Oklahoma State University Athletics
Behind the Scenes With Wes Edwards
September 15, 2010 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 15, 2010
By Stefan Nolet
OSU Media Relations
On football game days, long before many Cowboys fans begin to tailgate and before most students line up at the gates of Boone Pickens Stadium for first dibs on the best seats, the Oklahoma State equipment team is already hard at work.
Equipment coordinator Wes Edwards, entering his fifth year at OSU, along with his two assistants, Matt Davis and Justin Williams, and 12 student managers, show up six hours before kickoff and begin preparing for the game.
The equipment crew has its game day routine down to almost an exact science.
"It flows really well," Edwards said. "We've got a great group of students, and I have the two best assistants in the country to make sure everything is rolling for us."
And the equipment crew needs to keep a sharp schedule considering all that it's responsible for.
Upon arriving on a typical Saturday, the members of the equipment room begin by setting up the players' lockers. The amount of detail that goes into this task is almost hard to believe.
"We'll get to putting up the jerseys and make sure the helmets are in the players lockers," Edwards said. "We have to make sure everyone has their jersey, everyone has their pants, their dry-fits, their girdles, their socks.
"We'll make sure their lockers look the same; all 105 lockers look exactly the same."
Not only does the player locker room have to be prepped for game day, so does the coaches' locker room. Williams is in charge of making sure all the coaches have all their gear ready to go by the time they get to the stadium.
"He'll put their slacks out, and he'll put their polos out," Edwards said.
"He'll put their hat or their visor out depending on what they wear on game day."
After the locker room is set up, the equipment managers head outside to get equipment on the field ready to go. This includes the padding around the goal posts and the ball markers and the 1st-and-10 chains.
They bring out the benches and equipment trunks, which contain spare parts such as facemasks and visors. They are also responsible for the coaches' headsets and making sure they are working properly.
The players arrive about two hours before kickoff and at this point, members of the equipment staff head back to the equipment room.
"Players will come get their wristbands or their eye black, just anything like that," Edwards said. "They'll get any adjustment that they need to their equipment or their uniforms."
While the players are warming up, the equipment managers are supplying the footballs for drills and running down any footballs after kicks or punts. They pay attention to every little detail and even make sure the coaches have clipboards and pens.
During the game, some of the managers are ready to make any repairs to equipment, such as replacing broken shoelaces or cleaning off visors. They are also responsible for making sure the offense is supplied with clean footballs.
Another group of managers goes back into the locker room during the game to set up dry erase boards and folding chairs for position and team meetings.
Once the game has finished, the crew quickly brings in all the equipment from the field so they can be ready to start collecting laundry from the players and get the uniforms and towels washed.
Once both teams have left, the equipment team is responsible for cleaning up both the Cowboys' locker room and the visitors' locker room. They are usually at the stadium for three hours after the game, which equates to anywhere from 12-to-14 hours of work on a game day.
Edwards, even with the long days, said he has no preference to an early kickoff or a late kickoff because he just loves being around the football team.
"I can't sit at home on game day," Edwards said. "We could play at midnight, and I'd still get here way too early. I have to get to the stadium; I have to get to the office."
The Cowboys host Texas A&M on a Thursday night this season after hosting Colorado last season on Thursday night. Thursday night games provide a different challenge for the equipment team because it changes the weekly routine.
Edwards said he doesn't mind games on Thursday nights, but it can be difficult for the student managers because of class.
"Game day is game day, as far as routine and schedule," Edwards said. "It gets a little more difficult for the students' schedules because they have class on Thursday and Friday."
Whether the game is on Thursday or Saturday, the Cowboys will be counting on Edwards and the rest of the equipment team to come early and stay late to make sure all their equipment needs are taken care of.
