Senior class to play in final home game
The senior class for Oklahoma State will play its final home game Saturday against Kansas at Boone Pickens Stadium.
STILLWATER — After a short night of sleep, and an early morning trip to the office last Sunday, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was hard at work, trying to figure out how to get his team past the 45-40 upset loss to Kansas State from the day before.
Grinding away for hours, Gundy suddenly realized he had forgotten about the team’s annual custom of providing Thanksgiving dinner for Stillwater residents in need, an event held at OSU’s practice facility.
He immediately felt bad for forgetting, and went to find out who had shown up in his absence.
Gundy received a list of about a dozen players, many of them seniors, with quarterback Mason Rudolph among them.
It was the morning after the most painful loss of the season, yet some of the team’s stars were on hand to help feed hungry people in their community.
“Mason is a guy that threw a couple of interceptions and felt like he had an overthrow late,” Gundy said. “He had a good game, but on his standards, it wasn't as good as he wanted it to be, but he showed up the next day and handed out food to people that are homeless.
“That's the kind of kids that we have here. That's what makes me the most proud. It’s a special group, from top to bottom.”
The senior class that will play its final home game at 11 a.m. Saturday against Kansas at Boone Pickens Stadium will long hold a special place in Cowboy history.
They’ve been at the center of the program’s rise to its most consistent level of national prominence, and helped the team win games at a rate unlike almost any to come before them — 35 over the last four years, with a chance to add two more.
Beyond their contributions on fall Saturdays, these seniors — from the stars to the role players and career scout-teamers — have helped Gundy strengthen the culture he’s worked his entire tenure to foster within his team.
“When you see a young man grow and adapt to our culture, learn to not play selfishly, and for them really to care about each other, that’s always a tremendous thing to see,” defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer said. “That’s the beauty of this game, the memories of the brotherhood. They’ve really sacrificed a ton, so we want to send ‘em out on a good note.”
They’ve been successful on the field, leaders in the locker room and contributors to society.
Moments like their response to Saturday’s devastating loss exemplifies the value to the program that will outlast their college careers.
“You go back to the culture because it gives you something to hang your hat on,” Gundy said. “That's why you have to do things right all the time. If you don't have that, you'll just be upset if you're only hanging your hat on wins and losses.
“I know you have to win or you won't have a job — I'm all for that. But these seniors, they're good people that do the right thing and that's most important.”