Money woes: Oklahoma State Will Finish Football Stadium, Postpone Rest of ‘Athletic Village’

By SEAN HARKIN

August 19, 2008

Source: Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma State U.

Construction at Boone Pickens Stadium is on schedule and operating within budget, but all other projects planned for Oklahoma State University’s Athletic Village must wait until the BP Capital hedge fund grows, Athletic Director Mike Holder said.

“Our goal is for the new facilities to have a positive impact on the recruitment of prospective students,” Holder said. “These facilities are not just about the athletic department but the entire university. We are building toward a better future for everyone associated with OSU and Stillwater.”

Holder said Cowboy Athletics, Inc. has acquired all but two of the structures contained in the proposed site of the Athletic Village.

The next phase of the construction schedule calls for the demolition of streets, movement of utilities and grading of the site south of McElroy Road, Holder said.

He said these preparations are for future construction of the grass practice fields for football and the Sherman Smith Training Center.

Cowboy Athletics, Inc. initially invested $202 million at BP Capital in early 2005, and the investment needs to surpass $400 million for construction of the Sherman Smith Training Center to begin, Holder said.

Holder said the mission is to attract the brightest young people, give them a quality education and convince them that the state of Oklahoma is where they should live and pursue their dreams.

Architect Gary Sparks of Sparks Sports said the next projects that construction crews will complete are the outdoor fields and the indoor practice facility.

Sparks said he is unaware of any similar projects like OSU’s Athletic Village in the country.

“When all of that is completed, I think it’s going to be spectacular,” Sparks said.

Psychology junior Leah Roper said she is eagerly awaiting the village’s completion.

Holder said Boone Pickens has given OSU an opportunity to create a brighter future. With Pickens’ generosity comes a tremendous responsibility, he said.

Holder said a lot of work still needs to be done and many more donors need to step forward to support the cause.

“This is the time for everyone to ask the question ‘What can I do to make a difference in the future of my university?’ and there is no better place to create positive energy than Saturday afternoons in Boone Pickens Stadium cheering for the Cowboys,” Holder said. “Everyone needs to put on their game face, saddle up and ride for the OSU brand.”

Oklahoma State works on $710M sports Xanadu

April 30, 2008

By JUSTIN SMITH

 

Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma State U.

For Oklahoma State University, getting the new Athletic Village from dirt mounds to sports complexes is a matter of time and money.

The fund invested into BP Capital needs be worth at least $400 million before beginning more complexes in the Athletic Village.

“At the end of 2007, it was [worth] $330 million,” said Mike Holder, OSU athletic director and president of Cowboy Athletics Inc.

Cowboy Athletics Inc., a nonprofit organization, holds the investment fund started with the $165 million donation that oil tycoon and OSU alumnus Boone Pickens made to the athletic department in January 2006.

Bank of America will credit up to 60 percent of the net asset value of the fund, Holder said.

“We’ve got about $240 million worth of stuff on the books right now,” he said. “We haven’t spent all of it, but by the time we finish the west end zone, finish buying all the properties for the Athletic Village and reconstruct Hall of Fame Avenue, we will have spent $240 million.”

At the fund’s target return rate of 20 percent annually, it will reach $400 million before May 2009, Holder said.

Further increases to $710 million will be needed before the village can be completed, which he expects to happen by March 2012, he said.

The Sherman E. Smith Indoor Practice Facility is the next major structure to be started in the Athletic Village and will cost $40 million, said John Houck, general manager of Cowboys Athletic Facilities LLC.

OSU alumnus Smith donated $20 million toward the practice complex in January 2007.

It features a playing field, which can be a football field, a soccer field, two baseball or softball infields or a track with infield, according to plans and renderings from Sparks Architecture of Tulsa.

The architecture firm hasn’t released any figures on the size of the indoor practice complex.

According to Master Plan maps and renderings, the complex appears to be about half the square footage of Boone Pickens Stadium.

Plans for the other buildings that will replace about 330 residential properties are still in the works, Houck said.

A schedule for the next year is in place, he said.

The general admission seating on the west end of Boone Pickens Stadium should be finished in late August, and the suites and other accommodations should be wrapped up in about a year, Houck said.

Landscaping issues in the Athletic Village, including regrading the dirt south of McElroy Road and managing the floodplain and the creek that runs under the road will also start in the fall, he said.

Other developments in the village include a soccer/track complex, tennis complex and a baseball stadium and practice field, he said.

The equestrian center, which will be built on Highway 51 about one-half mile west of Western Road, will also be a part of athletic development, he said.

“I haven’t even gotten to initial developments yet of those last projects,” Houck said. “I’ll be busy for the next 10 years, probably.”

Hall of Fame Avenue is scheduled to reopen in August and will be for the city’s use, he said.

The city and the university had some issues over the ownership of Hall of Fame Avenue north of the stadium after the university closed it in February 2005.

The matter was resolved in an agreement on July 28, 2006, between city and university officials where the university created an easement for the city to maintain control of Hall of Fame Avenue, according to a university press release.

Now that only a few residents remain in the area, the attention has turned to making the Athletic Village a reality.

All the coaches were optimistic about the Athletic Village.

Coach Mike Gundy said he thinks that when Boone Pickens Stadium is completed a lot more recruits will be attracted to the program.

“Young people want something that’s new and shiny,” Gundy said. “They want to feel like that you have everything that they can take advantage of in order to make themselves a better player.”

The national media coverage that Pickens received after his donation acted as a marketing tool to attract attention to what was happening with the Athletic Village, regardless of whether it was meant to, Gundy said.

“I think everybody in the country now is aware of Oklahoma State University,” Gundy said. “That’s just a fact, the way it is. People know who Donald Trump is; people know who Boone Pickens is.”

Baseball coach Frank Anderson is in his fifth year as coach of the Cowboys and doesn’t know all the details of the planned baseball stadium.

“We don’t know exactly the timetable or anything like that, but no, we’re excited about what they’re doing and what Coach Holder and the athletic department have done to this point and what’s going to be done in the future,” Anderson said.

The Cowboys’ stadium, Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, opened in 1982.

Anderson said the members of the athletic programs got to meet with Sparks Architecture in 2006 to describe what they would like to have at the indoor practice complex.

“I think they’ve taking a little bit of everybody’s (suggestions) and I think it will be just a tremendous facility,” Anderson said.

He said some details about the new baseball stadium, such as offices and workout rooms, have been talked about but nothing has been set.

Softball coach Rich Wieligman said the indoor practice complex will help the team during cold and rainy weather.

“That’s gonna be huge because we do have inclement weather in January and February,” Wieligman said. “And, with the way the size of this building is going to be, we’re gonna be able to have a full-field practice.”

The height of the building is also impressive, he said.

“We won’t be able to hit the ceiling with a fly ball,” he said.

Wieligman, in his second year at OSU, said Cowgirl Stadium is one of the newest sports venues on campus, completed in 2004, so other sports will be focused on first.

He said he thinks the village will set a precedent.

“When you talk about an athletic village, of putting all the sports in one area and the way it’s gonna be developed, I think it’s gonna be beautiful,” he said. “I don’t think it’s like that [at any other college].”

Equestrian coach Larry Sanchez said the new equestrian center’s location will provide more visibility to the program.

The Animal Science Arena has an indoor arena that seats 1,000 and an outdoor arena.

Sanchez said the new center will have double the seating area and a covered outdoor arena.

The athletic improvements will open up many doors for OSU sports, he said.

“In order to compete nationally like Coach Holder is wanting to do in all our sports, we definitely needed to address some facility concerns,” Sanchez said. “And so, I see it as a being a very big positive to the opportunities that all sports are going to have to compete nationally.”

COMMENTARY: Cowboys moving, but not improving

 

04/21/2008
By STEVEN JONES

Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)

 

(CSTV U-WIRE) NORMAN — For 18 years, I lived in the same house. My family never left. For 18 years, I never had to deal with the hassle of moving. And then I went to college.

 

I had to clean up my room, pack up all my things, carry heavy boxes, shove everything into my car, put things on walls, organize my drawers, hang up my clothes — it really sucked. Moving normally is more work than it’s worth, but it was something I had to do. If I was going to go to school at OU, I had to live in Norman, and since I didn’t already live in Norman, I had to move.

 

Last Thursday, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball program had to move, too. With the hiring of former Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford, the Cowboys are beginning a new era — though there will be some struggles.

 

Breaking in a new coach is just like moving — it’s not very fun. It takes a lot of hard work, and most of the time it takes a while to get comfortable.

 

The Cowboys’ basketball program has been living with the Suttons since 1990. Living in Ford’s new digs won’t exactly feel like home sweet home for some time.

 

Herein lies the problem: Why is OSU putting itself through this awkward transition? What is it getting out of this?

 

Some people move out of necessity. Some move to get into a larger house. OSU, on the other hand, seems to be moving to a house that is roughly the same size, with the same amount of bathrooms, and in the same type of neighborhood.

 

In other words, OSU is doing all this legwork with no explanation. Because, while I think Ford has a good opportunity to have success at OSU, I don’t think he’s an upgrade from Sean Sutton.

 

Ever since Sutton resigned April 1, many have speculated why OSU Athletic Director Mike Holder decided to let him go. Sure, OSU finished the year 17-16, but it was only Sutton’s second season calling the shots, and he boasted an overall record of 39-28. Most coaches are given more than two years to build their programs.

 

But not Sutton — which is fine, I suppose. Holder can do whatever he wants, but if I were an OSU fan, I’d want a reason.

 

Sooner fans saw how difficult it can be for a basketball program to change coaches, as OU missed its first postseason apperance in 25 years during Jeff Capel’s first season.

 

And now OSU has to go through that transition. But for what? A mid-major coach? Really?

 

It would have been one thing if Holder had been successful in luring Bill Self to Stillwater — no Cowboy would mind moving out of Sutton’s place and helping Self get settled in — but this is not Bill Self. This is Travis Ford.

 

OSU fans deserve an explanation from Holder. Like I said, Ford is probably a good hire and could have success at OSU, but based strictly on resumes, he’s no more impressive than Sutton.

 

So if Holder had some secret reason for letting Sutton go — and as long as it isn’t a private matter that Sutton wants to keep that way — Holder should explain the move to OSU fans.

 

No one enjoys moving. The Cowboys can only hope the final result is worth the effort.

 

 

Oklahoma State Hires University of Massachusetts Men’s Basketball Coach

04/16/2008

By Michael King

Massachusetts Daily Collegian (U. Massachusetts)

 

(CSTV U-WIRE) AMHERST, Mass. — Less than one week after Travis Ford signed a contract extension to remain the men’s basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts, ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb is reporting that Oklahoma State will name Ford its new coach “barring unforeseen circumstances.”

UMass sports information director Jason Yellin said Wednesday that Ford was in Amherst with his family thinking over the OSU contract offer.

According to numerous reports, Ford has accepted the position. UMass has called a 7:30 p.m. news conference to address the situation.

UMass athletics director John McCutcheon announced the contract extension at last week’s men’s basketball banquet. He told fans to relax since Ford will be coaching “the team for many years to come.”

Since the end of the Minutemen’s season two weeks ago, Ford has been a candidate for openings at LSU and Providence. Ford released a statement denying interest in the LSU position last week.

“There has been a lot [of] misinformation circulating about me and the job at LSU,” Ford said in a prepared statement released on April 8. “I feel that it is necessary to state that I do not want to be considered for the job.”

Before the Minutemen completed their season, there was rampant speculation that LSU would hire Ford to replace John Brady, who was fired in February. Multiple sources, including ESPN’s Pat Forde, estimated the possibility of LSU hiring Ford to be around 90 percent.

One day later, Ford interviewed with Providence but decided to remain with UMass and signed a contract extension.

UMass completed its season with a loss to Ohio State in the finals of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Minutemen finished with a 25-11 record and will lose three senior starters to graduation. Ford has coached three seasons at UMass after spending five seasons at Eastern Kentucky.

Sean Sutton resigned as Oklahoma State coach after two seasons with a 39-29 record and no NCAA tournament appearances. He took over the program from his father, Eddie Sutton, in 2006.

– Eli Rosenswaike contributed to this report

 

Robinson Still Starting at QB for Cowboys, No. 2 Spot Not Decided

04/15/2008

 

By DAVID YOUNGBLOOD

Daily O’Collegian (Oklahoma State U.)

 

(U-WIRE) STILLWATER — One thing was certain after Saturday’s spring game: No one will be taking Oklahoma State University’s Zac Robinson’s starting job any time soon.

 

Robinson, a junior quarterback, wasn’t quite at his best Saturday, finishing 12-21 for 142 yards and a touchdown, but he set a school mark for total yards with 3,671 last year.

 

Now, for the first time in coach Mike Gundy’s tenure, the Cowboys close out the spring with no starting quarterback controversy.

 

“We went through with Bobby [Reid] and Donovan [Woods] for a year or two, and obviously there was a lot of talk about Zac and Bobby last year because Zac had played so well when he was in there,” Gundy said. “There are benefits to that, you know that you have two guys who have had reps and can play.”

Still, Gundy said the confidence a quarterback can gain from knowing he is the clear starter helped Robinson in the spring and will help the team during the summer.

 

“I think in that offseason it’s more difficult because someone needs to make the decisions because they run their own practices in the summer,” Gundy said. “When you’re out there and there’s one guy in charge, I think it works better.”

 

Robinson said he has felt more at ease this spring knowing his job is secure, as opposed to last year when he was trying to make a case to start over incumbent Bobby Reid.

 

“You always try to focus on yourself, but it’s tough when you got another guy,” Robinson said. “It’s been a lot different for me this spring, instead of going out every day and kind of pressing, knowing that you’re in a battle, or that you’re the backup and you got something to prove.”

 

Less pressure has meant that Robinson has been able to pay more attention to refining his game instead of pressing to make plays.

 

“I try to go out and better myself with my reads and staying in the pocket,” he said. “Just kind of focus on what I need to do instead of worrying about another guy and what he’s doing. I haven’t changed my mentality, but it’s been a little bit different, I suppose.”

 

Although the Cowboys have the starting spot locked up, determining Robinson’s backup has been an issue all spring, and Saturday did little to resolve it.

Sophomore Alex Cate started for the white team and went 12-25 for 82 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cate said he felt he could have done better.

 

“I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but it was a good experience,” he said. “It was my first time out there, and you just got to get used to it.”

Redshirt freshman Brandon Weeden came on in relief of Robinson for the orange team and went 7-13 for 53 yards.

 

Gundy said both quarterbacks showed that they still have plenty to work on.

“I thought they handled the offense OK; I wasn’t real excited about the decisions they made when the ball was in their hand when they were moving,” Gundy said.

 

Gundy said although both have a way to go, it’s natural to see a quarterback go through growing pains.

 

“I have to bite my tongue a little bit because those are things that you develop through reps, and they’re out there on the stage for the first time,” he said. “You want it to happen really fast, and at that position, it’s pretty rare that a guy picks that up.”

 

Gundy said Cate was ahead going into the spring game, but Weeden played better Saturday. He and co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Gunter Brewer hope to pick one player as the main backup by the end of the first week of fall practice.

 

“Both guys have made strides over a period of time,” Brewer said. “We’ve seen positives and negatives. Cate, in offensive knowledge, has a slight edge because he’s been here. Weeden’s been able to make some plays because he’s very athletic; he’s got a great arm.

 

“It’s just a matter of time. We’ll have to wait and see when we come out of August camp.”

Oklahoma State Freshmen Infielders Lead Softball Team

04/16/2008

 

By STEFAN NOLET

Daily O’Collegian (Oklahoma State U.)

 

(U-WIRE) STILLWATER — Oklahoma State shortstop Mariah Gearhart and second baseman Alysia Hamilton came into this season as freshmen, expecting a new level of competition and having high expectations.

“I expected it to be hard,” Gearhart said. “I knew there was going to be high expectations. I knew it was going to be a lot tougher competition.”

Coach Rich Wieligman said with incoming freshmen, he is not always sure what he will get, but in the cases of Gearhart and Hamilton, he could not be more pleased.

“I felt like they could come in and be an impact to this team, and they have, both offensively and defensively,” Wieligman said.

Gearhart was brought to the team to play shortstop, and coming into the season, she knew she was going to have to pick up the Cowgirls system in a hurry.

“When I came in here, coach told me, ‘You’re our shortstop,’” Gearhart said. “He knew I was going to be shortstop and that I had to hold my ground there, even as a freshman, and I had to learn a lot quicker than anyone else on the field.”

On a roster with six freshmen including herself, Hamilton wanted to show the other players and the coaches that the freshmen could be impact players for the team.

“I just wanted to come in and make an immediate impact on the team,” Hamilton said. “And just show them how hard all the freshmen can work and set a good tone for the year.”

The pair has been working hard all year. Wieligman said he has been impressed with the work ethic of the two, which has helped them develop into impact players.

“They practice hard,” Wieligman said. “They bring a lot to practice everyday; they take it serious.

“When they show up on the field, they’re ready to go.”

The attitude the duo brings to the field also has Wieligman impressed. The other players feed off their no-quit attitude.

“They just don’t want to lose; they want to win and I think it’s rubbing off,” Wieligman said. “They refuse to lose and they just come ready to play.”

Offensively, Gearhart and Hamilton are two of the most productive batters the Cowgirls have. Gearhart is second on the team to Hamilton with a .341 batting average and 43 hits. She is also tied for first with Hamilton in runs scored with 27.

In the lead-off spot, she has gathered 20 RBIs and two home runs. Gearhart is aware of the importance of being the Cowgirl’s lead-off batter.

“I have a role to play and a huge role as a freshman,” Gearhart said. “I’m supposed to get on base, I’m supposed to get hits, I’m supposed to stay consistent and that’s definitely a huge role for me.”

Hamilton leads the team with a .379 batting average and 44 hits. She is second on the team, behind senior outfielder Kim Kaye, in RBIs with 25 and home runs with three. Her offensive abilities have caught the attention of her fellow freshman teammate.

“Her offense is amazing,” Gearhart said. “She’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen. As a No. 3 [hitter], if I’m on base, I know she’s gonna hit me in every single time.”

Wieligman said he is excited for the next three years of coaching because he knows he will have the solid play of Gearhart and Hamilton to help the team.

“I’m pumped,” Wieligman said. “It’s great to have a freshmen class like this.”

Offense is not the only area where the two excel. Wieligman has noticed that the two freshmen infielders have played superb defense throughout the season.

“I think defensively they’ve really made some plays for us,” Wieligman said. “They’re really starting to grow up and understand what this game’s about at this level.”

As shortstop and second baseman, Gearhart and Hamilton have to be on the same page defensively on every play.

“We work amazing together,” Hamilton said. “We just click.”

Gearhart said she feels she and Hamilton have a good rapport on the field because of their strong friendship.

“Me and Alysia, we click,” Gearhart said. “It only took us a couple of days. We’re still working on things, learning new things about each other, but being best friends, it definitely helps us click on the field.”

As the season has progressed, Wieligman has seen improved communication between the two on defense.

“They’ve grown together a lot,” Wieligman said. “They’ve learned to play and learned to talk to each other, and it’s like a team out there for them.”

Gearhart and Hamilton did not know each other before coming to OSU as freshmen, but when they found out they would be roommates, they quickly developed a strong friendship.

“We just started talking all the time and then our personalities clicked,” Hamilton said. “We even each other out. We think the same way and we have the same goals.”

As best friends should, each of them compliments the other’s game. Hamilton said she believes that Gearhart’s positive attitude is her strongest attribute.

“She’s always positive, no matter what is going on,” Hamilton said. “She is definitely a leader when it comes to that.”

Gearhart’s trust of Hamilton translates to a certain confidence in her abilities on the field.

“She’s a solid second baseman,” Gearhart said. “We communicate with each other. If I need something, I know I can rely on her out there.”

Because they have such a solid friendship, Gearhart and Hamilton do not think of themselves as just teammates anymore, but as best friends.

“It’s hard to see her just as a teammate because she’s my best friend,” Gearhart said.

Hamilton agreed.

“I love her,” she said. “She’s my best friend.”