POSSE - December 2012

d e c e m b e r 2012

The official magazine of OSU Athletics

Vol. 6

No. 2

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Thanks for supporting another exciting season of OSU sports.

It was good to see so many of you at the games, helping us set a season ticket sales record for football. We hope that many of you will continue to support the team by joining the Cowboys for the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the Cotton Bowl Jan. 1.

Tickets are selling at a brisk pace, and it is vitally important for the future bowls to see a large turnout of orange clad fans for this game.

It’s been pretty exciting

Greetings, OSU fans.

around here the past couple of months. The Men’s Cross Country team just captured its third national title in four years, and the 51st NCAA championship for the university (which is the most in the Big 12),

and the men’s basketball team, the women’s basketball team and the wrestling team are all nationally ranked. As I’ve often said, there’s never been a better time to be an OSU fan.

There’s also never been a better time to get season tickets for basketball and wrestling. We’re approaching the conference portions of the schedules and there are a lot of exciting games and matches to attend.

Give our ticket office a call, and they’ll help you find some great seats.

A big reason we’ve been so successful is the outstanding support of our donors. Your contributions give our student-athletes an opportunity to dream big with a realistic chance of having those dreams come true.

4

As always, thank you for your continued support of OSU athletics.

Go Pokes!

MIKE HOLDER december 2012

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Former OSU Men’s Golf Coach OSU Class of 1973

the

PLAYBOOK

DECEMBER 2012 VOL.6 NO.2

features

22 HE’LL BE BACK … ON TOP! 32 COWGIRL UP 40 AMERICAN DREAMERS 56 COWBOYS GET SMART-ER 62 BEHIND THE SCENES 72 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPS

departments

4

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

20 THE 150 78 PARKING MAP 82 WRAYVINGS

5

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL SHOCKLEY

50 triple threat

Quinn Sharp

PHOTO/GARY LAWSON

Nevermind the best kicker, Quinn Sharp may be the best special teams weapon in the country.

POSSE

posse pokes iii P O S S E M a g a z i n e S t a f f V ic e Pre sid e nt of Enr o llm e nt Manag e m e nt / Marke ting Edito r

Ar t Di re cto r / D e sign e r

Paul V. Fleming

D i re cto r o f Ph otog rap hy

Phil Shockley

Clay Billman

assistant e dito r

Ross Maute

Assistant Ar t D ire cto r / D e sign e r

As we approach another holiday season I wanted to provide you with a quick reminder that NCAA rules prohibit our student-athletes, or even their family or friends, from receiving any special benefit that would not be available to the general student

Cont r i buting Wr it e r s

Matt Elliott , gene johnson

cont r i buting Ph otog r ap he r s

•

Gary Lawson, Bruce waterfield

A t h l e t i c s A n n u a l G i v i n g ( P O S S E ) D e v e l opme n t S t a f f associat e Athletic Dire ctor / e xte rna l affai r s Assistant D e v e lop m ent D i recto r

Jesse Martin

Ellen Ayres

Pre m iu m S e r vic e s D ire cto r

Karyl Henry

would include: holiday gifts, free drinks or

Pu blications C oo r dinato r

Clay Billman

meals, special discounts not available to the

Pr ogr a m s C oo r dinato r / B en e f its

general public and free or discounted services.

Ev e nt C oo r dinato r / G am e D ay Park ing Manage r

body. Some examples of such extra benefits

I know these restrictions may make me sound like a bit of a Grinch, but every year institutions have to turn in violations based on their student-athletes’ receipt of impermissible gifts. I am sure the last thing you would want to do would be to jeopardize the eligibility of one of our players, or even place the University in a position to be sanctioned by the NCAA. The Athletics Department is extremely

Athle tic D eve lopm e nt Assistant

D i re cto r o f D e ve l opm e nt / Athle tics Pr oje ct Manag e r

OSU POSSE 10 2 Athle tics Ce nte r S ti llwate r, OK 74 0 78 -5 0 70

again, we would like to thank you in advance

F 405-744-9084

Happy

Holidays,

Ben Dyson Assistant Athletic Director/ Compliance

6

Larry Reece

Matt Grantham

Shawn Taylor

P 405-744-7301

free to call me at 405-744-8166.

James Batley

Stephanie Boese

Associat e Athletic Dire ctor / D eve lopm ent

program by our loyal POSSE members. Once

you have any questions or comments, feel

Mary Lewis

A t h l e t i c s M a j o r G i f t D e v e l opme n t S t a f f

appreciative of all the support shown to our

for your cooperation and support. Should

Kyle Wray

Cory Cheney

okstateposse.com posse@okstate.edu ADVERTISING '1!111 EDITORIAL

okstateposse @OSUPOSSE

4 0 5 . 74 4 . 73 0 1

4 0 5 . 74 4 . 719 2

Donations received may be transferred to Cowboy Athletics, Inc. in accordance with the Joint Resolution among Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma State University Foundation, and Cowboy Athletics, Inc. POSSE magazine is published four times a year by Oklahoma State University Athletic Department and the POSSE, and is mailed to current members of the POSSE. Magazine subscriptions available by membership in the POSSE only. Membership is $150 annually. Postage paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures.

This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. Title IX of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision of services or benefits offered by the University based on gender. Any person (student, faculty or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based upon gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with the OSU Title IX Coordinator, Mackenzie Wilfong, J.D., Director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, (405) 744-5371 or (405) 744-5576 (fax).

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the Assistant Athletic Director, POSSE, was printed by Southwestern Stationers at a cost of $0.9577 per issue. 10M/Dec 2012/#4521.

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.

About the Covers: You might notice we have a front and a back cover this issue. The original plan was to feature Marcus Smart (Men’s Basketball), Tiffany Bias (Women’s Basketball) and Tyler Caldwell (Wresting), all stars for their respective sports. Then Cross Country had to go ahead and win its third national championship in four seasons. That gave us two good covers to choose from. Good problem to have, right? Why not use both? So we put

Cross Country on the cover (there’s a fantastic story by Clay Billman featuring the two student athletes in the picture —

Joseph Manilafasha and Girma Mecheso), and shifted Marcus, Tiffany and Tyler to the back. Both covers were shot by our in-house genius photographer, Phil Shockley. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Go Pokes!

december 2012

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It’s an

u n d e r s tat e m e n t

to say things have changed.

Back in the “old days” of the 20th century, if you wanted news about Oklahoma State athletics, you had to watch it on one of the local networks or read about it in your regional newspaper.

8 december 2012

You have to go where the fans are, and they are consuming media in an entirely different way. Our fans will watch entire games online, and rely on blogs for more and more information. They have constant access to powerful social media sites like Twitter and Facebook everywhere they are, thanks to smart phones and tablets.

In order to give our fans more of what they want, we are fully integrating multiple levels of social media into our daily communications and marketing materials.

If you visit Okstate.com and check out the sports tab, each team has its own Twitter and Facebook page. Each team also has its own Twitter personality (depending on who’s posting the updates), and fans can follow road games and trips with behind-the-scenes insight that just wasn’t possible with traditional media.

Things have evolved. No longer are fans limited to just the coach’s post-game press conferences. They can get daily practice information and player interviews. They can get to know players and coaches on a more personal level. Fans might even get a retweet or response back from one of the players or coaches.

Social media plays a huge role in promoting our Olympic sports that do not enjoy the same amount of media coverage as say, football or men’s basketball. If you follow the Cowgirl softball team on Twitter, you can get inning-by-inning updates; following the Twitter feed can make you feel like you’re still part of the action if you can’t be there in person.

Personally, I love the accessibility of it all. As long as you have a connection to the Internet, you have a connection to OSU athletics. You can stay connected at home or on the road, and it’s great for when you’re sitting in the airport waiting to catch a plane to our next away game.

OSU is right there in the palm of your hand.

If you’ve seen any of our marketing materials lately, like perhaps when you bought a collector’s soda cup at Boone Pickens Stadium, you’ll know that we’ve started putting our social media branding on everything. We want to make it easy for you to find whatever OSU information you want. You’ll always have quick access to our content. If you’re surfing, the specific page you need to bookmark is: www.okstate.com/marketing/ twitter.html.

On that page, you’ ll find links to

Facebook , Twitter and Foursquare accounts for all our teams and programs, our venues and more. There are also direct links to Twitter accounts for many of our coaches, staff and other OSU “personalities,” such as Coach Gundy (@CoachGundy), Larry Reece (@ CowboyVoice), and of course, Boone Pickens (@BoonePickens).

With traditional media, sometimes it is easy to forget that coaches and players, who are celebrities of a sort, are actually people. With social media, you’re getting to know the real person. Of course, that can have unintended consequences. Once it’s on the Internet, it’s forever, so you’d better be careful what you say.

Facebook is the most heavily-used social media platform right now, and for us it’s like an extension of our website. It’s quick-hit access to OSU content hosted in other places, such as YouTube, Twitter, Okstate.com, or even major news websites. You can find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/osuathletics.

Our YouTube page (www. youtube.com/osuathletics) boasts more than 3,300 subscribers, and has had more than four and a half million video views. You can catch everything from a post-practice interview to a season preview by Cowboy wrestling head coach John Smith. If you want to relive the highlights from the latest Cowboy or Cowgirl basketball game, they’re up. Our YouTube page is basically our own video network.

The best part about OSU and social media is that much like when you joined the POSSE, you become a part of the team. A fan can take a tweet from Coach Gundy and retweet it, which provides the opportunity for what Coach said to reach an even wider audience. OSU gets more exposure, and more interest is generated for our programs.

As always, if you know someone who would like to purchase season tickets or join the POSSE, call us at 877-ALL4-OSU (877-255-4678) or visit www.okstate.com. Annual donations to Athletics totaling $150 or more qualify for membership in the POSSE and include an annual subscription to the award-winning POSSE magazine, the POSSE star for your automobile, and an educational tax deduction.

We are very appreciative of your consideration and support of OSU athletics!

The POSSE is your Team Behind the Teams!

Jesse Martin associate AD / External Affairs Oklahoma State Athletics

jesse.martin@okstate.edu 405-744-3322

9

Although social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook do make prospects and studentathletes more accessible, it’s important to remember NCAA rules still prevent boosters from communicating with prospects through these means. Several schools have turned in NCAA violations recently due to messages sent by their boosters to prospects. Please help us avoid a similar violation at OSU and leave the recruiting to our coaches. If you have questions, please feel free to contact our Office of Athletic Compliance at 405-744-7862.

POSSE

10 Photography by bruce waterfield december 2012

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12 december 2012

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The Official Story Kent Houck is like most OSU athletics donors.

He’s a proud Oklahoma State alumnus. He’s a successful businessman.

He gives back to the university, and he loves OSU athletics. In fact, he and his wife, Barbara, have season tickets to almost everything, and they attend as many games and matches as they can.

But Houck wasn’t always in the stands. He was on the field. He used to be an official in the Big 8. You know, those guys in the striped shirts football fans either love or hate, depending on the call. Houck officiated 17 bowl games, two of which were for national championships.

National Championship — 1983 Sugar Bowl

“We try to contribute to athletics here at OSU because … they make a difference in the lives of young people. …

“The coaches here care about you. You’re not just another number.”

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portrait by phil shockley december 2012

He didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming an official. He grew up playing sports.

Houck went to Oklahoma Christian University on a baseball scholarship, and would have stayed there if the university hadn’t cancelled the program.

“They decided to eliminate their baseball program and concentrate on track and basketball, which they were really strong in during the 1960s” says Houck.

“So I came back to OSU and walked on.

There were five of us. The OSU coach basically told us, ‘If you guys were any good, I would’ve given you a scholarship out of high school.’ I understood. He had a full roster.”

But Houck didn’t want to be finished with sports, and struck upon the idea of becoming a baseball umpire. So he visited a friend of his, W.C. “Bill” Taylor, who had officiated a lot of Houck’s high school baseball games, and asked him how he could get into “umping.” Taylor offered to take Houck under his wing.

“He and Pert Butler took me under their wing that spring,” says Houck. “I umpired a lot of games with them. Cushing, Perry, Glencoe, Chandler … Back in those days, the baseball coach at these small schools was usually the head football coach.

They started asking me, ‘Houck, when are you going to ref football? ’ Well, I never really played football. I hadn’t given it a thought.

They thought I’d be a better football ref because I hadn’t played the game, and I’d be watching what I should as a ref and not just watching the game.”

So the next fall, Butler and Taylor added him to their two-man football crew. Back then (circa 1962), according to Houck, officiating crews only consisted of two men: a referee and an umpire. Houck went to Dupree Sports on the Strip to get his equipment – shirt, pants, shoes, cap, flag and whistle, and was ready to learn the ropes.

His first game was at Pawnee Junior High School. Taylor and Butler took him through a pre-game warm-up.

“Mr. Butler said, ‘Houck, let me see your flag.’ So

I showed him my flag. Then Mr. Taylor said, ‘Now let me see your whistle.’ So I gave him my whistle. Then he said, ‘Now if you do a good job, we’ll give them back to you after the game is finished.’ They didn’t want me to get them in trouble for blowing an inadvertent whistle or throwing a flag when I didn’t know what I was doing. ‘You just tell us what you see and hustle the football.’ They put me at head linesman.

“That whole season they took me along to every high school game, every junior high game, every B game … I must’ve worked 20 or 25 football games with those guys without a whistle or a flag. By the end of the season they said, ‘Houck, you’re going to make a good official.’ ” Following football season, he began officiating basketball games. He’d played on the Stillwater High state championship basketball team, so he was comfortable refereeing the sport. He picked up John Klinger, another Stillwater businessman, to help. After basketball, he umpired baseball again.

The next fall, he decided to form his own crew for football.

“Instead of having three officials, I got four. John, my basketball partner, was my umpire. Then I got Dick Clark, he was my State Farm agent, and Russell Robins, my barber. The four of us in 1963 formed the first four-man officiating crew in Oklahoma. We’d call the schools around here, and tell them they’d only have to pay for three, and we’d bring the fourth for free. Well, after we worked that season, all the coaches realized that four officials did a much better job than three. So they started hiring four officials.”

He worked high school games with that crew until 1972. In 1965, Kenny Gallagher, commissioner of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference at the time, asked if they wanted to move to college refereeing. So they did that until 1971. Houck was a pilot and had his own airplane, so the OIC sent him all over the state refereeing basketball and football. (He received his pilot’s license his sophomore year at

OSU, which made getting around to the games much easier.)

In the fall of 1969, he got a phone call from a man named Artie Palk.

“I didn’t know Artie,” says Houck. “He said, ‘I understand you’re a certified football official. Do you have a game tonight?’

And that particular Friday night, I hadn’t taken a game because I was serving as youth minister at my church. He said, ‘My head official just had an emergency appendectomy. I need someone to go to Muskogee and work the Tulsa Washington/ Muskogee game.’ I said I’d be happy to help. So I drove to Tulsa and got in a car with these three guys I’d never met – Artie Palk, Bill Blackburn and Gerald Glass — and then worked the game in Muskogee.”

After the game, Blackburn asked Houck if he’d ever thought about refereeing in the Big 8.

“I’d just met these guys about four hours ago, so I just popped back, ‘Well, sure, doesn’t everybody want to be in the Big 8?’ He said, ‘No, we’re serious.

Mr. Palk and I are in the Big 8. You’re a pretty good official, and we’d like to put you on the JV list.’”

Back in the ‘60s, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity level, so most universities had a junior varsity team.

Those teams would play games on Friday afternoons. Houck attended the Big 8 officiating camp that next fall and began officiating in the Big 8. By 1972, he graduated to the varsity level and joined the “Oklahoma Crew” with Palk, Blackburn, Phil Leonard and Vance Carlson.

That crew officiated the 1978 game between Texas and Notre Dame. Going into the contest, Texas was ranked No. 1, Notre Dame No. 5. The Irish upset the ‘Horns, and teams ranked two, three and four also lost, and the Irish ended up as national champs.

“When we were assigned to that game, four of us were from Oklahoma. Hal Lair, commissioner for the SW Conference wrote a letter to the Big 8 that said, ‘You can’t assign four Oklahoma officials to work a Texas game.’

“After the ball game, Hal came into the dressing room and didn’t give us an

15

s t o ry

continues

POSS£

111111 “I never had a bad experience in the 20 years I officiated.” apology, but said, ‘I wanted to tell you that was the finest officiated football game I’ve ever witnessed.’ ” “That was a really strong crew. Those six guys meshed together well. Vance Carlson, I would say, is the greatest official college has ever known. In fact, when he retired from officiating, we had a big party for him. Barry Switzer, Tom Osborne and other big-name coaches were there.

He was that well thought of. There’s not been anyone better.

“As a crew we worked that many bowl games and two national championships.

When you think that there are 10,000 officials in America and most of them never get to work a bowl game, and especially not national championship … For our crew to get to work two is pretty impressive.

Again, I was in the right place at the right time. I would’ve never met Artie Palk and Bill Blackburn if I hadn’t been off that night.

“That crew was together for around 20 years. Vance, Artie and I were together until 1988. The Big 8 used to have a rule that you retired at 56. NFL doesn’t have one. They relinquished that a little bit, raised it to 58. Vance’s last game was the Aloha Bowl in 1984.”

Houck continued to officiate until 1992, and the 1991 Holiday Bowl was his final bowl game. The NFL called, but he turned them down. He wasn’t interested.

“In my opinion, the game is still at the collegiate level. I would rather work 10 national championships than one NFL game. If you go to the NFL, they own you lock, stock and barrel,” he says.

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december 2012

Houck’s seen the officiating game change over the years, and fears that it’s become too much about the officials themselves, and less about officiating a great game of football.

“We felt like it was our responsibility to go out and officiate a game so that no one even knew there were officials on the field, and may the best team win.

“If I made a mistake, one of the other guys on the crew would walk by me without looking and say, ‘Houck, you didn’t see what you thought you saw. Pick up your flag.’ Our philosophy was a mistake by one was a mistake by all. We were there for the game. Let’s hope no one notices we’re on the field. There were several times we bailed each other out.”

Houck says he met a lot of great people over the years, and speaks highly of many of the old Big 8 coaches, such as Tom Osborne, Switzer, Dan Devine, Jim Stanley and Pat Jones, as well as Terry Donahue, Pat Dye and Lou Holtz.

“I never had a bad experience in the 20 years I officiated,” says Houck. “I was not involved in any controversy. I was never in a game decided by any kind of bad calls.

I met some wonderful coaches. I consider some of them good friends. I could pick up the phone and call Tom Osborne.

Tom and I have always had a great relationship. Switzer and I are very close. He’s done a lot of good things for me. He has a great heart. I run summer camps for kids.

I have an auction, and Barry’s always been willing to autograph anything I needed.”

Houck also had a good relationship with Joe Paterno. “He was a very classy individual. I have a hard time hearing some of the things people have said about him.

I think he did what he thought he should do. And the people above him probably didn’t follow through like he would have wished. He never mistreated his kids. Never cussed them. There are coaches I would never let my kid play for.

“Osbourne, Paterno, Holtz … some of those guys are very classy people. I think Gundy is doing an excellent job. He treats his kids right. He’s built a family

atmosphere. I know a lot of kids who come here to play. Their parents allow them to come here instead of other places they’ve been recruited to because Mike has done a good job with his staff and the community to show we’re one big happy family.”

When Houck says “we” in reference to OSU, he means it. He serves on the Athletic Council, and has been active in several of OSU’s head coach searches.

He and Barbara contribute generously to OSU athletics because they believe in the positive influence they can have on student-athletes.

“There are three organizations which, if done correctly, challenge people to another level. Boy Scouts, 4-H and athletics,” says Houck. “And athletics, if they’re coached and treated right, they learn discipline, character and life skills. Barbara and I have been running youth camps every year for 46 years to teach character and responsibility.

“Barb and I are committed to those three organizations. I’ve served as treasurer for the Boy Scouts. We’re very active in the 4H. We’ve sponsored kids in 4-H for almost 40 years. My involvement with OSU athletics has been since 1961.

“We try to contribute to athletics here at OSU because I think if they’re doing their job right, they make a difference in the lives of young people. We have some of the finest people in the country. Marilyn Middlebrook. I’d put her up against anybody. She’s building relationships with those players. She’s one-of-a-kind. We’re more than acquainted with most of the coaches. We know their children and interact with them frequently.

“The coaches here care about you.

You’re not just another number. I think it’s because we’ve made an effort to build relationships with the people in the athletic department, the coaches and others along the way.

“I guess that’s why we’re so involved.

We have those relationships,” he says.

“And we love OSU.”

877-28-P0SSE

-

okstateposse.com

Brandon Weeden B.S., Marketing 2011 Big 12 Champion Fiesta Bowl Champion NFL 1st Round Draft Pick

JOIN THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAMS. The POSSE is the lifeblood of the Oklahoma State athletic program, providing scholarships for 450+ Cowboy and Cowgirl student-athletes from all of OSU’s varsity sports. Your generosity makes it possible to compete at the highest level – in the classroom and on the playing field.

Annual contributions to OSU Athletics totaling $150 or more qualify for membership. Benefits include the award-winning POSSE Magazine, POSSE star decal for your automobile, educational tax deduction and more. Stay connected to OSU Athletics ... Join our winning team today.

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The Oklahoman The Bank of America Austin & Betsy Kenyon Larry Bump Diane & Steve Tuttle Ron & Marilynn McAfee Russ Harrison & Natalie Shirley Russ & Julie Teubner OSU Business Office Brent & Mary Jane Wooten AEI Corporation - Oklahoma Henry Wells Stan & Shannon Clark Anonymous #4

111 Terry & Martha Barker 112 Tom & Sandy Wilson 113 Bill & Claudean Harrison 114 Z-Equipment, LLC 115 James D. Carreker 116 Chandler USA, Inc. 117 Thomas Winton 118 First Capital Bank 119 F & M Bank & Trust 120 Brad & Leah Gungoll 121 Chris & Julie Bridges 122 Tatum Family 123 OSU Alumni Association 124 Jay & Fayenelle Helm 125 Chip & Cindy Beaver 126 Norman & Suzanne Myers 127 Mike & Judy Johnson 128 Bob & Mary Haiges 129 Anonymous #14 130 James H. Williams 131 Randy & Pati Thurman 12,044 132 Mike & Kristen Gundy 133 Shaw’s Gulf 134 Vionette & John Dunn 135 Bryan Close 136 John & Patti Brett 137 Drummond Investments 138 Bob & Tammie Tway 139 Jack Bowker Ford 140 Robert & Sharon Keating 141 Randall & Carol White 142 Dillingham Insurance 143 Dennis & Bonnie Smith 144 Ed & Kathy Raschen 145 Greg & Kay Massey 146 Bill & Karen Anderson 147 Baab Legacy, LLC 148 David & Marellie Littlefield 149 Fred & Kellie Harlan 150 Pixley Lumber Co.

21

How Do My Points Rank?

OSU Athletics Priority Point System

as of nov. 15, 2012

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.

Points

Rank

Donors gain points three ways:

131,216 25,682 15,424 6,113 3,003 1,408 484 108 26

top 5 50 100 250 500 1,000 2,500 5,000 7,500

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

phil shockley

He’ll be b 22

december 2012

Photography by Gary Lawson

The junior from Wichita, Kan., won his weight class at the Lindenwood Open. His major decision over Casey Kent helped the Pokes destroy Penn at the season opener in Gallagher-Iba. He contributed an 8-1 win over ninth-ranked Cody Yohn to the Pokes’ victory over top-ranked Minnesota.

He’s clearly just getting started. His plans are to win a national championship, both as an individual and as part of the Cowboys. He fits right in.

s t o ry c o n t i n u e s

match photos / Bruce Waterfield

OSU wrestling fans have already been introduced to Tyler Caldwell.

But there’s this one little thing about his background Cowboy fans seem to get hung up on just a little. For the first two years of his college wrestling career, and it’s best to just get this out there fast, like ripping off a band-aid … Caldwell was a Sooner. Two years ago, he was a NCAA finalist in his weight class for the University of Oklahoma. Two years is a long time, and a lot has happened since then, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Since he’s new around here, a proper introduction is in order.

He’s a little like the Terminator of wrestling. It’s what he does. It’s all he does.

And he’s been doing it for a while, since he was five, and he still remembers his first matches.

back … on top!

23

coachspeak John Smith on this year’s squad

It’s a pretty good team. I’m a little bit concerned about the weights that we’ve moved.

We’ve made a real adjustment down in the first three weights.

photo / gary lawson

At 125 we’ll see Tyler Durell .

He’s from Del City, Okla. That’s where I grew up and was raised and wrestled, so I’m excited for him. He’s the first wrestler from there to be on the mat for us since Pat Smith. Pat finished his career in 1994. That’s been close to 19 years.

So I’m excited for him. I think he needs some experience. He’s been sitting in the room for three years but he’s got a good, good attitude. And let’s just watch him early on and see how he does. I think he’s done a lot of good things to help himself this season. He’s big for the weight class, and he’s really taken care of his weight in the months of August, September and October. He hasn’t sat around and stayed heavy. He’s taken a lot of initiative to do the right thing to help him have the best season he can.

At 133, I think you’re going to see Ladd Rupp and Jon Morrison .

Both of them certified at 125, but for now we’re looking at them both at 133. These guys have been competing against each other since they’ve been here. I’d like to see us have a breakthrough with either one of them on a national level. Neither one has been in the picture for All-American

24

december 2012

status, but hopefully the things they’ve experienced the last couple of years, hopefully that experience will carry over.

At 141 , I think this could be our weight class where we see a few people.

Julian Feikert, we’re going to see him starting right away. He wrestled a couple matches for us last year. He won a nice match at Missouri. But again, this is someone who needs some experience and needs to kind of figure out what it’s going to take to be successful at this weight.

We moved Jordan Oliver up to 149. There’s going to be some adjustment time. We’re not going to see probably the running through people that we’ve seen in the past at 133. We’re going to see probably a little bit more competitive matches. The weight and the change is different. We have certified Jordan at 141, but we’ll start him out at 149.

I think you’ll see Alex Dieringer, who’s a freshman, or Dallas Bailey at 157.

Of course, Caldwell at 165.

Chris Perry at 174 . Chris had a good year last year. Started at 184, moved down to ’74 after the holidays, and really fit into that weight well. I still think he’s holding back and I don’t think we’ve seen him close to his best. As he builds up confidence in what he’s capable of doing, we’re going to see a guy who’s going to be fun to watch. He’s really developed technically over the last three years. He’s learned a lot about wrestling.

His skill level has gotten a lot better. He can change levels. Some good things have really occurred with Chris and I’m excited about his year.

At 184, you’ve going to see Chris Chionuma. Chris has got a lot of speed.

We redshirted him last year. We probably

could’ve pulled him out and he probably could’ve started for us at ’84. We were struggling a little bit. But we felt it was probably best to hold him back, and I’m glad we did. He needed a full year in our room. He’s got a lot of speed, but he’s going to be small at that weight. But not worrying about your weight all year long is not any disadvantage. For him to be successful at this weight, he’s going to need to use his speed. He’s going to need to move his feet and make sure his level of conditioning is far superior to anyone else at that weight.

Blake Rosholt comes back in his junior year at 197. I’m excited for Blake.

I think Blake still needs some development both mentally and technically, but I sure see a guy who seems to be making a difference in the room. He’s kind of taken on a role of pushing and not necessarily a vocal role, but someone who any of these young guys we’ve brought in definitely notice Blake at a different level right now.

He’s solid for us. I think that he’s coming in ranked seventh in the country and I really think he can build on that.

At heavyweight, Z (Alan Gelogaev)is coming back. Obviously, he’s coming off of a major injury two years in a row. I think our job is to try to keep him healthy as best we can. I’ll try to wrestle him at every home event, but on the road, you may not see him wrestle every event. We’ll just see how it goes. I think it’s because he’s very explosive. The positions he gets in, somebody’s going to get hurt sometimes, and unfortunately on two occasions, it’s been him. The only strategy you can really have with him as we go in is to keep him healthy.

Caldwell’s high school résumé speaks for itself. He was a four-time state champion, a two-time Greco AllAmerican and racked up a 150-4 overall record. He has the Kansas state record for most falls – 125.

“I won my first tournament,” he says. “I didn’t know what I was doing out there. I went out and pinned a kid and said, ‘That was fun. Did I win?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, you did. Good job.’”

With that first taste of success, even at such a young age, he wanted more. It was only natural. His father had been a high school wrestler, and his mother’s brothers had wrestled. It was in his blood.

“I was one of those kids on the ornery side,” he says. “I had a lot of energy, so my parents wanted to get me into something.”

Caldwell played a lot of different sports growing up Wichita, Kan., Soccer. Football.

Baseball. He even dabbled in motocross.

But it was losing that ultimately drove him to focus on wrestling “Growing up, I was on some teams in football and baseball where we didn’t really see many wins, and I was really competitive. I really think that’s what steered me toward wrestling. I controlled it more.

And I won, so I enjoyed that part.

“I was a sore loser growing up,” he says.

“Once you got into high school and college, you have team points, but growing up, it was just me.”

There are no NCAA Division I wrestling programs in Kansas, so Caldwell grew up dreaming of wrestling for the Cowboys.

His basement training room was decked out in OSU posters, which he showed to Coach John Smith when he was recruited in high school. “Growing up, I was a huge OSU fan. This is where I always wanted to be. And then, I ended up going to OU,” he says. “I found a coach that I really connected with, Sammie Henson. It was just one of those things.”

Coach Smith will tell you he missed on Caldwell coming out of high school.

“Basically, it’s been a full journey for us,” says Smith. “In high school we missed him. I didn’t recruit him hard enough.

I think I could’ve had him here. I just misjudged it. You do that as a coach. You’re not perfect. You make decisions.”

Caldwell wrestled for the Sooners for two seasons, and then a combination of things occurred. First, there was a coaching change at OU, and Henson ended up leaving for Missouri, which in turn freed up Caldwell to explore other options. He also took a year to train for the Olympics.

“After my sophomore season, I’d qualified to take an Olympic redshirt, so I decided to do that,” he says.

“I lived at the Olympic training center and just did freestyle the whole year. I didn’t take any classes. I didn’t go to school. I just wrestled.

“It was a break from classes. The college wrestling season is really a grind. You’re in there making weight every week. You’re grinding day after day. Whereas freestyle is more … you have a tournament every two months. You get to train and peak for it, and then you have some time off.

It was a good break.

“I’ve learned to be more solid on my finishes and my takedowns. There was more match strategy. And the competition level was greater. I wrestled all the best guys in the country and some of the best guys in the world. We had guys coming in from India, Mongolia, Italy, as well as all the top guys in the country.

The level of competition I got to experience all year really helped me out a lot.”

Caldwell also used his time to figure out where he was going to continue his collegiate wrestling career. He took five official recruiting trips and more than a few unofficial trips as well. He saw a lot of different programs and was able to make a more informed decision than he had in high school. That said, the plan was still to follow Henson to Missouri.

25

s t o ry c o n t i n u e s

“I’m intense.

I

like to leave it all out there. For

CREDO

seven minutes, I want to go as hard as I can. And if I didn’t go as hard as I could for whatever reason, I beat myself up for it. I like to wrestle a complete match. I don’t ever want to get a lead and hang on. I want to control the pace and dominate the whole match.

“I had based my decision to leave OU on the fact that I wanted to continue to wrestle under coach Henson,” says Caldwell.

“I have a really strong relationship with my old coach. Well, I don’t want to call him my old coach. He’s still my coach. I worked camps with him all summer. He trained me during the summer. We still talk. He’s doing well.

I like to hand fight a lot. I like to get in and tie up. I like to close the distance and beat them up in the ties. I like to wrestle a hard-paced match, to where the second and third period I can open up a lot more instead of just controlling the pace. I’m really just trying to wear guys out. I would say that I don’t have the typical Oklahoma State wrestling style.

John Smith, he was an outside shooter.

Low-level attacks. That’s really not me. I don’t have a low-level attack at all. And he doesn’t plan on developing one for me. He wants me to wrestle my style and just wants to sharpen me up in some areas.

I’m more of an Iowa-style wrestler.

It’s more of a grinding style. Hand fighting. In your face. Hard nosed.

I’m not saying Oklahoma State style is not that, but OSU tends to be more technique, finesse. A little more slick.

Outside shooting.

I like to be inside, tied up, and slowing people down and wearing them down.

I feel like it’s a really good match for me here because I get a lot of different looks in the room from the opposite style that I wrestle. It’s a style that’s given me some trouble in the past.

And I have some coaches who can really help me be more well-rounded and clean up some areas.”

26

— Tyler Caldwell on his wrestling style

december 2012

“When we wrestle Missouri, I’ll be wrestling my old coach. That’s a bigger deal to me than wrestling against OU because the guy at OU now wasn’t there when I was. I have no relationship with him. I have no ties. But I’m excited to get on the mat against him (Henson).”

Add Henson to the fact that OSU had already missed on Caldwell in high school, and the Pokes had an uphill battle landing him the second time.

“OSU already had one strike against them coming out of high school,” says Caldwell. “I was really bitter about that, to be honest. I think some of the guys here knew that, too. They could tell what my attitude was. We kind of joke around about it now.”

“We are just fortunate we had a chance to get him the second time,” says Smith. “I don’t make a mistake two times in a row, and I definitely made a mistake on him coming out of high school.

I’m sure glad I got the second chance.

“The good thing is, when you recruit somebody that has wrestled in college for two years, and has sat out and trained at the Olympic level for a year and a half, you’re not dealing with a high school senior. You’re dealing with a guy who knows what he wants. He knows what he’s looking for.

“It was a simple process. Here’s what we have to offer you. We really believe this is a great opportunity here at OSU and we can help you achieve some of his goals and some of the things he wants to accomplish. There’s nothing easy about it.

Again, we’re talking about a young man who hasn’t won his first NCAA championship yet and is still looking for his first at maybe the toughest weight in the country this year. That’s what makes it even nicer.

It is the toughest weight in the country.

That’s the one you want to win.”

And make no mistake, winning national championships is why Caldwell came to OSU.

“I want to be a two-time national champion. I have two years left and I feel like there’s no reason why I can’t get that done. I’m in the best place in the country for myself with coach Smith, coach Esposito, coach Monday and coach Guerrero. Coleman Scott is in the room.

I have a really great group of guys in my corner. Not to mention the guys I have in the room every day. Chris Perry. Alex Dieringer. Christian Chionuma.

“That’s what’s nice about my weight class. Being at 165, I’m right in the middle.

I can go up or down. I have Jordan Oliver two weight classes below me now. He’s pretty good. I have a lot of different looks and feels, and that’s just our starting lineup. I’m surrounded by a great group of guys and a great group of training partners. To me, there’s no excuses. There’s no reason why I can’t come out as a national champion. If I don’t, then it’s on me. That’s what I love about this sport.”

That attitude is just part of what has Smith excited about Caldwell.

“He’s a great kid who brings a lot to our program. He’s really earned everything from a standpoint of he’s had to work really hard to get to this point in his career. He comes to work every day and competes hard in the room. It’s nice to just look at his grade reports and maybe just talk to him about his school because you know he’s taking care of it.

He has all the qualities that allow a coach to really focus on helping him grow in wrestling. I’m not managing his social skills. I’m not helping him develop ethics or morals. This kid’s got it all.

“One of the things Tyler does for our team, he’s another individual in the room who is totally committed to being great.

And I don’t mean just great on the mat, but off it as well. He brings a lot of passion to the program. There are a lot of guys in the program who have a lot of passion and a lot of drive, but anytime you add one more, it just makes make the team chemistry better. I wouldn’t say he was above some of the guys on the team, but I’d say he matches every bit of their drive and their passion to be the best.

That’s a fun environment to be around.

“The one thing I notice about Tyler that you love to see in a student-athlete is that there are not too many days when he has bad days. Not that he doesn’t get taken down, or doesn’t get beat in the room. But he has a great look on his face every single day of practice. Whether he’s doing a drill at seven in the morning or whether he’s at practice at 3:30, there’s a level of … addiction that you see in him.

You want to help him. You want your student-athletes to be like that, to see the passion not only when you’re competing in a match, but every day.”

Tyler, being a harsh self-critic, doesn’t necessarily agree with his coach.

“Coach may not recognize it as much as I do, but I definitely have off days. Friday of last week, I was having the best day I’ve had in a while, and I gave up the last point of the day. I didn’t give up a point the whole practice, and I gave up an escape right at the end, and it ruined my whole day. I kind of beat myself up on little things like that, which is good and bad.

“The way I was raised, if you want something, you have to work for it.

Nothing is given to you. That’s how my parents raised me. I always feel like if I outwork people, that’s the way to win.

They want to win just like you do. You just have to come in every day and pay the price for it. You have to earn it.”

Clearly, the former Sooner has found a home with the Cowboys, and in spite of how it all transpired, he couldn’t be happier with the decision. He’s looking forward to Bedlam.

“It’s just another match. I’m going to be excited for it. It’s going to be fun,” he says.

“It’s all funny now, looking back. How instate rivalries can really change people’s perspectives on one another. It’s really different. It makes me kinda laugh when I see people treat others differently just because they’re wearing red or orange.

I’ve been on both sides. I’ve been happy on both sides. I’ve disliked both sides. I’ve loved both sides. It’s really no different.

It makes it more fun for the sport and for the fans. I love the intensity of Bedlam. My favorite dual was my freshman year, coming into Gallagher and the whole crowd booed us. I loved that feeling.”

The crowd in Gallagher won’t be booing Caldwell this time.

27

28 december 2012

•

iF

.........

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•

29 --

Photography by phil shockley

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We’ve come a long way.

Help the high school student you know see campus through the eyes of a current OSU student.

Register a future Cowboy at admissions.okstate.edu/visit for an official student-led campus tour.

OFFICIAL ENERGY DRINK OF

COWG RL P 32 december 2012

The Cowgirls, off to a 7-0 start and an upward trending top-20 ranking, look to build off last year’s WNIT tournament victory. s t o ry

STORY BY MATT ELLIOTT PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

continues

33

Toni Young

POSSE

Winning the Women’s National Invitation Tournament was the best thing that could happen to OSU women’s basketball last year, says the team’s coach, Jim Littell.

The Cowgirls closed out last season with six-straight wins, including their first WNIT championship, a triumphant end to a season marred by the tragic loss of head coach Kurt Budke, assistant coach Miranda Serna, and donors Olin and Paula Branstetter to a plane crash, but one marked by a team pulling together as a family. This year, they’re older, hungrier and out to prove themselves in front of a fanbase inspired by their postseason run.

“The bar has been raised,” Littell says.

2012 is Littell’s first season as the Cowgirls head coach after taking over one game into last season. He returns all of his starters from the WNIT championship team, including that year’s conference freshman of the year, phenom forward Liz Donohoe, and point guard

Tiffany Bias, who shattered the school’s single-season assist record.

“We really like our group,” Littell says.

“It’s a team that has as good a chemistry as any team I’ve coached … I’ve been in this for 35 years. I’ve never seen a team that is highly successful without great chemistry.”

They’ll need it. The Cowgirls’ competition looks pretty tough. For five years the Big 12 has had the nation’s toughest women’s basketball ratings percentage index, or RPI (the most common way to gauge a team’s strengths using its wins, losses and schedule strength).

34

The Big 12 doesn’t get any tougher than the Baylor Lady Bears. That team went 40-0 and won the national championship last season on the play of Brittney Griner, who, much to the chagrin of nearly everyone outside of Waco, is back for her senior season. The OU Sooners return their starting lineup from last season, including Aaryn Ellenberg, who finished that year one game short of the Sweet Sixteen.

Conference realignment has brought some strong new contenders as well, now that Texas A&M and Nebraska have left.

The West Virginia Mountaineers made the NCAA tournament in 2012. The other new Big 12 team, the TCU Horned Frogs, has been to the NCAA tournament nine times under head coach Jeff Mittie.

During a preseason poll this year, league coaches picked Baylor to finish at No. 1, while West Virginia came in at second in a tie with the OU Sooners. The coaches picked the Cowgirls to finish in seventh place.

Preseason polls are the worst kind of measure of a team’s worth. No one has yet played a game. They’re based on the previous year’s performance and returning starters. They can’t measure intangibles such as chemistry, poise and the toll of things such as injuries.

That’s why whenever a reporter asks a student-athlete what he or she thinks about the latest poll, this is what they say:

“Our ultimate focus is to win and be successful,” says Bias, who was seventh

in the nation last season and second in the Big 12 in assists. “Be successful

as a team. Individual stats aren’t going to help your team. If your team still loses, then that doesn’t really matter.”

Dependable equalizers and talented newcomers Littell has reason to like this team, and it starts with its two leading scorers from 2011–12 back for more.

OSU had a remarkably balanced attack that year. Bias and Donohoe averaged more than 13 points per game. Young had 12. Few teams have as many scoring options.

“We have great shooters,” Bias says.

“Everyone can score.”

Few teams have as good of a “quarterback” as Bias. A tireless player, she runs like a cheetah and can put up Rajon Rondo-like numbers leading a motion offense.

She averaged nearly seven assists per game, which, when paired with her scoring, comes out to almost 30 points the Cowgirls could expect from her each night. Bias is equally skilled defensively with her quickness leading to a couple of steals per game.

This season will show Bias coming in to her role as a veteran leader. She has started every game since her freshman year, taking over former OSU great Andrea Riley, and plays like it today, Littell says.

“It seems like she’s been here five or six years,” he says. “We’re glad for that.

Probably a lot of the other coaches in the league aren’t.”

Bias says she spent the summer watching game film and dissecting her play, focusing on replicating her focus during games such as a white-knuckle 66-63 win over the Jayhawks that saw her icing it with free throws in the final seconds. She had 26 points and eight assists in that contest. s t o ry

december 2012

continues

“I think people are going to be very surprised at what we can do.”

TIFFANY Bias

35 Tiffany Bias

“I’ve started to realize I don’t have to go a hundred miles per hour every second,” she says. “It’s other things, too. Being more explosive. Learning to finish and being consistent.”

Donohoe had the ups and downs common for a talented freshman, struggling at times with the speed of the game.

But she came on strong, especially during the WNIT. She showed herself to be a strong shooter and a reliable rebounder, finishing the season with five straight double-doubles. She had a pivotal 13-point, 13-rebound performance during the team’s upset of the No. 23 Longhorns.

“I would like to take credit for her,” Littell says, “but she has made herself an outstanding player.”

The pieces fall in to place further when one checks out the Cowgirls’ post presence. Toni Young and Lindsey Keller complement each other well, Littell notes.

Young is an extreme athletic talent, he says. Recovering from a broken arm suffered the previous year, she spent much of last season splitting time with center Kendra Suttles but still became the second player in OSU history to have 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks for her career. She also led the team in field goal percentage while averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game.

Like Donohoe, she came on strong during the WNIT, scoring more than 20 points during three of the six tournament games. The following summer, she was

runner up in the high jump at the Big 12 Championship, jumping 6.25 feet. She

came in fifth at the national championship meet and even earned a trip to the Summer Olympic Trials in Oregon to try out for the American team.

“She’s just a tremendous athlete,” Littell says. “That shows in what she’s done in the high jump … Hopefully, the success she had last year will propel her to work hard and have a great senior year.”

36

Keller is the enforcer opposite Young.

Littell says Keller’s handiwork typically doesn’t show up on the scoreboard. She’s the essential

december 2012

bruiser any athletic post player like Young needs at her opposite side to play punishing defense, box out and force defenses to react to her ability to score points off boards.

She’s a great screen setter for ball handlers, rebounding, fighting for loose balls and shutting down other post players who can score.

Gary Blair, Texas A&M’s head coach, called her the “linebacker of the league,” Littell says, after the Cowgirls beat the No. 14 Aggies 57-53 in Stillwater last January.

“I wish I had one as physical as she is,” said Blair, during his post game press conference. “She looked like ‘Little Country’ in there … It’s the mindset she brings, the intensity, the whatever-ittakes type of attitude. That’s what you’ve got to do to be able to win at this level.”

There are some wild cards in the mix, too, for the Cowgirls. Several new players could see playing time.

One of those is Brittney Martin, a six-foot freshman guard rated the

No. 3 wing player in the nation by ESPN’s HoopGurlz.

A native of Syracuse, Utah, Martin led her high school team to a 70-1 record her final three seasons as she averaged 18.5 points, nearly 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists per game.

Littell says she can create her own shot, something that’s always useful when a play breaks down on the court.

“That’s kind of what we’ve lacked in the past here,” says Littell, noting Martin, like Donohoe, has the physical side of the game down already. She just needs to adjust to its speed.

Joining her is freshman guard Brittany Atkins from Kansas City, Mo., who produced a jaw-dropping high schoolfour statassists line of and 29.2three points, 12 rebounds, steals per game as a senior.

Fans will notice some new — and familiar — faces on the team’s staff, too.

Littell lured Jack Easley away from an associate head coach position at perennial tournament contenders Iowa State to be his director of player development. Easley oversees things such as player academics, summer camps and fundraisers.

“When I called him, I said, ‘Jack, I don’t want to insult you by offering you a player development job, but I’m just going to throw it out there. We know you spent nineteen years at Oklahoma State and consider Stillwater a very special place for you, your wife and family. I’m going to throw it out there. I’d like to have you come home.’”

Obviously, Easley agreed. He left behind a career with the Cyclones that included seven NCAA tournaments, including the Elite Eight in 2009. But he got his start at OSU in 1983 as an assistant coach. He was in Stillwater for 19 years, won three conference titles and went to the NCAA tournament seven times. Littell calls him a proven winner.

The second new hire is associate head coach Candace Whitaker, a former player of Littell’s who dates back to his days as a coach at Kansas’s Seward County Community College.

Whitaker was hired away from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she led the team to one of its best seasons ever in 2012, finishing 22-12.

“She was basically a shot away from making the tournament,” says Littell, who lauded his former protégé for her basketball knowledge, ability to relate to others and her drive. “This is a rising star in the women’s game.”

During college at Texas Tech, she played under Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Marsha Sharp, where she started for two years before beginning her coaching career at Valparaiso.

“She has always been special,” Littell says. “Since the time I coached her at Seward County, you could tell she was a student of the game … She carries those same special qualities as a coach. She makes the people around her better just like when she was a player. She brings out a lot of positive attributes in people.”

With assistant coaches Bill Annan and Richie Henderson, they make for what Littell calls a diverse and experienced staff.

“I don’t know if that’s a nice way of saying we’re all old, or what,” Littell ruefully jokes.

“It’s a team that has as good a chemistry as any team I’ve coached.”

COACH JIM LITTELL

The pieces all fit for the Cowgirls.

The thing is there are a bunch of other Big 12 teams who have all the pieces, too.

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AMERI DRE CLAY BILLMAN PHIL SHOCKLEY

STORY BY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

december 2012

Joe Manilafasha and Girma Mecheso have run for championships at Oklahoma State University.

As children, they literally ran for their lives. s t o ry

continues

ICAN EAMERS Manilafasha, left, and Mecheso

41

The two were key components on coach Dave Smith’s national championship cross country squad. The Cowboys claimed their third NCAA title in four years with a decisive 63-point margin of victory over last year’s champ Wisconsin.

A fifth-year senior and four-time All-American, Mecheso was the first Cowboy to cross the line in the men’s 10K race (fifth overall in a time of 29:14.8). Manilafasha, a redshirt-junior, was 24th (29:48.8), earning his first All-America honors with a top-40 finish. Teammates Tom Farrell (9th), Shadrack Kipchirchir (18th) and Shane Moskowitz (53rd) also turned in career-best performances to claim the victory.

42 december 2012

“I’m so happy for Coach Dave and all the work he did and all people that supported us,” Mecheso says.

“It shows that our hard work has paid off.”

There’s a vast difference between hard work and hardship. Mecheso and Manilafasha are well versed in both. Theirs is a tale of triumph in the face of tragedy.

“The odds were not in their favor,” Smith says. “Fifteen years ago you wouldn’t have bet they’d be in the situation they are now.

If you look at where they started as children and the things they went through, and you ask yourself what are the odds these guys are going to make it to the United States, get a high school diploma and then come out and get a college education. I think the odds would be really, really slim.

“There are so many little forks in the road where things could’ve gone the other way for both of them, but they didn’t. They ended up here.”

To understand just how far they’ve come, one has to go back to the starting line.

Their stories each begin in East Africa, nearly two decades ago: Manilafasha in the tiny Republic of Burundi; Mecheso in the crowded capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

“Shortly after I was born, the civil war started in Burundi,” Manilafasha recalls.

mecheso

photo / bruce waterfield

The youngest of nine children, Manilafasha was only three years old when his father was killed during the genocidal massacre of the Tutsi people by the Hutus.

Manilafasha’s family shares both ethnicities, which had fought for control of the country and were engaged in bloody conflict for decades.

“It’s something I didn’t understand,” he says. “It especially makes things harder, because if you’re a part of two things you’re not a whole of one thing.”

The grieving family sought refuge in neighboring Tanzania, along with an estimated half-a-million others.

“We had to flee the country. I lived in a refugee camp from about 1994 to 2001,” he says. “I was very young. Most

of my childhood memories are comprised of my time spent in refugee camp.”

Mecheso was also a childhood refugee. Unlike his teammate, Mecheso is old enough to remember life before the camps.

It was a comfortable life.

“The way life was for us when we were there, we had everything we needed. My dad was educated, with a good job. We lived in a large house. My grandfather had several farms and grew coffee. When I was small, I didn’t have any problems.

I didn’t have that problem of not having enough food or family or anything. But all of a sudden things changed.”

Mecheso’s father was a high-ranking government official, but was politically opposed to Ethiopia’s dictatorial prime minister.

“In Africa, especially in my country, people like to fight,” Mecheso says. “There was a war happening in our country. The government was not helping people. Instead of helping people, educating people, the prime minister was just getting the power for himself. He was even killing people to

you think your dream cannot come true.

It’s completely confusing.

“I had hope that there is a better life than here, better than camp,” he adds, “because I saw that life was better when I was small. I used to wish I could live the life I was born with, and I was wondering if it was ever going to change. We were hoping for someday for a good life.”

Manilafasha experienced similar struggles at his family’s encampment in Tanzania,

which shares its northern border with Kenya.

“It’s harsh,” he says. “It’s really hard to paint a picture for somebody who’s never been in that kind of situation. There is no sanitary drinking water, things of that nature. You’re just exposed to the elements. It was very harsh in the beginning, a survival type of thing. You just had to scratch a living as best you could.

“A lot of people would die from malaria and other diseases,” he adds. “Some people s t o ry

continues

photo / CLAY BILLMAN

extend his power. My dad’s party tried to organize, but that government wanted to put him in prison. So he took me and my brother, and we had to leave the country, leaving my mom in Ethiopia.”

The trio traveled toward Kenya, often on foot, sometimes riding in the backs of trucks among cattle.

“We got to Kenya after many days,” he says. “When we reached Kenya, we had to cross the border with no passport. If you do not have ID you cannot stay in town.

We didn’t have anywhere to live.”

Their only option was one of many growing Kenyan refugee camps. Mecheso was only six years old at the time. It was a struggle for survival, he says.

“It’s hard for (Americans) to understand how it is. There’s no electricity. We use candles for light. There’s no water. We maybe have to go a mile or two to get water. And maybe it’s not clean. If we’re sick, it’s hard to see the doctor. Food-wise, they provide us some stuff. But sometimes maybe we don’t get enough. I don’t know how to explain compared to now.

“The camp is the size of Stillwater, but it’s in the bush. We were often displaced.

Everything kept changing. Life is not constant there.”

The refugee camps were Mecheso’s home for the better part of a decade.

“Being there, it’s depressing all day, and you think any goal you have is not reachable,” he says. “At night, you think the sun is not going to come out. It’s a dark life, and

43

POSSE

starved. You got a ration of food, but it was like once a month and so small. It was just corn or beans, so from there you had to find whatever else you could get.

We got a little help from organizations like UNICEF. After a while it became sort of its own little community. People would do a little farming and exchange food and stuff just to make a variety.”

In time, life as a refugee became the new normal.

“Other than the United States, it’s the longest I’ve ever lived in one place,” he says.

“My whole idea of what the world looked like was really encompassed in my experience in the refugee camp. It was really

hard to see a future from there,

says. “There was a lot of running around, swimming in the river, spending all day spent in the woods, whatever — just being kids and doing all kinds of stuff.”

Education was also a priority in the camps, even if resources were scarce.

“When we first got in refugee camp, there was no actual structure, so we would just hang out under trees and the teachers would try to do the best they could,” Manilafasha says. “There were no pens, pencils, things like that, classrooms, but in Africa education is very emphasized.

Also, a teacher can spank you, so you learn to do your multiplication tables quickly.

When I got here, in terms of math I was actually way ahead of my classmates. They

Their new life in Denver, Col., provided quite a culture (and climate) shock for the 10-year-old.

“I had never seen snow before I came to the United States. It was kind of weird.

I think the first time it snowed we were all outside touching the snow, and people were looking at us weird.”

After a decade in Kenya, Mecheso and his family were afforded a similar opportunity in 2006.

“The United Nations Human Rights Watch saw that we can’t go back to Ethiopia because our country is not at peace over there,” Mecheso says. “They asked us if we could go to a different country. Some of my friends in the camp went to Canada, Australia, Netherlands … We got a chance and ended up in the United States.”

The teenager landed in Atlanta, Ga., with his father and brothers.

“Life was much better,” he says.

“When we came from Kenya to America, I started living a comfortable life.”

“Once they got to the United States, if they hadn’t found running yet, they did when they got here,” Smith says. “I think they both had high school coaches that were really important in their lives in helping see running as an outlet for becoming successful and an avenue toward a college education.”

“My brother was the first to start running in high school,” Manilafasha recalls.

photo / CLAY BILLMAN

but it was not the place where I wanted to be. It was rough. Being a kid and not being able to eat as often as you would like, and having your mom explain to you why you can’t do whatever you want … those type of things make you mature real fast.”

Despite their circumstances, there were some happy times in the camp, they say.

“The whole African culture is a lot different than the United States, in the sense that they let kids be kids,” Manilafasha

44

december 2012

were amazed that I could multiply threedigit numbers in my head … but I couldn’t speak a word of English.”

In 2001, after nearly seven years in the camp, Manilafasha’s family was granted refugee status and brought to the United States by an international aid organization.

“It was unbelievable,” he says, “ just going from that kind of condition where you have nothing to having food and a bed and warm shelter.”

“I was still in 8th grade. I was playing basketball, just being a normal, average American kid. They tried to convince me to join the cross country team, but I kept finding excuses not to do it. I think that what finally got to me was that I’m the youngest kid, so you always feel like you have to prove something. So I finally did try it, and I’ve got to say it was probably the toughest thing I’ve ever done.”

At that point, I didn’t think I would end up here, but that was the starting point.

I thought maybe this could be a place I want to be.”

The runner appeared on OSU’s recruiting radar after winning Colorado Runner of the Year honors and a second state championship his senior season.

“I wanted to run in college, but I didn’t want to have that as my only option,” he says. “I had a high GPA and was third in my graduating class, so the education part and the running came together really well.

You never really know what’s going on with sports. You might get injured or a school that’s interested might not work out. So I had to take care of business both in the classroom as well as running.”

The team atmosphere at OSU was a deciding factor, he adds.

“I picked the team basically. My whole high school career was running by myself, because nobody really had the same abilities. You never get to test yourself. For me, my thinking was go with the team. You

,,l

'

STORY CONTINUES

I

Oklahoma State took third, I was like, who are these guys?

“When I came to U.S., I told someone I could run, and they said join cross county.

They took me to the regional race in high school, and I end up winning. I broke the record. Someone told me if you keep running, I think you can get a scholarship.

• I

I’m sort of a nerd about it — so when

have people to train with, you will get pushed a little bit more, and maybe you will develop as a runner and as a person.

You can see how far you can go from there.

So that was a big part of it.”

Manilafasha also saw a championshipcaliber program in Stillwater.

“The timing was perfect. I knew this team was going to be good, and I wanted to be a part of it. I can win two national championships or more. I also liked the coach, and that’s what it came down to.”

Mecheso was a high school junior when he first ran competitively.

“All the people you see running in college or the Olympics from my home country of Ethiopia or Kenya, they don’t start out like here,” he says. “Parents don’t think, ‘My boy needs to be a runner or a basketball player or a football player.’ Nothing like that. Running just starts out like a game. And sometimes, even if we wanted to run, there were no shoes.

...

Manilafasha’s interest in OSU began in 2007 as the Cowboy program was starting to emerge as a perennial podium contender.

“The first time I thought about OSU as a possibility was when they took third at nationals. As a high school kid, you pay attention. I’m a big fan of running —

MANILAFASHA “The timing was perfect.

I knew this team was going to be good, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

— Joe Manilafasha

photo / bruce waterfield

45

photo / CLAY BILLMAN

I didn’t even know what a scholarship was.

I ended up winning the state, then some coaches started calling me.”

Coach Smith courted Mecheso, but lost the recruiting battle to Auburn. He earned All-America honors his freshman year, finishing 16th at nationals. A year later, however, Mecheso landed in Stillwater when his college coach took another position.

“Both of those guys have been really coachable,” Smith says. “Every time Girma’s run at the National Championships in cross country for us, he’s done exactly what I’ve asked him. He’s never gone for the win. I’ve said we’ve got to sit back and run as a group and win as a team. And he’s done that … and we have three trophies to show for it.

46

december 2012

“In 2010 as a redshirt freshman, Joe was the highest placing sixth man we’ve ever had. This year he ran an incredible race and finished in the top 25. I think Joe slips under the radar because he doesn’t have great track times. If you look at his PR’s (personal records), you think this guy is barely a good high school runner. But you go watch him in a cross country race where it’s kind of neutralized on a soft surface, Joe catches those faster runners.

He’s really strong aerobically and extremely tough mentally. And the wetter, the nastier, the sloppier the conditions, the better Joe is. That’s his game.”

“During the race, honestly, I felt OK, but I didn’t feel great,” Manilafasha admits.

“But it doesn’t matter. When you’re at the National Championship, you don’t get to

decide whether you feel good or not. You have to show up to run.”

Smith says both runners are extremely competitive and driven.

“Girma will work himself to death,” Smith says. “He’s got an incredible mental toughness, and he’s got a belief that no one can out work him, that he can run with anybody, that things where he may be limited physically he can overcome just by sheer force of will. Unfortunately, he probably does too much at times, and it can be a weakness if he doesn’t harness it.”

Manilafasha shows some of the same tendencies, Smith adds.

“Joe kind of has a little bit of that stubborn, sometimes illogical belief in himself, and I think all great athletes must have that. They don’t care what the data shows,

they don’t care what training indications are, they’re going to get it done. You love guys like that.”

“I think we all over-train — that’s the idea,” Manilafasha says. “You put your body through hell and then see what comes out at the other end. I have a hard time quitting. Even if I should quit, I don’t quit. I’m stubborn, and I’m always fighting. That’s my approach to racing.”

Both runners came into the 2012 season focused on reclaiming the top spot on the podium after finishing second a year ago.

“I put in more mileage over the summer,” Manilafasha says. “Just putting so much time in something and seeing the result, especially in a sport where you put in so much and not so much is always returned, it’s great to see something good come out of it. It was awesome. I can’t explain it really. It’s amazing.”

“Every time we would train since the day we lost last year, I said that was unacceptable, and we have to win,” Mecheso says. “In order to win, I have to be part of it. So I did everything I could—training, strategy, asking my team to train and stay strong — everything we needed to prepare ourselves for that day. And you can see the result. It turned out exactly like it should happen. I was so happy.”

Mecheso emerged as a leader on a squad that graduated three All-Americans from a year ago but says his teammates shared that role.

“This team is not something you can lead by one person. With the program we have here, everyone needs to contribute. Everyone needs to go with the same

philosophy, which is to listen to our coach.

That’s what made us a winning team. That’s what put us at the top. For me, I don’t call myself a leader, but I know that I contribute something to my team.”

“A lot of what they’ve gone through in their lifetime has shaped who they are,” Smith says. “I think they’re old souls. They’re

mature beyond their years. They both have fun and have a sense of humor at times, but they’re very serious about most of the things they’re doing.”

As for post-graduate plans, both students say they want to try and help others from their homeland.

“First of all, I think my plans have to start with school,” says Manilafasha, a political science major. “I plan to finish my undergrad and go beyond. I would like to pursue maybe a doctoral degree and work with NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) or something like that. I’m still

trying to figure it out. But the ultimate plan is to hopefully give back.”

“I’m so happy to be here,” Mecheso says, “but every day when I run or when I go to school or when I study, I wish good things like I’m enjoying for my friends and the people over there. If I get the chance, I will try to help one or more to assure that life is better just to give them hope. I will try my best to do that. But they cannot just come to America unless they are willing to work hard and do the right thing.”

the longest time I’ve stayed in one place.

This is my home.”

“In 2008, I wanted to vote, but I didn’t have that chance,” Mecheso says. “Now I feel so good to have that chance. I’m proud of my culture, but I obviously didn’t get to live in my country. Living in the United States, I have a chance now. I think, here in this country, it’s up to you. The people around you are the ones who are going to make you who you are.

“In order for me to move forward — even getting to this place, getting to run — I didn’t just take a flight here,” Mecheso adds. “There are people who have encouraged me, starting with my family, coaches, teachers, advisers ... They got me here.

And I’d like to thank my teammates for working hard and contributing to everything we have accomplished for Oklahoma State University.”

Despite strikingly similar stories, Mecheso and Manilafasha are unique individuals. Yet both will continue to be defined

by their commonalities. Refugees.

Runners. Students. Athletes.

Champions. Citizens.

Or simply, Cowboys.

47

Manilafasha and Mecheso both became U.S. citizens since arriving at OSU and were proud to exercise their newfound right to vote in November’s general election.

“It means a lot,” Manilafasha says. “Not a lot of people around the world get that opportunity, so it is very special. This is

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TH 50 december 2012

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL SHOCKLEY

PLACE-KI PUNTING KICKOFFS HR3AT Quinn Sharp

Oklahoma State senior recently became Cowboy Football’s

first three-time All-American.

And next season, it will likely take three players to replace him.

The do-it-all special teams standout has excelled in all three phases: place-kicking, punting and kickoffs.

STORY BY CLAY BILLMAN

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

“I think the game is starting to change,” Sharp says. “People are beginning to see how much of an impact a kicker really can have, flipping the field and putting points on the board and just an array of things in special teams.”

Very few teams (perhaps only one) have had the luxury of a player like Sharp on their roster.

The Mansfield, Texas, native was a first-team selection at kicker by the American Football Coaches Association, along with second-team honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He was also the Football

Writers Association top pick as a kicker in 2011 and punter in 2010.

This season he was named the Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection on both sides of the ball.

Sharp has been a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award for the nation’s top placekicker the past two seasons. (Former teammate Dan Bailey won the award in 2010). He was perfect on 65 point-after attempts and accounted for an eye-opening 11.67

points per game (second nationally).

co n t i n u es

51

3-TIME ALL BIG LOU GR PLAYER Sharp also led the nation in touchbacks for a second-straight year with 71 out of 100 kickoffs unreturned. His punt attempts

PHOTO / BRUCE WATERFIELD

Hair Apparent

Former Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey was known for his neon-orange soccer cleats.

Current Cowboy Quinn Sharp is famous for the auburn tresses flowing from beneath his football helmet.

“I guess it’s kind of become my signature,” Sharp says. “I made it through summer without cutting it, so I let it grow. This is as long as I’ve ever had it.”

Opposing crowds have seized upon the look.

“You hear other fans all the time,” Sharp says. “‘Get a haircut! You look like a girl!

What are you doing?’ I take it all in stride.”

Sharp says the long locks will eventually go to a charity that provides wigs for children suffering from hair loss due to medical conditions or cancer treatment.

“I’m probably going to end up donating it, because it’s gotten so long at this point,” he says. “I don’t know exactly how long it has to be, but I’m going to look into that and see where it goes.”

And when his trademark hair is gone, he’s not worried about the Samson effect.

“I’ve either had long hair or a buzz cut,” Sharp says. “There’s really no in-between.”

52

december 2012

were too few to qualify for official NCAA rankings or awards, but his net average of 45.8 yards would put him seventh nationally. Sharp’s career net of 45.79 is tops among active punters.

“Awards are nice, but if I don’t get them it’s not the end of the world. I just want to help the team any way possible.”

Sharp credits 2008 Ray Guy Award winner Matt Fodge for helping improve his punting prowess.

“Following Fodge was a great experience,” he says. “He taught me a lot. I’ve gotten a lot better at directional (punts).

I’m able to hang the ball up a lot more to help our coverage unit and give us the advantage of flipping the field.

“I’ve always loved field goal kicking, that’s been my true passion, but I think I’ve grown a lot as a punter,” he adds.

“Coming in as a freshman, I wasn’t really a true punter when I stepped on campus. I kind of tweaked my own form. I’ve always been a little unorthodox in that phase.”

Sharp has aspirations of making an NFL roster as a kicker, but it may be his versatility that seals the deal.

“It will be interesting to see what teams think I am at the next level if I’m given that opportunity,” he says, “but I would definitely prefer to do field goals for sure.”

Combo kickers are rare in the professional ranks, but Sharp could end up being the exception to the rule.

“I think it’s doable. I think if you manage your body properly and focus your time you can do it. I think a kicker can pull it off, and it would be nice if I could be the one. We’ll see how it goes.”

Sharp grew up playing soccer, so placekicking came rather naturally. The same is not true for punts, he says.

“Field goals and kickoffs are pretty much identical in leg sw ing and

everything. The only difference is, when you follow through on a kickoff, you actually follow through onto your kicking leg. Whereas field goals are almost like a little skip-through, and you stay on your plant leg.

“Punting is a complete different leg swing,” he explains. “You’re trying to hit the ball on the outside of your foot, the outside panel of your shoe. You don’t want to catch it on the inside because that’s when you get the flutters and the endover-ends. You want it to kind of wrap off your foot. The technique

is the key on punts.

Everything is critical. It’s tricky. It’s hard to focus on just the littlest things when you’re dropping the ball. Things can go wrong really easily, so you have to work at it and try to perfect it.”

When it does go wrong, it helps to be quick thinking and athletic … and ambidextrous.

Against Texas earlier this season, Sharp bobbled a fourth-down snap in Cowboy territory.

“When I dropped it, I was like, ‘oh lord, just do something,’” he recalls.

“That was my first reaction.”

Pressure from the Longhorns forced the right-footed Sharp to move left after picking up the pigskin.

“I saw a guy coming off the edge, so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run anywhere with it. If I tried to turn around or get back to my right side, he’d probably tackle me by then, so I just kind of tossed it … luckily I connected.”

Sharp booted the ball in stride with his opposite foot. The low-trajectory punt made it into Texas territory and was downed after netting 26 yards.

Considering the alternatives, it was a critical save for Sharp.

“It happened so fast. People said they didn’t realize it at the time that I kicked it with my other foot,” he says. “I could’ve easily just missed or hit the side of the ball, and it could’ve gone straight to the left or something. It was just one of those things that turned out well.”

E ALL-AMER G-12 FIRST ROZA SEMI R OF THE Y Sharp credits his soccer background for his two-footed skills, and admits he has practiced place-kicking left-footed.

“In high school, now and then, I would kick some left footed in practice, just to see how far I could go. But I’ve never really punted left-footed because it really feels so awkward when I try to do it. It’s almost like learning how to throw left-handed. For some reason I can’t do it as well.”

Like all kickers, Sharp has experienced the pressure—and the subsequent highs and lows— that come with the position.

On Nov. 18, 2011, an undefeated OSU squad took the field on a fateful Friday night in Ames, Iowa. Turnovers plagued the normally high-scoring Pokes, but a 37-yard field goal opportunity would give the No. 2 team the lead over Iowa State with barely a minute to play.

“I went out there and went through my routine. I kicked it. It felt great coming

off my foot. I looked up, and it looked like it was going through. And then, you see them signal, ‘No good,’ and it takes a second for it to register … I thought the kick was good.

From the angle I kicked it, I didn’t think that ball could wrap around. I thought it was inside the post, but I think whenever the referee looked up the ball was already behind him on that side.”

OSU would fall to the Cyclones in double-overtime.

“I take it personally, because I want to go out there and do my job every time,” he says. “But you can’t let it eat away at you because you know you’re going to have another opportunity, and you just have to make the most of it when it comes.”

Despite the loss, OSU capped off a dream season with a conference championship and BCS bowl game. As fate would have it, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl would be decided by kickers.

Sharp watched from the sideline as Stanford’s place-kicker missed two gamewinning chances, first at the end of regulation, then in overtime.

On the ensuing possession, a Brandon Weeden connection to Colton Chelf gave OSU first-and-goal from the one. Instead of trying to run it in, head coach Mike Gundy chose to set up a chip-shot field goal for the win.

“I almost didn’t have time to think about it because we had all rushed the field thinking Chelf had scored on the previous play, and then we were all trying to get back to the sideline. When I saw Weeden take a knee, I’m like, ‘OK, we’re going to kick it.’ It all happened so fast.”

Sharp’s kick split the uprights and the Cowboys rushed the field a second time to celebrate the 41-38 victory and a recordbreaking 12-1 season.

“To have the season we had, the greatest in OSU history and winning a BCS game, it was a great experience,” he says.

Sharp can also sympathize with the Cardinal kicker.

“I’ve been in those shoes,” he says. “I missed four in one game in high school.

It’s an awful experience. It’s hard not to think about those big misses or something like that when it happens, because I am so hard on myself, so critical. But I can’t let that carry over into a punt, or if I have a bad punt I can’t let it affect me on my next field goal. You’ve got to keep your mind strong and stay firm in your beliefs.

“I’ve always compared it to golf,” Sharp adds. “You could hit a bad shot, but you still have so many opportunities in front of you. It’s all about what you do on the next one. You just have to go back and trust yourself.”

Sharp trusts his teammates, as well.

Holder Wes Harlan and snapper Connor Sinko handle field goal/PAT duties, while

“Wes has great hands. He gets the ball around. He knows what he’s doing. He has a good feel for which way to spin it if he gets caught in an awkward position.

It’s a great combination we have with all those guys, a solid routine. We don’t doubt each other when we run out there,” he says. “It’s nice to know you have that consistency every time you take the field.”

Often opponents will call time out before a big kick in an effort to “ ice” the kicker by adding to the nervousness in a pressure situation.

“I think now you kind of expect it, because you’ve seen it happen so much,” Sharp says. “We’ve actually worked drills on it in practice. You know that if they have a timeout, they’re probably going to call it, so you’ve just got to be prepared and stay with your routine. You can’t let that get into your head like that. If they do call a timeout, do a little dry kick, act like that was the real one, and move on to the next one.”

Sharp’s “next one” will be in the 2013

Heart of Dallas Bowl against Purdue on New Year’s Day. It will be his final game in an OSU Cowboy uniform.

“It just recently hit me,” he says. “I’ve been here for five years. It’s wild. I’ve had a great time here. It’s been an awesome ride.”

Andrew Suter

serves as long snapper for punts. Botched attempts have been few and far between for the crew.

PHOTO / GARY LAWSON

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COWBOYS GET SMART-ER STORY BY MATT ELLIOTT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD

Men’s basketball coach Travis Ford decided he’d take his young basketball team to Spain for a 10-day tour in August.

The Cowboys played four games against solid international competition, many of which consisted of teams with professional players. Plusses included the team had 10 extra days to practice, which gave Ford and his staff a head start on the 2012 season.

“It was fun for me as their coach,” Ford says. “They could have just complained the whole time. These guys loved every second.

They wanted to see things. They wanted the tours. They wanted to try the food.

They were just a delight to be around.”

It was a welcome change. The Cowboys were recovering from an arduous and injury-filled 15-18 season, the first losing season by an OSU men’s basketball team since 1988. With injuries to a host of starters, the team at many times had only seven players available to play. Michael Cobbins, the team’s starting big forward, lost 15 pounds because he was playing so many minutes. Still, Ford says, they hung in the last 10 games of the season and played hard, closing the year out on an upswing.

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december 2012

“Hopefully, that’s led into this season,” Ford says. “We got some freshmen and some young sophomores some very valuable experience that they might not have gotten otherwise.”

The trip to Spain shows much of that experience has carried over.

The Cowboys played four teams in Barcelona and Gran Canaria (the big island of the Canary Islands) and beat them all. While last year’s team never had the chance to showcase its chemistry, players showed it in August under freshman point guard Marcus Smart, who had 15 assists. Markel Brown led the team in scoring with 18 points per game, and he showed an improved jumper, hitting 55 percent of his shots.

But what happened off the court was more important. Ford says his team had the experience of a lifetime. None of them except for Smart had ever been to a foreign country.

They toured Barcelona and saw sights including the world-famous and perpetually under construction 19th-century cathedral, the Sagrada Familia. In between games on the Canary Islands, they rode wave runners in the Atlantic Ocean

and took rides on a huge catamaran. They went snorkeling and parasailed.

Ford says the guys all got along well and embraced the trip, which was fun for his staff to see. They showed him a side that folks on campus don’t get to see.

“When they’re on campus, everybody’s stoic,” Ford says with a smile.

“While we were overseas, they let their hair down a little bit and had a great time. They enjoyed each other without the cellphones and texting and all that. It was so much fun to see.”

They enjoyed a few laughs while trying to figure out exchange rates and buying items such as food. They seemed to gel together. They showed big things may be in store this year for Cowboy basketball.

“This is a good group. I’d be lying if I said every team I coached would have embraced it like that … Their personalities one through fifteen are just enjoyable personalities. It’s not always like that. Believe me.”

Getting Smart

The addition of Marcus Smart changes this team.

Smart, a McDonald’s All-American, showed in practice and in Spain that he had the speed, quickness and hustle-ability to lead Ford’s run-and-gun offense.

He played shooting guard in high school, averaging more than 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and nearly three steals per game while shooting an astonishing 66.9 percent from the floor.

He was a two-time Gatorade Player

of the Year in Texas and was a finalist for the company’s national player of the year award.

He’s the biggest to play the point guard position OSU has had under Ford, and he’s a big scoring threat. Scoring point guards can wreak havoc on defenses.

Defenders don’t know whether to play the pass or keep him from scoring. He’s the kind of guy who can change a game just being there.

“His first concern is making everybody else around him better,” Ford says. “You can see that by his passing, in how he talks to his teammates, by his hustle. By everything he does. It’s all about winning and making his teammates better.”

Smart shot 63 percent overseas and went 5-for-7 in threes. More importantly, with him at the helm, OSU averaged more than 80 points per game against what Ford calls “mid-major competition.” That’s great news for a team that struggled to find enough scorers healthy enough to play last season.

Smart, who led Team USA, which won the FIBA Americas U18 championship last summer, also does the little things that don’t show up on the scoreboard, Ford says.

He catapults his 6-foot, 4-inch, 225pound frame after rebounds, takes charges and is a vocal leader, beyond what a typical freshman shows.

Listening to Ford rave about him makes one understand why he had offers from

57

MARCUS SMART

North Carolina, Marquette, Kansas, Baylor, s t o ry

continues

“I think we’ll be able to compete with anybody.”

Coach Travis Ford

Press’ Freshman of the Year Award.

BROWN Texas and Oklahoma. Smart is, as Ford says, exactly what the doctor ordered.

“You’re going to make any team a lot better when you add a guy like that,” Ford says.

Who’s going to step up for Page?

The Cowboys are without their leading scorer from last year, Keiton Page, who averaged more than 17 points per game. As a senior, he was also the team’s leader on the court. He graduated last May and returned this season as a graduate assistant.

“All the coaches have been telling me it seems like Keiton has been here forever,” Ford says. “He’s the classic overachiever. He’s what we want Oklahoma State Basketball to be about … We’re excited he’s still around helping us on the coaching staff.”

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Ford doesn’t expect anyone to average close to Page’s scoring game. He thinks it might be more likely to be accomplished by committee. Markel Brown is the

december 2012

first name that comes to his mind when he thinks of who can take the biggest scoring role.

Brown has started more games than most juniors (36), so he’s a veteran. His dunks were highlight-reel fare last season. He managed just over 10 points per game on relatively few shots.

OSU needs him to take more shots this year and score more than he ever has, something he certainly has the tools and the mindset to do, Ford says.

“He’s never been asked to score his first two seasons like we’re going to ask himLe’Bryan to do this year.”

Nash, “LB” to his teammates, is another potential big-time scorer for the team who could take up for Page’s loss.

Cowboy fans will see No. 2 from Dallas has matured from the talented freshman he was last year. Nash had one of the best freshman years ever at OSU and was the first Cowboy to win the Associated

His 13.3 points per game were second only to Richard Dumas’ 17.1 points per game his freshman year. At times, he struggled with consistency and learning to play at the Division I level.

“I just think there were a lot of lessons he had to learn. Sometimes you’ve got to learn them the hard way … LB had a habit of turning it off and on. When he was playing hard. When he would rest. He understands now that he can’t do that.”

Coaches need him even more after the losses of sophomore Brian Williams and Jean Paul Olukemi. Williams remains out indefinitely after he fell and broke his wrist following a dunk. Williams was a strong scorer last year and committed few turnovers in addition to his status as a good rebounder.

After tearing his anterior-cruciate ligament in his right knee and missing most of last season, Olukemi injured his other knee at this year’s Puerto Rico Tipoff tournament, cutting short a promising senior season.

The Cowboys are fortunate to have other scorers on the team.

This year’s wild card could be 5-foot-11 freshman guard Phil Forte.

Ford says it will be tough to keep Forte, who was a high school teammate of Smart’s, off the court. Forte can shoot, which spreads defenses, and score points

quickly. He could have a major impact on this season.

“A guy like that is a weapon I like to have on the court. He’s proven to us he’s one of the better on-the-ball defenders we have, too.”

Rebound, rebound, rebound Rebounding was one of the biggest things Ford and his staff drove home during October practices. OSU was next to last in the league in the stat last year, getting outrebounded an average of almost six per game.

The teams who were the best at it had the most successful seasons, teams such as Baylor and Kansas. The Jayhawks played in the national title game against Kentucky.

“Rebounding is a mentality. It’s wanting to be aggressive and go get the basketball.”

The Cowboys are smaller in the frontcourt than most Big 12 teams. That means they have to be driven to rebound – beyond just using good technique. OSU practices it every day, Ford says, stressing that the entire team needs to get more boards. Michael Cobbins, the 6-foot-8 220-pound forward, was the team’s rebounding leader while averaging 5.7 per game last year, and Ford stresses he needs to get at least 10 per game this year, something he has confidence in his player doing.

The team could get some help from freshman Kamari Murphy, whose long arms and 6-foot-8 frame will see big minutes at forward. He averaged 6.5 rebounds per game during the team’s trip to Spain.

“We need him to continue to be aggressive,” Ford says.

Center Philip Jurick, at 6-feet11 and 260 pounds, could be a big help in that department once he fully recovers from the Achilles tendon tear he suffered last year.

Banged up Ford shakes his head at how banged up his team has been. Smart was out with

an unknown illness doctors thought was mono. Forte had pneumonia. Seven-footer

Marek Souček was out with a sore groin. Olukemi’s knee was swelling up. And Jurick was still recovering from his Achilles tendon tear.

Missed practice time means nonconference play is going to be more important than usual. Fans could see the team start to gel more during those early games.

Thankfully, Ford says, the nonconference schedule is set up better than last year, during which the team played tough teams such as Pittsburgh. He blamed it on taking too many good offers for TV exposure.

“I kept getting calls the summer before. ‘Hey, this is ESPN, we want you to play Pitt in Madison Square Garden on national TV.’ Phew. That’s pretty good. How do I pass that up?

Then, we got picked for the preseason NIT. It was just things that people just kept adding that they wanted us doing.

It was good exposure. But we weren’t as good as we thought we were going to be because of injuries and things like that. It was too much.”

This year’s schedule is much better and more balanced, he says. The team kicked off the season with games against Ottawa and UC Davis at home before heading to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off

(a tournament the Pokes went on to win with a decisive 76-56 victory over thenNo. 6 North Carolina State). That tournament will be essential in helping the team cement after a helter-skelter preseason practice session.

Big 12 coaches picked OSU to finish at third place in the league this year behind Kansas and Baylor. Conference play won’t begin until Jan. 5. If the Cowboys get a few more rebounds out of key players and some points out of their scorers, then they could be on the verge of a big season.

“I think we’ll be able to compete with anybody. And I think we’ll be able to play the style of basketball that I enjoy coaching, have had a lot of success with and that fits this team.”

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62 december 2012

Ever feel like your life is scripted?

story by Matt Elliott photography by phil shockley

Football games may not seem scripted, but the production of them is. Game day is a rigid schedule planned down to the last second, from when to play Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” featuring OSU linebacker Caleb Lavey to when to do the Sonic Fan Cam. The fact that games don’t seem so rehearsed is a testament to the work of OSU athletics staff. They work to the bone to create an exciting, rewarding and fun-filled football experience for fans paying their hard-earned money to support their team. s t o ry

continues

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63

POSSE Magazine went behind the scenes during the TCU game for a front-row account of game day, from the block party to kickoff, from the first score to the final timeout. The following is OSU athletics’ marketing and promotions staff’s experience putting on the big show.

And it begins

It’s 10 a.m. on a Wednesday. The game is Saturday. Athletics promotion folks, fresh off an eventful homecoming week, meet in a study room inside OSU’s Joe & Connie Mitchell Academic Enhancement Center.

The team of 19 employees (four full time, 14 interns and one part time) does the grunt work of game day, from writing the script to setting up the Hall of Fame Block Party. Melissa Darling, a former crosscountry runner with Central Michigan University, handles music played during the games. Keegan Davis’ game day fiefdom is the Hall of Fame Block Party, and he’s joined by Tim Lauderdale, who also does graphic design. All three are promotions coordinators for the Athletic Department.

They’re headed up by Tia Scott , promotions director, a six-year veteran of leading game day who comes up with the scripts for each game — one for announcer Larry Reece, and one for timing of in-game events. Scott was a manager for the OSU Cowgirl Basketball team for three years and a former high school point guard, so taking the leadership role is nothing new to her.

The meeting kicks off with Matt Fletcher, a P R g r a d with O S U Communications who took over the onfield promotional work, most notably the MidFirst Mic, just as the season began.

64

There’s been a bit of a learning curve for Fletcher. He had to get used to the sound of his voice over the PA in the stadium, as well as its delay and echo. And just as he was getting used to the gig, he was run off the field during the Pistol Pete Partner of the Game segment against Iowa State because of confusion between OSU staff and the TV crew from Fox broadcasting the game.

“Did they do just one commercial and come back?” Fletcher wonders.

“It was just odd,” Scott says. “They went to a little break, and then they pulled right out, so that is why that happened.

I’m glad it wasn’t because we were just going crazy.”

A number of other things occurred offschedule that game, due in part to the video crew, and part because there was so much going on with homecoming. But the fact that no one in the stands knew anything was amiss is testament to the good job being done by Scott and crew.

This game against Big 12 newcomer TCU should go off without a hitch, Scott says. For one, there won’t be as many things going on like homecoming the week before.

She then goes down the script as everyone listens. They raise issues as she goes line by line.

The St. Francis junior captains are running off the field too fast. Scott asks if they could stay on the field a little longer.

Larry Reece, who announces the games in the stadium, will read off their names, and they’ll need to stand in a specific order, she says.

“Once he reads who the team captains are, he goes to the junior captains, too.

While he’s reading it and they’re running off the field,” Scott says.

“So Larry is really our cue,” notes Kip Racy, a general manager with Learfield Sports who handles OSU athletics promotional sponsors. Part of Racy’s gameday job is to ensure the marketing department fulfills all the sponsorship requirements during the game, and to make sure the sponsors are happy. He also makes sure the St. Francis junior captains are in their spots.

Everyone coordinates with Kent Doll, sales manager with Cox Communications (which does all the video for OSU games), as to where the camera guys will stand and who will be filming the coin toss when the team captains stand at midfield. Doll assists with the production of the entire game – camera crews, video board elements (replays, commercials, the Kiss Cam, etc.) and the OSU Cox OnDemand.

They then go over the game’s quarters. Much of the plan doesn’t change from game to game. In a sort of post mortem, the group discusses what went right or wrong with the previous game. For instance, Tracey Wittwer, the spirit groups coordinator and pompon team coach, asked about whether or not the pom squad missed a cue after the first quarter.

“It was fine,” Scott says. “I was telling my students to wave them out, and I don’t know if they just didn’t see. I’m not sure.”

Part of the confusion may have been due to the TV breaks being shorter than they planned because of the problems with the film crew, Scott explains.

They went down the list of other issues, and then moved on with planning the next game.

The group then coordinates with the band and let Benjamin Lorenzo, Cowboy Marching Band’s assistant director, know where the Top 10 Freshmen will be heading off the field as the band is coming on at halftime.

A request from a fan in the suites comes up. During the homecoming game, he noted there weren’t many scores from other games across the country posted on the video board. Scott isn’t sure they can help.

“With an 11 a.m. kickoff, there’s not many scores to run. And we run them as best we can,” she says.

Game scores are entered into a computer each game by hand before they are sent to video boards for the fans to see.

It is time consuming, and automating the process is cost prohibitive.

After a quick rundown of the fourth quarter’s events, the meeting is done, and everyone is on their way to make it happen on Saturday. s t o ry

december 2012

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66 december 2012

Game Day

Inside the stadium, Scott and others are getting ready in the promotional office near South Gate 6. Scott heads over to the video truck to talk with Cox Communications’ Alan Douglas, one of the supervisors handling the video going to the screens inside the stadium.

It turns out there’s a problem with the stadium screens. The team’s orange jerseys, because it’s such a deep shade of orange, are showing up red on the screens.

And that’s a big no-no. If the crew inside the truck tries to correct for it, the various other shades of orange and the fans in the stadium look way off. It’s up to Scott and her staff sort it out.

“If we can adjust the color bar to make our orange jerseys look a brighter orange and then roll a commercial to see how off everything else is, that might help,” Scott tells Douglas.

“Right, it changes everything,” Douglas says.

She decides the best thing may be to adjust the colors from her monitor in the game management booth on the suite level. She asks Douglas for a radio so she can chat with her crew and runs through some other issues with him. She also lets Douglas know where the on-field recognitions will occur so that he can inform the camera crews. There’ll be the 43-student equestrian team and The Dr Pepper Dance Party, as well as which student sections she wants the cameras to feature and where the Top 10 Freshmen will be.

“A wide shot would be perfect, or the guy on the field can just kind of … they’ll just be in a straight line,” Scott says. “It’ll be 10 guys and 10 girls. Start with the guys and just go on down. If you can get a wide shot, and they can step up and wave or you can just follow them on down the line.”

She heads to the booth. The windows are open, and that’s letting in cold late morning air. Everyone has a coat on. The fans are still outside the stadium. On the field below, team personnel place equipment on the sidelines. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper sweeps the area with an explosives-detecting dog.

Meanwhile, it’s a cold morning on Hall of Fame Avenue as the staff and interns begin setting up the inflatables for the Hall of Fame Block Party.

Block party attendees typically bring their kids to the block party’s carnival atmosphere (replete with a bounce castle, face painting, fake tattoos, etc.).

The block party has also hosted events including the Big Air Bash, which featured Stillwater’s own Kenny Bartram, who’s a professional stunt rider, and the Kicker Car Show. The city shuts down the avenue between Washington and Duck streets.

“A parent told one of our interns last weekend, ‘We love coming to this because by halftime our kids are knocked out,’” Davis says.

Admission is free, Scott says, so some fans come just for the block party. Interns put up tents and stands for the vendors.

Some set out posters of OSU’s different athletic teams.

Back inside the stadium, Scott sits at a monitor while Mike Ketchersid, another engineer with Cox, and other employees discuss how to get the orange on the screens corrected. Others discuss how they’ve done it before inside Gallagher-Iba Arena and lament there can be so many different shades of orange in the stadium.

They decide to fix it all through something called gamma correction. They have to do it on all four video boards in the stadium, though, and adjust it as the sun moves and the shadows change.

Meanwhile, Darling tests the referees’ mics and the PA system that will carry Reece’s voice over the crowd. Ennio Morricone’s theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly echoes over the empty stadium seats.

The clock keeps ticking. Just after noon, event staff at the gate let in the students who slept overnight in tents at Camp Gundy outside the stadium for front-row seats. A half-hour later, it’s time for the Walk. Scott moves over to the windows on the opposite side of the stadium and watches as the band and team make their way down Hester Street, which is lined by a mass of cheering fans. While the OSU fight song plays, the team enters the

stadium and forms an oval on the field to pray as the music fades out. They stand out there for what seems like an eternity, heads bowed in prayer, before breaking for the locker room.

Behind the Scenes with Fletcher and Pistol Pete Scott and Fletcher are back in the promotions office during the one bit of down time they have before the game starts. Fletcher is a tall, curly-headed guy fans will remember as “the Skirt Guy” from men’s basketball games of a couple years ago.

In an obviously beloved, mud-stained white OSU hat and orange polo shirt, Fletcher picks at his lunch, a sandwich from McAlister’s.

“I love these McAlister’s sandwiches,” Fletcher says. “But for some reason, by the time I finally get in here, I’ve been going so hard, I’ll eat some of it, and I can’t even put it all down.”

Scott says, “I’ve lost five pounds just from not really eating and going all day. It’ll be 2 o’clock, and I haven’t eaten anything.”

Steve Young, a tall employee of Learfield Sports who looks like he’s about 19, tells them about one of their employees who wore a pedometer during a game day a while back.

“He walked 15 miles,” Young says. “Every week it’s between 12 and 15.”

No one doubts him. Soon, it’s time to meet with the game’s referees. Scott and her intern head over to the officials’ locker room.

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Every ref is different, she says, and she has to know how they communicate. Plus, all the major networks — ABC, ESPN, Fox — have different break formats. Some are longer. Others are shorter. And every TV timeout is a different time.

Scott meets the refs and explains that her intern will be watching for his signal.

Each game, she relies on a signal from the official in the red hat on the sideline who tells the others when they’re taking a TV timeout.

Each time out is a negotiation of sorts.

The red hat signals to the white hat (the head ref) that he wants a break for TV or radio. The white hat will either grant or deny that request. Scott’s intern relays to Scott that there’s an impending break so her staff can prepare.

“We’re always a couple steps behind because I have to signal and tell so many people that we’re headed into a break,” Scott says. “We always lose a couple seconds.” In every game, Scott wears two headsets, and each has 10 people on at once.

68 december 2012

Meanwhile, back in the promotions office, Fletcher has finished his lunch and talks about his typical day. He’s OSU sports’ equivalent of hip-hop’s hype man.

He’s there to get people excited.

He meets with Megan Hale, a former cheerleader and intern, and they get their promotional pieces together each Saturday.

But before they can hit the field, they take a Gator golf cart to the block party and several tailgating locations where they give away free stuff, play games with fans for prizes and play music.

“We get people excited about the game,” Fletcher says.

They meet with the Pistol Petes to give them a lift to the stadium. Each Pete head weighs 40 lbs. and toting them long distances can be challenging. The Petes get dropped off at BPS, and then Fletcher and company park down at the Walk to meet the band’s drum line, which is awaiting the team’s emergence from the Student Union.

“We create the pep rally-type feel for the Walk,” he says.

Later, the office TV shows the KU-Texas game, and he is chatting up the interns who’re filing in from the block party. The two students who play the Eskimo Joe’s mascots, Eskimo Joe and Buffy, join them.

One of them suits up in a room off from the office.

“I don’t want to tell anyone, but I would do this for free,” Fletcher says. “This is perfect. When they asked me about this job, I was pumped.”

Soon, it’s time for Pistol Pete to make his entrance.

Fletcher is inside the east end zone’s northeast tunnel on the Gator with Pistol Pete, 40-pound head and all, climbing on the back as the afternoon sun pours in from the tunnel’s mouth. TCU’s players are warming up on the sidelines.

“One minute, Pete,” Fletcher shouts back at him.

An intern clears the football players and cheerleaders to the side. The Gator rockets forward and the theme from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly plays, this time echoing over stadium packed with orange faithful.

Like clockwork, Fletcher stops near midfield, Reece over the PA lets everyone know who is the real sheriff of this Cowboy town, and Pete’s shotgun thunders like a cannon (it’s much louder on the field).

Avoiding the band, Fletcher then speeds back to the tunnel, loads up Hale and heads back to the opposite side of the stadium where the team will re-enter the field through smoke to 50 Cent’s “Ready for War” (don’t step too close to the smoke machine — Fletcher says he got the equivalent of freezer burn on his foot from it).

The clock strikes 2:21 p.m. and it’s time for the national anthem, followed by the alma mater. Fletcher has one more bit of hyping up to do before the game — the orange power cheer.

“I always get out there and I’m like, ‘OK, which side is ‘orange’ and which side is ‘power?’” he yells, over the din of the crowd. The cheerleaders hold up signs for each side to read. If he switches “orange” and “power,” it could be confusing.

Of course, it goes off without a hitch.

He runs out on to the field clapping.

Cheerleaders line up in front and behind him with their signs.

“Cowboy fans, I need you get on your feet and make some noise,” screams Fletcher into his mic. “You know what to do. This side is ‘orange.’ This side is ‘power,’” and 50,000 fans thunder back to him.

After that, he’s off until the McDonald’s Pistol Pete Partner of the Game during the first quarter’s second break. He lines up with other students at the team tunnel for the Cowboy’s final entrance before kickoff, stopping to snap a photo for two pretty female students in the stands near the Paddle People (fun fact — stadium security won’t let the Paddle People carry their paddles into the stadium for games, so they stow them in promotions’ office until they need them the next game).

“You’ve got to watch your head when you’re over here,” Fletcher warns, as the Paddle People flail away at the padding lining the walls. “That was the first thing they told me about being down here.

You’ve got to look out for them because they aren’t looking for you.”

TCU takes the field around 2:30 p.m.

The famous “Hell’s comin’ with me” clip featuring Kurt Russell from the film Tombstone plays. When OSU takes the field varies according to when coaches can get the players out the door, but the schedule says 2:30. Then, it’s the coin toss with the St. Francis Junior Captain followed by the game ball presentation a minute later. The teams huddle up one final time, and it’s time for kickoff.

During that time, everyone is working to pipe video out to the four boards in the stadium: The entrance video. The highlight of the walk. The team tunnel footage for when they take the field during “Ready for War.” A lot of things have to go right, and they do, for the most part.

“There’s 15 or 18 guys here that are just doing the big board stuff, not counting folks that are scattered everywhere and Kip’s people,” Doll says. “There are probably 50 people easy not counting the band who are just focused on executing this. And nobody’s supposed to know that any of it ever happened.”

Things go smoothly in Scott’s booth.

But they don’t go so smoothly on the field for OSU. TCU’s Elisha Olabode took a Wes Lunt pass to the house for six. The Horned Frogs went up 14-0 on a pass from Trevone Boykin to LaDarius Brown.

Around that time, Fletcher huddles in the east end zone with Colton and Carson, the Pistol Pete Partners of the Game. Their parents hover nearby.

“So, are you Carson?” Fletcher asks.

One boy nods his head. “You’re Carson, and you’re Colton, huh? Hi, I’m Matt.

How are you guys? Good. Are you guys excited?” They nod their heads.

“Alrighty. Let me tell you a little bit what we’re going to do. Essentially, you guys are going to walk out here with me and Pistol Pete. I’m just going to talk about how great you guys are and the things you guys won. When I get done, I’m going to hold the mic up to you guys, and you are just going to give me the best ‘Go Pokes’ that you got.”

Their mom tells Fletcher that they’re going to be real focused on the game.

Fletcher says, “OK, that’s good. Let’s hear it real quick. Can you do it for me Colton? All you’ve got to do is 1, 2, 3, Go Pokes! Can we do that? Practice once with me. 1, 2, 3, Go Pokes!”

Only one did it.

“You’ve got to yell,” Fletcher says.

“I’ve got to hear you. Go Pokes! Get in to it! 1, 2, 3 …”

And the brothers belt it out.They head on to the field during the next time out.

The boys do it without a hitch. Fletcher spends the rest of the quarter going through his cue cards until he has his next bit, the Shop & Dine Stillwater “Fan of the Game” in the second quarter.

The rest of the game goes smoothly.

Not only does OSU end up coming back to beat the Horned Frogs, the oranges look as right as can be. Fletcher does his Fan of the Game (he makes the student swear to not use profanity when he puts the mic in front of them or he won’t give them their gift certificate). There’s the Dr Pepper Dance Party in the third quarter. No one does anything obscene during the Kiss Cam or other crowd shots (the guys in the video booth are quick to click

away from a camera if they see anything about to happen).

“All that is people back in the truck hitting camera one, camera two and camera three,” Racy says. “It’s a TV production within a football production. And nobody has any idea because they can’t get back there.”

Once the day is over, the promotions staff members are finished and headed home shortly after the game. For as much work goes that goes on behind the scenes, it’s amazing the spectacle all works out in the end and runs so smoothly.

Lauderdale says one of the best things about it is seeing the fans come out and have a good time. Scott says getting it right the first game of the season is the most rewarding, when her staff hits the ground running after a summer of working on their own projects.

This year was a little bit rewarding because “we had a lot of turnover,” Scott says. “We had two new employees in our office and new interns. I think getting past that first game, getting back on track, and that first game is over with and everything came together and flowed OK. That’s the most rewarding thing for me.” -q

69

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The new OSU Spirit Club is organized for the sole purpose of supporting the Oklahoma State Spirit Squad, which includes the coed cheer squad, pom squad and Pistol Pete mascot.

Take advantage of our Donations are POSSE-eligible and will fund partial scholarships for all squad members and special bowl game ticket provide additional merit-based scholarships for excellence in academics or financial hardship. & traveltravel packages Additionally, gifts will supplement the budget for equipment, and competition expenses.

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1946

Sixty-six years ago, Oklahoma A&M’s Aggie basketball teams traveled unchartered waters while accomplishing a feat no other college basketball team had ever achieved.

In 1945 & 1946 the Aggies won back-to-back NCAA championships, a celebrated and triumphant exploit, for both players and legendary future Hall of Fame coach Henry P. Iba. What was it like, back then, for those Aggie players? I hope to find out.

Ninety-one-year-old Paul Geymann played on that second championship squad and agreed to meet with me at his Bartlesville home to share his recollections.

ncaa ch story by Gene Johnson

72 december 2012

Healthy, fit and slender at 6-foot-1, looking at least 20 years younger than his actual age, and with barely enough grayish-blonde hair to need a comb, Paul maintains a 17 golf handicap, playing at least weekly.

Paul begins telling his story about growing up in El Dorado, Kan. His dad, much like most people in the 1930s, worked paycheck to paycheck and was lucky to have a job, operating a truck that drilled holes for telephone poles.

“The Depression was tough, rough on everybody, but we always had plenty to eat — raised our own chickens. Mom fried

chicken most Sundays. I’ve wrung many a chicken’s neck,” Paul grins. “We’d also have fry bread, green beans and a cake or a pie for dessert. Pretty good eating.

I walked everywhere, never gained any weight. I mowed lawns, charged a dime a lawn. Hamburgers were only a nickel or six for a quarter, so I always had plenty of money.”

As a youngster, Paul developed an avid interest in sports — tennis, basketball, softball and golf. He routinely walked two miles to the Sand-Greens golf course.

“How did you end up in Stillwater?” I ask.

“After high school, I spent two years in my hometown at El Dorado Junior College,

hamps and played basketball. I was a darn good shooter, but then in ’42, the war broke out.

The draft board turned me down, 4F, nothing serious mind you, but they wouldn’t let me in. So I ended up with a good-paying job at Beech Aircraft in Wichita. I stayed there till the war ended in ’45.”

With the World War II over, Paul wanted to coach, but to do that, he needed a college degree. Evaluating his options, he decided to drive down to see Mr. Iba, Oklahoma A&M’s basketball coach, and personally make his case for a scholarship. Driving a ’38 Chevy that ran like a top, he set out for Stillwater.

“Did you call Mr. Iba first?”

“Heck, no,” he replied. “Long-distance calls were expensive, and I sort of figured he’d be there. Besides it wasn’t that long a drive from Wichita.”

“So was he there?” I ask, hoping Paul hadn’t wasted gasoline.

“You bet, and he couldn’t have been nicer, a prince of a man. He told me to go to the equipment room, get some practice gear, and he’d meet me on the court in 15 minutes.”

“Did he put you through a rough workout?”

“Not at all,’ he replies, “mostly shooting, some running. After about 20 minutes, he calls me over.” Looking me in the eye he says, ‘You have a nice shot, but did you know, you’re shooting with your weight on the wrong foot?’ I wasn’t aware of that, but I followed his advice and became a better shooter.”

“Unbelievable, you were shooting on the wrong foot?” I ask, puzzled.

“Yes sir, I sure was.” And we both laugh.

Paul’s quiet enthusiasm, easy laughter and sincerity make him an easy person to be around.

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continues

“Tell me about your time in Stillwater.”

“Best time of my life, would love to do it again. The only thing, I think, at times, Mr. Iba worked us too hard. Over Thanksgiving break and Christmas break, we practiced three times a day, three hours each time.

That’s nine hours a day and we did that seven days a week! That’s too much,” Paul says.

Paul goes on, “I don’t think it ever hurt us physically, but mentally, we could’ve used a day of rest every now and then.

Nobody ever beat us because they were in better shape. But sometimes your mind gets fatigued, you know what I mean?”

“I sure do,” I answer.

us to do what we were supposed to do, molded us into a team. Being in top physical condition gave us an edge. We could run all day.”

Paul pauses, and then goes on, “Now Kurland had a temper, that’s for sure, along with an excellent basketball IQ. Bob was smart. He never got the big head, he definitely earned all his honors, and not one of us was ever jealous.”

“Your thoughts on other players?”

“Weldon Kern, only 5-foot-9, had catlike quickness. I’ve seen him guard another player, mentally time the opponents dribble, and then steal the ball at the bottom of the bounce. Never seen anything like it.

“All of us were average players, except Kurland.”

“All of us guys on the team hung around together, played intramurals, and got along.

We walked most everywhere, to the picture show, or to get a hamburger or to go ‘ogle’ the girls. There were only about 3,000 students. The fraternities shut down during the war, so some of us stayed in frat houses. I lived in the Beta house.”

“Tell me how playing basketball was different back then?”

Paul recalls the details. Their uniforms, made of heavy wool, during the first fifteen minutes of practice, were already wet, soaked and dripping with sweat. It never occurred to anyone, until years later, to make uniforms out of something else. They played with a laced up leather ball and the players never received a pair of practice socks that didn’t have a hole in at least one sock, usually both. For games they’d get a ‘not so holey’ pair. The athletic department operated on a shoestring budget.

“How did you guys stack up against the competition?”

“All of us were average players, except Kurland,” Paul said, referring to 7-foot All-American Bob Kurland. “Bob was a winner. He out-hustled everybody. His intensity rubbed off on us and made our team great. Mr. Iba coached the rest of

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Today, there’s too much damn dribbling — players need to pass the ball, make the defense work.”

I nod. If I heard Mr. Iba say it once, I’d heard him say it a thousand times, “Boys, make the defense work, nobody likes to play defense!”

Paul goes on, “Sam Aubrey, took shrapnel in his hip during the invasion of Italy, but he was a terrific rebounder. At 6-foot-2, Sam had a knack of knowing just where the ball was coming off the rim, and he’d go get it.”

Another irreplaceable contributor was Bob ‘Pee Wee’ Williams, a 5-foot-6 student manager, who did everything; kept stats, refereed scrimmages, swept the court, fetched water for the coaches. “You name it; Pee Wee did it, always with a positive attitude,” says Paul. “The whole team liked Pee Wee. One summer he and Kurland roomed together in Gallagher Hall, a real ‘Mutt & Jeff’ combination. Bob could’ve stuffed Pee Wee in his back pocket and still had room for his wallet.”

“How’d you get along with Mr. Iba?” I asked. ”Pretty good, but Mr. Iba thought since I was older and had a car that I would get the other guys in trouble, but, if he only

knew. I was squeaky clean. Never, to this day, have I had a drag off a cigarette nor a sip of beer, wine or any hard liquor.”

“Remarkable,” I say, almost in disbelief. “Maybe that’s why you don’t look a day over 70.”

“Could be,” Paul answers, looking pleased at the compliment I had sincerely given.

“In the ’46 season, our games were packed, fans sitting on top of each other, no fire marshals in those days. Everyone within 100 miles wanted to see Kurland play. Back then, there was no ban on smoking. Fans smoked in the arenas.

Kansas City’s municipal auditorium had three levels. During a game, from the court, you couldn’t see people in the top level — invisible because of cigarette and cigar smoke.”

“Tell me more about Mr. Iba,” I suggest.

“Tough as nails, but we could tell he loved us. A classy man. He was just as rough on Kurland as he was the rest of us, showed no favoritism — worked us to the bone, but was never belittling. He believed in us.”

Paul stops, his eyes gleaming as he recalls those long bygone days. “His believing in us gave us confidence.”

“Mr. Iba wasn’t fond of Eddy Hickey, though, the University of St. Louis’ coach.

We were working out the day before a game up there and someone was sitting way high in the stands. Mr. Iba felt sure Hickey had sent someone to scout our practice. Next day, right before the game, he pulled Kurland aside and told him to score as much as he could, to fill it up. Bob got 58 points, which is still a school record.

Hickey was pissed, accused us of running up the score, but, in St Louis, never again did anyone ever come to watch us work out,” Paul shakes his head, smiling in approval.

“Did you ever get mad at Mr. Iba?” “Not really, no. On second thought, Mr. Iba once had the whole team so upset we could’ve wrung his neck!” He hesitates, and then asks me, “Did you ever sleep on a feather mattress?”

“No,” I reply.

“After a night game in St. Louis, about 11 p.m., we boarded our bus for home.

About 2 a.m. we stopped in Drury, Mo., and checked into a hotel that had feather mattresses. Best dang bed I ever slept in, you just seemed to sink in, like being on a cloud. I was sawing logs when, all of a sudden, someone’s banging on my door.

I look at the alarm clock — 4 a.m.! I never hated crawling out of a warm bed more in my life.”

“I opened the door. Our assistant coach barks,’Geymann, get dressed, pack up your gear and be downstairs in 15 minutes’.” “‘Damn, I thought, what’s going on?

Come to find out, Mr. Iba had gone to bed, tossed and turned, couldn’t sleep and had decided, ‘Let’s go home.’ I can laugh about it today, but that night, me and my teammates were stirred up like a hornet’s nest.”

Buses and trains, with sleeper bunks, were the mode of transportation for athletic teams in the 1940s.

“On road trips,” Paul goes on, “we’d take in movies and burlesque shows. Burlesque back then was like vaudeville, it didn’t mean naked girls, not R-rated but pretty racy, pretty girls involved in comedy, melodramas, singing, lots of laughs, but nobody took their clothes off.”

Once, while wandering around New York City, Paul and several of his teammates entered a towering skyscraper, where they discovered a stainless steel contraption with a double set of moving stairs, one going up and the other down, connecting to the second floor. After Paul’s group rode this novelty a dozen times, Paul asked a local New Yorker “What is it?”

“Escalator,” came the reply.

While the team was in New York, Time magazine ran an article on the Aggies.

Mr. Iba gave Paul cab fare plus money to buy a dozen copies. Arriving at the Time Building, Paul paid the cabby the metered amount and walked off, when suddenly, the cabby gives Paul hell, shaking his fist, cussing and shouting! Paul hadn’t tipped the driver, didn’t know he was supposed to. Paul kept walking and didn’t look back.

“I’ll bet that cabby’s still looking for me!”

Paul laughs.

I could tell it was time to wrap it up and we had still not got to the championship game.

“What about winning the national championship?”

“Well, it was a real big deal, but not near as important to us as our games against DePaul University and George Mikan, their 6-foot-10 All-American. Kurland and Mikan were the premier players of that era.

Mikan had better skills when they beat us in Stillwater, but the second time, in Chicago, we played flawlessly and Bob dominated. We were ecstatic. Beating them in the rematch meant more to us than the National Championship. We were the two best teams in the country. That NCAA championship means more today than it did back then.”

DePaul opted to go to the National Invitational Tournament that year, which it won, skipping the NCAA tournament.

On the road to the NCAA championship, the Aggies defeated Kansas, Baylor and Cal. The finals, played before 18,000 fans in New York’s Madison Square Garden, were won by the Aggies, 43-40, over the University of North Carolina Phantoms [later Tar Heels]. Kurland, named tournament MVP, scored 23 points.

“Don’t get me wrong, we were tickled to death to win the championship, but beating Mikan was sweeter,” Paul adds. “I didn’t get to play too much, but sure was blessed being part of that group of guys, developed lifelong relationships; Bob, Sam, Weldon, J. L. Park, Joe Halbert and others.”

Two weeks after returning to Stillwater the ’46 Aggies were feted at a dinner in recognition of their achievement.

“We got our picture in all the newspapers, a steak dinner and a Bulova wristwatch.” Future Hall of Fame announcer Curt Gowdy emceed the affair. “That’s about it,” Paul sighs, “doesn’t seem like it’s been that long ago, but it has.”

“An experience you’ll never forget, I’m sure,” I add.

On asked if he’d do anything different, Paul states that he played hard, gave it his all, tried his best to be a team player and has no regrets. Today’s college game, according to Paul, has better athletes and is on a bigger stage, but they don’t play any defense, dribble too much and don’t attack the basket. His advice to young players is to work as hard as you can, be a team player and practice, practice, practice!

Graduating from A&M, Paul enjoyed a 36-year career in athletics, both as a coach and an administrator. Today, along with his weekly golf game, he regularly attends Bartlesville High’s home basketball games. He is still in possession of his Bulova watch and his 1946 ‘O’ Club card, No. 30, awarded to varsity lettermen. The card reads, “admit one to all A&M sports activities.”

“They reneged on that in 1957, when Oklahoma State joined the Big 8,” Paul says, grinning.

It only seems fair that anyone who played on a national championship basketball team for their alma mater should be admitted free to all future home sports activities, but I guess Paul has a treasure more valuable — an NCAA national championship, plus all the memories he made along the way. He is a part of sports history that forever will be etched in the record books. Paul has been there, done that and along the journey experienced the blood, the sweat, the tears, the pain, and most of all, the joy of the ultimate thrill of victory.

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For details, visit at okstate.com/kidsclub

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Western Ave

2012-13 MEN’S BASKETBALL DONOR PARKING

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405-744-7301 / 877-2B-POSSE / www.okstateposse.com / posse@okstate.edu

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Wray-venous Ab t the Holid ys!

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Seriously? The last frightful weather we had around here was in 2010. Is it just me or did it seem like we had colder weather and a lot more snow when we were kids? Do you remember what it was like before the Xbox 360 and Twitter? Typically, when it snowed you went outside, fired up your sled and rode for hours, or had a snowball fight until you couldn’t feel any extremity. Your ears and nose hurt so bad, you ran to the bathroom to run hot water over them. Big mistake!

There were the times we had really cold football games where you actually considered committing the fashion faux pas of wrapping your lower torso in a trash bag to cut the wind. When is the last time it was cold enough to do that?

Now that I’m writing this I fully expect there to be a blizzard in the next three weeks that’ll cause this part of this article to be irrelevant. No matter what time of year it is, when I come down with a cold or sinus problems, my mother always says, “That stuff is going around.” To which I reply, “It can’t always be going around.” Can it?

Maybe she’s right. What I mean is this: Without the cold weather to kill some of the stuff we are all allergic to, it’s not that it comes and goes, it’s that it never leaves!

Is it global warming? The rise in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere over the last 100 years? Who knows? We should ask Santa what’s happening at the North Pole. That might give us a hint.

Change happens. The types of Christmas gifts have transitioned over the years.

Traditions of fruit in Christmas stockings may have originated in a world where children were raised in post-Great Depression homes and an apple in the toe of your stocking was considered a treat. New Converse tennis shoes or an electric football game transitioned into Nikes and an Atari video game system.

Today, Apples are given at Christmas all right, but of a completely different variety. The electronics craze, fueled by social media networking, instant picture publication and the Internet, have driven all of the “i” devices to be at the top of many Christmas lists. And if you haven’t priced these pieces of modern technology, hold on to your Santa hats … and your wallets.

All of us probably had that certain relative who, instead of purchasing the cool, trendy gift, knitted you the green and pink socks or the brown and yellow scarf with dangling fringe. You could tell as soon as you saw the rectangular-shaped box that was only a few inches tall that it wasn’t the Evil Knievel motorcycle, the football and tee set or the Coleco Electronic Quarterback you wrote Saint Nick about at Thanksgiving.

But in today’s world, that all-too-familiar rectangular box does not have to be a harbinger of bad news.

OSU gear makes wonderful gifts.

Orange hoodies, coaches’ polos, Pistol Pete dresses, OSU boots, jackets and sweatshirts all make great gifts any fan would want to open on Dec. 25. Plus, they fit nicely into those aforementioned rectangular boxes! Although, with the not-sofrightful weather we’ve been experiencing, a nice OSU beach towel, flip-flops or bikini/ swim trunks might be in order.

If you are like me, some of your favorite Christmas mornings were determined not by the gifts you received but by ones you gave or memories made. And if I knew there was a big round piece of fruit in the toe of my stocking that hung by the fireplace, I always hoped it was an Orange.

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Kyle Wray Vice President Enrollment Management & Marketing

december 2012

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d e c e m b e r 2012

The official magazine of OSU Athletics

Vol. 6

No. 2