DRAWING BOARD: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Oklahoma State University had developed an aggressive and visionary master plan to address the facility concerns of the Athletic Department. Outlined below are just a few of several proposed improvements to Oklahoma State sports facilities. As OSU is competitive and/or dominant in many Big XII varsity sports, most varsity sports facilities rank in the bottom third or dead last in Big XII university comparisons. As the fourth winningest NCAA athletic program with 54 championships, OSU's fans, coaches and student-athletes deserve more.
HIGHLIGHT: GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA
Oklahoma State's NCAA Basketball Arena was picked by CBS Sportsline as the number one facility in the nation. Holding 13,611, this facility has the ultimate combination of history, uniqueness, location and excitement - Gallagher-Iba survived its $54 million recent expansion (including a new
Athletic Center) to remain the nation's best facility to catch a game. How much tradition does the old barn out where the wind comes sweeping down the plains have? The first game, in 1938, featured Henry Iba's Cowboys besting Phog Allen's Kansas Jayhawks 21-15. The maple playing surface is the building's original and it has not only seen countless great games, it has seen practice sessions where Iba literally invented concepts such as motion offense and man-to-man defense.
Iba also encouraged the creation of one of the first student sections, where everyone wore identical orange suit coats and rang cowbells. It is truly college hoops hallowed ground. Before expansion, when Gallagher-Iba held just 6,381 fans, this was easily the loudest arena in the nation. A well-planned expansion called "Raise the Roof" changed none of the ambiance, kept all the original seats and sight lines and somehow increased the noise. The renovation of the building, once called the "Madison Square Garden of the Plains," has opened up the experience to even more of the passionate, loyal and down-to-earth Cowboys fans that have made this college basketball's best for 63 years.
On top of the facilities, the near all-orange crowd in Stillwater, Oklahoma gets engaged in each game making for a tremendous home-court and home-match advantage. Great fans - some say fanatics - also have wonderful places to visit before games such as Heritage Hall, various bronze statues of signature memorabilia and the Gallagher-Iba memorial -- And there are terrific out-of-the-way rockin' spots to visit alongside campus after the home win.
HIGHLIGHT: KARSTEN CREEK
The luxurious, 7,194-yard golf course, recently completed club house and the soon to be constructed lodge has made Karsten Creek more than a Mecca for golfers of all levels of play. Thanks to the foresight of Oklahoma State golf coach Mike Holder and his capable staff, the sprawling club house has a trenchant and tasteful display of Cowboy golf successes and history covering the last 55 years. There are a growing number of attractions to this segment of the Karsten complex, including almost 300 OSU trophies, photographs and plaques of team and individual accomplishments that fit nicely in the incomparable environment. Ostensibly, the display is made to impress Cowboy and Cowgirl golfing recruits but it's definitely a showing that would touch the heart of every ardent OSU fan, regardless of sport.
Speaking of recruits, this course has helped the Oklahoma State University golf team flourish in recent years. All the fairways on this extremely narrow course are tree lined and bordered by a standard cut of rough. The terrain is hilly, and the medium-sized greens have many subtle breaks and are fast. The signature hole is #11, a 209-yard, par 3, requiring a tee shot over water to the longest green on the course. Hole #13, a 421-yard, par 4, plays straightaway to a flat fairway, then uphill to a gentle green. It has just one bunker, on the right edge of the fairway, and the green allows you to run the ball up onto the surface. "GOLF Magazine" named this course 64th best under the 1998 category of the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S." "GOLFWEEK" ranked it 85th among "America's 100 Best Modern Courses" for 1997, and 68th for 1998 and 58th for 1999.
HIGHLIGHT: COWGIRL STADIUM
The OSU Softball team is playing in the new $2 million plus softball stadium, which gives one of the top programs in the nation the facilities to match. Nearby Allie P. Reynolds Stadium has undergone various improvements for fans, players and coaches.
IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
While there are significant improvements currently planned to renovate, upgrade and reinvent OSU's football stadium, future plans under consideration will improve other facilities via smaller capital campaigns affecting such varsity sports as outdoor track, tennis, equestrian and soccer facilities.
OPPORTUNITY: INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY
This idea, sometimes referred to as a Multi-Sport Air Structure, is appealing to OSU's athletic administrators, coaches, donors, student athletes and respective others. The master plan recommends this column free sports dome to meet the most demanding needs and specifications of our coaches, student athletes, trainers, etc. and be constructed adjacent or very near to existing athletic facilities allowing easy ingress/egress. A multi-sport facility, utilized by teams like the Chicago Bears, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions and Boston College, would provide would provide a relatively low cost, wide, clear span weather proof structure and a climate controlled venue for activity and to protect OSU's practice playing fields and sports surfaces. Baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, track, football and other varsity sports will use to maintain consistent training and competitive development without combating Oklahoma's unpredictable weather. Critical practice prior to Big XII competition can be scheduled within such a complex mitigating the outside elements such as lightning, snow, hail and high-speed winds.
The state of the art, energy efficient structure will be a key component in maintaining the university's competitiveness well into the next century. When combined with Oklahoma State's existing athletic facilities and other proposed projects, the facility will help OSU better promote the physical and social development of its students while bringing another source of pride to the fans, alumni and friends of the university.
