Oklahoma State Cowboys
Encyclopedia
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University
. Their mascot is a cowboy
named Pistol Pete
. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA
's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference
's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder. In total, Oklahoma State has 50 team national titles, the fourth-most team national championships in the country. These national titles have come in wrestling (34), golf (10), basketball (2), baseball (1), and cross country (3).
leading the Armistice Day
Parade. He was approached to see if he would be interested in being the model for the new mascot, and he agreed. The caricature that was drawn that year is more or less the same as the one used today.
The new mascot had become so popular that by 1924, Charles Saulsberry, sports editor of the Oklahoma City Times, began calling A&M's teams the Cowboys. "Aggies" and "Cowboys" were used interchangeably until A&M was elevated to university status in 1957.
Oklahoma State first took the basketball court in 1908
.
Under head coach Henry Iba
, the team won NCAA championships in 1945
and again in 1946
. A&M center Bob Kurland was named the NCAA Tournament MVP during the their two championship seasons. Kurland was the first player to win the honor two times. Oklahoma State has a total of six Final Four
appearances.
Under Eddie Sutton
, the team made two Final Four
appearances—in 1995
and in 2004
. Sutton's son, Sean Sutton
, began coaching the team in 2006
but resigned on March 31, 2008. The team is now coached by Travis Ford
.
was killed in a plane crash in Arkansas
in November 2011, just after the season had started.
, whose name is part of Gallagher-Iba Arena
, became head coach. With his expertise in anatomy
, he pioneered the sport of wrestling. Gallagher coached the Cowboys until his death in 1940 from pneumonia. During those 24 years, Gallagher had 11 team national titles, 19 undefeated seasons, and a 138-5-4 record.
After his death, Art Griffith took over and proceeded to win two straight national championships. Due to World War II
, Oklahoma State wrestling was forced off the mat for three years. After the war, Griffith coached for another 11 years and won six more national championships in that time. Due to health reasons, Art Griffith resigned as head coach and Myron Roderick took over. At 23 years old, Roderick became the youngest coach to win a national championship in 1958. Roderick proceeded to win another 5 championships. In 1970, Myron Roderick stepped down to take an executive position with the U.S. Wrestling Federation. Former Stillwater
High School coach Tommy Chesbro
was hired as head coach and won eight Big Eight
titles and one national championship in 15 years. Between 1985 to 1991, Joe Seay, former Cal State coach won five conference titles and two national titles.
In 1993, John Smith
became the seventh head coach of Oklahoma State University wrestling. Smith led the Cowboys to a national title in 1995 and four consecutive national titles between 2002–2006.
was named Baseball America's Player of the Century, and Robin Ventura
was inducted in the inaugural class into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Overall, OSU has made 19 College World Series
appearances, including seven straight from 1981–1987.
The Cowboys' current head baseball coach is Frank Anderson
.
The OSU football program has participatied in 19 bowl games overall and 5 in the last 6 years. There have been 9 conference championships, 1 Heisman Trophy
winner, 2 NFL Hall of Fame members, and 32 All-Americans to the Cowboys' name.
Oklahoma State plays football on Lewis Field, in Boone Pickens Stadium
, which has recently undergone renovation and expansion.
With a win in Austin over the University of Texas on November 13, 2010, the Oklahoma State Cowboys recorded an all-time winning percentage of 0.5000, winning 519 games and losing 519. It is the first time at or above the .500 mark for the Cowboys since 1951.
The current head coach is Mike Gundy
(41–27 and 2–2 in bowl appearances). During Gundy's playing career, the Cowboys enjoyed their greatest success with consecutive nine-win seasons and a record 11 win season in 2010.
Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy
in 1988.
Author Steve Budin, whose father was a New York bookie, has recently publicized the claim that the 1954 "Bedlam" game
against rival OU
was fixed by mobsters in his book Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (ISBN 1-602-39099-1).
serves as the home course of the Oklahoma State University Men's and Women's golf teams. The Tom Fazio
layout was named Golf Digest
s "Best New Public Course" and served as the host site for the NCAA Men's Championship in 2003. The men's program has qualified for the NCAA Championship in each of its 60 seasons and has won 10 national championships, eight individual national champions, and 49 conference championships.
The women's program has also had its share of success. Under former coach Ann Pitts, the Cowgirls won 15 conference championships and made 15 appearances at the NCAA Championship. Laura Matthews led the Cowgirls to be Big 12 champions in 2005 and a top-20 finish at the NCAA Championship. Caroline Hedwall won the NCAA Division I individual championship
in 2010 under new coach Annie Young.
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater is a land-grant, sun-grant, coeducational public research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act...
. Their mascot is a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
named Pistol Pete
Pistol Pete (mascot)
Pistol Pete is the athletics mascot of Oklahoma State University, New Mexico State University and the University of Wyoming. The Pistol Pete mascot costume features traditional cowboy attire and a headpiece resembling Frank Eaton...
. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder. In total, Oklahoma State has 50 team national titles, the fourth-most team national championships in the country. These national titles have come in wrestling (34), golf (10), basketball (2), baseball (1), and cross country (3).
- Men's sports
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Football
- Golf
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Wrestling
- Women's sports
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Equestrian
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and field
Nickname
Prior to 1957, OSU was known as Oklahoma A&M. As was common with most land-grant schools, its teams were known for many years as Aggies. However, in 1923, A&M was looking for a new mascot to replace its pet tiger (the inspiration behind the school colors of orange and black). A group of students saw Frank EatonFrank Eaton
Frank Boardman "Pistol Pete" Eaton was an American author, cowboy, scout, Indian fighter, and Deputy U. S. Marshal for Judge Isaac C...
leading the Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
Parade. He was approached to see if he would be interested in being the model for the new mascot, and he agreed. The caricature that was drawn that year is more or less the same as the one used today.
The new mascot had become so popular that by 1924, Charles Saulsberry, sports editor of the Oklahoma City Times, began calling A&M's teams the Cowboys. "Aggies" and "Cowboys" were used interchangeably until A&M was elevated to university status in 1957.
Men's basketball
1908 in sports
1908 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:College championship* College football national championship – Harvard Crimson, LSU Tigers and Penn Quakers -Association football:England...
.
Under head coach Henry Iba
Henry Iba
Henry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American basketball and baseball coach.-Early life:Iba was born and raised in Easton, Missouri...
, the team won NCAA championships in 1945
1945 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1945 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 22, 1945, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in New York City...
and again in 1946
1946 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
. A&M center Bob Kurland was named the NCAA Tournament MVP during the their two championship seasons. Kurland was the first player to win the honor two times. Oklahoma State has a total of six Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances.
Under Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
, the team made two Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances—in 1995
1995 in sports
1995 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Alberto Tomba, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
and in 2004
2004 in sports
2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14...
. Sutton's son, Sean Sutton
Sean Sutton
Sean Sutton was the head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program from 2006 until April 1, 2008. He is currently an assistant at Oral Roberts University.-Playing career:...
, began coaching the team in 2006
2006 in sports
2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia...
but resigned on March 31, 2008. The team is now coached by Travis Ford
Travis Ford
Travis Ford is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's head coach at Oklahoma State University. He was previously the head coach at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, and the University of Massachusetts...
.
Women's basketball
Oklahoma State first fielded a women's team during the 1972-1973 season. The team is currently without a head coach, as their fifth year head coach Kurt BudkeKurt Budke
Kurt Budke was an American college basketball coach. His final coaching job was as the head coach for the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls women's basketball team from 2005 until his 2011 death in a plane accident.-Career:...
was killed in a plane crash in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in November 2011, just after the season had started.
Wrestling
Oklahoma State wrestling's tradition started in 1916 when Edward C. GallagherEdward C. Gallagher (wrestling)
Edward Clark Gallagher was the Oklahoma A&M wrestling coach from 1916-1940. With his knowledge of physical principles like leverage and stress along with anatomy he all but invented the modern style of wrestling. He remains one of the most successful coaches in NCAA athletics history...
, whose name is part of Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena, also known as "The Rowdiest Arena in the Country" and "The Madison Square Garden of the Plains”, is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States...
, became head coach. With his expertise in anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, he pioneered the sport of wrestling. Gallagher coached the Cowboys until his death in 1940 from pneumonia. During those 24 years, Gallagher had 11 team national titles, 19 undefeated seasons, and a 138-5-4 record.
After his death, Art Griffith took over and proceeded to win two straight national championships. Due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Oklahoma State wrestling was forced off the mat for three years. After the war, Griffith coached for another 11 years and won six more national championships in that time. Due to health reasons, Art Griffith resigned as head coach and Myron Roderick took over. At 23 years old, Roderick became the youngest coach to win a national championship in 1958. Roderick proceeded to win another 5 championships. In 1970, Myron Roderick stepped down to take an executive position with the U.S. Wrestling Federation. Former Stillwater
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
High School coach Tommy Chesbro
Tommy Chesbro
Tommy Chesbro was an Oklahoma State University all-star wrestler and coach. As coach he led the Oklahoma state wrestling team to the NCAA Wrestling Team Championship on at least one occasion...
was hired as head coach and won eight Big Eight
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
titles and one national championship in 15 years. Between 1985 to 1991, Joe Seay, former Cal State coach won five conference titles and two national titles.
In 1993, John Smith
John Smith (wrestler)
John William Smith is a successful college wrestler, 6-time World Champion, 2-time Olympic Games champion, and is currently the head coach of wrestling at Oklahoma State University.-High school career:...
became the seventh head coach of Oklahoma State University wrestling. Smith led the Cowboys to a national title in 1995 and four consecutive national titles between 2002–2006.
Baseball
The Cowboys won their only national championship in 1959, but have finished runner-up on five other occasions. OSU won 16 consecutive conference championships under head coach Gary Ward in the Big 8 Conference. During that time, Pete IncavigliaPete Incaviglia
Peter "Inky" Joseph Incaviglia is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted in the 1st round by the Montreal Expos in the 1985 amateur draft out of Oklahoma State University, but was traded later the same year to the Texas Rangers...
was named Baseball America's Player of the Century, and Robin Ventura
Robin Ventura
Robin Mark Ventura is the current manager of the Chicago White Sox. He is a former professional baseball player, a third baseman who played for four major league teams, most notably for the Chicago White Sox...
was inducted in the inaugural class into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Overall, OSU has made 19 College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
appearances, including seven straight from 1981–1987.
The Cowboys' current head baseball coach is Frank Anderson
Frank Anderson (baseball coach)
Frank Anderson is the current head baseball coach at Oklahoma State University. His team won the 2004 Big 12 Baseball Tournament. In 2005, his team went 34–25, including an upset over the top ranked Texas Longhorns. In 2006, OSU went 41–20, and earned a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament...
.
Football
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, 2 NFL Hall of Fame members, and 32 All-Americans to the Cowboys' name.
Oklahoma State plays football on Lewis Field, in Boone Pickens Stadium
Boone Pickens Stadium
Boone Pickens Stadium has been home to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys football team in rudimentary form since 1913, and as a complete stadium since 1920...
, which has recently undergone renovation and expansion.
With a win in Austin over the University of Texas on November 13, 2010, the Oklahoma State Cowboys recorded an all-time winning percentage of 0.5000, winning 519 games and losing 519. It is the first time at or above the .500 mark for the Cowboys since 1951.
The current head coach is Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy is an American football coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. Gundy played college football Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys quarterback from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005...
(41–27 and 2–2 in bowl appearances). During Gundy's playing career, the Cowboys enjoyed their greatest success with consecutive nine-win seasons and a record 11 win season in 2010.
Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
in 1988.
Author Steve Budin, whose father was a New York bookie, has recently publicized the claim that the 1954 "Bedlam" game
Bedlam Series
The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference...
against rival OU
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
was fixed by mobsters in his book Bets, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (ISBN 1-602-39099-1).
Conference (seasons as member)
- Independent (1901–1914)
- Southwest Conference (1914–1924)
- MVIAA (1924–1927)
- Missouri Valley Conference (1927–1956)
- Independent (1956–1960)
- Big Eight Conference (1960–1996)
- Big 12 Conference (1996–Present)
Golf
Karsten CreekKarsten Creek
Karsten Creek Golf Club is located west on Highway 51, just outside of Stillwater, Oklahoma. It replaced Lakeside Golf Course as the home course of the Oklahoma State University Men's and Women's golf teams 1994...
serves as the home course of the Oklahoma State University Men's and Women's golf teams. The Tom Fazio
Tom Fazio
Thomas Fazio, ASGCA is a golf course architect.Fazio graduated in 1962 from Lansdale Catholic High School and was inducted into its "Hall of Fame" in 2007. He began his career in golf course design with his family's firm in suburban Philadelphia, which he left in the 1960s; he established his own...
layout was named Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
s "Best New Public Course" and served as the host site for the NCAA Men's Championship in 2003. The men's program has qualified for the NCAA Championship in each of its 60 seasons and has won 10 national championships, eight individual national champions, and 49 conference championships.
The women's program has also had its share of success. Under former coach Ann Pitts, the Cowgirls won 15 conference championships and made 15 appearances at the NCAA Championship. Laura Matthews led the Cowgirls to be Big 12 champions in 2005 and a top-20 finish at the NCAA Championship. Caroline Hedwall won the NCAA Division I individual championship
NCAA Women's Golf Championship
NCAA Champions for women's golf:-Division I:-Division II-III combined:-Division II:-Division III:-Team:The following schools have won more than one team championship:*15: Methodist*7: Arizona State*5: Duke, Rollins*4: Florida Southern...
in 2010 under new coach Annie Young.
National Championships
- Basketball - 2 (1945,1946)
- Baseball - 1 (1959)
- Cross Country - 3 (1954, 2009, 2010)
- Golf - 10 (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006)
- Wrestling - 34 (1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
See also
- List of Oklahoma State University Olympians
- List of Oklahoma State University people
- Oklahoma State University homecomingOklahoma State University homecomingHomecoming is one of the many proud traditions at Oklahoma State University, and perhaps one of the most widely known. Every year, thousands of OSU alumni and fans return to Stillwater, taking part in what is heralded as the biggest and best homecoming celebration in the country.Traditional...
- Johnny Bright IncidentJohnny Bright IncidentThe "Johnny Bright Incident" was a violent on-field assault against African-American player Johnny Bright by White American player Wilbanks Smith during an American college football game held on October 20, 1951 in Stillwater, Oklahoma...