Pickens talks football, investing and his Sooner supporting surgeon
Since announcing last month that he was shutting down BP Capital, Boone Pickens has granted only two interviews, both by email. The first was The New York Times. The second was The Oklahoman.
Here are excerpts from the Oklahoma State megabooster's interview with The Oklahoman:
Q: You have always been a man of routine. What is your daily routine now?
A: My days haven’t changed much. Still go to the office every day. I keep busy. We’ve got a number of projects in the works and Oklahoma State figures into a lot of that.
Your relationship with OSU athletic director Mike Holder — how has it evolved over the past decade or so?
Mike and I go way back. Over time, my respect for him has only grown. And I don’t think you can find someone more committed to Oklahoma State. Look what he’s done with the golf program. Look how virtually all of the athletic programs there have been taken to new heights. People scoffed at the athletic village concept when he championed it years ago. Now, as it’s moving ever closer to completion, we can only marvel at his success as a fundraiser.
It's been 12 years since your initial gift for the stadium and the athletic village. The stadium has obviously been overhauled, but the village is still a work in progress. Has it gone as you'd originally hoped?
I couldn’t be more pleased with its progress or the impact it’s having on the teams there. The Greenwood Tennis Center is a great example. Let’s not forget that, not long ago, the women’s tennis team was virtually one serve away from winning the national championship against the storied Stanford tennis team.
Are you or will you be a donor for the new baseball stadium?
No, and I don’t think they need me. When the story on the stadium is written, you will find out what a great fundraiser Mike Holder actually is.
Are you out of "the donating game"?
Never say never, but I have to think that when I reached the point where my $1 billion in giving actually exceeded my net worth, well, I certainly think it’s time to ratchet down.
Speaking of funding, when you decided to shut down BP Capital, there were still more than a hundred active investors. Was OSU among them? If so, did it re-invest with one of the BP offshoots?
Yes, and their money was returned. That returned money has not been re-invested with those other offshoots.
What is your take on the state of OSU athletics right now?
The surgeon who operated on me after the fall (last summer) told me right before we went in that he went to OU. I quickly pointed out that, outside of the Bedlam contests, I never root against OU. That’s a fact. But I do want to beat them and admit some frustration that it’s taken longer than I’d like in football. But we will get there. I’m convinced. Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser. We’re winners, not losers.
Do you have a message for the OSU faithful right now?
The school is bigger than all of us. Never forget that.