More from OSU's Football 101 for Women clinic
Published: 7/28/2012 9:25 AM
Last Modified: 7/28/2012 9:25 AM
On Friday, I attended Oklahoma State's seventh annual Football 101 for Women clinic at Boone Pickens Stadium. You can read my story for Saturday's Tulsa World here.
Mack Butler, OSU's director of football operations, invited me to participate with the other 300 women, including Gina Mizell from The Oklahoman. Here were some of the other highlights from the day:
-- The on-field drills were entertaining. As women, we watch football but don't usually have the chance to participate. Co-defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer told me I would have to cut my long hair if I wanted to play for him. (Deal-breaker.)
-- Every member of the football staff was there, including defensive coordinator Bill Young, who came later in the day after a death in his family. Recently hired baseball coach Josh Holliday popped by and received one of the loudest welcomes of the day.
-- During the player panel, offensive lineman Evan Epstein described himself as a "lean panther" who can bench-press 425 pounds.
-- Four wives of the staff participated in a Q-and-A: Terri Monken (offensive coordinator Todd Monken); Kelly Linder (graduate assistant Ty Linder); Kysha Jones (cornerbacks coach Jason Jones); and Jacque Butler (director of ops Mack Butler).
When asked about her favorite vacation spot, Terri Monken said she and her husband have been going to Las Vegas with Mike and Kristen Gundy annually since 2003.
-- David Warden, assistant coordinator of officials for the Big 12, took questions from the crowd. One woman asked about players removing their helmets on the field after a play, as Baylor QB Robert Griffin III did against OSU last year. Warden said that should be penalized. The questioner's response: "I just want to go on record that (Griffin) did that twice."
Warden also said he was in the replay booth for OSU-Iowa State last season and didn't think the officials got the call wrong on Quinn Sharp's missed field goal.
-- During a locker-room tour, equipment manager Wes Edwards was asked about the possibility of adding orange helmets. He did not answer whether they would be added but said each color of helmet costs the team $30,000.
Mannequins with jersey options line a hallway of the football offices, and one was sporting a gray jersey slightly different from the one the Cowboys wore last season. It had black numbers with orange trim, instead of the old hard-to-read orange numbers with black trim.
In a position meeting, Todd Monken said Boone Pickens hated the gray jerseys because he couldn't read them. (Neither could the media from the press box.)
-- Mack Butler said husbands are getting jealous that women get a behind-the-scenes look at the program while the men can't. The day really is a rare opportunity that female fans should pursue. Thanks to everyone at OSU for having me.
Written by
Kelly Hines
Sports Writer
