Record-Setting Oklahoma State Quarterback, Rusty Hilger, Dies at 57
Rusty Hilger, the first quarterback in Oklahoma State history to lead the Cowboys to a 10-win season, has passed away in the Los Angeles area.
Hilger's health has been on the decline over the past several years. He was 57.
Hilger was not a heavily recruited player out of high school, but head coach Pat Jones took a chance on a him and brought him in as the 30th out of the 30 player class.
"Out of Oklahoma City Southeast, Rusty was the 30th player we took out of a class of 30," Pat Jones told the Tulsa World. "I remember that we took a picture of him as a freshman, and he didn't look good. He was tall and not very impressive physically."
It's a good thing that Oklahoma State took that chance because it payed off in ways no one could've imagined.
During his time in Stillwater, Hilger was a three-year letter winner for the Pokes. He finished his four-year career completing 55 percent of his passes and threw for 3,982 yards and 24 touchdowns.
He also led the Cowboys to two bowl wins, the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1983, in which he took home MVP honors. as well as a win over No. 7 South Carolina in the Gator Bowl in 1984.
The upset of No. 7 South Carolina was the perfect cap to Oklahoma State's first-ever 10-win season.
After the win over South Carolina, Hilger was to catch an early flight the next day to San Francisco where he was set to play for the West team in the East-West Shrine game.
However, instead of going to bed, Hilger and Pokes Report's own Robert Allen spent the night drinking beer on the beaches of Jacksonville, FL. Sometime after 2 a.m., Hilger caught Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Coker's daughter sneaking out of her room.
He then promptly escorted her back to her room, put her back in her bed, turned off the lights, shut the door and left to go back to drinking on the beach.
"Rusty had a great heart," said Robert Allen. "He was rough around the edges and he loved to party, but he had a great heart and I'll miss him."
Of course, Hilger made his flight to San Francisco and proceeded to lead the West to a 21-10 win over the East.
Following his time at Oklahoma State, Hilger was taken in the 6th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders with 143rd pick.
At the time, Hilger was the first-ever Raiders rookie to enter a game and throw a touchdown pass. After spending two seasons as a back up, he was made the starting quarterback in 1987, becoming the youngest starting quarterback in Raider franchise history.
He spent three years with the Raiders before spending time with the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks during his seven-year NFL career.
You can still find Hilger's name in the Oklahoma State record books as he set single-season school records for pass completions, pass attempts and passing yards in the 1984 season. He also remains in the top-10 in school history for career pass attempts, career pass completions, career passing yards and career completion percentage.
Per the release from Oklahoma State Athletics Media Relations, the details of the service are still pending.
