POSSE - Spring 2016

S P R I N G 2016

Magazine

of OSU Athletics

COWBOY FOOTBALL EVOLVES PAGE 26 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF OSU ATHLETICS VOL UM E 9

cover.indd 1

II§lJ 4/13/16 4:23 PM

Beginning August 23, you’ll be able to access the world with two daily hassle-free flights to D/FW from Stillwater. Factor in free parking and quick boarding with short lines. Factor out travel time and expense to either OKC or Tulsa, and you’ll see the convenience and simplicity of Stillwater Regional Airport and American Airlines.

How to get around the car buying maze.

Byford Auto Group.

Time is money. Save both.

Fly Stillwater.

BIJFORD AUTO GROUP

CHICKASHA • DUNCAN • OKC

Aircraft operated by Envoy ®

BYFORD BUICK GMC – CHICKASHA • 2900 S. Hwy. 81 n BYFORD CHEVY BUICK GMC – DUNCAN • 1909 N. Hwy. 81 BYFORD CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM – DUNCAN • 307 N. Hwy. 81 n BYFORD MOTORS – OKC • I-240 & Shields

800-752-2360 ByfordAutoGroup.com BAG 02-06-16 Posse Magazine.indd 1 cover.indd 2

2/29/16 11:06 AM

6424.FLYSTW_STATE_ad.indd 1

3/31/16 10:40 AM 4/13/16 4:23 PM

#JILL/ED. • • • • • • • • •

Freeestimates Expertpackingandcrating Local,longdistanceandinternational moves Recordmanagement center Commercial warehouse anddistribution Specialties in movingelectronicequipment Officemoving Smallpartdistribution Officerecordstorage

emricksallied.com C. PaulBakerJr., Owner• AlliedVanLinesAgent

relax.

we ~.Un'

th,· cl 1oa .

4021NW3rdSt.,OKC73107• 800-299-7070

POSSE book.indb 3

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.

3126S.VanBuren,Enid,OK73703• 800-299-1053

4/13/16 15:06

PHOTO / BRUCE WAERFIELD

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF HEADLINES

surrounding OSU Athletics this spring. We crowned three individual

national champions, MADE A RUN AT NATIONAL TITLE NUMBER 52 AND WE USHERED IN A NEW ERA IN MEN’S BASKETBALL. March was a pretty productive month.

One of the signs of a good coach is how well his or her team performs at crunch time. And while we certainly don’t need more validation of the skills of John Smith, there are some folks in the wrestling world who think he

TURNED IN ONE OF THE BEST COACHING JOBS OF HIS CAREER THIS SPRING. OSU was the runner-up at the recently completed NCAA WRESTLING NATIONAL TOURNAMENT and

TWO MORE COWBOYS WERE CROWNED INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPS ( Dean Heil AND

Greetings OSU fans,

Alex Dieringer).

THE STANDARDS OF OUR WRESTLING PROGRAM ARE HIGH with banners always a goal. But this group of Cowboys improved throughout the season and overcame the loss of two starters, and probably a pile of points at the NCAAs, to finish second.

Speaking of coaches, Dave Smith keeps making

progress with our track and cross country programs. THE LATEST SUCCESS STORY CAME at the NCAA INDOOR TRACK AND

FIELD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. The Cowgirls finished 10th, SETTING A NEW HIGH-WATER MARK FOR THE PROGRAM. And Kaela Edwards’ INDIVIDUAL TITLE IN THE MILE RUN was the FOURTH INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN OSU HISTORY. Smith also led the men’s team to its SECOND BIG 12 INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. One week after the NCAA wrestling concluded, WE CELEBRATED THE ARRIVAL OF NEW MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH Brad

Underwood. It seems pretty obvious from the outset that COACH UNDERWOOD AND OKLAHOMA STATE FIT TOGETHER. He has tremendous respect for the history of our program and many of the same coaching philosophies that have been the foundation of Cowboy Basketball for decades.

THE HISTORY AND ATMOSPHERE OF Gallagher-Iba Arena AND Gallagher Hall before it are part of what attracted Coach Underwood to Oklahoma State. He’s like all of us. HE KNOWS WHAT OSU BASKETBALL CAN BE. AND HE

4

ALSO KNOWS THE HISTORY AND ATMOSPHERE COMES FROM THE FANS. WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US IN MAKING NEW MEMORIES IN GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA.

GO POKES! SPRING 2016

Playbook.indd 4

MIKE HOLDER DIRECTOR, INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

4/13/16 16:11

the

PLAYBOOK

2016 VOL.9 SPRING

FEATURES

STUDENT-ATHLETE

16 Orange County

to Orange Country COVER STORY

26 The Eye of the Beholder STUDENT-ATHLETE

34 Track Shoes & Tiaras 50 Mr. Iba’s Last

All-American

58 Things We Learned

From Tommy Moore

62 The Wizardry

of Walton

74 Downhill Slide

DEPARTMENTS

20 The 150 72 The Honor Roll A WALK IN THE PARK

82 Wrav!ngs

5

ALL-TIME GREAT

COWGIRL Brittney Martin was named the BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR this past season, along with co-defensive POY. She was also a FIRST-TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 PERFORMER. The senior from Syracuse, Utah, became the first player to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and steals in the same season.

Martin averaged 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per contest (including 20 doubledoubles) on her way to garnering several All-America honors.

Playbook.indd 5

Brittney Martin

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

POSSE

4/15/16 9:20

POSSE POKES POSSE MAGAZINE STAFF

K Y L E W R AY

V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F E N R O L L M E N T M A N AG E M E N T / M A R K E T I N G E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F / S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C D I R E C TO R

K E V IN K L IN T W O R T H

S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C D I R E C TO R / E X T E R N A L A F FA I R S A R T D I R E C TO R / D E S I G N E R LE AD DESIGNER

D AV E M A L E C

/

DESIGNER

P H OTO G R A P H E R / P R O D U C T I O N A S S I S TA N T A S S I S TA N T E D I TO R

J E S S E M A R T IN

PA U L V. F L E MIN G S H E L B Y A L LY N HO L CO M B

B R UCE WAT E R F IE L D

CL AY BIL L M A N

C O N T R I B U T I N G P H OTO G R A P H E R S

G A R Y L AW S ON , CL AY BIL L M A M , W E S L E Y HI T T

R YA N C A M E R ON , JOH N H E L S L E Y, GE N E JO H N S O N , WA DE M c W HOR T E R , A U S T IN CH A P P E L L , CL AY BIL L M A N , K E V IN K L IN T W O R T H CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ATHLETICS ANNUAL GIVING (POSSE) DEVELOPMENT STAFF A S S I S TA N T AT H L E T I C D I R E C TO R / P O S S E D I R E C TO R P R E M I U M S E R V I C E S D I R E C TO R

K ARYL HENRY

P U B L I C AT I O N S C O O R D I N ATO R

CL AY BIL L M A N

A S S I S TA N T D I R E C TO R , A N N UA L G I V I N G C O O R D I N ATO R , A N N UA L G I V I N G

E L L E N AY R E S

JO E N E L S O N

S T E P H A NIE B O E S E

ATHLETICS MAJOR GIFT DEVELOPMENT STAFF S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C D I R E C TO R / D E V E LO P M E N T

A LEGEND’S LEGACY Several prominent members of HENRY IBA’s family were on hand for the introduction of BRAD UNDERWOOD as the NEW OKLAHOMA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH on March 23. Underwood is a member of the Iba coaching tree through his former mentor, JACK HARTMAN, who coached at Kansas State. Hartman played for Oklahoma A&M.

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

Mr. Iba’s nephews SKIP (OSU PLAYER 1963-66), GENE (OSU GRADUATE ASSISTANT 1966-68) and son MOE (OSU PLAYER 1958-62) enjoyed a standing ovation from the Cowboy fans in attendance at the arena that bears the Iba name.

D I R E C TO R O F D E V E LO P M E N T / AT H L E T I C S P R O J E C T M A N AG E R

L A R R Y R E E CE

M AT T GR A N T H A M

S H AW N TAY L OR

O S U P O S S E

1 0 2 AT H L E T I C S C E N T E R

S T I L LWAT E R , O K 74 078 - 5 070

4 0 5 .74 4 .73 01 P 4 0 5 .74 4 . 9 0 8 4 F O K S TAT E P O S S E .CO M O K S TAT E P O S S E P O S S E@ O K S TAT E . E DU @ O S U P O S S E A D V E R T I S I N G E D I T O R I A L

4 0 5 .74 4.73 0 1

4 0 5 .74 4.170 6

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.

Remember to always “Ask Before You Act.” Respectfully,

6

BEN DYSON ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR COMPLIANCE BIG 12 C ONFERENCE

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.

SKIP IBA

GENE IBA

MOE IBA

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/April 2016/#6407.

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.

front matter.indd 6

4/18/16 15:04

0 LOOK for the LABEL

HELP OSU BY BUYING ONLY LICENSED PRODUCTS.

When you purchase licensed products, a portion of your purchase price goes to support scholarships and other university programs.

Oklahoma State University: Live Orange @OSUGear @OSUGear

Get information on new retailers, merchandise and promotions.

POSSE book.indb 7

4/13/16 15:07

HIRE CALLING The OSU athletic department, as well as thousands of orangeclad fans, welcomed new men’s

basketball head coach Brad

Underwood to the Cowboy family on March 23 on GallagherIba Arena’s Eddie Sutton Court . In

attendance were current and former Cowboy basketball standouts as well as members of legendary coach Henry Iba’s family, along with campus dignitaries.

Underwood arrives at OSU following a three-year stint at

Stephen F. Austin that ranks as one of the best starts to a head coaching career in college basketball history.

The 1986 graduate of Kansas State

played for former Oklahoma A&M football and basketball standout Jack Hartman, a disciple of Mr. Iba.

8 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 8

4/13/16 15:07

9

POSSE book.indb 9

4/13/16 15:07

Did You See It? 2016 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP 3/26/16 VS. BAYLOR

10 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD SPRING 2016

photo spread 2.indd 10

4/18/16 15:05

◄

11

POSSE book.indb 11

4/13/16 15:07

Football Tickets on sale now OKSTATE.COM/RENEWAL 877.ALL.4OSU (877-255-4678)

12 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 12

4/13/16 15:07

13

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 13

4/13/16 15:07

PLOR whereto eat, drink,

tay

ads set 01.indd 14

4/13/16 16:50

ads set 01.indd 15

4/13/16 16:50

ORANGE

COUNTY TO

ORANGE

COUNTRY STORY BY AUSTIN CHAPPELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

While the 2011 Oklahoma State softball team was preparing for its Women’s College World Series appearance, a budding prospect was lighting up the fields nearly 1,400 miles away in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on the southern edge of Orange County.

S

16

OUTHERN CALIFORNIA is a softball hotbed and produces talent for programs across the country, and especially west coast staples like Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, Washington and California. Eleven-time WCWS winner UCLA was in the backyard of Tiffany Mikkelson , now a Cowgirl senior.

Mikkelson was the only freshman to start all 56 games in 2013. She quickly established herself as one of the team’s most reliable offensive assets with a .286 batting aver-

TO OSU, I KNEW IT WAS EX ACTLY WHERE I

age, four home runs and a team-leading 13 doubles.

The opportunity to make an early and crucial contribution paid big dividends as SHE BECAME A BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE PROGRAM throughout the rest of her career.

“IT WAS HARD, TO BE HONEST, but I just wanted to help as much as I could,” Mikkelson said. “It was definitely a shock because I was in Oklahoma, where I had never been before. I didn’t know anyone other than the girls on the softball team. I feel like that had a lot to do with how I played. ONCE I GOT USED TO

WANTED TO GO.”

IT AND KNEW THAT THE GIRLS WERE BEHIND

“I DIDN’T EVEN TALK TO ANYONE OTHER THAN OSU,” Mikkelson said. “I sent out some

emails and stuff, and I went on trips to visit a couple of schools. OSU WAS MY FIRST OFFER, AND I SAW THE SCHOOL AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. After that, no one even contacted me because

I was so set on OSU. WHEN I MADE MY VISIT

ME, I got more comfortable. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY FUN SEASON.”

D

SPRING 2016

Mikkelson.indd 16

4/13/16 16:25

( TIFFANY)

HAD

EXPERIENCE AND A KNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME THAT WOULD U LT I M AT E LY H E L P

17

HER PRODUCE ONE

O F T H E G R E AT E S T SINGLE-SEASON PERFORMANCES

I N TH E COWG I R L S ’ 38-YEAR HISTORY.

Mikkelson.indd 17

4/13/16 16:25

“ONE HOME RUN ISN’T GOING TO WIN THE GAME ALL THE TIME.”

After just missing out on an NCAA

With only two seniors on the 2015

One highlight from her 2015 campaign

Tournament, Mikkelson used the time

Cowgirl squad, Mikkelson was essen-

came at Iowa State where the Cowgirls

seasons to transition from a role player into

between her freshman and sophomore

the team’s offensive leader. In 2014, she

tially on top of the totem pole as a junior. And with over 100 career starts, she had experience and a knowl-

opener, she lit up ISU with a pair of home

increased her numbers in nearly every

edge of the game that would ultimately

offensive category. Her added experience

help her produce one of the greatest sin-

helped her develop a presence as a leader.

gle-season performances in the Cowgirls’

“I’m just not the type to really say much, and I feel like I lead more by example,” Mikkelson said. “ IF I COULD PAS S ONE THING DOWN TO THE FRESHMEN AND THE GIRLS COMING IN, IT WOULD BE BODY L ANGUAGE.

I would say that if you want to be someone that others look up to, you need to

38-year history.

SHE CONSTANTLY STUFFED THE STAT SHEET WITH NOTABLE NUMBERS IN CATEGORIES LIKE WALKS, STOLEN BASES AND RBIS. NOT TO MENTION A BLISTERING .506 ON-BASE PERCENTAGE AND A .722 SLUGGING PERCENTAGE. Both marks are second best in

school history.

took a series from the Cyclones. In the runs, including a three-run blast that

helped OSU register a run-rule victory.

IOWA STATE REFUSED TO PITCH TO MIKKELSON THE FOLLOWING DAY. In an 8-6 OSU victory, THE ISU PITCHING STAFF WALKED HER A SCHOOL RECORD FIVE TIMES, and the rest of the Cowgirl lineup provided enough run support to earn the win.

“I actually remember that vividly because I could not understand why they wouldn’t pitch to me,” Mikkelson said. “I just wanted never seen anything like that. In a way, I

you’re saying. I D O TRY TO HAVE

PERHAPS THE MOST EYE-POPPING STATISTIC OF MIKKELSON’S 2015 SEASON WAS THAT SHE DIDN’T HIT A HOME RUN UNTIL GAME 15,

G R E AT B O DY L A N G UA G E N O

when she broke out with a pair of bombs

that I’m good enough to pitch around and

MAT TER WHAT THE SITUATION

against North Texas. She then reeled off

prevent a run here or there.”

IS. I try to just smile, make jokes and

13 homers in only 38 games.

have good body language.”

“People look at that more than what

18

keep it light.”

“It took me forever to finally hit a home

them to throw to me so I could hit, but I’ve kind of felt honored that they might think

Her junior season not only helped her

earn first team All-Big 12 and NFCA

She began to flash signs of her true

run last year,” Mikkelson said. “At one point

All-Midwest Region honors, but it also

power potential as a sophomore when

I was like, ‘Do I even know how to hit one

vaulted her toward the top of numer-

she led the Cowgirls with seven home

anymore? But once I finally got that first

runs and a .544 slugging percentage. But

one out of the way, everything came natu-

ous categories in the Oklahoma State record books.

those first two seasons were only the tip

rally, and it was a blast being able to make

of the iceberg.

that much of a contribution for the team.”

SPRING 2016

Mikkelson.indd 18

4/13/16 16:25

Her consistency at the plate led to a three-year cumulative batting average

of .321, 13th best in OSU history. Her

Gajewski , who joined the Cowgirls after

“With players who are coming in here

winning consecutive national titles as an

and seeing the field early on, I just feel

assistant with Florida.

like they’re talented. If you’re talented,

.434 career on-base percentage is good

“I’m excited about them, about what

you should be playing,” Mikkelson said.

for sixth all-time at OSU. Mikkelson’s walk

we have done,” Gajewski said of his first

“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YEAR

count took a huge leap in 2015 when she

squad. “I feel like I have 21 kids that have

YOU ARE . IF YOU’RE GOING TO

drew 39 bases on balls, nearly break-

ing a single-season OSU record and leaving her only 14 short of an OSU career record entering her senior season.

The power categories are where Mikkelson truly shines, though. She

stands firmly among the most prominent sluggers in Cowgirl history. Her

.569 slugging percentage rounds out the

top three on the list of all-time greats at OSU, while her 113 RBIs are only 50 short

of topping OSU legend Jaime Foutch ’s 163 set between 1996 and 1999.

completely bought in. With a new staff,

CONTRIBUTE AND BE A PART OF

that is tough.”

THE TEAM, YOU SHOULD BE ON

One of Gajewski’s early decisions was to move Mikkelson from third base to the outfield.

As the owner of Cowgirl Stadium’s hot corner for the last three seasons, she con-

THE FIELD.”

Mikkelson has only missed one game in her entire career and it came when she was a sophomore. Her start

sistently stood out as one of the Big 12’s

totals of 56 as a freshman, 53 as a sopho-

most reliable defensive assets. MIKKELSON

more and 52 as a junior further cements

NEVER COMMITTED MORE THAN NINE ERRORS IN A SEASON at one of the toughest spots

her value to the program.

in the field.

of a fluke. I stepped on third and sprained

“On a scale of one to five, it’d be like a

“That one game I missed was because my ankle,” Mikkelson said.

seven in terms of how comfortable I am,”

“OVERALL, IT’S AN HONOR TO

As with any sport on the diamond, fans

Mikkelson said of the move. “How much am

BE ABLE TO E XPERIENCE THAT

love the long ball. Mikkelson’s 13 homers

I enjoying it? Probably closer to a 12. I love

MUCH SOFTBALL IN MY CAREER.

in 2015 left her career total just nine short

it. I LOVE PLAYING THE OUTFIELD.”

NOT MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THAT.”

“I played in the outfield and switched

home runs between 2009 and 2012.

between there and the infield during travel

NOT MANY PEOPLE ARE TIFFANY MIKKELSON.

of the school record. Julie Ward hit 32

“I’M JUST GOING TO TRY MY BEST

ball, so it isn’t the first time I’ve done it.

TO GET THAT PITCH THAT I WANT

I’m getting more comfortable, especially

AND GET IN THE RIGHT COUNTS,

when I get balls hit to me. That’s definitely

put the ball in play and help the team,”

when I feel like I’m getting it.”

she said. “I have to do something like that

Gajewski also cites Mikkelson’s posi-

because if I’m going up there trying to

tion change as an example of her team-

hit a home run every time, I’m not going

first attitude.

to do it. One home run isn’t going to win

“ WE HAD TIFF IN LE F T FIE LD

the game all the time. I just want to get on

ALL FALL, BUT WE JUST MOVED

base and help the team any way that I can.”

Teammates say that Mikkelson is one

of the most modest members of the squad, but she says the home run record is something that she can’t help but think about.

HER TO RIGHT,” Gajewski said. “I am

so proud of her to make the transition in her last year. TO MAKE A MOVE AND NEVER SAY A WORD ABOUT IT IS PRETTY SPECIAL.”

Mikkelson’s numbers have made sig-

“I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN

nificant improvements with each passing

TO BREAK THAT RECORD,” Mikkelson

season, putting her in position to leave a

said. “It’s on my mind 24/7. I really try not

lasting impression on the program after

to think about it a lot because I feel like it

her final year.

could hinder how I play.

Despite recording one of the great-

That impression will also provide benefits for the Cowgirl freshman class and

est individual efforts in an OSU uniform

incoming recruits who look to star in an

in 2015, Mikkelson and the Cowgirls fin-

Oklahoma State uniform. Mikkelson said

ished with a 21-31 record in 2015.

The 2016 season has brought plenty of change as Oklahoma State introduced a

new coaching staff headed by Kenny

19

she hopes that girls who make an impact early on in their careers can ultimately pass down the same traits and experiences she gained while earning a large amount of playing time as a freshman.

Mikkelson.indd 19

4/13/16 17:16

AS OF MARCH 15, 2016

1

Boone Pickens 6,108,738 2 Malone & Amy Mitchell 3 William S. Smith 4 Neal & Jeanne Patterson 5 Dennis & Cindy Reilley 6 John Clerico 7 Michael & Anne Greenwood 8 W & W Steel, LLC 9 Karsten Manufacturing 10 Ross & Billie McKnight 11 Robert A. Funk 12 Anonymous #18 13 Walt & Peggy Helmerich 14 A.J. & Susan Jacques 15 Chesapeake Energy, Inc. 16 Harold & Joyce Courson 17 Bank SNB 18 Joe & Connie Mitchell

20

19 Mike & Robbie Holder 70,711

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 20

20 Ken & Jimi Davidson 21 Bob Howard 22 ONEOK, Inc. 23 Watson Family Foundation 24 Kent & Margo Dunbar 25 Les & Cindy Dunavant 26 Chad Clay 27 Gary & Jerri Sparks 28 Richard & Barbara Bogert 29 Vickie & Tucker Link Foundation 30 Greg & Rhonda Casillas 31 The Cobb Family 32 Anonymous #1 33 RCB Bank 34 OG&E 35 Russ Harrison & Natalie Shirley 36 OSU Foundation 37 Brad & Margie Schultz 38 Joullian & Co

39 Lew & Suzanne Meibergen 39,437

40 Jana Drummond 41 David & Tracy Kyle 42 Flintco, Inc. 43 Mike Bode & Preston Carrier 44 James & Mary Barnes 45 Bryant J. Coffman 46 G. Edward Evans 47 David & Julie Ronck 48 Anonymous #2 49 Bob Norris 50 Sparks Financial 51 E. Turner & Cynthia Davis 52 Garland & Penny Cupp 53 Wiese Family 54 Jay & Connie Wiese 55 Lambert Construction 56 OSU President’s Office 57 Pam J. Russell 58 Vicki & Jim Click 59 SST Software 60 Jerry & Rae Winchester 61 Jameson Family, LLC 62 Anonymous #3 63 Steve & Diane Tuttle

4/13/16 15:07

HOW DO MY POINTS RANK? AS OF MARCH 15, 2016 POINTS

RANK

193,415 TOP 5 34,850 50 20,317 100 7,627 250 3,813 500 1,968 1,000 697 2,500 184 5,000 62 7,500

OSU ATHLETICS PRIORITY POINT SYSTEM The PRIORITY POINT SYSTEM provides a fair, consistent and transparent method of providing benefits to donors in exchange for their financial investments in OSU athletics.

DONORS GAIN POINTS THREE WAYS: CONTRIBUTIONS: All current and lifetime contributions (cash or

•

stock) are worth 3 points per $100 donation. Planned (deferred) gifts in the new Leave a Legacy Endowment Campaign will receive 1 point per $100.

COMMITMENT: Donors will earn one point each year for purchasing

season tickets (one point per sport annually), as well as one point for each year of POSSE donations.

•CONNECTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY:

Donors (or their spouses) who are OSU Alumni receive a one-time 10 point bonus, as do OSU faculty/staff and letterwinners.

Points never diminish and will carry over to subsequent years.

Donors retain all previously earned Priority Points in their giving history. For questions about the POSSE Priority Point System, email posse@okstate.edu or call us at 405.744.7301.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

117 Brent & Mary Jane Wooten 118 Bill & Claudean Harrison 119 Johnsons of Kingfisher 120 MidFirst Bank 121 Chip & Cindy Beaver 122 Russ & Julie Teubner 123 Terry & Martha Barker 124 John & Gail Shaw 125 Larry Bump 126 Bob & Mary Haiges

64 Atlas Paving Company 65 Andy Johnson 66 KNABCO Corp 67 American Fidelity 68 Calvin & Linda Anthony 69 Ike & Mary Beth Glass 70 Mark & Beth Brewer 71 Philip & Shannon Smith 72 David LeNorman 73 Richard & Joan Welborn 74 OSU Center for Health Sciences 75 BancFirst 76 David Bradshaw

89 Ron & Marilynn McAfee 90 Z-Equipment, LLC 91 Larry Albin 92 Sandra Lee 93 The Bank of America 94 Steve & Jennifer Grigsby 95 Southwest Filter Co. 96 Emrick’s Van & Storage 97 Jerry Marshall 98 Darton & Jamie Zink 99 K.D. & Leitner Greiner 100 Chris & Julie Bridges 101 OSU Alumni Association 102 Mike & Glynda Pollard 103 Bryan Close 104 Jerry & Lynda Baker 105 The Oklahoman

78 JS Charter Investments, LLC 79 Barry & Roxanne Pollard 80 Bank of Oklahoma 81 Baab Legacy, LLC 82 Thomas & Barbara Naugle 83 Griff & Mindi Jones 84 Doug & Nickie Burns 85 Harvey & Donna Yost 86 Jack & Carol Corgan 87 Anonymous #4 88 Henry Wells

107 Fechner Pump & Supply 108 Ed & Mary Malzahn 109 Ed & Kathy Raschen 110 Scott & Kim Verplank 111 Prosperity Bank 112 Austin & Betsy Kenyon 113 Steve & Vicki Farris 114 Ameristar Fence Products 115 Tatum Family 116 Stan & Shannon Clark

77 Mark & Lisa Snell 24,612

The 150.indd 21

106 A-Cross Ranch 19,422

127 Randy & Pati Thurman 16,556

128 Brad & Leah Gungoll 129 Karen Gallagher & Bob McCracken 130 Mike & Judy Johnson 131 Jim & Vanessa Hester 132 Chandler USA, Inc 133 Vionette & John Dunn 134 Jay & Fayenelle Helm 135 Drummond Investments 136 AEI Corporation - Oklahoma 137 Anonymous #14 138 James H. Williams 139 Mustang Fuel 140 Chris McCutchen 141 Bill & Karen Anderson 142 Jack Bowker Ford 143 Robert & Sharon Keating 144 Crossland Construction 145 Gary & Mary Ellen Bridwell 146 Barber-Dyson Ford Lincoln-Mercury 147 Randall & Carol White 148 Thomas Winton 149 James D. Carreker 150 John & Patti Brett

21

4/13/16 16:31

FEAR THE BOW

JUNIOR Kaela Edwards became the FOURTH COWGIRL IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO WIN A NATIONAL TITLE at the recent NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala. WEARING HER SIGNATURE BOW, EDWARDS USED A STRONG KICK TO TAKE THE WOMEN’S MILE IN A TIME OF 4:35.62.

ALSO EARNING FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS were Savannah Camacho (4TH, 800M) and Chase Ealey (6TH, SHOT PUT). AS A TEAM, the Cowgirls tallied A SCHOOLRECORD 18 POINTS at the Indoor Championships, good for 10TH PLACE and THE PROGRAM’S HIGHEST OVERALL FINISH.

22 PHOTOGRAPHY BY WESLEY HITT SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 22

4/13/16 15:07

23

POSSE book.indb 23

4/13/16 15:07

a children's

museum ... where wonder grows!

THEIR WORK

IS PLAY.

308 W. Franklin Lane, Stillwater, OK 74075 405-533-3333 ads set 02.indd 24

4/13/16 16:48

Party with America’s Favorite Mascot!

PISTOL PE TE’S

I’M WITH PETE

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.

ads set 02.indd 25

4/13/16 16:48

~

26 SPRING 2016

Posse Uniforms.indd 26

4/13/16 4:23 PM

the

EYE BEHOLDER of the

STORY BY JOHN HELSLEY

PHOTOS BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

An Edmond Santa Fe teacher played football recruiting insider on National Signing Day, offering a projected scoop on the high school’s star player, an uncommitted defensive enforcer named Calvin

Bundage.

“I asked Calvin in class where he was

At a time when uniforms are capturing the kids, both young and old, OSU STANDS

going,” the teacher said, “and he told me,

AT THE FOREFRONT OF CREATIVITY AND COOL,

‘where they have the best uniforms.’”

contributing heavily to an evolution of the

The teacher then smiled and said rather

Cowboys brand. And the game plan keeps

decisively: “I think he’s going to Oregon.”

offering audibles, with OSU football launch-

Not so fast.

ing a rebranding in 2016 when Nike and

At d e c i si o n p o i nt , B U N D A G E

the school hit the update button, rolling

SNATCHED AN OKLAHOMA STATE

out fresh new uniforms for another round

HAT FROM A SELECTION OF FIVE

of oohs and ahhs and weekly anticipation

SITUATED ON THE TABLE BEFORE

for what’s next.

27

HIM — including one for Oregon — and

Through the collaborative efforts

tugged it down tightly over his head,

of Nike and OSU equipment maestros

sending the Santa Fe gymnasium crowd into a frenzy and officially declaring him-

Matt Davis and Justin Williams , it’s going to be fun.

self a Cowboy.

And if you think the combinations and

Cut the teacher some slack, though. He wasn’t totally off base.

looks have been exhausted, Davis promises he’s got plenty of surprises still to come.

While Oregon may have started col-

“Absolutely. That’s just what we’re going

lege football’s current uniform craze, OSU

to do,” said Davis, OSU’s director of foot-

rocks the wardrobe, too. Bundage just went

ball equipment operations. “The show this

with the school Nike considers the other

next year is going to be the uniforms. We’ll

Oregon — the “Oregon of the Midwest,” with

still throw out some different helmets, but

the Cowboys the closest thing to a rival for

the uniforms are going to be the center-

the Ducks in the business of uniform fun.

piece because they’re new.”

POSSE

Posse Uniforms.indd 27

4/13/16 4:23 PM

28 SPRING 2016

Posse Uniforms.indd 28

4/13/16 4:23 PM

GAME CHANGER Once upon a time, OSU’s uniform history was mostly forgettable.

The school even changed shades of orange at one point, moving away from burnt orange to a hue that’s now part of the university’s “America’s Brightest Orange” campaign.

Today, however, the school is making history and memories with its uniforms.

Yes, it’s about football. But it’s about marketing and branding OSU, too.

Whenever the Cowboys play on FOX or ESPN or any network, it’s an opportunity to sell the school.

And we all know, it’s important to look good.

“I think it’s made it brighter,” said

Kyle Wray, OSU’s vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “It’s made it more visible. That’s the

key. When you talk about branding, a

“We didn’t have that kind of tradition

big component is visibility. There’s a

some schools had,” Wray said. “What we

brand equity. The uniforms and how we’ve

had was innovation and creativity. That’s

used those and rolled them out has cer-

one of the reasons we decided to go the

tainly enhanced the brand.

direction we did.”

those two things go hand in hand. Those

The curiosity — “What are the Cowboys wearing this week?” — has

students from Jenks and Union and the

become a hot topic among players, fans,

Edmond schools, Putnam City, all the places

recruits and media. And the combina-

that are feeder schools to this institution

tions, always different in some way, always

from a general student body standpoint,

seem to satisfy.

“I’m in enrollment and marketing. And

that’s still a lot of buzz for them and what they want to wear.”

From forgettable to memorable, OSU has truly spun a negative into a positive.

What the Cowboys are wearing is important. To those players and fans. And to recruits, too.

If you think otherwise, consider

Without the kind of “traditional” uni-

Bundage, who weighed uniforms into his

form that locks teams and schools into a

decision, along with all the other pros-

specific and expected look, the Cowboys

pects across the country who have pro-

have used variety and creativity to raise

claimed a team’s threads as part of their

its uniform game. And they’ve elevated

decision-making process.

their look among the elite.

“I know the young people like it, they’re excited about it,” said Cowboys coach

Mike Gundy. “The recruits bring it up and talk about it. It’s important to them.”

29

Posse Uniforms.indd 29

4/13/16 4:23 PM

OSU AND NIKE: A HAPPY MARRIAGE Oregon had already shaken up the uni-

“They said, ‘When you think about uni-

form game, going with varying looks and

forms, what do you want?’” Wray recalled.

themes and colors, all provided by Nike

“And they said, ‘We want it to be like when

and its czar Phil Knight , an

Friday night rolls around and we get to go

Oregon grad, when Wray and athletic

out and have fun with our friends, we want

director Mike Holder flew

to go to our closet and open it up and say,

to Beaverton, Ore., for a meeting with

‘What do we get to wear?’ ‘What are our

officials of the equipment and sporting

neat options?’”

goods giant.

Options they got.

rotation was simple: orange at home, white

Options and combinations: 65 different combos to date, when it comes to mixing in

on the road, with one white helmet bear-

something new, including socks, since the

ing the old cattle brand OSU on each side.

Cowboys first broke out their Nike multi-

That’s when Wray and Holder pitched

uniform partnership in 2011. And both sides

At the time, the Cowboy football uniform

their idea to be the “OREGON OF THE

MIDWEST.”

are enjoying the partnership, with benefits going each way.

Nike bought in. And soon a design team was on its way to Stillwater for a fact-finding mission aimed at discovering the fabric of the school’s history and traditions and how they relate to athletics. Nike also consulted a few select players, quarterback Brandon Weeden among them, seeking a feel for where to go.

30 SPRING 2016

Posse Uniforms.indd 30

4/13/16 17:14

“WE DON’T WANT TO BE STUCK IN THE PAST OR LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR. WE’RE LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD.” KYLE WRAY OSU VP FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT & MARKETING

31

Posse Uniforms.indd 31

4/18/16 15:10

THE BREAKDOWN • Included on the trim of every jersey is a custom paisley print inspired by a cowboy’s bandana. The pattern pays homage to OSU’s history. Icons include Pistol Pete, the Spirit Rider and Bullet, Paddle People, OSU football’s legendary jersey numbers (21 for Barry Sanders, 34 for Thurman Thomas, 43 for Terry Miller and 55 for Bob Fenimore), trophies and a train reminiscent of OSU’s “Tombstone” team entrance.

• The jerseys include a marshal badge just above the numbers. The badge is a proud reminder of Frank Eaton, the original Pistol Pete, and his service as a U.S. deputy marshal.

• All lettering features a new barbed wire typeface that serves as a reminder of the cowboys who drove their herds across Oklahoma.

• Pants are adorned with the Shadow Pete logo. The word “COWBOYS” appears on both legs of the pants and is stitched on using a reflective fabric that provides an ultra-modern edge to the uniforms.

The same reflective fabric is used behind the numbers on the black jerseys.

• OSU’s new uniforms are built using Nike Mach Speed technology, designed to maximize speed, ventilation and comfort.

The fabric is 25 percent lighter than previous uniforms. The fabric features an articulated fit to match the athlete’s motion of play, allowing athletes to move with the uniform fabrics, rather than against them.

32

SO, WHAT’S NEXT? The weekly question of every season

“We’re not Texas,” Davis said. “They can

has now been answered with OSU’s unveil-

keep the same logo all the time. To me, we

ing in March.

have a blank canvas. These recruits, half of

The basic uniform the Cowboys are

them, don’t know who BARRY SWITZER

adopting, Nike’s Mach Speed, is in place at

is anymore. But they say, ‘DANG, OSU

a few schools now. The look, which fea-

HAS THAT SHINY ORANGE HELMET.’

tures trampoline mesh down the neck and

“It’s about winning, but these kids are

the sides of the pants, first debuted in the

also about what they get. ‘I get a new-look-

national title game two years ago, when

ing helmet every week?’ We’re just trying

Oregon and Ohio State both wore them.

to keep up in the arms race. There’s a ton

In 2016, the Cowboys will feature

of satisfaction when it’s all said and done.”

three jerseys and four pants in a prod-

Davis and Williams are invested, too.

uct that offers added comfort as well as

They’re both OSU graduates, and they

a refreshed look.

stuck around, with Davis in his 20th year

“Our uniforms were already skin tight and sleek, with no loose stuff to grab,”

working with the Cowboys and Williams in his 15th.

Davis said. “But I think our guys will be

“So you’ve got two graduates who say,

able to see the difference in breathability.

‘We can’t dress ourselves, but we can dress others,’” Davis said with a laugh.

reduced weight. It’s breathable. It’s see-

and try to design helmet looks for the next

through, like a trampoline.”

year, ordering decals. It’s really fun spit-

Rather than typical mesh, it’s a trampoline mesh. That’s where they get the Beyond the materials, that’s where the

“It’s fun when we get to sit down in April

balling ideas.”

creativity comes in, with the details, like the

Davis has taken a special interest in offer-

color scheme and the placement of Pistol

ing something special for Homecoming,

Pete and other items of interest.

with a throwback nod through the helmets.

Expect more fun. Much more fun, with

The uniform combinations are limited to

Davis and Williams long at work on upping

what’s on hand, but Davis and Williams

the ante on the updated look.

have flexibility with the helmets. So they brought back the bucking bronco rider for

SPRING 2016

Posse Uniforms.indd 32

4/13/16 4:23 PM

2014, followed by a 1960s-themed stacked OSU this past season.

There are a lot of people sitting in those stands who I want to honor at Homecoming,” Davis said. “I want them to think, ‘When I was here, that’s what we wore.’ I want to make that Saturday unique.”

In every way, Cowboys uniforms have become unique , from week to

“IT’S ABOUT BRANDING OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY.” KYLE WRAY

week and year to year. And it’s bled over to other sports, too, with coaches wanting in on the fun.

And here they go again, with football leading the way.

“It’s about the future,” Wray said. “It’s about appealing to prospective students and parents and supporters of Oklahoma State, and of course recruits in football.

WE WANT TO BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE. “And it’s been a blast. You see a young kid walking up the sidewalk on game day in his jersey or helmet, that’s something 10

33

years ago they wouldn’t have had an opportunity to do. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about branding Oklahoma State University.

“We want to be creative and innovative. We don’t want to be stuck in the past or looking in the rearview mirror.

We’re looking out of the windshield.”

Posse Uniforms.indd 33

4/13/16 4:23 PM

34 SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 34

PHOTO / KEVIN CAMP / STUDIO C1, TULSA

4/13/16 15:08

Track Shoes Tiaras STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

PHOTO / CLAY BILLMAN

Student.

(check)

Athlete.

(check)

Royalty?

Triana Browne-Hearrell is all of the above … and more.

The native Tulsan claimed her crown at the 2016 Miss OSU Scholarship Pageant last fall. Her year-long reign will include a chance to vie for the Miss Oklahoma title in June.

The daughter of former Oklahoma State track standouts, Dr. Monica Browne and Joel Hearrell , she grew up in a running household, bleeding orange. “ E V E R S IN C E I WAS LIT TLE I WANTED TO GO TO OSU AND RUN HERE,” she says.

It almost didn’t happen.

Browne-Hearrell’s family relocated to Peachtree City, Ga., prior to her freshman year of high school.

A standout sprinter at Starr’s Mill High School, Browne-Hearrell committed to run track for a nearby university in Georgia, along with a number of her track and field teammates. But even as she signed the scholarship papers, her heart was back in Oklahoma.

35

“IT JUST DIDN’T FEEL RIGHT,”

she recalls. “I signed (the NCAA letter of intent) and got home immediately from faxing it at the library and told my mom, ‘THIS ISN’T RIGHT. I WANT TO GO TO OSU.’

“I ended up coming to Oklahoma State.

I WASN’T PLANNING ON RUNNING ORIGINALLY. I JUST CAME HERE AS A NORMAL STUDENT.”

That didn’t feel right, either.

POSSE

Miss OSU.indd 35

4/18/16 14:51

PHOTO / HUNTER HUTCHENS

thing you know, you’re dropping time and you don’t even know how, you’re just doing what he says.”

Under Flaquer’s tutelage, Browne-Hearrell began to set new personal bests, in the 400

(56.48) and 400 meter hurdles (1:04.87).

“That first year I was running slow 400s,” she admits. “Within half a year I dropped four seconds off my time, which my parents couldn’t believe.”

“TRIANA

HAS

BEEN

AN

EXTREMELY HARD WORKER,” Flaquer

Triana Browne-Hearrell: (Coach Flaquer) always told me, ‘Do not be afraid to step into the unknown.’

At a high school meet, Browne-Hearrell had befriended fellow Georgian Kirubel Erassa , an eventual SEVEN-TIME ALLAMERICAN FOR THE COWBOYS. The pair kept in touch, and it led to an introduction to Dave Smith , OSU’s director of track and field and cross country. Smith invited the freshman to walk-on, and by the spring of 2013, Browne-Hearrell was back

36

“Quite honestly, I’ve gone through a lot of coaches just being at different schools, and DIEGO IS THE BEST COACH I’VE EVER HAD,” says Browne-Hearrell. “HE KNOWS HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE ATHLETES really well and knows

what’s best for you when it comes to training. He doesn’t just throw you out there and expect you to do something. HE HELPS

on the track.

YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING

At the start of her sophomore year, Smith hired a dedicated coach, Diego Flaquer, to work specifically with the sprinters.

ON WHENEVER YOU’RE WORKING OUT. He talks about techniques and the fundamentals of what you’re doing and how you can improve upon it … The next

says. “We’ve had our ups and downs with injuries, but our goal this year is for her to finish on the highest note possible.

Triana is a fighter, once she sets her mind to something. As I tell my kids, you have to let your choices lead you, and the feelings will follow.”

“Diego always told me, ‘Do not be afraid to step into the unknown.’ I use that quote for everything now. That’s what our coach has instilled in us, to not be afraid of what you’re capable of. Step out of your comfort zone. With track, you go through so many mental battles. That’s why I think everybody on the team is doing so well right now, because not only does he connect with you mentally, but physically he gets you to understand your own body and push it to a whole other level.”

Her junior year, Browne-Hearrell struggled with injuries common to track athletes (especially her own flesh and blood).

“I’m just like my dad,” she says. “Always injured. I’ve found that I’m a really tough girl who will push through injuries and will not let them heal. Basically, it started with one injury and not fully taking care of it, thinking that I was ready to come back, and it just led to the next thing. By that time it was just like a domino effect. And that just comes from my dad. MY MOM WAS NEVER INJURED, BUT MY DAD HAD A CAREER ENDING INJURY,

because he did the same thing as me.”

Unlike running, the role of “PAGEANT QUEEN” wasn’t something that BrowneHearrell aspired to, she says. IT WAS AN

OPPORTUNITY LITERALLY TO PAY THE BILLS.

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 36

4/13/16 15:08

Along with the crown, first prize in the

Miss OSU Scholarship Pageant

is $1,200. The first runner-up is awarded $600.

“I saw an ad for Miss OSU and saw how much you could win for each place,” she recalls. “I decided to try it, because, quite honestly, I wanted to help my mom pay for my school. As a student-athlete you only have so much time to work. I understand how much money goes into going to school, and I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP MY MOM. She’s done so much for me. I THOUGHT MISS OSU WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.”

Browne-Hearrell had only been in one previous “Miss” pageant, as a high school freshman.

“One of my teachers suggested I try it,” she says. “It was an amazing experience, but I didn’t do very well because I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Five years later, she felt like a rookie once again.

“My mom said, ‘If you can find some dresses, go ahead. Have fun with it.’ I ended up getting first runner-up. I got to give my mom that $600 on her birthday.

“I didn’t try any other pageants after that because of track. I was going through the injury, and mentally I was just so distraught. I was just trying to figure out how to get back to running.”

At the start of her senior year, BrowneHearrell’s rehab was progressing well. The human development and family science major was focused on school and being a competitive athlete again, not on chasing a crown. But as the pageant deadline neared,

she was encouraged to give it another shot.

However, a few hurdles stood in her way.

“I didn’t have any dresses,” she says. “I contacted multiple people, including the girl who lent me the dresses the year before, with no luck. The date was coming up so quickly that I had put in my head that it’s just not meant to be.”

Pageant officials urged Browne-Hearrell to attend rehearsals at the very least, in the event her situation changed. She practiced HER TALENT — SINGING — just in case.

“A part of me was just like, I’m done. It’s not going to work out. The pageant was the next night. We did the run-through for the opening number, and a girl came up to me and said, ‘A re you saying that you can’t find dresses?’

Samantha Martin , a freshman from Oklahoma City, offered BrowneHearrell a closet full of dresses from prom and a number of past pageants.

“She said, ‘I don’t know if you’ll like them, but at least you can compete.’”

Along with the aforementioned evening wear, Miss OSU contestants are judged on a pre-show interview, physical fitness in swimsuit, onstage question-and-answer, talent and evening wear.

Martin was named first runner-up, while the competitor who borrowed from her wardrobe took the crown.

“She was excited for me. That’s the type of person who should be winning pageants,” Browne-Hearrell says. “Samantha just recently won MISS GREEN COUNTRY, so she will be in the Miss Oklahoma pageant with me. She’s extremely intelligent. Gorgeous girl. She has a bright future ahead of her. She’s going to do well in Miss Oklahoma, and I’m glad to say that, because she’s a great person.”

an athlete and as a student, but I wanted to find my purpose within that. I feel like I’ve found it.”

Browne-Hearrell’s message combines her athletic background and passion for healthy lifestyles. “ M Y P L AT F O R M I S C A L L E D

‘HEART TO HEART: HEALTHY HABITS, HEALTHY LIVES’ … It’s a passion of mine to be healthy. You should take care of your body. You only have one life, so you want to be here as long as you possibly can and reach your fullest potential.

You want to be able to go through every day with energy.

“TO BE HEALTHY DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO E AT LE AVES. You

really can enjoy it. For me, as someone who loves flavor, seasonings and stuff, it’s been finding ways to make food delicious.

Or finding ways to get kids to enjoy actually working out.”

This spring, Browne-Hearrell’s own workouts are focused on the outdoor track and field season, where she will compete in the pentathlon.

“THIS IS MY LAST YEAR TO RUN,”

she says. “My career ends after this, and I’VE BEEN RUNNING SINCE I WAS

SERVICE IS JUST PART OF WHO I

SEVEN, SO IT’S NOW OR NEVER. I want to do well in this last year and end on a good note, so I’m just really focusing on eating right, training as hard as I can, training smart, and then hopefully by the time outdoor season gets here I’ll be where I want to be.

“I’m wanting to do something this season that I’ve never done before,” she adds. “The year before it was a matter of stepping into the unknown. Well, I’ve done that. I’m used to that now. It’s a matter of taking it a step further. I’M WANTING TO SURPRISE

AM AS A PERSON, but this takes it a

A FEW PEOPLE, TO MAKE THIS A

step further by having a title behind it.

I’m much more capable of reaching out to people as Miss OSU. “I’m just trying to be who I am as a person, show my true character, because this is a school I’ve always wanted to go to. And I’ve been able to represent it as

VERY EVENTFUL YEAR — A VERY

As Miss OSU, Browne-Hearrell keeps a busy schedule, making appearances on

campus, as well as speaking at schools and events statewide. Meanwhile, she’s earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in the classroom.

“What’s great about having the title is that you can be as busy as you want to be, and I’ve made it imperative that I’m extremely busy,” she says. “COMMUNITY

37

IMPACTFUL YEAR.”

She already has.

POSSE

Miss OSU.indd 37

4/18/16 14:55

TOP OF HIS CLASS

COWBOY Dean Heil WENT 32-1 during his sophomore season on the mat, WRESTLING AT 141 POUNDS. After earning his SECOND BIG 12 CONFERENCE TITLE, the

top-seed cruised through the NCAA Championship bracket under the lights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

In the finals, HEIL HELD OFF NO. 14-SEED Bryce Meredith of Wyoming in a thrilling 4-3 DECISION to become OSU’S 140TH INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION.

38 SPRING 2016

photo spread 5.indd 38

4/18/16 15:21

39 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

photo spread 5.indd 39

4/18/16 15:21

ads set 03.indd 40

4/13/16 16:40

BUY TODAY! 877-ALL-4-OSU okstate.com

ads set 03.indd 41

4/13/16 16:40

The

ROAD STORY BY RYAN CAMERON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD PHOTOS / THE CLARK FAMILY

42

IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS, none mimics real life more than GOLF with its peaks and valleys, constant tests of character and vast array of teaching moments.

Nobody understands that more than Oklahoma State’s WYNDHAM CLARK.

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 42

4/13/16 15:08

AHEAD The Denver native arrived in Stillwater during the fall of 2012 with lofty promise

and poised to add his name to a long line of successful Cowboys. However, life

43

had a different plan in mind and derailed his rookie campaign.

POSSE book.indb 43

4/13/16 15:08

In December of that year, Clark’s mother, LISE , discovered she had once again fallen

ill — 14 years after having recovered from stage-three breast cancer. The disease returned with a vengeance.

“They didn’t know she had the BRCA1 gene where it is in the DNA. So it came back,” Clark said. “It came back probably four, five, six years ago, but they didn’t see it because it wasn’t where it was before. It was so big by the time they found it they couldn’t do anything about it.”

With the freshman’s world turned upside down, then-OSU head coach Mike McGraw decided

However, on the counsel of those close to him, Clark would soon realize time away from the game was the appropriate course of action for multiple reasons. Not only would his golf game be a beneficiary of time spent away, his personal life would blossom as well.

“They kept telling me this is part of God’s plan and this is what you need more than to go to tournaments and play good golf.

I STARTED TO HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE GOLF TEAM and got integrated into the school.

I met tons of people AND STARTED HAVING FUN,” Clark said.

TIME AWAY FROM THE GAME WOULD BEST SUIT CLARK, a decision that was not easy for either side with Clark losing the game he loved and McGraw removing considerable firepower from the OSU lineup.

“WHEN COACH TOLD ME THAT IT KIND OF BROKE ME FOR A LITTLE BIT. For about a week I was so down because I felt things couldn’t get any worse,” Clark said.

“A lot of people on the outside looking in, and Coach McGraw would say this, I was playing really good golf that spring he made me redshirt. I was winning (team) qualifying and one round I shot 64 out here (Karsten Creek), and the wind was blowing like 15 miles per hour.”

Despite playing at a high level, golf did not provide a healthy outlet to get away from the reality facing Clark and his family. Instead, golf served as a fuse directly into Clark’s powder keg of emotions.

“I would hit a bad tee shot, then I would just go and lose it. It had nothing really to do with my golf, it is just where my anger came out. It was really hard because I was here for golf and GOLF BECAME

44

THE PLACE I DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO BE BECAUSE I WOULD L ASH OUT. I STARTED RESENTING THE GAME AND DIDN’T WANT TO PLAY,”

Clark explained.

“I WAS JUST A COLLEGE STUDENT AND A KID INSTEAD OF SOMEONE HERE TO PLAY GOLF. THAT WAS A HUGE TURNING POINT.”

Reflecting on McGraw’s decision to shut his season down proved the easy option is not always the proper one, and

WYNDHAM and RANDALL CLARK

“THAT REDSHIRT WAS THE BIGGEST BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR ME . It was huge because I didn’t really want to do it, and IT WAS A HIT TO MY EGO because I thought guys who redshirt aren’t good players and aren’t ready to play,” Clark said. “Really, IT WAS A CHANCE TO GET AWAY FROM GOLF and have it not be No. 1 and have it not be important. As spring came around, I started to finally at least enjoy school and not have those outbursts because I was a lot more level with my emotions.”

“IT WAS DEFINITELY TOUGH. MY FRESHMAN YEAR WAS BRUTAL.”

THE CHOICE TO TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED PROVED THE RIGHT DECISION for Clark and quite possibly salvaged his promising career as a Cowboy.

“McGraw was the biggest part. If it would have been any other coach, no knock on them, I don’t think I would have been at the school anymore because they would have kicked me off the team,” Clark said. “I acted out in some ways that you shouldn’t act out.

I WAS NOT ENJOYABLE TO BE A RO U N D. H E I S PA R T O F T H E REASON I AM HERE TODAY AND CAME THROUGH ALL OF THAT. HE WAS — HANDS DOWN — THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON FOR ME AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE.”

Once Clark was able to put aside the negative connotations he had associated with the term redshirt, his priorities began to fall in line.

While Clark’s mindset began to improve during the back half of his freshman year, his mother’s condition deteriorated throughout the spring and summer.

Nevertheless, she continued to inspire her son and, despite his insistence to stay home and assist her, she urged him to continue playing.

“She didn’t want me to give up on my dream. That was awesome that she would do that. I wish I hadn’t played those events, but at the same time she knew how important it was to me, and she was very supportive and she always tried to put on the mom façade that nothing was wrong even though I knew she was hurting,” Clark said.

“I never really got to see it, until the last month or so, how bad she was. Prior to that I couldn’t really tell because she would use all of her energy when I was around to be present and seem like she was normal.”

SPRING 2016

W Clark.indd 44

4/18/16 15:30

… GOLF SERVED AS A FUSE DIRECTLY INTO CLARK’S POWDER KEG OF EMOTIONS.

While his father, RANDALL , has held the heaviest influence on the majority of his golf career and Lise’s role was that of encourager, IT WAS SHE With golf having the ability to take its toll on even the most accomplished of players, Clark could always rely on mom for encouragement, and she always delivered in the form of a long text message, Bible verse or the old-fashioned written note left as a reminder to simply have fun. “ SHE USED TO DO STUFF TO EMBARRASS ME. WHEN I WOULD G O TO S CH O O L O R PR ACTI CE , SHE WOULD PUT STICKY NOTES IN MY GOLF BAG OR IN MY BOOK OR MY BACKPACK. It would always be around people when I would open it, and it would be like a love note from my mom. She was always encouraging me, and SHE WAS DEFINITELY THE PERSON I WENT TO WHEN I NEEDED HELP OR ENCOURAGEMENT,” Clark recalled.

POSSE book.indb 45

WHO INTRODUCED THEIR SON TO THE GAME AT THE AGE OF THREE. With Randall out of

town on a lengthy business trip and Lise home tending to three energetic children, a much-needed outlet materialized in the form of range balls.

“I don’t know what compelled her, but she said, ‘Let’s go to the driving range.’

It would keep me busy and be peaceful for her and she could relax and kind of get away. We went to a local range by our house that isn’t there anymore, unfortunately,” Clark said.

After getting a bucket of balls and borrowing some clubs from the pro, Clark was hooked.

“I hit the full bucket of balls and asked my mom for more. I got another bucket and ended up hitting like 75 golf balls.

Most kids don’t hit that many golf balls. and I was just really fascinated with it,” Clark said.

Three years later, Clark made his first hole-in-one, an event he thinks jump-started his career and fueled his desire to begin playing competitively. As time wore on, golf morphed from an activity to fill time in the summer until basketball, baseball and soccer rolled around again into Clark’s passion. The sport also provided an opportunity to be with his father.

45

4/13/16 15:08

“When I was younger, it was just because it was out of season for everything else. It was something to keep me busy. I think a lot of it had to do with being able to spend time with my dad,” Clark said. “I think because it was so hard and I am kind of a perfectionist

After laying his mother to rest, Clark did exactly what she would have wished and returned to the outlet she had created for him as a toddler. He left the day following her funeral for the U.S. AMATEUR with a familiar face on

I am kind of a gym rat. and it is really easy to practice on your own.”

the bag in his caddy and coach, OSU head man Alan Bratton .

“We didn’t really sit down and have a big discussion about that. That was all his call and obviously either way would have been fine. I WAS HUMBLED THAT HE

I LIKED THE CHALLENGE AND WAS SO INTRIGUED WITH IT. On Aug. 2, 2013, Lise lost her battle with cancer at the age of 55.

46

“THERE’S A REASON FOR EVERY-

THING. I BELIEVE THAT. As tough as

it was at the time, there were a lot of great things that came from it. She was amazing,” Clark said.

ASKED ME TO CADDY FOR HIM,”

Bratton said.

Knowing Lise was no longer in pain, Clark was able to find an inner peace despite his significant loss.

“I didn’t want to see my mom in that situation and didn’t want to watch her suffer.

I felt like I had so much weight on myself.

When she did pass, it did kind of relieve a lot of that stress, and for some reason a lot of that anger went away,” Clark said.

With Bratton on the bag, Clark posted a ninth-place showing during stroke play at the Amateur, which led to a spot in the match play bracket and served as a springboard into his redshirt freshman campaign.

“I ASSUME THAT WAS AN IMMEDIATE ESCAPE FOR HIM AND A CHANCE TO LIFT UP AND HONOR HIS MOM. He was impressive that week in the way he came along and really handled his emotions pretty much the whole week. That was a special memory for me, to be in that with him and to try to survive and play golf right after a tragedy,” Bratton said.

SPRING 2016

W Clark.indd 46

4/13/16 16:14

Upon rejoining the Cowboy lineup,

“He is really, really good … There is no limit on what he can be.”

Clark did not disappoint . In addition

to being named THE BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR, he earned ALL-AMERICA HONORS and helped spearhead OSU’s run to the 17TH NCAA RUNNER-UP FINISH in program history.

Clark was starting to deliver on the promise he showed as prep star in Colorado where he captured a pair of state high school championships as well as a pair of state runner-up finishes.

“It really was impressive the progress he made throughout the year when he was in his world. I am sure golf was a great escape and a great motivator and helped fuel the fire because he wanted to be able to honor his mom with his play,” Bratton said.

Despite his successes, Clark’s perfectionist side was evident when the national title narrowly eluded the Cowboys.

“IT IS PRET T Y BRUTAL BEING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP or anything like that. Watching other people celebrate and the joy they have from that.

Knowing that they worked hard and the hard work paid off and they got the championship, seeing that and not feeling that isn’t fun,” Clark said.

The heartache of coming up just short didn’t truly set in until after the fact for Clark and now serves as motivation to come out on the right side of college golf’s grandest event if the opportunity arises again.

“I didn’t watch any of the coverage until two months later. It hurt to watch that, and

— OSU HEAD GOLF COACH

ALAN BRATTON

“I haven’t always handled things the best.

A good testament to that was nationals.

In the past I would have been devastated that we lost, but we got second and it hit me later that we had a chance to win a national championship, and not a lot of people have that opportunity,” Clark said.

“At the same time,

AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S JUST A TROPHY

and it’s just an accolade.

Not winning or not placing in tournaments doesn’t affect me nearly as much as it used to in the past.”

While his perspective on the sport has changed, so too has his relationship with his father since Lise’s passing. Clark says it is not so much about the

and when he is there he enjoys watching me more than he used to because he just enjoys being out there seeing me chase my dream. I definitely enjoy him coming to events,” Clark said.

In the midst of his fourth season as a Cowboy, Clark is still far from the finished product as he continues to learn how to manage the challenges the sport presents.

“I think he is coming to grips with the fact that the way he is going to improve is with all of the little mental experiences, handling emotions, managing expectations. If he can master those the way he has mastered some of the physical side of the game, he can be really good. He has a chance to be whatever he wants to be,” Bratton said.

AT FIRST IT DIDN’T QUITE RESONATE THAT I WAS THAT CLOSE TO WINNING A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP,” Clark said.

While motivation is never in short supply for a fierce competitor like Clark,

life has given him perspective when it comes to the successes and failures golf brings about.

golf as it is about the time spent together as father and son.

“Now, it is different. There was some pressure, and it was sometimes tough to have your dad there, especially when he was really involved in your golf. He is not as tough on me as he used to be,

47

And if Clark is able to channel the mental aspect of the game and get it to match his physical gifts?

“Physically, he is already a (PGA) Tour player. There is no limit on what he can be.”

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 47

4/13/16 15:08

PROUD PARTNER OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Now open in Stillwater.

48 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

ads set 04.indd 48

4/13/16 16:54

Petesays,

You can help us find the next generationof Cowboysby identifying potential students.You provide the contact information.We do the rest.

Recommend a futureCowboyonlinetoday.

POSSE book.indb 49

4/13/16 15:08

Mr. Iba’s Last All-American STORY BY GENE JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD PHOTOS / OSU SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

50 SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 50

4/13/16 15:08

THIRTY-YEAR- OLD HENRY P. IBA TOOK OVER THE REINS OF THE OKLAHOMA A&M MEN ’S BASKETBALL TEAM FOR THE 1934-35 SEASON — A PE RIOD WH E N GANGSTE RS CLYDE BARROW AND BONNIE PARKER WERE GUNNED DOWN BY POLICE IN LOUISIANA AND THE DUST BOWL RAGED THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST.

MR. IBA WOULD COMMANDEER AGGIE/COWBOY ROUNDBALLERS FOR 36 YEARS. He would turn over his head coaching

duties in 1970 after compiling ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND SUCCESSFUL COACHING CAREERS IN NCAA HISTORY. During a 22-year span, from 1937 through 1959, the school earned ALL-AMERICA HONORS 18 TIMES , or almost one every year. It was a true GOLDEN ERA FOR AGGIE BASKETBALL as Mr. Iba’s squads won TWO NCAA TITLES (1945 and 1946) and made another championship game appearance in 1949. That era also included another trip to the FINAL FOUR in 1951, an ELITE EIGHT run in 1958 and 14 Missouri Valley Conference championships.

I , I I

When the momentum slowed, a long dry spell followed. It would be more than three decades between basketball All-Americans in Stillwater.

WHO WAS THE LAST IBA PLAYER TO EARN ALL-AMERICAN LAURELS? ANSWER: ARLEN CLARK IN 1958 AND 1959.

51

“He was a finesse player, smooth operator and quick for a big guy, a skilled rebounder, never shot a brick, could fake one way and go the other, weave himself through traffic, a joy to watch.” — Don Linsenmeyer

POSSE book.indb 51

4/13/16 15:09

ON A COLD DAY THIS PAST DECEMBER — not a cloud in the sky — I made the almost three-hour trip from Edmond to Durant in southeastern Oklahoma for the purpose of interviewing an OLD FRIEND AND FORMER

Clark . BEING EIGHT YEARS MY SENIOR, I NEVER PLAYED BALL WITH ARLEN, NOR SAW HIM PLAY. But we had a little in common, BOTH HAVING BEEN STARTING CENTERS FOR MR. IBA and working in marketing

AGGIE/COWBOY GREAT, 80-YEAR-OLD Arlen

for Phillips Petroleum Company while playing for the PHILLIPS 66ERS , winners of numerous national AAU championships.

AS I DROVE UP AND PARKED IN FRONT OF ARLEN’S ATTRACTIVE, RED BRICK, RANCH-STYLE HOME, HE STOOD ON THE PORCH AND GREETED ME WITH A SMILE AND A WAVE. “Hey! Great to see you. Come on in. Your trip ok?” he asked.

We shook hands, exchanging pleasantries.

Wearing tan slacks, polished loafers and a black polo trimmed with an orange

“I ate like a horse, but just couldn’t put on any weight.

OSU logo, Clark looked fit as a fiddle. He is

“Back then,” smiled Clark, “WE HAD

slender with a full head of silver hair and

GOOD BASKETBALL TEAMS DOWN

alert, dark eyes. Entering the living room

HERE IN THIS PART OF THE STATE,

he introduced me to Joyce, his bride of

knowledgeable coaches and some great

60 years, then ushered me into his large,

players. JERRY SHIPP, played over at Blue,

cozy den.

The fifth of six children, Clark was born

then became an All-American here in Durant at Southeastern State, played for the Phillips

in the tiny southeastern Oklahoma rural

66ers, then in 1964 won Olympic gold in

community of Yuba in 1936 to sharecropper

Tokyo on a team coached by Mr. Iba. Down

parents in the same year Jesse Owens won

at Valiant they had 6'10" Travis Slaton,

four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics.

same grade as me and a stout post player,

“ WE WERE P OOR, but it seemed

could mix it up under the basket. Travis was

like everyone else was too,” he said. “WE

a freshman at A&M when I was. He went on

HAD NO INDOOR PLUMBING, used

to start as a sophomore, but decided to quit.

a water well outside our house and had

He should’ve stayed. He would have been

an outhouse — a two-holer — same as our

a huge help to our team.”

neighbors. WE DID HAVE ELECTRICITY for just a few light bulbs. WE USED THE

IN HIGH SCHOOL, CLARK STRUGGLED WITH HIS FREE THROWS.

NEIGHBORS’ PHONE and of course

“Man, I tried everything,” he remembered,

CLARK’S MARKS IN THE OSU RECORD BOOK

there was no TV back then. In 1940 there

“even shot the ball underhanded, which a lot

was a heck of a drought ... farmers couldn’t

of guys did back then, but nothing helped.

get anything to grow. So, when I was in the

I COULD SHOOT FROM THE FLOOR,

second grade, Daddy packed us up and

but would tense up. COULDN’T HIT A

RANKS SEVENTH . His 24-FOR-24 FREE

we moved 20 miles west to Colbert, a little

LICK FROM THE LINE.”

THROW PERFORMANCE remains BEST

bigger place, where he worked construction and eventually built houses.”

Coaches began recruiting Clark his junior year. Ironically, an assistant coach for the

His 20.4-POINT AVERAGE for a season

IN NCA A HISTORY. His string of 40 CONSECUTIVE FREE THROWS over two

Next to the family’s new home was a

Sooners, JOHN GREYSON , offered him

spacious open field. HIS DAD BOUGHT A BAS-

advice on shooting free throws. Greyson

games is a FORMER NCAA RECORD. His

KETBALL GOAL, AND THE REST IS HISTORY as

traveled to Colbert several times to see

85.2 FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE led the

Clark started shooting the ball. This activ-

Clark play, all the while extolling to the

NCAA in 1958-59. The only other Cowboy player

ity became his favorite pastime, a passion

tall, talented youth the virtues of becom-

that he polished to near perfection.

ing a Sooner.

52

to lead the nation in a statistical category was Doug Gottlieb, who in 1998-99 led in assists

From the beginning of Clark’s fresh-

“I JUST COULDN’T RELAX SHOOT-

man year at Colbert High School to the

ING FRE E THROWS. John encour-

with 8.8 per game. His 11.7 REBOUNDING

middle of his sophomore year, he grew

aged me to get comfortable, like I was

AVERAGE in NCA A Tournament play is the

eight inches, from an even 6 feet to his

when I shot from the floor. If one foot was

full height of 6’8” at a slender 180 pounds.

six inches ahead of the other, it was OK.

best for any OSU hoopster with at least two NCA A games under his belt.

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 52

4/13/16 15:09

Shoot a lot of free throws every day and

“ HE WAS JUST A SUPER GEN -

“Henry was big and tough,” Clark said

stay with it. I did and it worked. I got my

TLEMAN ALL THE WAY THROUGH,”

of Kemple. “Spent several years in the service and was a golden gloves champ. He

rhythm down. IF JOHN HAD GOTTEN

CLARK SAID OF MR. IBA. “Anything

THE HEAD COACHING JOB AT OU, I

I would say about him would be good.

busted one of my ribs real good one time.

MIGHT HAVE GONE THERE, but that

After my first year, I told him I was plan-

Good guy to have on your team.”

ning to get married. He didn’t think it was

From his high school days, Clark had

Clark regrets that his Colbert teams

a great idea, but said he would help me

managed to put on 10 pounds, making it up to 190.

didn’t happen.” never made it to the state tournament,

all he could ... ALWAYS CONCERNED

although he was selected player of the year

WITH YOUR HEALTH, CONGENIAL,

by The Daily Oklahoman his senior year.

BUT BUSINESS-LIKE. FAIR, HONEST

FANS NICKNAMED ME ‘Beanpole,’

“We won a lot of games, just couldn’t

AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. He told me

but it didn’t bother me.”

“IN COLLEGE, OPPOSING TEAM’S

win our regional.”

that, coming from a small school, I would

With his slender frame, Clark was a splin-

BOTH HIS JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEARS CLARK AVERAGED 33 POINTS PER GAME.

have a hard time making his ball club and

ter of a player compared to other major

may have a difficult time being successful

college centers who normally weighed in

“Coach knew I could shoot it, so he ran

in school. I needed to decide what I wanted.

at 220 to 250 pounds.

the offense through me. That season we

Mr. Iba was basketball smart. He could

“ONE OF THE BEST OSU EVER

played our rival, Stringtown. They weren’t

figure things out and make adjustments.”

HAD,” RECALLED EDDIE SUTTON.

very good. I only played the first quarter and scored 12 points. After the game,

-

12, which made my coach mad. Our next

FRESHMEN WEREN’T ELIGIBLE TO PLAY VARSITY BALL BACK IN CLARK’S DAY. He roomed

game with them was at their place. Coach

in the fieldhouse with fellow freshman

their coach bragged they had held me to

“Soft touch for a big guy, great ability to get the ball in the basket, played facing the goal, shot from mid-range. One of the

truly outstanding shooters in OSU history, could knock it down … wonder-

told me to shoot it every time I touched

Travis Slaton . It was a single dorm-

ful, quality individual. No one could shoot

it. I made 38 of 41 field goals and one of

type abode where two basketball play-

it better than he did.”

two free throws — 77 points — setting a

ers would stay. It once housed legendary

state record that stood for a long time.”

Other schools to recruit Arlen besides

three-time All-American Bob Kurland in the 1940s.

Oklahoma A&M and OU included the

After ARLEN AND JOYCE MARRIED they

Kansas Jayhawks with legendary coach

moved into VET VILLAGE , married stu-

PHOG ALLEN and Wichita’s Shockers

dent housing originally constructed for vet-

with coach RALPH MILLER . Clark didn’t

erans returning from World War II.

respond to numerous letters he received from other schools.

Clark returned the compliment.

“Just a super, competent teammate, give you help when you need it, tell you where you need to be, clutch shooter,” he said of Sutton.

The 1956-57 season was the Aggies’ last in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“Joyce worked on campus in the Bursar’s

The squad finished third in the league

office. Pretty soon we had us a beautiful

and had an overall record of 17-9. Early

“ M I L L E R W R OT E M E A LO N G

baby girl. I’d known Joyce since grade

that season, top-ranked Kansas, behind

LETTER AFTER I’D DECIDED TO GO

school. We were in the same class, gone

36 points from 7-foot-2 All-American

TO STILLWATER, SAID I NEEDED

steady since our junior year. My last year

WILT CHAMBERLAIN , prevailed over

TO COME UP THERE — he would let

in Stillwater we had our son. Twenty-five

the Aggies in Lawrence, 62-52.

me shoot the ball a lot more than Mr. Iba

years later his son, my grandson, was born

would. HE WAS PERSISTENT. Other

in that same Stillwater hospital.”

coaches guaranteed me a starting position along with a college degree and even promised to buy me some clothes. But LOOKING BACK, I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.”

Mr. Iba and his assistant, Sam Aubrey,

made the trip twice to see Clark play.

Playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, Clark’s sophomore year, MR. IBA FREQUENTLY

ALTERED THE STARTING LINEUP. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THAT LINEUP INCLUDED — FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MR. IBA’S COACHING CAREER — THREE SOPHOMORES: CLARK, TRAVIS SLATON AND JERRY ADAIR of Sand Springs,

“I remember something funny about that game,” said Clark. “We were preparing for

53

the opening tip, me a skinny 6-8 and Wilt, at

least seven feet and over 250 pounds. Wilt had the perfect basketball build: big and

strong, a physical specimen ... long mus-

cular legs, narrow hips and broad shoulders. It was impossible to beat him down

the court, even the little guys couldn’t. He

“I don’t know if they were more inter-

who was a stellar baseball player as well

had powerful legs with long strides. The

ested in recruiting me or getting in some

and a future major leaguer. Other key play-

ref is getting ready to throw the ball up.

sharpshooting guard Eddie Sutton,

our positions, the ref stepped in and threw

fishing at Lake Texoma while they were down this way,” he said. “Anyway, I liked Mr. Iba and decided to go to A&M.”

ers included All-American Mel Wright ,

Roy Carberry, Joe Crutchfield, Jerry Hale and Henry Kemple .

He’s young and looks nervous. We took the ball up ... must’ve gone at least 20 feet in the air. Laughter erupted from the

POSSE

A Clarke.indd 53

4/18/16 15:32

crowd. All the players are smiling. The ref

Sutton led the Aggie scoring with 18

The newly named Cowboys were loaded

blows his whistle, scurries around to get

points followed by 10 from Clark, scoring

with talent, including Adair, Hale, Carbury

the ball, and finally gets himself together,

all of his in the second half.

and Crutchfield, among others. Mr. Iba had

grins and proceeds with a re-do with Wilt getting the tip.

“I remember that game like it was yes-

high expectations. Clark, at 17.3 points

terday,” Clark said, looking serious. “Wilt

per game, was third in the nation in free

“We lost that first game to KU, but I

was almost unstoppable, scored 32 points

throw percentage and led the Pokes to a

remember Mr. Iba telling our team that

(with 14 rebounds). But we were able to

21-8 record. THE TEAM WAS RANKED AS HIGH

next time we would beat Kansas and he

slow him down a bit. He only got 10 the

was going to spend some time figuring

second half.

out how.”

“On defense, my job was to front him

AS SIXTH NATIONALLY. Deservedly, CLARK RECEIVED NUMEROUS HONORS, THE HIGHLIGHT BEING THE FIRST “COWBOY” BASKETBALL PLAYER NAMED ALL-AMERICAN.

A couple of weeks later Wilt and the

and get help from the weak side. On this

Jayhawks traveled to Stillwater for a

one particular play early in the second

Hall of Famer OSCAR ROBERTSON ,

rematch in Gallagher Hall. The place was

half, the Kansas guard lobbed the ball

recently named one of the 50 greatest

packed.

over me. Wilt received it on the low block,

hoopsters of all-time, and his Cincinnati

which usually meant a monster dunk. This

squad fell to the Cowboys, 61-57, in

“IF YOU’RE IN THERE AND WILT IS

time, my teammates Jerry Hale and Joe

Gallagher Hall that season.

READY TO SLAM A DUNK, DON’T

Crutchfield, both about 6-4 and strong

“Mr. Iba thought I could guard Oscar,

TRY TO BLOCK IT BECAUSE HE’S

guys, lowered the boom on Wilt. AT THE

but there was no way,” Clark said shak-

SO STRONG HE’LL BREAK YOUR

EXACT MOMENT WILT CAUGHT THE

ing his head. “He was muscled up, smooth,

HAND OR ARM, AND WE D ON’T

BALL, FROM THE BACKSIDE, JOE

and we double-teamed him every time

WANT THAT.”

Mr. Iba had some simple advice to Clark.

HIT HIM HIGH AND JERRY HIT HIM

he touched the ball. Oscar played every-

Kansas led 32-26 at the half, expand-

LOW, CUT HIS LEGS OUT FROM

where. We’d both jump up for a rebound,

ing the lead to 38-27 two minutes into the

UNDER HIM, AND BIG WILT WENT

and when I started coming down, he was

second half.

DOWN WITH A THUD. It was a little bit

still on his way up. He mainly played out-

Director Otis Wile summarized the

Former A&M/OSU Sports Information

before he got up, shaking his head as he

side, but he could out-muscle you and was

did. After that it seemed Wilt was always

a super, shifty player. Mr. Iba had us well

second half in an old Stillwater NewsPress

looking over his shoulder for those guys,

prepared, and we won!”

article.

and it absolutely affected his game.”

But the Aggies surged, scoring 9 points to bring the Orange within reach. Adair, Clark and Sutton authored that shooting streak. As the rivals traded shots, the score reached 44-44.

Sutton hit 9-of-14 set shots. The score was locked 46-all, 48-all, 50-all and 52-all. A&M’s first lead came when Sutton’s 20-footer tied it at 52-52 before Clark’s soft push shot from the corner rippled through to make it 54-52. Kansas tied the score with 3:49 to play.

A&M passed and cut, hunting the chink in KU’s armor as Wilt stood at the bridgehead and Kansas declined to come out of their zone. For 3:44 minutes, agonizing minutes, the Ibas waited for the chance at a point-blank shot, but the chance did not come.

With 5 seconds left, the ball went to Mel Wright.

He darted to his right on his dribble at the head of the circle of the south goal, just beyond reach of Chamberlain’s long arm, rose in a neat little jump, fired, and it was Bulls-eye City all the way.

The huge crowd swept on the floor, engulfed the Aggies, lifted the little guard on eager shoulders and the great battle was over!

54

SUTTON ONCE SAID THAT THE NINE FIELD GOALS HE DRILLED IN THAT FAMOUS KU GAME WOULD ALL HAVE BEEN THREE-POINTERS in today’s game. I mentioned that to Clark, who quickly responded, “That’s correct.

From the corner — his favorite spot!”

In December, the Cowboys beat ABE LEMONS and Oklahoma City, 57-50. OCU’s

roster included 6-9 HUB REED, an honorable mention All-American.

“Hub was a fine player besides being a nice guy,” stated Clark.

Postseason play saw Mr. Iba’s boys

KU went on to play in the NCAA Finals

qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In the

that season, losing a two-point contest to

first round in Lawrence, THE COWBOYS

North Carolina.

Clark averaged 7.8 points per game

RIPPED ARKANSAS, 65-40, TO ADVANCE TO THE ELITE EIGHT. Next up was the nation’s

that season and proved to himself and

third-ranked team, TEX WINTER ’s Kansas

to Mr. Iba that he could play big-time col-

State Wildcats and their overpowering

lege basketball.

front line. Three talented players made

OKLAHOMA A&M OFFICIALLY CHANGED ITS NAME TO OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY IN 1957, THE SAME YEAR THE DODGERS MOVED FROM BROOKLYN TO LOS ANGELES. The

up their front line, including one of Kansas State’s all-time greats, All-American BOB BOOZER . K-State prevailed 69-57 and the

Pokes’ season was over, but it had been

Aggies became the Cowboys and joined

a great ride. A couple of days later, one

the Big Seven Conference, making it the

of the key Wildcat players had a nervous

BIG EIGHT. However, OSU wouldn’t play

breakdown and K-State lost in the Final

a conference schedule until the following

Four to Seattle and future NBA Hall of

season, and as a result played as an inde-

Famer ELGIN BAYLOR .

pendent Clark’s junior year (1957-1958).

“Unforgettable season,” reflected Clark, “We beat some good ball clubs.”

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 54

4/13/16 15:09

“Besides being a superb player and

Teammate Soergel on Clark: “One of

hands, and is a skilled volleyball setter for

teammate, he did everything natural as

nicest guys I’ve ever been associated with;

a college team in Corpus Christi. My son

a player. Silky smooth, played facing the

he was an All-American, but humble ...

and younger daughter both played junior

basket and could nail his free throws,” said

could flat out shoot it. At 190 pounds he

college basketball.”

Lew Wade . “Arlen was a great human

didn’t have the bulk to play inside. When

being, a positive person, not one to gossip,

we played K-State, I would kid him not to

After 90 minutes answering my questions, Arlen and I said our farewells.

never a showboat, didn’t beat on his chest,

hurt 240-pound Boozer. Arlen could drib-

During my drive back I couldn’t help

a joy to be around.”

ble and weave in close to the basket ... you

but ponder Arlen Clark, two times an All-

ENTERING HIS SENIOR YEAR, CLARK WAS THE ONLY RETURNING PLAYER WITH EXPERIENCE. Adair left the team to sign a $50,000

couldn’t help but like him.”

American, beat Chamberlain, smooth, could

ster when Clark was a senior and com-

sixth in the nation, his teammates respect

(equal to $410,000 in today’s dollars)

mented, “Besides being a tremendous

and love him ... ONE SPLENDID SPLINTER OF

contract with baseball’s Orioles, and the

player, Arlen tried to help us freshmen,

rest of the crew had graduated. Players

giving us tips to make us better players.”

expected to contribute included Wade,

Don Heffington , Bill Clarahan , three-sport athlete Dick Soergel and the head coach’s son, Moe Iba .

“Moe could shoot the ball as good as

anyone I ever saw,” remembered Clark, “but he blew his knee out. When Moe walked down the hall, his right arm hung threequarters-of-an-inch longer than the other one. I kidded him that what was wrong with it was he shot the ball so much!

“I PLAYED A LOT OF 40-MINUTE

Cecil Epperly was a freshman hoop-

That season, against Colorado, Clark free throw line. In the previous game, he sank 16 consecutive free throws giving him a string of 40 in a row, AN NCAA RECORD

-

AT THE TIME.

UPON GRADUATION, THE NBA FRANCHISE IN ST. LOUIS SHOWED INTEREST. “Back then,” Clark recalled, “the average NBA player got $5,000 a year, and that’s what Phillips paid. If I got hurt in

IN FOUL TROUBLE, which I hardly ever

pro ball, I don’t get paid, and I’m out of a

did. We didn’t have a real good team.”

job. I took Phillips’ offer.”

That same year, in a game at OU, Clark canned 19 of his 20 free throw attempts.

“Earlier that year we had beaten them

Following two years with the 66ers, Clark worked 14 years for Phillips and in 1975 bought an interest in a Phillips distributorship, which he sold 14 years later. He then spent 15 years in the retail business and owned a men’s clothing store. SINCE

RETIRING IN 2004, CLARK DOES PRETTY MUCH WHATEVER HE PLEASES, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SPENDING TIME WITH HIS FAMILY.

by 20, and I had a particularly good game.

“I enjoy golf, but had a heart issue and

They decided they weren’t going to let me

haven’t played in two years. I’m better

do that again, so every time I got the ball

now and plan to get back on the course

they’d grab me or shove, hit or kick me. I

this spring. Also, I served eight years on

didn’t score a single basket.”

the Durant school board which I enjoyed.

Former OSU basketball great Don

I’M A DEVOUT COWBOY FAN AND

Linsenmeyer, while a student at

GET UP TO STILLWATER AT LEAST

Stillwater High School, saw Clark play for

ONCE A YEAR.

the Aggies, “He was a finesse player, smooth

Today Arlen and Joyce are blessed with

operator and quick for a big guy, a skilled

two daughters and a son, seven grand-

rebounder, never shot a brick, could fake

children and seven great-grandchildren.

one way and go the other, weave himself through traffic, a joy to watch.”

A PLAYER!

scored 42 points, including 24 of 24 at the

GAMES THAT YEAR UNLESS I GOT

THAT YEAR THE POKES FINISHED A DISAPPOINTING 11-14. CLARK AVERAGED 20.4 POINTS, LED THE NATION IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE AT 85.2 PERCENT AND WAS THE FIRST COWBOY SELECTED ALL-BIG EIGHT. HE REPEATED AS AN ALL-AMERICAN.

shoot the ball, played on a team ranked

“Several of my grandkids were pretty good basketball players. One of my grand-

WISH I COULD’VE SEEN HIM PLAY.

55

Send your comments/questions to OSU52Johnson@yahoo.com

daughters is six-feet tall, has real good

POSSE

A Clarke.indd 55

4/18/16 15:32

THREE-TIME CHAMP

SENIOR Alex Dieringer has sealed his legacy AS ONE OF THE GREATEST COWBOY WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME, compiling A 133-4 CAREER RECORD in an OSU singlet.

At the 2016 NCAA Championships in Madison Square Garden, Dieringer claimed his THIRD NATIONAL TITLE (THE 16TH COWBOY TO DO SO) with a 6-2 WIN OVER Wisconsin’s Isaac Jordan in the 165-POUND FINALS.

Dieringer went on to become only THE SECOND COWBOY TO WIN THE DAN HODGE TROPHY, which is often referred to as the HEISMAN TROPHY OF COLLEGIATE WRESTLING.

56 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 56

4/13/16 15:09

57

POSSE book.indb 57

4/13/16 15:09

TOM T:HINGS

"V'vE

LEARNED

DORE FROnll:

STORY BY RYAN CAMERON PHOTOS / OSU ATHLETICS PHOTO ARCHIVES

IN THE PANTHEON OF GREATS WHO COMPRISE THE STORIED HISTORY OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOY GOLF PROGRAM, A NAME UNDERSTATED IN SIGNIFICANCE IS

TOMMY MOORE.

He constructed a résumé that saw him earn ALL-AMERICA STATUS THREE TIMES, including

FIRST-TEAM HONORS in 1983, and help the Cowboys capture the NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP that same year. He would go on to play TWO SEASONS ON THE PGA TOUR and WIN THE 1993 BOISE OPEN on the Nike Tour.

58

NEVERTHELESS, the list of “marquee” names that come to mind when discussing Cowboy golf often omits Moore, the first player in program history to earn academic All-America status.

“HIS VALUE TO THAT PROGRAM IS UNDERSTATED for whatever reason, and it can’t be over-

stated in my opinion,” former teammate Scott

Verplank said.

“HE SHOWED THAT YOU COULD BE A FIRSTTE AM ALL-AMERICAN, GO TO CL ASS AND TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES, AND BE A GREAT PRODUCER ON THE FIELD, COURT OR GOLF COURSE. In that

way, he changed golf in Stillwater from just come here to play golf to come here and we are going to win and you are going to win in the classroom. We are going to put out what we hope are great people.”

SPRING 2016

Moore.indd 58

4/14/16 12:58

Before Moore, who was the NO.1-

RANKED JUNIOR GOLFER IN THE WORLD IN 1980 AT AGE 17, could leave his mark on OSU’s program, he first had to be convinced becoming a Cowboy was the right choice. “ YO U D O N ’ T G E T A PL AYER LIKE THAT BY JUS T S E N D IN G O UT A LETTER SAYING, ‘COME TO OKL AHOMA STATE’,

especially when you are offering a half-ride and everybody else is offering a full. Try selling that,” said Moore’s college coach, Mike Holder.

Not only was Holder able to convince Moore that Stillwater was the place to be, he did so at a fraction of the expense of what many of the nation’s powerhouses were willing to offer in terms of scholarship money.

Like he did with any highprofile prospect he landed throughout his career, HOLDER

RELENTLESSLY PURSUED THE TALENTED NEW ORLEANS

“I STILL REMEMBER HIS PHONE NUMBER. I CA LLE D IT S O M A NY TIMES THAT IT IS JUST BURNED INTO MY BRAIN,”

Holder said. “I probably talked to him every day and not for 10 minutes, we are talking hour-long conversations. My wife got so tired of it. When I would call him we would not only talk about him coming to school here, but we would talk about all kinds of other players and other things he was doing.

GUY TO TALK TO.”

like what he saw of Tommy Moore the player, Tommy Moore

Being equally adept in the classroom made several of the top academic institutions appealing options for Moore as well.

“The problem was trying to get him because everybody else wanted him too. HE WAS A

“If he was a basketball player you would say he was a gym rat. He loved the game. He worked hard and had an outgoing and engaging personality.

You couldn’t find anyone at the tournaments who would say a bad word about him. He was very, very popular and a good player to boot,” Holder said.

In a time when recruiting restrictions were few and far between, unlimited phone calls and conversations at tournaments were permissible and

Holder was getting a talented golfer and a player that would change the culture and face of the program.

“Not only did I get a great player and a great leader for our team, and a great teammate for all of our kids lucky enough to be around him, but I got a great recruiter, too,” Holder said.

“He just knew everyone and had a good eye for talent.

People liked being around him and they liked the idea of being on a team with him. It made playing golf at Oklahoma State even more attractive when he was here.”

With an ability to spot talent and his magnetic personality, Moore helped Holder reel in one of the brightest stars in a program stocked full of accomplished players.

Moore was instrumental in the recruitment of Verplank, which proved to be no easy task. Not only was the Dallas native highly sought after, he came from a family with deep ties to the University of Texas.

Nevertheless, Moore and the brighter shade of orange won out in the end, and the Cowboy program was better for it with

Verplank going on to become one of the most accomplished players to ever wear the orange and black.

“He got Scott Verplank and a whole bunch of other good players to go with him,” Holder said.

Like Holder, Verplank was impressed by Moore the person as much, if not more so, than Moore the player. Playing in a junior tournament run by Moore’s family and friends in New Orleans, the two struck

up a friendship that would lead to another successful chapter in the program’s history.

HE WAS JUST AN EASY

NATIVE . Not only did Holder

the person made an impression as well.

Moore.indd 59

Holder took full advantage.

The legendary coach’s recruitment of Moore led to countless phone calls, a total so astronomical he needs no phone book to prompt his memory.

half-scholarship and he probably got a full ride at all those other places.”

VERY G OOD STUDENT,

so he had all of those options to go to a Texas or a Stanford or all of those well-respected academic institutions,” Holder explained.

59

“IT WAS A REAL COUP TO G E T H IM TO C O M E TO S C H O O L H E RE . He

came for, I am just going off memory, I probably gave him a

4/14/16 13:01

the program toward its unprecedented all-around successes.

“HE CHANGED A LOT OF THINGS AROUND OSU GOLF,” Holder said. “He was the first one who made me appreciate the importance of academics. Before him, I was happy if our players were eligible. That probably put me in with the majority of coaches, regardless of sport. We went from accepting eligibility and mediocrity in the classroom to demanding excellence in the classroom and on the golf course.”

Since Moore’s groundbreaking academic All-America selection in 1984, 30 more Cowboys have achieved the honor.

Mike Holder: (Tommy) was the first one who made me appreciate the importance of academics.

While Oklahoma State was lucky to earn the services of an immense talent like Verplank, it is the three-time first-team All-American who considers himself better off for following Moore’s lead. “ MY GOOD FORTUNE I S H E TO O K A L I K I N G TO M E A N D TH O U G HT I WOULD BE A GOOD

60

PLAYER AT OKLAHOMA

STATE,” Verplank said. “He thought I would be good there and he was very influential in convincing me that it would be a great place for me and he was right. He took an interest in me.”

With Verplank on board, the friendship strengthened.

“I think we were fairly similar in a lot of ways, with our personalities and what we believed in and how we approached playing, going to school and the things we thought were important,” Verplank said.

“He just kind of took me under his wing like a big brother more than anything else. I found out pretty quickly that he was a good big brother to have.”

While helping stockpile talent, it was Moore’s work away from the sport that altered Holder’s mindset and moved

“JACK NICKLAUS famously said it is virtually impossible to excel at the collegiate level in golf and academics because both are so time consuming.

With the foundation laid by Tommy Moore we have disproved that myth multiple times over,” Holder said.

With Moore setting the bar, those who followed now had a new standard of excellence to pursue in Stillwater. “ Trip Kuehne took it to the max when he was NAMED

THE OUTSTANDING MALE GRADUATE in the whole university and, oh by the way, WE WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPION SHIP THAT YEAR. I think

every player on that squad made academic All-America, so that is doing it at the highest level, both athletically and academically. I would like to think that is still the standard around here,” Holder said.

“Tommy Moore is responsible for all of that.”

The value of emulating Moore and the way he conducted himself was not lost on Verplank, who would go on to become a two-time academic All-American.

“He was a smart guy and everybody liked him, so he set a great example on how to act around people and how to treat people. When there is a guy that everybody likes they must be doing something right.

I just got to watch him and be around him enough to try to pick up some of the things that he knew were important,” Verplank said.

“He was a great role model for me, to be quite honest. I was lucky, looking back, that he took an interest in me and tried to help me along. Maybe he thought that if he helped me along we would be better as a team and it worked out that way. We had a great friendship.”

The discipline displayed

by Moore to excel in all facets of life came via a maturity Verplank says helped him ease into life as a student-athlete.

“He was very mature for being a 20-year-old. I lived with him in the dorm my first year,” Verplank said. “I think he kind of took it upon himself to look after me. At that age, as a freshman in golf that was a pretty big deal to have an advanced peer of yours think you were good enough to come hang with them. That meant a lot to me.”

Moore’s maturity off the golf course mirrored a maturity he developed on the golf course.

Because he developed at an early age, he was forced to

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 60

4/13/16 15:09

adapt and continue to hone other aspects of his game as the competition began to catch up physically.

“Nothing really would stand out other than when you added up the scores. I think probably as a junior golfer he matured at a young age. If you mature early, you have an advantage over everybody else in the distance you hit the ball and that starts to dissipate as other kids catch up with you. When he lost that edge he made up for it in his short game. He was a good all-around player,” Holder said.

And to no one’s surprise,

Moore was able to grasp the most difficult aspect of the game, the mental side. With

Holder describing him as a ‘ C E R E B R A L P L AY E R

those he counted as students was former NFL quarterback ARCHIE MANNING, who called Moore ‘the nicest guy you would ever want to meet and a natural teacher.’

Tragically, golf and society was robbed of Moore and his great mind far too early with OSU’s team “doctor” succumbing to a rare blood disease in 1998 at the age of 35. The loss leaves his

former coach pondering what could have been for OSU’s catalyst of change.

“I think he had a positive impact on every life he touched and it is just a shame that he died at such a young age because I think he had a real future either as a teaching professional or as a college golf coach,” Holder said.

WHO COULD THINK HIS

“ I T H I N K H E WO U L D

WAY AROUND THE GOLF

HAVE BEEN A GREAT COL-

COURSE’, Moore earned an

LEGE COACH. I know he was

appropriate nickname from his teammates.

a great husband and a wonderful father. It is just a shame that (Moore’s wife) TRACY and (son) MASON got such a short time to be with him.”

Verplank remains close with the Moore family.

“His wife and I are still friends.

I still talk to her five or six times a year for different things.

Mason, is now 21-years-old and

“ HIS NICKNAME WAS DOC AS IN DOCTOR B E CAUS E D O CTO RS KNOW EVERYTHING, AND HE KNEW EVERYTHING,”

Verplank recalled.

“He was a total stat guy. He would have been one of the greatest television announcers of any sport because he knew every stat. He could look at a newspaper for a minute, and we used to do this to him, we would let him look at the golf scores for a minute and take the paper away and say what did so and so shoot? He knew it 99 out of 100 times. He just had a great mind where he could look at something and he got it.”

I have known him his whole life,” Verplank said.

“It was brutal. I remember when he called me and told me he had something bad going on, talking to his dad, who was a doctor. It was a sad deal.

It came on and it was inevitable, and in six months he was in bad shape,” Verplank said.

“He, his family and his wife all had a great attitude about what was happening,” Verplank added. He was only worried about his son and his wife at the end. He left a great

legacy, not only for them, but as Coach Holder said, he left a great legacy for the whole Cowboy program.”

Despite being gone for nearly 20 years, Moore’s impact

on both coach and teammate is unmistakable to this day, and

his legacy was put on permanent display for all to see this past fall with his addition to the RING OF HONOR

at Karsten Creek during a ceremony at the annual Cowboy Pro-Am.

“Now that I am a little older, those are the kind of people you like to be around and the kind of people you can learn the most from. It was a big

blessing for me that he was in my life,” Verplank said.

“HE WAS A GREAT COMPETITOR IN EVERYTHING HE DID, in golf and knowledge and going to class and doing all of the things right.

He knew right from wrong.

HE SET THE STANDARD FOR WHAT YOU WOULD WANT A STUDENT-ATHLETE TO BE. He took care of all of his responsibilities. You would strive to have a bunch of Tommy Moores on your team because they are guys that are going to not only make you better as a coach, but make your whole team better and your program better. HE WAS AN A-1 CONTRIBUTOR TO SOCIETY and he was a very, very special person.”

And for the man who spent countless hours tying up the phone line between Stillwater and the Crescent City?

“It is easy to say good things about Tommy Moore,” Holder said. “HIS IMPACT FAR SURPASSED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE GOLF COURSE. HE WAS A LEADER, AND AS A 19 -YE AR- OLD KID, HE CHANGED ME.”

MASON and TRACY MOORE , along with OSU coach ALAN BRATTON, at TOMMY MOORE’S Ring of Honor induction during the 2015 COWBOY PRO-AM

61

After giving up playing professionally in 1995, Moore worked as a teaching professional. Among

Moore.indd 61

4/13/16 16:22

Rob Walton WAS ON

THE BRINK OF HIS DREAM. BUT AS IT OFTEN DOES IN LIFE, FATE CRUELLY INTERVENED. FORCED DOWN A NEW PATH, HE FOUND AN UNEXPECTED CALLING. AND NOW THE MAN THEY CALL “THE WIZARD” HELPS OTHERS PURSUE THE SAME DREAM THAT HE ONCE NEARLY REALIZED.

62

STORY BY WADE McWHORTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 62

4/13/16 15:09

alton’s story

began in Rutherford, N.J., a

The buzz surrounding Walton’s soccer skills even

borough located just eight miles west of midtown

reached Scotland. His father arranged with one of

Manhattan.

The son of ROBERT AND AGNES WALTON, the question wasn’t if Rob would pursue a career in athletics, but which sport would he chose.

Both Robert and Agnes immigrated to the United

States from Scotland. Rob’s mother was first to arrive, leaving her homeland with her sister to escape the

his former teammates turned Scottish World Cup coach for Rob to play on one of Scotland’s second division teams. It was a chance to see just how far soccer might take him.

But by that time, ROB HAD ALSO BLOSSOMED ON THE PITCHER’S MOUND, WITH A FASTBALL CLOCKED IN THE 90S.

country’s religious wars and settling in New York.

With letters from professional baseball teams

ROBERT WAS A WORLD-CLASS SOCCER PLAYER,

and college baseball programs now joining the pile

starring for HAMILTON FC and CELTIC FC . He worked in the Scottish coal mines in the morning, played soccer in the afternoon and attended engineering school at night.

When his soccer career ended, Robert left Scotland and journeyed to Detroit to take a job

in the Walton’s mailbox, ROB DECIDED THAT BASE-

BALL MIGHT BE HIS BEST CHANCE AT A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CAREER in the U.S.

One of those teams wooing Walton was Oklahoma State, which had just begun its ascension into college baseball’s elite.

with General Motors. He eventually found his way

“Back then, recruiting was a lot different — you

to New Jersey, where he married Agnes and began

got a lot of phone calls and mail and a then a lot of

working for an engineering firm designing hydrau-

people started to show up at the games,” Walton

lic and pneumatic machines.

said. “You were allowed three visits, so I decided

Robert passed his love of sports on to his son.

other places.

I’d take one close to home and the other two at

“MY DAD WAS A PRETTY DIVERSE GUY,

“Dave Holliday (OSU assistant coach) came

AND HE JUST KIND OF INTRODUCED ME

and saw me and said, ‘You could play for us right now.’

TO EVERY SPORT,” Walton said. “I had to make

Then the following year they went to the COLLEGE

a choice to play football or soccer in the fall. My dad

WORLD SERIES for the first time SO I TOOK A

was about five-foot-nine so I THOUGHT IF I WAS

TRIP OUT HERE.”

GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET TO COLLEGE SOMEHOW, IT’D BE SOCCER OR BASEBALL.

That trip to Stillwater sold Walton on his college destination.

I was six-feet tall and didn’t think I was probably

“I had the taste of professional sports with where

going to get any bigger — and I didn’t. So I stuck

I grew up — Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets and all the

with soccer, basketball and baseball.”

rest — so I WANTED A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A

For a while, IT LOOKED LIKE WALTON WOULD

FOLLOW HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS AND MAKE HIS NAME ON THE SOCCER PITCH. His first college

COLLEGE FEEL, A COLLEGE ATMOSPHERE. THAT’S WHAT DREW ME TO OSU when I took

the trip,” Walton said.

recruiting letters began pouring in following his

WALTON SIGNED HIS LETTER OF INTENT to play for the

sophomore season at Rutherford High School

Cowboys a week before the Major League Baseball

after he led the state in scoring.

Draft. AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, WALTON HURT HIS ARM

63

in the state championship game on the same day in 1982 that the Texas Rangers drafted him in the sixth round.

Josh Holliday:

“There’s not a high school coach or amateur baseball coach in the country who doesn’t want to borrow information, or a professional organization that doesn’t hold him in the highest regard.”

POSSE book.indb 63

4/13/16 15:09

THE INJURY CEMENTED WALTON’S PLANS TO PLAY AT OSU, but his collegiate career didn’t exactly take off.

For three years, Walton struggled to pitch with an arm injury that numer-

THE COWBOYS EVENTUALLY REACHED OMAHA AND THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, WHERE WALTON TURNED IN ONE OF HIS MOST MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES TO HELP OSU EARN A 4-0 WIN OVER INDIANA STATE.

“I wasn’t a big guy obviously — when I came in here I weighed 155 — but I pitched 93 and touched 95,” Walton said. “But it took every ounce of my being to get it up there. So I kind of pitched that way, pitched

ous doctors failed to correctly diagnose.

with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I

FINALLY, SOME ADVICE FROM ONE OF OSU’S STAR FOOTBALL PLAYERS PAID OFF.

didn’t want to leave anything in the bag.

“I saw multiple doctors and really struggled with (the injury) — I was scuffling a little bit,” Walton said. “I lived in the athletic dorm at IBA (HALL) , and I ran into

Thurman Thomas . Thurman said

that DOC (CARY) COUCH at Stillwater Medical Center had drained his knee and made him feel good. I went and visited him, and they did exploratory surgery and

EVERYTHING I HAD WENT TO HOME

Along with dominating the Sycamores’ lineup that day, you can bet SOMETHING

ELSE OCCURRED — WALTON’S CAP FAILED TO REMAIN ON HIS HEAD. Walton’s propensity for losing his hat while delivering the ball to home plate is what OSU fans remember most about his playing days.

PLATE. I probably recruited other parts

of my body to get the ball going up there AND MOVED MY HEAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH. “I THINK SOMEBODY COUNTED ONE TIME — I THREW 110 PITCHES AND MY HAT FELL OFF 89 TIMES.

I threw 89 fastballs is basically what it comes down to because it didn’t fall off on any other pitch.

found the issue.”

What WALTON LEARNED WAS HE HAD A

“I enjoyed competing, and I WOULD

TUMOR ON HIS SHOULDER BLADE WITH A NERVE WRAPPED AROUND IT. Following surgery to

LITERALLY TRY TO THROW THE

alleviate the problem, Walton went into

THE L AST ONE. I was gonna go all

his senior season in 1986 finally healthy.

out all the time — that was kind of my

NEXT FASTBALL HARDER THAN

personality.”

Pain-free for the first time in his col-

That personality is one that a young

legiate career, Walton’s fastball velocity

Josh Holliday remembers well.

was down, but other parts of his game

“Much like he is now, Rob was gentle and

were sharpened.

“I really learned the value of pitching,

very kind to Matt (Holliday) and me

commanding and changing speeds and

and very close to my family,” said Holliday,

those things,” Walton said. “I became

whose father Tom was OSU’s pitching coach.

a smarter pitcher. Then I thought IF I

“I remember how aggressive he was and

COULD GET SOME VELOCITY BACK

how he’d throw so hard his hat would fall

I WOULD REALLY MAKE A RUN AT

off. That was about the age when the play-

THIS THING.

ers started to influence me, and I started to become more aware of them and what

“I was able to put a good year together,

they were all about.”

which is really satisfying because you

FOLLOWING HIS STANDOUT SENIOR SEASON, WALTON WAS A 25TH-ROUND PICK OF THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES. His first full season

really want to leave on your own terms on a high note.”

WALTON’S SENIOR CAMPAIGN WAS ONE OF THE BEST SEASONS EVER TURNED IN BY A COWBOY HURLER as he went 13-2 with a 3.20 ERA and tossed nine complete games in 18 starts.

of pro ball came in 1987, and he went a combined 14-5 with stints at the Class A and Double A levels.

Walton was feeling confident about the trajectory of his career; his velocity was

Walton was part of a veteran OSU

64

pitching staff during that ’86 season that

climbing, he was commanding his pitches.

Dillard, Marv Rockman and Dave Osteen. The lineup featured five

Walton began 1988 at Double A Charlotte. After

freshman starters, among them a couple

seven-straight wins and was named to the

included Jeff Bronkey, Gordie

The Orioles felt the same way, and

losing his first two decisions, he reeled off

of guys named Robin Ventura and

Monty Farris, on a team that started

all-star team.

BUT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. Walton’s

11-10 before winning 31 consecutive games.

shoulder was constantly fatigued, and he felt his velocity dropping.

SPRING 2016 PHOTO / OSU ATHLETICS PHOTO ARCHIVES

Walton.indd 64

4/18/16 15:42

“If I take care of Then he heard the words he’d been “You’re moving up the ladder and the player and give waiting to hear from his manager: just signed a good contract and now “You’re out of here. You’ve got you’re going to take a 60 percent him my best and take pay cut?” Walton said. “That’s difone more start and you’re an interest in who he is as going up.” ficult, but Michelle said, ‘I think “Up” meant the big this is what you’re supposed to a person, then I’m gonna get leagues. Walton was excited do.’ She had the faith, and we the most out of him as a player. went for it.” and nervous. With his dream at stake, there was no way he was Michelle’s family ties to And on the flip side, he’s going TulsaWith holding back. and the challenge of returnto get the most out of his “If you can get up (to Major ing a once-successful program to League Baseball), then you’re there glory, Walton joined the coaching experience here, which he and you have the benefits of all the staff at ORU. And he and the GOLDEN EAGLES doctors,” Walton said. “So I was just can use the rest of rehabbing, taking care of it and trying to prospered. Walton spent five years as an his life.” gut it out. I should have shut it down and assistant, then took over as the program’s didn’t, but I had a lot on the line so I took my chances.”

SEVEN INNINGS INTO WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS MINOR LEAGUE FAREWELL, WALTON’S DREAMS WERE DASHED. “I threw a pitch and that was the end of it. I TORE MY ROTATOR CUFF IN HALF,” Walton said.

Walton found out later that a partial tear in his rotator cuff had been there for weeks but had gone undetected while he pitched through the pain and fatigue.

“That’s just the way it was in the midto-late ’80s — it was more like medieval science compared to what we have now,” Walton said. “It was really bad luck because once it ripped in half, it was unrepairable.

It became sticking plastic and staples in there to try and put it together and hope you can function the rest of your life.

“I tried to rehab it, and it just wouldn’t hold enough for me to pitch over a period of time.”

Faced with the reality that his baseball career was over, a devastated Walton was unsure of his next step.

“That was extremely difficult to overcome because it was something I loved, something I was good at and something I had a chance to do for a living,” Walton said.

“In life, that’s difficult to find sometimes.

“I CAN’T FIX A LAWNMOWER OR DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT I COULD PITCH — THIS IS MY NICHE.

And then it’s gone, and you’ve got to think about what you’re going to do after that.”

What Walton began doing was working odd jobs in the Dallas area, something he did for about a year before a chance meeting with a man named RENE GAYO. Gayo ran a successful baseball school in the area and convinced Walton to begin working with young players. BEFORE LONG,

WALTON HAD A FULL-TIME JOB AS A SCOUT WITH THE CLEVELAND INDIANS. “I learned a lot that was invaluable, a

completely different side of the game: how to evaluate players and put a team together,” Walton said.

What Walton also observed was an abundance of talented pitching prospects who were overused or overthrown. He saw those prospects end up much like he had, unable to stay healthy and having their baseball careers cut short because of it.

“MY WIFE (MICHELLE) is the one who

said, ‘You should do something about it.

YOU SHOULD BE ON THE FIELD C OACHIN G TH E M A N D TA KIN G CARE OF THE M BECAUS E YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE,’ ” Walton said.

The safe route would have been to remain a scout with the Indians, with whom

head coach. In nine seasons at the helm, he recorded a 367-167 record, and ORU did not miss an NCAA Tournament.

Along with the wins and losses, WALTON COACHED 16 ALL-AMERICANS AND OVER 40 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT PICKS.

Respect for Walton grew, and his successes at ORU resulted in his being pegged

to serve three coaching tours with Team USA, including one as manager in 2008 in which he led the U.S. to a 30-0 record and two gold medals.

But for Walton, it wasn’t the countless accolades that affirmed coaching was what he was meant to do, in fact, it was something that happened following an ORU loss at Cal State Fullerton.

“There were about 15-20 of my former players there, and they had wives and kids.

I’m holding one of their little ones, and they’re talking about some of the lessons we talked about how baseball relates to life and how they’re applying it, and I was

65

bawling,” Walton said. “THAT’S PROBABLY THE FIRST DAY I VALIDATED

MYSELF AS A COACH. I realize that I’m

focused on the right things. If I take care of the player and give him my best and

Walton had a three-year contract. However,

take an interest in who he is as a person,

his wife insisted coaching was what he was supposed to do.

a player. And on the flip side, he’s going

Turns out, Michelle was right. TWO DAYS

AFTER HER VOICING HER INTUITION, ROB RECEIVED CALLS FROM NEW MEXICO STATE AND ORAL ROBERTS LOOKING FOR PITCHING COACHES.

then I’m gonna get the most out of him as to get the most out of his experience here, which he can use the rest of his life.”

Comfortable and secure at ORU, WA LT O N F E LT T H E L U R E O F STILLWATER AND THE PROGRAM

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 65

4/13/16 15:09

he once pitched fo r w h e n THE

OKLAHOMA STATE HEAD COACHING JOB BECAME AVAILABLE IN 2012.

“When those three things line up, you’ve got to feel pretty fortunate.”

And with that, Walton was back in orange and black.

“He has guys always believing that they can. He has a ‘we can’ attitude vs. ‘we can’t’ — he always looks for the way to get it done.

“SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST GIFTED

FOR HOLLIDAY, GETTING WALTON ON BOARD

TEACHERS, AND ROB’S A GIFTED

“WAS THE FIRST MOMENT OF TEAM

TEACHER. He’s able to relate well and

BUILDING THAT OCCURRED HERE.”

explain things to kids in a way that they

“I was fortunate to get the opportunity

can understand. Even though he possesses

to come back here as head coach, and Rob

a tremendous amount of knowledge, he

Wa l t o n w a s a finalist for the job, one that ultimately was given to Josh Holliday.

was certainly an awesome candidate and

knows how to deliver it in a way that a

But life has a funny way of working out.

could have been the head coach here — I

20-year-old kid can actually do something

Just days after being told he wasn’t being

know that, he knows that,” Holliday said.

with it. And THAT’S A TRUE ART IN

offered the job, the same man who didn’t

“But what makes it special is, RIGHT FROM

COACHING.”

peg Walton to lead the Cowboys, OSU ath-

THE GET-GO, PEOPLE DISPLAYED

That art has been on full display. Over

A DESIRE TO BE HERE, A WILL-

the last three years, Walton has turned

letic director Mike Holder, along

with the man who did land the gig, took a trip to Tulsa.

Their mission? To convince Walton to join Holliday as the Cowboy s’ pitch ing coach.

If Walton felt scorned, he didn’t show it. And in fact, his decision — to go from a head coach to an assistant coach — came quick and easy.

INGNESS TO CHECK THEIR

a second baseman into a closer who

EGOS AT THE DOOR, A

set OSU’s career saves record, helped

WILLINGNESS TO JOIN

develop a hurler who wasn’t even on the Cowboys’ travel roster as a

TOGETHER AND WORK AS A GROUP — that all

junior into the Big 12 pitcher of the year

started with Rob’s decision

and molded his last pitching staff

to come back to Oklahoma

into one that turned in the lowest ER A by an OSU staff in over four decades.

State.

“I give Coach Holder a lot because he had so much respect for

IT’S WHY THE COWBOYS REFER TO WALTON AS “The Wizard.” No one can exactly

of credit for encouraging me Rob. This isn’t about the title, it’s about the

pinpoint when or where the moniker was

“If it wasn’t Josh, it would have been

job and our love for Oklahoma State and

born, but everyone agrees it fits.

hard,” Walton said. “Obviously, I inter-

our desire to do something fun and special.

“The experience he has and the stories

viewed for the job, but Josh is more than

“IT’S A PARTNERSHIP. I don’t care

he has and all the players he’s coached

capable — he’s very, very smart. His uncle

what I’m called or he’s called — we work

that are in the big leagues — he’s helped

Dave and his dad were my coaches so it’s

together, and we work together with our

develop so many guys,” said OSU junior

a much different situation when somebody

staff and our players.”

like that is asking you to come on board.

And Walton’s work with the Cowboy

“For me, it’s never been about whose

pitching staffs over the last three years

name is on the front door. I just want to

has only further solidified the univer-

pitcher Trey Cobb . “Rob talks and you really pay attention because every time he talks, there’s a life lesson hidden in

there somewhere. You’re like, ‘I can defi-

guys’ lives on and off the field, and I want to

sal belief that he is one of baseball’s top pitching coaches — at any level.

work with somebody that’s also on board

“Rob has the knowledge. He possesses

“HE CAN RE ALLY CAP TURE A

with that. Josh is all about that, all about the

the information, but what he does with the

ROOM WHEN HE TALKS. It’s different

human aspect of what we do, not just the

information is where he separates himself

when you see him on the field and think

baseball aspect of it. IT MAKES WHAT

from others,” Holliday said. “What he does

he’s a quiet guy who keeps to himself. But

WE DO WORTH IT AND MAKES IT A

uniquely that so many can’t is he learns

when he’s in the room, when he talks, it’s

LOT OF FUN.”

to get the best out of every single player.

like, wow, you’ve really got to listen.

have a job where I can affect some young

66

nitely take that and not only use it on the field but in life.’

“You say to yourself, ‘What are the

“ HE’S D E VE LO PE D A RE ALLY

“And the amount of work he puts in is

important things?’ You want to work at a

KEEN SENSE OF HOW TO MAXIMIZE

unparalleled. Rob’s just one of those guys,

school that you enjoy being at, you want

EVERY PLAYER AND TURN GUYS

he doesn’t give up on a player — he’s always

to work for people in the athletic depart-

INTO SUCCESSFUL, USABLE GUYS.

going to try something new. He’s always

ment that you like being around and you

Even if they don’t have 90-mile-per-hour

looking at video, trying to compare you

want to be in a family atmosphere where

stuff, he finds ways to create outs.

to a major leaguer. ‘Okay this guy did this

you like being around each other at work

and that worked for him, maybe that will

and when you’re away from work.

work for this guy.’

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 66

4/13/16 15:09

“I’ve had a lot of great coaches grow-

ARE A IS RE ALLY INTERESTING.

“I’m back where it all started for me,”

ing up and all the coaches here are awe-

You’re changing the speed and the plane

Walton said. “It’s where I met my wife, it’s where I started to get educated on the

some, but THERE’S JUST SOMETHING

with different pitches, but you’ve got to

ABOUT ROB THAT’S JUST DIFFER-

release the ball at a certain time at a cer-

baseball field; this is where I really started

ENT. The recruits that come in are like,

tain spot to be able to get the ball where

growing into a man.

‘Tell us about Rob.’ And the only thing you

you want it to go.

can say is, ‘Man, he’s a wizard.’”

Cobb said his favorite Walton story sums up the coach’s “wizardry.”

“He was hitting fungoes one time, and he hit one and the bat sounded terrible, like it broke, a nasty break,” Cobb said. “He just tapped it on the ground and hit another

“That challenge is what drives you.”

“The first year taking a team to a regional

was special. Watching guys like Jon

And while wins and losses and balls

Perrin and Vince Wheeland and

and strikes are often what define success,

Brendan McCurry and Michael Freeman

Walton doesn’t see it that way.

develop — those are amazing things to

Sure he celebrates the achievements

watch. And then getting to watch my son

and a 1.31 ERA as a senior and Brendan

how hard he’s worked and succeeded on

of Michael Freeman posting 10 wins

(DONNIE) grow into a man and watch

one, and it sounded clean. We were like,

McCurry racking up 27 saves in two

and off the field and had so much fun and

‘Did The Wizard just heal that bat?!’

seasons, but that’s not what drives him.

the pride he feels in Oklahoma State and

“That’s Rob. That’s what I tell recruits. If

“THE JOY OF COACHING IS HELP-

the dude can heal bats, he can help you

ING SOMEBODY FIND THEIR BEST

gain velocity.”

AND WATCHING THEM HAVE FUN,”

Magic and jokes aside, one thing is cer-

tain. Rob Walton knows pitching.

“Rob’s history of success speaks for itself and extends beyond the college

Walton said. “When it’s all said and done, nobody is going to remember the wins and the losses, it’s the relationships you have with your players. That’s the fun.

game,” Holliday said. “There’s not a high

“The reason you go into it is because

school coach or amateur baseball coach in

you want to help somebody achieve their

the country who doesn’t want to borrow

dreams — keep them healthy and move

information, or a professional organiza-

them forward — because you know what it

tion that doesn’t hold him in the highest

feels like. It’s a satisfying feeling. To see kids

regard. He’s universally respected.”

have that moment is really, really special.”

Walton says he doesn’t necessarily have a pitching philosophy — he focuses on creating specific and basic plans for each individual.

“Ultimately what you’re trying to achieve

And doing it at Oklahoma State, the ification. “The Wizard” is quite content to be an assistant in Stillwater, sharing a dugout with his son Donnie, a senior shortstop for the Cowboys. It’s why he turned

mand the ball,” Walton said. “It wasn’t until

down head coaching overtures from

I got hurt the first time and lost a little

several prominent programs follow-

velocity that I understood what it means

ing the 2015 season, to focus his

to pitch in, pitch out, when to do it, when

attention on what mat-

you don’t do it, when to change speeds.

ters most.

of velocity going to the plate, but there’s a lot of high ERAs. Guys are throwing harder, but the ball is going out quicker.

So you have to develop a pitcher, a guy that can command the ball and knows how

“IT’S JUST BEEN REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL AND SOMETHING I’M FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF.”

place he calls home, only adds to the grat-

is that they can pitch, that they can com-

“There’s a lot of guys today with a lot

being a Cowboy, that same pride that I feel.

67

to pitch. But what works for one guy, the same thing doesn’t necessarily work for the other and that’s what makes pitching really, really interesting.

“THE ART OF BEING ABLE TO MAKE A BALL MOVE AND CONSISTENTLY PUT IT IN A FOUR-INCH

Walton.indd 67

4/13/16 16:19

W h a t e v e r i s h a p p e n i n g i n y o u r l i f e , there’s a good chance your college exp e rie nce help e d you get to whe re you are to day. Whe n you refle c t on that time , you may b e ove r whelm e d by fon d m e m orie s — m e eting your sp ouse , cele brating a big football win , pulling an all - nighte r to stu dy or laughing with p e ople who b e came your lifelong frie n ds . To day ’s O kla h oma State U nive r sit y students are having the same experiences as they pur sue bright orange futures .

Visit OS Ugiving.com to learn how you can b e a par t of their journey.

~ ads set 05.indd 68

4/13/16 16:38

POSSE

LIVE ORANGE. STATE.

O Under Armour Woven Track Jacket s-XXXL I $88.95 Q Under Armour Tech 1/2 Zip Jacket S-XXL I $55 (3 Under Armour Carbon Fiber Tech Tee S-XXXL I $46 0 Under Armour Limitless Bra S-XXL I $35 0 Under Armour Apex Print Tee S-XXXL I $40.95 {i Under Armour Youth AF Feathered Camo Crew XS-XL I $40.95 0 Under Armour Limitless Crop Legging s-XXL I $61 ~ Under Armour Youth Girls Tech Tee XS-XL I $26

I Under Armour Apex Polo S-XXXL | $70.95 J Under Armour Long Sleeve Drapey Tee XS-XXL | $40.95 K Under Armour Tween Girls Baseball Tee XS-XL | $30.95 L Under Armour Charged Cotton Tee S-XXL | $30.95 M Under Armour Woven Vest S-XXXL | $80.95 N Under Armour Youth Apex Tech Baseball Tee XS-XL | $30.95 O Under Armour Triblend Baseball Tee S-XXXL | $36.95 P Under Armour Limitless Show Me Tank S-XXL | $35

POSSE #3.indd 1 ads set 05.indd 69

3/17/2016 11:58:04 AM 4/13/16 16:38

CELEBRATION STATION

THE Cowboy Track and Field team was recognized during a game at Gallagher-Iba Arena after capturing the 2016 Big 12 Indoor Championship. THEIR SECOND TITLE IN THREE YEARS. With a total team score of 130 points, the Pokes dethroned defending champ Texas by just 1.5 points in Ames, Iowa. Cowboys claimed four individual titles at the meet, including the mile, 1,000-meter run, 800m and 3,000m. In ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC FINISHES IN RECENT MEMORY, OSU placed four runners in the top six of the 3,000-meters to pull ahead of the Longhorns in the meet’s penultimate event. With four more points in the 4x400 meter relay, OSU was able to maintain its razor-thin margin of victory.

Meanwhile, the Cowgirl squad finished as the Big 12 Conference runner-up with 109 points, their HIGHEST TEAM TOTAL AND BEST FINISH IN SCHOOL HISTORY.

70 SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 70

4/13/16 15:09

71 PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY LAWSON

POSSE book.indb 71

4/13/16 15:09

B A SE B A L L

the 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.”

72

— LARRY REECE, SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AS OF 3/15/16

6.5

F U L L S C H OL A R S H I P

Dennis and Karen Wing (2) Hal Tompkins

Jennifer and Steven Grigsby

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

Mike Bode and Preston Carrier

Sally Sparks

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Bryant and Carla Coffman David and Grace Helmer Jill Rooker Martha Seabolt FOOTBALL

Sandy Lee Dr. Scott Anthony John and Beverly Williams 3 2 .0

F U L L S C H OL A R S H I P

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

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

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

Jim and Lynne Williams John and Patti Brett Mike and Judy Johnson Sally Sparks State Rangers Tom Naugle

Cindy Hughes Donald Coplin Doug Thompson Ed and Helen Wallace Greg Casillas Ike and Marybeth Glass

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

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

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 GE N E R A L

1.25

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

Terry and Martha Barker SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 72

4/13/16 15:09

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

David and Judy Powell Kenneth and Susan Crouch

Baloo and Maribeth Subramaniam

Sally Sparks

GR A DUAT E AT HL E T E

0.7 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Bob and Joan Hert Neal Seidle

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton

ME N ’ S B A SKE T B A L L

2 0.7 5

Griff and Mindi Jones James and Mary Barnes Jim Vallion Ken and Jimi Davidson Kent and Margo Dunbar KimRay Inc. Mitch Jones Memorial

Bill and Roberta Armstrong Bill and Sally Cunningham Calvin and Linda Anthony Donald Coplin

Jill Rooker Jon and Nancy Patton Richard and Linda Rodgers

David and Gina Dabney WOME N ’ S G OL F

David and Julie Ronck QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Amy Weeks

Kent and Margo Dunbar

WOME N ’ S T E N N I S

Jamie Maher

Rick and Suzanne Maxwell Robert and Sharon Keating Steve and Suzie Crowder Terry and Donna Tippens 4.25

F ULL S C H OL A R S H I P W'\Oi'll..ll.. lilll<Clill©ll:.Gl.lff.11.!1:imXlli"

Jack and Carol Corgan Men’s Golf Scholarship

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Ray Murphy Endowed Wrestling Scholarship OSU Wrestling – White Jacket Club / Tommy Chesbro Endowed Wrestling Scholarship The Cobb Family

Mark and Lisa Snell Bobby and Michelle Marandi

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Richard and Joan Welborn

ME N ’ S T E N N I S

QUA RT E R Q'iOJ'Gl.,..,T:!liili...

S C H OL A SHIP ecm,,o:.:. ....R ~i!'!llfilX~

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

0. 2 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton ME N ’ S T R ACK

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 H ALF S C H OL A R S H I P H.l&.ll:.:W llll<Clill©ll..Gl.:ll'!.i!!IHXll"

Stillwater National Bank Bob and Elizabeth Nickles Garland and Penny Cupp

10.7 5

F U L L S C H OL A R S H I P

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

David and Julie Ronck Dennis and Karen Wing

73

0.7 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P QVGl.m.Tmm. loll<CE!:OX..Gl.Ji&.IDJ;.:Cltli"

Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow Susan Anderson S OF T B A L L

0. 2 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P Q'iOJ'Gl.~T~i... i!'!i<OlfilOll..&li!l.lialliirXJ.-

W R E ST L ING

ME N ’ S G OL F

1 .0

H ALF S C H OL A R S H I P :i.li:Gl.ll:.:W llll<ClillOll..Gl.lff.!1!11:i.li:Xll"

Sally Sparks Sandy Lee Stan Clark

Dr. Scott and Lynne Anthony Gary and Sue Homsey Holloman Family Michael and Heather Grismore

0. 2 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P 11.ilVGl.m.Tllllm. llli<CE!:OX..Gl.ll'11.iGIIE!:ltli"

H A L F S C H OL A R S H I P

Bill and Marsha Barnes David and Julie Ronck Dr. Mark and Susan Morrow Jay and Connie Wiese

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

WOME N ’ S E QU E ST R I A N

F U L L S C H OL A R S H I P

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

Don and Mary McCall John and Caroline Linehan

Ken and Leitner Greiner 0. 2 5

QUA RT E R S C H OL A R S H I P

Tom and Cheryl Hamilton WOME N’ S B A SKETB A LL

6.25

F U L L S C H OL A R S H I P

Brad and Margie Schultz Ken and Jimi Davidson

Mike Bode and Preston Carrier

J.R. DAVIS

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 73

4/13/16 15:09

Former Cowboy Trades Turf for Ice Nathan Gilsleider’s unlikely athletic journey features nearly as many 74 twists and turns as the mile-long bobsled run near Lake Placid, New York.

PHOTO COURTESY / WIKIMEDIA USER ERMENTRUDE

STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 74

4/13/16 15:09

,,

..

,,

“I HAD OFFERS TO PL AY ALL THREE OF THOSE SPORTS OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I DECIDED TO TAKE A BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP TO JUNIOR COLLEGE because I was left-handed and figured

I would see what I could do out on the bump,” said Gilsleider.

Gilsleider pitched and played shooting guard at Hesston College in Kansas before transferring to Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton his sophomore year to concentrate on base-

ball. Unfortunately, a shoulder joint injury (torn labrum) ended the lefthander’s promising pitching career.

“I tore up my shoulder and had to have surgery,” he says. “I

NESTLED AMONG WHITE PINE AND SUGAR MAPLES on the western slope of

spent the following year trying to rehab it, but I knew I couldn’t pitch anymore.”

the Adirondacks’ MT. VAN HOEVENBERG, the site of the 1980 WINTER OLYMPICS is now the TRAINING CENTER FOR USA BOBSLED AND SKELETON. A young athlete

from Claremore, Okla., CALLS THAT TRACK HOME as a member of TEAM USA.

HOW A SMALL-TOWN OKLAHOMA KID ended up as an Olympic

hopeful going 85 miles-per-hour down an icy chute in a RED, WHITE AND BLUE “TIN CAN” is remarkable, considering his rural roots.

The 15-man Team USA roster is larger than G ilsleider’s graduating class of a dozen at

Claremore Christian School. There, the

BUT THE SPORTS BUG WOULDN’T DIE. Gilsleider enrolled at Oklahoma State in the spring of 2008 and set his sights on another athletic endeavor: FOOTBALL.

75

“THEY HAD A DAY WHERE YOU COULD COME AND

six-foot-three teenager EXCELLED IN BASEBALL,

TRY OUT AS A WALK-ON, SO I WENT … Basically it’s like a

BASKETBALL AND SOCCER, earning all-state honors in

cal. I’ve always been able to run fast and jump — those things have

all three sports (the private school didn’t field a football team until 2005, the year Gilsleider graduated).

mini (pro) combine. You do your 40, your bench press, your verti-

always come natural to me, so I WAS PRETTY CONFIDENT.”

Gilsleider excelled at the speed and agility drills but was worried

his complete lack of football experience would be exposed.

“I was pretty leery of exposing the fact that I had never played football because I didn’t want that stigma,” he says. “I’m sure it stuck out like a sore thumb, but I just kind of worked my way around the questions, like ‘Where are you from? Where did you play?’”

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 75

4/13/16 15:09

.

VVlnSPORT

••

CANADA

Being able to go to the Olympics and represent your country is something that very few people are able to do.

With a 4.5 second 40-yard dash time,

college was just about playing baseball,

the lanky junior earned a spot on the roster

and then I got hurt. So I never got into it.

with the wide receivers. His introduction

“When I got to OSU I was six-three, 190

to Division I football — or any football for

pounds, and by the time I left after my two-

that matter — came from Rob Glass ,

and-a-half years there with Coach Glass, I

OSU’s assistant athletic director for ath-

was about 215.”

letic performance.

“To be honest, I HAD NEVER SPENT ANY TIME IN A WEIGHT ROOM UNTIL MY FIRST WORKOUT with Coach Glass,”

Gilsleider admits. “OH, MAN! I DIDN’T

Gilsleider saw limited duty on the gridiron, but says he cherishes the time he spent in a Cowboy uniform, INCLUDING TRIPS TO THE Pacific Life Holiday Bowl AND AT&T Cotton Bowl. A number of

UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING

his teammates will go down as all-time

ON. He was asking me to do stuff that

greats at OSU.

should’ve been normal for anybody that

76

had lifted weights, and I’M OVER HERE LOOKING LIKE I HAVE NO CLUE

ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON. That

“Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon, Brandon Pettigrew, Russell Okung, Zac Robinson … and Brandon Weeden is one of my

was quite the experience. Because I went

really good friends. At the time, he was

to such a small school and played every

an unknown, so we were just hanging out,

sport, it wasn’t like I had any off time to

talking baseball.”

ever get in the weight room. And junior

SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 76

4/13/16 15:09

The former pitchers would warm up

that MY KNEECAP WAS ACTUALLY

By 2012, Gilsleider was living and work-

together on the sideline, where Gildsleider

OFF-CENTER . Every time I walked or

ing in Oklahoma City when he finally

got to experience Weeden’s rifle arm

did anything, it blew up on me.

decided to get his own knee fixed.

firsthand.

“To be honest, after having a career-

“It got to the point where I couldn’t keep

“When we’d warm up, Zac would warm

ending shoulder surgery, I was a little

my knee bent for longer than 15-20 min-

up with Dez, and Weeden would just chunk

scared that all of a sudden I was going to

utes without it starting to throb,” he says.

have another so I didn’t really divulge that

“Looking back, it was a very simple knee

it to me. I was like, ‘My gosh!’ PLAYING

BASEBALL IN OKL AHOMA YOU

to the coaches or training staff. I JUST

procedure. Within a month I was back to

HE ARD THE WEEDEN NAME . He

TRIED TO TOUGH IT OUT AND NOT

sprinting and playing basketball and doing

and his younger brother were high draft

LET IT AFFECT ME. But it obviously

things pain-free that I hadn’t done pain-

picks. I had played summer ball against

did. I just tried to go up there every day

free in four or five years.”

TY (Weeden) so I knew of the family and

and show the coaches that I was willing

their baseball ability. It wasn’t any surprise

to be out there.”

pick-up basketball, he later latched on

to me that he could absolutely hum it.”

Majoring in health promotion and education with an emphasis on exercise science, Gilsleider grav-

with the OKLAHOMA DEFENDERS , a

itated back toward the west end zone

LETICS PAIN-FREE AGAIN,” he says.

As a senior, Gilsleider became a valuable contributor on the sideline, thanks to an inventive play calling technique pioneered by the OSU staff. The offensive coaches asked Gilsleider to hold the LARGE, ILLUSTRATED SIGNS THAT INCLUDED A CODED SYSTEM OF COLORFUL LETTERS, NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS — eventually evolving into humorous pop

football facilities during his final semester on campus.

“Thanks to Coach Glass and Coach

(Gary) Calcagno , I REALLY JUST ROOM ,” he says. “I saw the transformation

and cartoon characters.

that it put on my body. And knowing who

“WE WERE THE FIRST TEAM TO

those two are in the strength and condi-

DO THE WHOLE CARD SYSTEM,”

tioning world, there’s no better people to

he says. “You raise it up, and the offense

learn from. So right after I got done play-

looks over … Depending on which card

ing, I interned down there for a semester.”

what we were doing.”

That same year, Gilsleider began experiencing knee trouble.

professional arena football team in Tulsa.

“THAT WAS FUN, PLAYING ATH-

“I actually got to play with Hubert

Anyiam and Isaiah Anderson , both teammates of mine from OSU.”

FELL IN LOVE WITH THE WEIGHT

culture pictures including Hollywood stars

I flipped over in which slot, it told them

Not only did he get back to playing

A stint in Dallas at the MICHAEL JOHNSON PERFORMANCE CENTER fol-

lowed, and a chance encounter changed the course of his athletic pursuits once again.

“I started having some pretty bad knee

“When I was down there, I met an ath-

problems,” he says. “I knew it was more

lete by the name of JOHNNY QUINN. He

than tendinitis. Something else was wrong.

played football at North Texas and had a

I went from running a 4.5 to about a 4.7,

‘cup of coffee’ in the NFL with the Packers

and my vertical dropped from a 38-and-a-

and Bills. He ended up hurting his knee

half inches to a 35 … After I finished play-

and was in the process of rehabbing it. I

ing, I went to a specialist and he discovered

got to know him, and we stayed in touch.”

Meanwhile, Gilsleider learned that Quinn had traded in his football cleats for a pair of bobsled spikes. Seeing his old friend in red, white and

77

blue piqued his own interest in the sport.

“JOHNNY ACTUALLY MADE THE

2014 SOCHI GAMES,” Gilsleider says.

“SO I REACHED OUT TO HIM AND G OT HIS FEEL FOR IT … ‘ WHAT DOES IT TAKE? WHAT’S IT LIKE? IS IT WORTH IT?”’

Gilsleider got the answers and encouragement he was seeking and drove to

Colorado Springs to participate in a Team

USA regional combine .

POSSE

Gilsleider.indd 77

4/18/16 15:50

“Basically, like most athletes, I WAS

lot of movement,” he says. “But nearly all of

HUMAN BEINGS — anywhere from

BLINDLY SELF-CONFIDENT,” he says.

them decided it was time to move on and

200- to 245-pound men — JUMPING IN

“I went into it like, ‘If you’re asking me to

pursue other ventures in life. Now, most

A CARBON-FIBER SHELL AT THE

run, jump and push weight, I’m pretty

of us are rookies or second-year guys, so

SAME TIME so that can get kind of com-

confident I can do that with the best of

things move quite a bit. There are oppor-

plicated when you’re doing it full speed

them because of everything Coach Glass

tunities to move up or down.”

on ice. They start you out on a two-man, There are places in there for you to hold

run your 30-meter dash and get points

One of a dozen brakemen on the roster, Gilsleider has been running in the No. 3 two-man sled, paired with driver NICK

based on your time and so on … I did very

CUNNINGHAM , a sergeant in the Army

possible, nice and low.

well. WITH MY POINTS ADDED UP,

and former track athlete at Boise State.

did for me.’

“It’s a point system,” he added. “You

and you take it pretty slow your first time. on, and you try to get as aerodynamic as “ IT’S BAS I CALLY A BAP TIS M -

OF ALL THE COMBINES SO THEY

The duo recently took sixth at the 2016 World Championships on their

WERE EAGER TO HAVE ME COME

home course, finishing as the second-fast-

ice, it’s really no different than running

OUT TO LAKE PLACID AND GIVE

est Americans.

on anything else as long as you stay on

I GOT LIKE SECOND OR THIRD OUT

IT A GO. I could just tell they were very

keen on me, and that gave me confidence in my ability. Also, knowing the type of athlete that Johnny Quinn is, that’s who I size myself up with.

The top two Team USA sleds will earn a trip to the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

“MY GOAL NEXT YEAR IS TO HOPEFULLY BE ON SLED 2 OR SLED 1.

BY-FIRE KIND OF THING. If you can

get over the fact that you’re running on

your spikes, which are just on your forefoot. Other than that, you just don’t think about it and run like you normally would.”

Depending on the track, speeds can exceed 90 miles per hour.

“IF YOU MEET ALL THE CRITERIA

Right now, with the growth that I made in

“ WHISTLER, CANADA , has the fast-

THEN THEY GET PRETTY EXCITED

my rookie season, it’s very possible. I’m

est track in the world,” Gilsleider says. “IN

BECAUSE NOW THEY CAN JUST

just trying to work my way up so it’s just

TWO-MAN, WE HIT 94, 95 MILES AN

MOLD YOU AND TEACH YOU THE

a grind. I’ve just got to continue to grow,

HOUR. Here in LAKE PLACID , you’re

ACTUAL ART OF BOBSLEDDING.”

continue to learn. Really, it sounds cliché,

typically in the low 80s because it’s so

but so much of what I learned from Coach

technical with so many turns.

on Team USA.

it every day here. It’s helped me out so far.”

AS THE MOST TECHNICAL AND

Typically, bobsled pilots will command

ROUGHEST ON OUR BODIES, SO

in my rookie season, that’s where those

both a two- and four-man sled, Gilsleider

IT’S AN ADVANTAGE IN A WAY, THAT

Olympic dreams started becoming a real-

explains, with brakemen chosen from

WHENE VER WE DO R ACE HERE ,

ity. You start thinking, ‘Hey, there’s a real

among the remaining roster. It’s the brake-

WE’RE WELL PREPARED. It’s also an

possibility here.’”

men’s job to give an all-out push at the

advantage that when you go other places,

Gilsleider quickly caught on to the unique sport, earning an official roster spot “After I made the World Cup team

(Mike) Gundy and Coach Glass I apply

“OUR HOME TRACK IS KNOWN

Gilsleider is part of a youth movement for Team USA, which has opened the door for firsttime Olympic hopefuls.

start of a race, get in and then just hang

you’re kind of like, ‘Oh wow, that was easy.

on, only engaging the brake after the sled

My body’s fine.’”

“There were about eight guys who had

“ THE HARD PART OF THE FOUR-

crosses the finish line.

Gilsleider admits he wasn’t ready for his first bobsled run.

been here a long time and were very suc-

MAN IS THE LOAD,” he says. “YOU’RE

“It’s really hard to describe,” Gilsleider

cessful in the sport so there wasn’t a whole

T RY I N G T O G E T FO U R L A R G E

says. “It’s so violent and rough and you

78 SPRING 2016

POSSE book.indb 78

4/13/16 15:09

THE PURSUIT OF OLYMPIC DREAMS IS OFTEN A FULL-TIME JOB THAT DOESN’T PAY LIKE ONE …

BUT IT’S ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME. can’t see anything, and you’ve just got

BUT IT’S ALSO A BLESSING FOR

to hold on and do your best. I THINK

ME BECAUSE IT’S THE OPPORTU-

SOMEONE LIKENED IT TO GETTING

NITY OF A LIFETIME. Being able to go

PLACED IN A TIN TRASHCAN AND

to the Olympics and represent your coun-

GET TING KICKED DOWN A HILL.

try is something that very few people are

I think that’s probably the best analogy

able to do.”

I’ve heard for it.”

And that’s just the successful runs.

Crashes are not uncommon in the sport.

“I’ve crashed once … pretty good. We were going at Whistler, the fastest track in

GILSLEIDER SPENDS MUCH OF THE YE AR IN L AKE PL ACID, TRAINING AND TRAVELING FOR C O M P E T I T I O N S . It ’s become his

home-away-from-Oklahoma.

the world. There’s a section of turn called

“Whenever you’re in season, you’re

‘50/50’ because you’ve got a 50 percent

traveling so much, but our home base is

chance of coming out of there … we flipped

here in Lake Placid and they have a train-

all the way upside down. We were riding on

ing center here. We have rooms they’ll let

our backs. YOU WEAR THESE BURN

you stay in between races. In the summer,

VESTS UNDERNEATH THAT BASI-

in the offseason, depending on your rank-

CALLY KEEP YOU FROM GETTING

ing, you also may have housing here. They

ROAD RASH so luckily we had that. It

have training table — three meals a day, all

was pretty scary.”

the snacks you want — so it’s very good.”

Gilsleider says he doesn’t dwell on the inherent dangers.

Bobsledders consume — and burn — a lot of calories in a typical day.

“To be honest, I don’t really think about

“When you do training runs, it’s typi-

it much. For me, it’s just another sport.

cally just two runs a day because of the

You do crash, but that’s just what happens.

time it takes. In the mornings I sprint, in

For me, it’s a question of whether I feel

the afternoons I lift and we have a prac-

like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

tice push track here. IT’S A FULL DAY

Do I feel like doors are opening up? I’ve

… YOU’RE LOOKING AT 6-8 HOURS

prayed about it a lot so I feel very comfort-

A DAY OF TRAINING.”

able with it. I’M DOING WELL HERE.”

The pursuit of Olympic dreams is often

There are no big money contracts for Olympic bobsled hopefuls. No lucrative endorsement deals.

some won’t if they’re lucky enough to find

“It’s a sacrifice,” Gilsleider says. “But for

funding in other ways. For me, I’ve been

a full-time job that doesn’t pay like one.

“Some guys will work in the offseason,

me, I’ve come to the realization that IF

fortunate enough to have some funding

YOU DON’T ENJOY YOUR JOB, IT

through a non-profit Olympic training fund

DOESN’T MATTER THE AMOUNT OF

to help with travel and other expenses.

MONEY YOU MAKE. I know this is the

Also, if you make it to certain levels on

realm I need to be in to be happy. If this

the national team, they give you stipends

leads to a strength and conditioning job

so you can make a little bit of money to

down the line or to opening up my own

help you out. I’M DEFINITELY NOT IN

performance facility, I don’t know. But I

THIS FOR THE MONEY! ”

Throughout his journey, Gilsleider has stayed true to his roots.

“I’m really proud of where I’m from,” he says, “TO MAKE IT AS FAR AS I HAVE TO THIS POINT, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH GROWING UP IN OKLAHOMA, my family, my school … AS WELL AS MY TIME AT OSU. Coach

Glass always says, ‘THERE’S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.’ THAT’S SOMETHING I LIVE

BY EVERY DAY, to try to be dedicated

79

to my craft and outwork the next person.

I BELIEVE THAT WILL GET ME TO THE OLYMPICS.”

know that I just need to be around it. IS IT A SACRIFICE FINANCIALLY? YES,

POSSE

POSSE book.indb 79

4/13/16 15:09

Posse and State Ad Spring 2016 bleeds.pdf 1 3/1/2016 4:45:38 PM

Connecting Students, Alumni, and Employers

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Career Fairs

-

Job Postings

-

Online Résumés

-

On-Campus Recruiting

Oklahoma State University Career Services 360 Student Union, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078 careers@okstate.edu 405-744-5253 HireOSUgrads.com

ads set 06.indd 80

4/13/16 16:37

Where STATE ly TradiTion

Meets ModernElegance

Lunch served Monday thru Friday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Dinner served Tuesday thru Saturday 5 p.m.–9 p.m.

405-744-BEEF (2333) theRanchersClub.com 405-744-6835 AthertonHotelatOSU.com

ads set 06.indd 81 Ath/Ran ad 04 13.indd 1

4/13/16 4/13/16 17:04 17:00

Walk PARK

'"fRAV~GS

THE

A IN

SPRING IS A TIME OF RENEWAL AND REGENERATION. It’s when icy winter melts into a hundred new colors, shapes and allergy inducing spores. The grass begins to grow, even without fertilizer. Especially on a baseball diamond. A poet once said, “I think that I shall never see, a thing as lovely as a tree.” That guy must have never seen a FRESHLY MOWED BASEBALL FIELD.

Do you recall what it was like the first time you walked into a baseball park? One that was well taken care of? Beautiful. Allie P. Reynolds baseball field is such a place .

If an alien landed in your back yard and asked you to explain baseball ... could you?

IT’S A GAME WHERE a guy with a club

and ketchup. But we wolf them down in

the explosion that was famous Kansas City

stands next to a plate that’s buried in the

record numbers in baseball parks across

Royal George Brett, as he came rocket-

ground while another guy who is perched

the country. Peanuts and sunflower seeds

ing out of the dugout in Yankee Stadium

on an elevated mound hurls a hard ball at

have come and gone, and come back again.

after his homer was called an out because of pine tar on his bat. Now that was emo-

the other guy at speeds of up to 100 MPH.

I played in a sixteen-and-under game

The second guy’s job is to defend himself

once where a friend of mine was enjoy-

tion spilled out! Google it. George Brett

with the club and hit the ball past a bunch

ing a huge handful of sunflower seeds.

was worn out after that tirade.

of other guys randomly standing in a field.

The problem was he was playing right-

Whether the alien would understand

Then you run to a series of bases before

field at the time and had a fly ball hit to

your description of the great game of

they tag you out, a blending of another

him. The results were not good. It seems

baseball is up for debate. What’s not is

unrelated childhood game.

and experience the game. It’s slower paced.

depends on the team and the player. Hats

ENON takes us all the way back to little

are worn. Back in the good old days, they

league baseball. Remember Big League

had curved bills. No longer. The flat bill is in.

Chew, FunDip (a candy stick you dipped into flavored powder) and those long thin sticks of green apple and grape flavored gum? GOOD TIMES.

Baseball even has its own brand of language. Eccentric phrases like: Ducks

on the pond. Rock and fire. Gap band. Touch them all. It’s a no no. Come on, blue!

EVERY SPORT HAS ITS OWN EMO-

Some forms of communication are exhibited by inaudible hand signals. A potpourri of gestures, winks, claps,

Those displays are hard to miss in base-

THEN THERE IS THE FOOD. Can

Oriole Manager Earl Weaver were both

someone explain to me why a hotdog

Picassos of petulance. Their spitting, cursing, entertaining, funny onelined assaults on umpires were just part of the show. And who can forget

82

brushes, pointing and stomps.

tastes so much better in a ballpark than it does anywhere else? I mean, it’s processed meat and bread with a little mustard

SPRING 2016

TION, and emotions spill out at times.

ball. Sometimes coaches get upset at the umpires. Yankee Skipper Billy Martin and

And that’s ok. All the stuff causing you stress will wait. ONE OF THE MOST PLEASANT

PLACES TO WATCH BASEBALL IS RIGHT HERE IN STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA. Coach Holliday

does a fantastic job and our team represents Oklahoma State well. Take me out

to the ball game, with a curved bill baseball cap ... IN ORANGE.

GO POKES!

KYLE WRAY VICE PRESIDENT ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT & MARKETING K Y L E W R AY O S U

13!!

THE MEMORIES OF THIS PHENOM-

how much fun it is to just relax, sit back

~

They may be short or they may be long. It

THERE IS MANDATORY ATTIRE.

-

Modified pajamas. Knickers on steroids.

we always have to be shoving some type of munchie into our mouths between innings.

@ K Y L E W R AY O S U

POSSE book.indb 82

4/13/16 15:09

Beginning August 23, you’ll be able to access the world with two daily hassle-free flights to D/FW from Stillwater. Factor in free parking and quick boarding with short lines. Factor out travel time and expense to either OKC or Tulsa, and you’ll see the convenience and simplicity of Stillwater Regional Airport and American Airlines.

How to get around the car buying maze.

Byford Auto Group.

Time is money. Save both.

Fly Stillwater.

AUTO GROUP

CHICKASHA • DUNCAN • OKC

Stt{i~°&t FlyStillwaterOK.com

AmericanAirlines~Aircraft operated by Envoy ®

BYFORD BUICK GMC – CHICKASHA • 2900 S. Hwy. 81 n BYFORD CHEVY BUICK GMC – DUNCAN • 1909 N. Hwy. 81 BYFORD CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM – DUNCAN • 307 N. Hwy. 81 n BYFORD MOTORS – OKC • I-240 & Shields

800-752-2360 ByfordAutoGroup.com BAG 02-06-16 Posse Magazine.indd 1 cover.indd 2

2/29/16 11:06 AM

6424.FLYSTW_STATE_ad.indd 1

3/31/16 10:40 AM 4/13/16 4:23 PM

S P R I N G 2016

COWBOY FOOTBALL EVOLVES PAGE 26 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF OSU ATHLETICS

VOL UM E 9

4/13/16 4:23 PM cover.indd 1