but that would be a stretch — almost every day. That guy brings it.”

Gajewski has brought that, and more, to the Cowgirls.

Already, the results have been impressive. While only an abbreviated fall scrimmage season, against mostly less-than-Big 12 competition, Gajewski’s opening months on the job provided a stark contrast to past seasons. Previously stressed to score runs, these Cowgirls pounded the softball with regularity, OUTSCORING OPPONENTS

110-4 IN EIGHT GAMES – all wins. Against its only Division I competition of the fall, OSU traveled to Fayetteville and swept a doubleheader from Arkansas by a cumulative score of 26-1.

OSU averaged but 4.6 runs in 52 games a year ago, 1.7 in Big 12 play. During the fall, the Cowgirls got good pitching, too.

And better yet, it was good fun, for the first time in a long time, thanks to Gajewski and his staff.

“In a word, we love him,” said Vanessa Shippy, a sophomore softballer from Idaho. “He will come out and say he’s not responsible for the culture change, but I know that he is definitely. He and his coaching staff are the reason that our culture has completely shifted from last year to this year.

“All the players see it. All the coaching staff can see our change. Even the people in the community that I talk to come up to me and say, ‘Hey, we see you guys smiling, see you in better shape, see you having fun with the way you play.’ They notice the culture change. It’s awesome. I love it. I love him being here and his coaching staff.”

Much work remains. The competition spikes considerably in the spring.

But the Cowgirls needed a spark. And a start. And now they have it.

If anything, Gajewski said, the Cowgirls are ahead of schedule in their makeover.

“One of my biggest concerns when I got here was, ‘Is our team in good shape mentally? Good emotional shape?’” Gajewski said. “And they were. They needed a fine tune, and they needed someone they felt they could trust and count on. And I think that we’ve earned that over time. And we’ll continue to earn that. BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE WE’RE 100 PERCENT BOUGHT IN.

“And it’s shown every day, whether that’s in practice or in our strength and conditioning or in our team building. I feel like they’ve been 100 percent in from day one.”

Beyond the team building, the new coach recognizes the need for program building. One of the attractions to the job for Gajewski was OSU’s rich history and tradition. Yet when he arrived, none of it was apparent.

There were no nods to past greats, not even Michele Smith , a household name in softball circles; no tributes to the 40 AllAmericans and 46 Olympians. There were no references to OSU’s 18 NCAA appearances or the seven Women’s College World Series berths that established the program as a force following its inception in 1975. And there were no former players or coaches attached to the team.

It was as if the history didn’t exist.

Gajewski is dusting off the trophies and putting up pictures, part of a major overhaul, of facility and of personal ownership.

“We’re trying to highlight what’s happened here,” Gajewski said. “That may have been the most disappointing thing on my interview. I knew what the history was, but it wasn’t displayed. You walk in this place and there was nothing on the walls.

“I told myself, ‘If I’m lucky enough to get this job, that’s the first thing I’m going to do, unite the old guard and the new guard. I need them. Our players need them. And I want our kids to know the people who built this place.’ And that’s been a focus.”

And it’s appreciated.

“One thing I noticed last year, as a freshman I didn’t know if it was normal or not, but we didn’t have a lot of alumni hanging around,” Shippy said. “We didn’t even have girls from previous seasons, two years, three years, that recent.

“Now Coach is embracing our alumni and hoping that everyone can come back and embrace it again and make it a place where you want to be. Those old trophies, that’s a big deal as far as who we are. As a freshman, that history is something I didn’t even know anything about because it had been hidden away.

“I know he has plans to make that a bigger deal. Not to show off or anything, but to make us proud of who we are and make our fans proud of who we are. I think it’s going to be great.”

Gajewski has spent but three seasons in a full-time coaching capacity. Still, he has backers and plenty of people insisting that a lack of experience won’t be a drawback.

“I think he’s going to be good,” Walton said. “Not very many people have the opportunity to be the head coach for the first time of such a storied program. Oklahoma State, for so many, many years had been the program of the Midwest. The challenges, obviously, are to get the softball program at Oklahoma State back to the level it was at in the Big Eight.

“We all want to win every game, and there are so many more important things than winning and losing. For him to be able to leave his mark on the program and get them to do the little things, he’ll be able to get them to win eventually.”

Gajewski is pushing the pedal on progress.

The Big 12 is rugged, and Oklahoma operates as a national power just down the road. Still, Gajewski is preaching winning. And winning big.

“I’m not preparing them to win our conference,” Gajewski said, “I told them, ‘We’re preparing you to go win a national title.’ And I know what that looks like. I know what it’s like as a player. I know what it’s like as a coach, not the head coach, but on a coaching staff. And I’ve seen it in many sports, from football at OU to softball and baseball.

“I’ve seen it, firsthand. I know what it takes. And it’s not easy. It’s not average. It’s not mediocre. It’s bringing extra effort every day.”

Gajewski is bringing it already.

“He comes every day to practice with a new game plan, a new practice plan, excited,” Shippy said. “We all love it. We love going to practice. It’s fun, there’s an energy. HE JUST TEACHES US THE GAME AND HAS A DRIVE TO WIN.

“I’m excited to get out there. I love his coaching style. I love playing with the girls around me. I know our seniors just can’t wait to see what this season is going to bring. They all wish they had more seasons with him.

“I’m thankful I’m only a sophomore and I get multiple seasons with him and the staff. We’re ready to get back at it and see what the season can bring. The fall, not that it’s a tease or anything, but it really was. I’m excited to see how we do this spring.”

“ I’m not preparing them to win our conference. I told them, ‘We’re preparing you to go win a national title.’”

KENNY GAJEWSKI

P ISTOL PE TE’S PARTNERS

PISTOL PETE’S PARTNERS is the official OSU Athletic Kids Club designed to get kids excited about OSU athletics at a young age so that they are fans for life!

Annual kids club membership (8th grade and under) is just $25 per child.

Benefits include:

• FREE ADMISSION* to OSU wrestling, Cowboy basketball, Cowgirl basketball, baseball and softball

• Invites to autograph parties and special events

• Birthday card from Pistol Pete

• Special discounted tickets to Cowboy Football

• and much more!!

Membership Packets Include:

• T-shirt

• ID lanyard

• Picture of Pistol Pete

• Sports Schedules

For details, visit okstate.com/kidsclub

* Some restrictions may apply.

I’M WITH PETE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL SHOCKLEY

OSU Cross Country was honored during a home football game after sweeping the Big 12 Championships for the first time in school history. On OSU’s home course OCTOBER 31, the Cowboys captured their eighth-straight conference trophy, while the Cowgirls won their first-ever team title . Both squads went on to win NCAA Midwest Regional Championships , as well. Pictured are ALL-BIG 12 PERFORMERS Kaela Edwards , Anna Boyert , Molly Sughroue and Natalie Baker

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

Honor Roll

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.

But we’re not finished yet.

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.

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

This is the list of all the generous supporters who have helped to provide a bright Orange future. They are our HONOR ROLL .

To learn more about scholarship opportunities and how you may contribute, PLEASE CONTACT

Larry Reece (405-744-2824), Matt Grantham (405-744-5938) OR Shawn Taylor (405-744-3002).

“It has been amazing to see 315 donors step up to get us past the $58 million mark in commitments to the Leave A Legacy campaign.

The bottom line is OSU supporters get it … scholarships help our studentathletes today while strengthening our athletic budget forever.”

— LARRY REECE, SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT

BASEBALL 6.5

FULL SCHOLARSHIP

Dennis and Karen Wing (2)

Hal Tompkins

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Mike Bode and Preston Carrier

Jennifer and Steven Grigsby

Sally Sparks

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Bryant and Carla Coffman

David and Grace Helmer

Jill Rooker

Martha Seabolt

FOOTBALL 32.0

FULL SCHOLARSHIP

Bob and Kay Norris

Bryant and Carla Coffman / The Merkel Foundation

David LeNorman

Dennis and Karen Wing (2)

Dr. Mark and Beth Brewer

Jack and Carol Corgan Football Scholarship

Jim Click

John and Gail Shaw

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Cindy Hughes

Donald Coplin

Doug Thompson

Ed and Helen Wallace

Greg Casillas

Ike and Marybeth Glass

Sandy Lee

Dr. Scott Anthony

John and Beverly Williams

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

Jim and Lynne Williams

John and Patti Brett

Mike and Judy Johnson

Sally Sparks

State Rangers

Tom Naugle

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

Fred and Janice Gibson

GENERAL 1.25

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Terry and Martha Barker

Fred and Karen Hall

Howard Thill

James and LaVerna Cobb

Jerry and Lynda Baker

Jerry and Rae Winchester

John P. Melot

John S. Clark

Ken and Leitner Greiner

Kent and Margo Dunbar

Paul and Mona Pitts

R. Kirk Whitman

Randal and Carol White

Roger and Laura Demaree

Shelli Osborn

Steve and Diane Tuttle

Tony and Finetta Banfield

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

David and Judy Powell

Kenneth and Susan Crouch

Sally Sparks

GRADUATE ATHLETE 0.75

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Bob and Joan Hert

Neal Seidle

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

MEN’S BASKETBALL 20.75

FULL SCHOLARSHIP

A.J. and Susan Jacques

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

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Bill and Marsha Barnes

David and Julie Ronck

Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow

Jay and Connie Wiese

Griff and Mindi Jones

James and Mary Barnes

Jim Vallion

Ken and Jimi Davidson

Kent and Margo Dunbar

KimRay Inc.

Mitch Jones Memorial

Sally Sparks

Sandy Lee

Stan Clark

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Dr. Scott and Lynne Anthony

Gary and Sue Homsey

Holloman Family

Michael and Heather Grismore

Rick and Suzanne Maxwell

Robert and Sharon Keating

Steve and Suzie Crowder

Terry and Donna Tippens

MEN’S GOLF 4.25

FULL SCHOLARSHIP

David and Julie Ronck

Dennis and Karen Wing

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Stillwater National Bank

Jack and Carol Corgan Men’s Golf Scholarship

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Bob and Elizabeth Nickles

Garland and Penny Cupp

Richard and Joan Welborn

MEN’S TENNIS 0.25

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

MEN’S TRACK 0.75

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow

Susan Anderson

Ken and Leitner Greiner

SOFTBALL 0.25

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 6.25

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

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Bill and Roberta Armstrong

Bill and Sally Cunningham

Calvin and Linda Anthony

Donald Coplin

Jill Rooker

Jon and Nancy Patton

Richard and Linda Rodgers

WOMEN’S EQUESTRIAN 0.25

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

David and Gina Dabney

WOMEN’S GOLF 1.0

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

David and Julie Ronck

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Amy Weeks

Kent and Margo Dunbar

WOMEN’S TENNIS 0.25

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Jamie Maher

WRESTLING 10.25

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

HALF SCHOLARSHIP

Mark and Lisa Snell

QUARTER SCHOLARSHIP

Danny and Dana Baze / Cory and Mindy Baze

John and Beverly Williams

R.K. Winters

OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Ray Murphy Endowed Wrestling Scholarship

OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Tommy Chesbro Endowed Wrestling Scholarship

The Cobb Family

HALEY WOODARD

ON GAME DAYS,

Oklahoma State students have turned their SUPPORT OF THE COWBOYS INTO AN ART FORM. They express themselves to suit their individual tastes. They show their OSU support in different ways. But they all join forces to help produce one of the best game day environments in college football POSSE Magazine tracked down several of OSU’s most colorful characters at a recent Cowboy home game.

Alex Thome and Michael Wood

Amanda Slife

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY LAWSON DESIGN BY PAUL V. FLEMING

Zack Miller

Erica Summerfield

Casey Sherburn

Bowman Vowell

Cooper Bowman

Manny Rubio

Smokey Solis

Jacob Foster

Dylan Rowan

Brice Fiddler

Bram Abbott

Courtney Pool

Jason Fey

Drew Walker

Family Feuds

You know … I think I have seen this before …

SOON THE HOLIDAYS WILL BE UPON US in Cowboy country. IN FACT, by the time you read this article, THERE SHOULD BE ONLY A FEW SHOPPING WEEKS LEFT and bowl season will already be ramping up.

YOU WILL PROBABLY BE PLANNING the requisite family functions which you survive and advance through each December. Each of you can relive the occurrences which cause you to believe you are starring in your own version of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

There are simply some interactions with certain family members that may remind you why we’re glad Christmas comes once a year. So while you are eating turkey with turkeys and watching Peyton Manning sing about why he thinks chicken parm tastes so good, you’re actually thinking about, “WHEN IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO BE OVER?”

ALL OF THESE TYPES OF EXPERIENCES GOT ME TO THINKING, what if we compared all those “funny” holiday visitors to fan bases in the Big 12 Conference? Some would be fairly easy, like the new member of the family who lives so far away, he can only get there once a year. He dresses sort of strange, but you think he might be ok ... too early to tell. Then there is your delusional cousin, who is always bragging about the work promotion they are going to get or the new car they are about to buy. But next year they’ll have the same job and be driving the 2001 Chrysler they have now.

Everyone has a favorite uncle. A guy who you can see yourself as, 20 years from now. The two of you are alike, come from the same roots and are proud to admit it. While everyone else is inside watching the “A Christmas Story” marathon, the two of you are tossing a football around in the back yard.

Then there is the kids’ table. It’s loud and it’s messy. Nieces and nephews shouting and feuding about insignificant issues. A distraction from the adult eating arrangements, you have placed them on a card table and folding chairs around the corner. You’ll clean up later.

Finally, your formally rich and always pretentious family members arrive from across town. They pull up in the fancy Cadillac, he in his alligator shoes and her in her mink stole, all three of which were purchased years and years ago when times were better. While others share recent images from twenty-first century mobile devices, they drag out the picture albums demonstrating evidence of when they used to go places and do things. Everyone exchanges knowing glances and just lets them talk. It’s ok.

AFTER IT’S ALL OVER AND EVERYONE IS GONE, you realize you’ve made it through another season and now it’s time to tidy up a bit. The wrapping and tissue paper strewn across the living room are easily disposed of and the COLORFUL BOWS can be saved for next year. Your favorite ... A BIG ORANGE ONE!

ANY AND ALL SIMILARITIES IN THIS STORY TO SPECIFIC FAN BASES ARE COINCIDENTAL.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS COWGIRLS AND COWBOYS!

GO POKES!

KYLE WRAY VICE PRESIDENT ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT & MARKETING