In the heartland of the United States, in the small city of
Stillwater, Oklahoma, sits the campus of Oklahoma State University. The Cowboys
- as the teams are known - in wrestling have created one of the great legacies
in the history of the NCAA; one to rival Notre Dame's in football and Kentucky's
in basketball. While OSU is a prominent member of the Big Twelve in other
sports, its legacy has been built on wrestling. Out of the University's 48 NCAA
championships, 34 have been in wrestling.
Cowboy wrestling began in 1914 but truly took off in 1916
when Edward Gallagher became coach. During his tenure from 1916-1940, the
Cowboys compiled a record of 138-5-4, including 19 undefeated seasons and 11
NCAA titles.
After Gallagher's death, he was replaced by Art Griffith who
continued the program's success. In 13 years at the school, Griffith led OSU to
8 NCAA championships.
The string of successful coaches continued with Myron
Roderick, who coached the team until 1969. By the end of his time with the team
he had led the Cowboys to 7 NCAA championships.
Following Roderick's departure, Oklahoma State's dominance
was curtailed by the rise of the Iowa Hawkeyes as a wrestling force.
Nevertheless, Roderick's immediate successor, Tommy Chesbro guided the Cowboys
to one title and a record of 227-26-0 from 1969 to 1984. Roderick's successor,
Joe Seay won two national titles and compiled a 114-18-2 record.
John Smith was the next coach, and although the program
experienced some rough patches at first, the 2000s have seen another period of
dominance. Under Smith, Oklahoma State has so far won 5 national titles: 1994,
2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys also have a rich history in
basketball. OSU's basketball program started in 1907, but it wasn't until the
University hired the legendary Henry Iba that its basketball program became one
of the most formidable. During Iba's 36 year tenure with OSU, the team won 655
games and two national championships, in 1945 and 1946.
Oklahoma State has also seen much success in other sports,
including a baseball national championship and many football bowl games. Among
the great football players to have excelled at OSU are Thurman Thomas and Barry
Sanders, both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1988, the Cowboys' Barry
Sanders also won the prestigious Heisman Trophy.
The design of the Oklahoma State Cowboys Fabric: Allover -
Orange consists of the University's logos, football helmets, basketballs
swishing through nets and the Pistol Pete Mascot over an orange background.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys Fabric: Allover - Orange is not
suitable for children's sleepwear. All patterns have been licensed by Oklahoma
State University and are for individual consumption only. Any other use of the
Oklahoma State Cowboys Fabric: Allover - Orange is prohibited and illegal.