The story of OSU’s Sanders throwbacks
STILLWATER — When Justin Williams was officially named Oklahoma State’s director of football equipment operations in May 2017, his first call was to his wife, Haley. His second was to Nike.
He wanted to see if the idea that had bubbled in his head since he joined OSU’s equipment staff more than a decade earlier could finally come to fruition. Monday morning, it came to life.
For Saturday’s homecoming game against Texas, the Cowboys will wear throwback uniforms celebrating the 30th anniversary of former OSU running back Barry Sanders’ winning the Heisman Trophy. Sanders and his offensive line, the War Pigs, will be in attendance as homecoming grand marshals.
“It’s my favorite uniform, and I’m a lifelong Cowboy,” Williams told The Oklahoman on Monday. “We threw it around on the 25th anniversary. It didn’t happen then. Kinda feels like it was supposed to happen now.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s the greatest running back of all time, so to have an opportunity to honor him this way is fantastic.”
The uniforms are a modern take on what the
Cowboys wore in 1988, when Sanders became the star of college football by rushing for 2,850 yards and 42 touchdowns, both of which remain NCAA records. The pattern, color scheme and fonts are identical, with OSU’s white helmets featuring an orange throwback brand logo, which Williams and his staff call the “bubble” logo.
OSU has used throwback helmets for each of its past four homecoming games, but committing to the full uniform seemed like a necessity to honor Sanders.
“There’s no better way to honor the greatest running back in the history of the game than just do head to toe and get it as close as we can and, in our world, try to reach the level of excitement that he put on the field,” Williams said.
“I think a helmet would’ve been nice, but to do head to toe, that’s a different ballgame, and he was a different
ballgame when he played.
“There’s nothing bigger for our program than that season. You had the best player in the planet running in your backfield.”
The jerseys include “SANDERS 21” stitched inside the collars and a chest patch featuring an image of Sanders. The patches, made by Emblem Source, are in the shape of a diamond, the modern symbol for 30th anniversaries. There were 21 jerseys made with Sanders’ name across the back, authenticated through Prova.
OSU’s equipment staff, known for its numerous combinations, seems to have gone to another level.
“When you come into this deal, and it’s as good as it was when you took it over, trying to find ways to elevate it even more is very difficult,” Williams said. “This was the obvious choice to try to get this done and accomplished, and on the anniversary of his Heisman Trophy, that made it even better.”
In the week after first contacting Nike, Williams figures he had
about 20 calls with the company’s representatives, but that might not even compare the attention he received Monday morning. Texts and tweets, buzzes and beeps have been flying his phone’s direction since the announcement.
“It’s dead now,” he said.
Williams expects the jolt of excitement to last throughout the week. He thanked coach Mike Gundy; athletic director Mike Holder; deputy athletic director Chad Weiberg; OSU’s communications staff; fellow equipment staff members Len Magby and Matt Hoelting; their student staff; and Nike representatives Greg Young, Brandon McLemore and Brad Sieveke for not only helping to bring the uniforms and the announcement together, but also keeping them quiet. He thanked Sanders, too.
Williams’ staff prides itself on secrecy, so he wouldn’t expand when he said more news was to come.
“This is gonna be a weeklong deal, and there’s gonna be more to this,” he said. “This is the start, but it’s gonna be a
fun week for homecoming. I think there’s more surprises to be had.”
For that reason, even as his initial idea is finally real and in his hands, Williams isn’t celebrating just yet.
“Let’s get through Saturday, then the pressure will come off,” Williams said. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but right now, it’s just one more step to where we want to be.
“Go out there and beat Texas for homecoming, we’ll feel a lot better after that one. That’d be the icing on the cake.”