Shea and Steven: How Growing Up In Tuttle Shaped Shea Coats

By Mika Ryan, OSU Athletics Communications

Shea Coats has a life that not many can say they can relate to.

Born and raised in rural Oklahoma, Coats represents the epitome of a southern girl. She was raised in a small-town Tuttle with her siblings and infamous pet chicken.

Coat's teammates and coaches are all familiar with her country lifestyle, and her unique companion. They know Steven, the chicken, was a big part of her life growing up on the farm.

From the moment she became a Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski knew she was going to be an asset to the team. He could see that her upbringing molded her into a hard worker on and off the field.

"She is a kid who I know when she goes home it is not all play, and knows she has to put in the work that the farm requires," Gajewski said. "In a sense, I am kind of jealous for my own kids that they don't have that type of learning experience."

It is not abnormal to live on a farm in Tuttle, but her farm is unlike anyone else's. Her family owns and operates a fully-functioning honey farm, which differs from the rest that grow the basic corn and wheat crops.

Growing up on a functioning farm meant hard work and chores everyday. Unlike her friends having chores such as making their beds and taking the trash out, she would take care of the gardens, feed the chickens or even chop up firewood. Because their farm was included under what's called, agritourism, they had customers at their house all the time.

"I developed a lot of communication skills at a young age because we would have people always coming around the farm looking to buy honey, which was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot from the simple things like working the cash register," Coats said.

Although she had many chores to do around the farm, her favorite thing to do was take care of her pet chicken. When she was younger, she wanted nothing to do with the chickens and did not like them being around. After the move from Erick, Oklahoma, to Tuttle, she warmed up to them.

"When we were finally able to move into our new house in Tuttle, my parents put the chicken coop right outside my bedroom window, so I was kind of forced to like them," Coats said.

Over time, her relationship grew stronger with Steven and she spent much of her time with him. She would take him everywhere she went, and eventually Steven was a known chicken around town. She was never shy to show Steven off. For example, he was pictured in her graduation announcements posed in her arms with a thank-you sign hanging around his neck.

Not many people can say they have a special relationship with a chicken as Coats does. Similar to a trained dog, Steven even knew his name.

"Steven was a special chicken," Coats said. "He really was the best pet ever, I could walk outside and call him and he would come running across the farm because he knew his name."

Without her pet chicken and farm environment, Coats had to adjust to the new life that came with going away to college. She originally attended and played softball for Oklahoma Christian, which was not a comfortable environment for her because it was much more city-like than she was used to. Transferring to Oklahoma State was a nice change because it was a place she felt welcomed and felt like home.

"What I like most about being here in Stillwater is that I feel like I'm back home, back in that farm community," Coats said. "Agriculture is a big thing here, which was a big part of my upbringing, so I really like that about OSU."

She was shaped by the country lifestyle, and by the little things it included such as raising chickens and everyday chores. While most students miss their dog or cat, she is missing her pet chicken. Her unique background has undeniably molded her into the woman she is today.

"I think she is for sure what Oklahoma exemplifies," Gajewski said. "She is a kid who is strong in her faith and strong in her morals."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Shea and Steven: How Growing Up In Tuttle Shaped Shea Coats

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