The History Behind Oklahoma State's Homecoming Uniforms
The Oklahoma State Cowboys unveiled their homecoming uniforms for Saturday’s showdown with the Arizona State Sun Devils, and they were an instant shot of nostalgia. The uniforms were designed to pay homage to the team that started it all nearly 125 years ago.
The year was 1901 and a brand-new football team was in the making. The Oklahoma A&M Tigers were ready to represent their university during the 1901 college football season. This was the first ever football program to take the field for what would eventually blossom into the Oklahoma State University Cowboys.
Dive into the details and history of our Homecoming fit.
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 30, 2024
Watch the full video on https://t.co/jTYZewyj6T 🤠 pic.twitter.com/MeNupvCIGn
The Tigers played their home games in Stillwater, Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma didn’t officially become a state until 1907 making the Tigers a program that had six seasons under their belt even before statehood. The Oklahoma A&M Tigers finished the 1901 season with a 2-3 record and did so without a head coach.
The OA helmet which will be worn on Saturday is enriched in Oklahoma State history. The interlocking ‘OA’ served as the official emblem of the O.A. Association from 1909-13, when it dropped the ‘A’. The association was organized by the student-athletes of Oklahoma A&M College and still exists today as the O-Club. The ‘O’ was eventually rewarded to the OSU varsity student-athletes. When the Cowboys take the field on Saturday it will be the first time the ‘OA’ emblem has been used since World War I.
Would ya just look at it pic.twitter.com/uOQtLbbu1m
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 30, 2024
Oklahoma State will also honor the original Tigers mascot name when they take on Arizona State. The Tigers were the original mascot name used by the OAMC’s athletic teams before it fell out of use in the early 1920’s. ‘Tigers’ was eventually replaced with ‘Aggies’ and later made way for the iconic ‘Cowboys’ name.
Since the beginning of the program in 1901, Oklahoma State has compiled 638 wins and holds an overall winning percentage of .526. Their lone National Championship came in 1945, and they have also won eleven conference championships. O-State has seen 50 first team All-Americans were the Cowboy orange and eight former players and coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
What better way to turn a season around than to channel the history of Oklahoma State’s past in a show of gratitude for those who have taken the field during 125 years of Cowboy football?
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Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.