The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. They compete in the Big 12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The team is coached by Mike Gundy, who is in his 20th year as head coach. Home games are played at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
### History
#### Early History (1900–1962)
The team, originally known as the Oklahoma A&M Aggies (and also referred to as the Tigers), began playing football in 1900 and joined the Southwest Conference in 1915. In 1925, they became part of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA). When the MVIAA split in 1928, Oklahoma A&M joined the smaller Missouri Valley Conference.
Jim Lookabaugh, an OSU alum and multi-sport letterman, coached the Aggies for eleven seasons. His tenure included a 9–0 season and a national championship in 1945, following an 8–1 season in 1944. In October 2016, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) retroactively awarded Oklahoma State the 1945 national championship. Lookabaugh resigned after the 1949 season with a record of 58–41–6.
From 1950 to 1954, Jennings B. Whitworth coached the team, achieving a 22–27–1 record, including a single winning season (7–3 in 1953) before moving to Alabama. In 1951, Oklahoma A&M was involved in the Johnny Bright incident, where an African American player from Drake University, Johnny Bright, was violently attacked. The school attempted to cover up and deny the incident for over 50 years.
Cliff Speegle coached from 1955 to 1962, achieving a 36–42–3 record with three winning seasons from 1957 to 1959. However, due to a poor overall record and an 0–8 record against rival Oklahoma, he was fired after the 1962 season. In 1956, Oklahoma A&M announced it would join the Big Seven Conference (later the Big Eight) for the 1958-59 academic year. The school changed its name to Oklahoma State University on May 15, 1957.
Leave a Reply