Thomas remembers Bedlam intensity
Ex-Oklahoma State star lauds Cowboys’ Gundy
Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas still recalls the conversation he had during his senior season at Oklahoma State with coach Pat Jones.
“This guy,” Jones said, referring to sophomore quarterback Mike Gundy, “he’s going to be a head coach here one of these days.”
Thomas’ response?
“I was like, ‘OK, yeah,’ ” he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice.
But Gundy did become head coach of the Cowboys.
And when No. 10 Oklahoma State hosts No. 9 Oklahoma in the latest chapter of the Bedlam rivalry Saturday, Gun- dy will be in search of his third win against the Sooners since taking over in
2005.
The game is also the latest stop on the Amway Coaches Trophy Tour, and fans will have an opportunity to take pictures with the iconic crystal trophy before kickoff Saturday in Stillwater. The trophy will be on display from 1 to
4 p.m. ET at Boone Pickens Stadium. “Being in Stillwater, you always have a chance. Hopefully things will go right for us this year,” Thomas said. “They haven’t been, but I take my hat off to Coach Gundy, my college teammate, quarterback. He’s done an outstanding job. We just have not been able to get over that hump (and beat Oklahoma consistently).”
Gundy and Thomas, whose playing careers overlapped for two years at Oklahoma State, each went winless against the Sooners. Three of the four times Thomas faced them, however, the Cowboys were on the road.
“It seemed like every time we had a good opportunity to beat them, something goes bad,” Thomas recalled. “(But) the memories are still there, and we always had some great games.”
Thomas — who spent 12 years with the Buffalo Bills, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and College Football Hall of Fame a year later — said the intensity of the Bedlam series never wavered during his four-year career and hasn’t since. Although Saturday’s game could have major ramifications in the Big 12 title race, records are irrelevant when you’re talking about Bedlam, Thomas said.
“They could be undefeated, you could be undefeated, they could lose five games, three games, same for you, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s what happens with that game, in the rivalry.”