Yes, Oklahoma State is a football school
Published: 6/17/2011 4:50 PM
Last Modified: 6/17/2011 4:50 PM
In a Cowboy football package published in last week’s Sunday Tulsa World, I reported that Oklahoma State has become – during a period of 10 years, 2001 through 2010 – a legitimate football school.
Response to the piece was mixed. Some readers agree that O-State has arrived at a level of national relevance. Others scoff at the “football school” label.
From one e-mail correspondent: “You’re not a football school until you win a championship.”
That issue was addressed in this paragraph pulled from the OSU feature spread:
Detractors will argue that OSU isn’t a genuine football school until it captures Big 12 and national titles, and that’s a valid point. But a school can’t compete for championships unless it has positioned itself accordingly, and OSU has done exactly that.
Reasons why Oklahoma State is, in fact, a football school:
The Cowboys have been bowl participants in eight of the last nine years. They’ve had five consecutive winning seasons. They consistently hold a position in the national rankings. In 2009, they were No. 9 in the Associated Press’ preseason poll. This year, they again may have a preseason top-10 ranking.
In 2008-10, OSU had six All-Americans. In 2008, OSU was as high as No. 6 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Last year, the Cowboys picked by many to finish last in the Big 12 South. Instead, they captured a share of the South title, averaging 44 points and 520 yards a game while rolling to the first 11-win finish in school history.
In the last three years, OSU had six All-Americans. In the last three years, 30 OSU games were televised.
In 2009, OSU completed a $283 million renovation of Boone Pickens Stadium.
So, yes, Oklahoma State made the commitment to become a football school.
Another e-mail correspondent said my report smacked of “homerism.” There are a few homers who cover the Oklahoma State beat, but I’m not one of them. When I declared that OSU had become a football school, I supported my contention with facts. Not feelings.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
