Oklahoma State Cowboys Football History
Oklahoma State University played their first football season in 1901, when they were still known as the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. The team was not christened as the Cowboys until Oklahoma A&M changed its name to Oklahoma State in 1957. The team was a member of the Big Eight from 1960 through 1995 and joined the Big 12 Conference in 1996.?
Since the early 2000s, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have been one of the most competitive college football programs in the country. Head coach Mike Gundy joined the team in 2005 and steered the Cowboys to the 2011 national championship after an overtime win against Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma State has won over 20 bowl games, including a 2018 Liberty Bowl victory over the Missouri Tigers, and 11 conference titles.?
Oklahoma State's most famous player is Barry Sanders, who won the program’s sole Heisman Trophy in 1988 after what many consider the greatest individual season by a running back. He would go on to play 10 seasons for the NFL’s Detroit Lions as one of the best of all time and has been inducted to both the Pro and College Football Hall of Fame. The squad was also coached by future NFL legend Jimmy Johnson between 1979 and 1983. The Cowboys’ most notable opponent is their fellow Big 12 Conference member, the Oklahoma Sooners. The two teams face off annually as part of the schools' Bedlam Series, which dates back to 1904.
Oklahoma State Cowboys Football Team Info
Conference: Big 12
Team Colors: Orange, Black
Team Rivals: Oklahoma Sooners, Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Oklahoma State Cowboys Football at Boone Pickens Stadium
The Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Boone Pickens Stadium, which has been in operation since 1920 and seats over 55,000 people. Originally named Lewis Field after former dean Laymon Lowery Lewis, the Stillwater, Oklahoma facility was renamed in 2004 after a historic donation by late American businessman and Oklahoma State alumni T. Boone Pickens. The stadium experienced a record capacity of 60,218 in November 2013 when the No. 11 Cowboys defeated the No. 3 Baylor Bears, 49-17.
