Oklahoma State University Athletics
Carrying On The Legacy Of The Ten
January 26, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball
STILLWATER – In the days following the tragedy of Jan. 27, 2001, Oklahoma State made a vow to always "Remember the Ten". Part of the legacy of The Ten is a series of scholarships and awards that are presented to outstanding OSU students, and one such scholarship is the Will Hancock Memorial Scholarship, which is given to a student working as part of the OSU Athletics media relations team.
Will Hancock served as the men's basketball media relations contact during his five years in Stillwater and was widely recognized as a rising star in the industry at the time of the plane crash.
"When he died, we really didn't know what to do. One of our concerns and fears was that Will would be forgotten. When we received donations in Will's name, we decided rather than keeping them, to reinvest them into Oklahoma State and specifically, into the athletics media relations program," said Will's wife Karen.
"We wanted to put that money toward a scholarship for a young person working in that area because it is an area that Will loved," she said. "For us, it means a lot to keep Will's name out there and also to help someone in the process."
This year's recipient of the Will Hancock Memorial Scholarship is John Langham, a graduate student from Kansas City. After initially joining the athletics media relations team as a sophomore in 2015, Langham is now in his fourth year working in the field and his first year as a graduate assistant.
"It's an incredible honor for me to carry on Will Hancock's legacy and to be the recipient of a scholarship named after him," Langham said. "He was the embodiment of everything I aspire to be in this field."
A semifinalist for OSU's campus-wide student employee of the year award in 2017, Langham now serves as the primary media relations contact for the Cowgirl softball team after working in a similar role with the Cowboy tennis team a year ago. In addition, Langham contributes heavily to the media relations team's efforts in football.
"This scholarship has been around for about 15 years now, and in some years, the recipients may be a little stronger than others, but I would say that from what I know of John, he ranks up there as one of the best. I don't know if he's going to be in media relations forever, but it's a great place to be. It serves such an important role and you always want good people like John in those positions," Karen Hancock said.
As part of his current role, Langham handles all facets of the media operation for the Cowgirl softball program, such as coordinating player and coach interviews, producing digital and social media content, keeping stats and records and much more.
"John brings value to our program every single day. He has been 100 percent bought in from day one and we're fortunate to have him with us," OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski said. "He's mature, organized, soft-spoken and I love working with him. He works hard and he makes everyone around him feel comfortable."
Karen Hancock said that part of what made Will Hancock a standout in media relations was that beyond being naturally gifted, smart and having a remarkable work ethic, he was also very kind and courteous with the people around him.
"We want the recipient of this scholarship to be like Will in that sense and we want them to know that you can be good at your job and be kind while doing it and that can lead to great things."
Will Hancock served as the men's basketball media relations contact during his five years in Stillwater and was widely recognized as a rising star in the industry at the time of the plane crash.
"When he died, we really didn't know what to do. One of our concerns and fears was that Will would be forgotten. When we received donations in Will's name, we decided rather than keeping them, to reinvest them into Oklahoma State and specifically, into the athletics media relations program," said Will's wife Karen.
"We wanted to put that money toward a scholarship for a young person working in that area because it is an area that Will loved," she said. "For us, it means a lot to keep Will's name out there and also to help someone in the process."
This year's recipient of the Will Hancock Memorial Scholarship is John Langham, a graduate student from Kansas City. After initially joining the athletics media relations team as a sophomore in 2015, Langham is now in his fourth year working in the field and his first year as a graduate assistant.
"It's an incredible honor for me to carry on Will Hancock's legacy and to be the recipient of a scholarship named after him," Langham said. "He was the embodiment of everything I aspire to be in this field."
A semifinalist for OSU's campus-wide student employee of the year award in 2017, Langham now serves as the primary media relations contact for the Cowgirl softball team after working in a similar role with the Cowboy tennis team a year ago. In addition, Langham contributes heavily to the media relations team's efforts in football.
"This scholarship has been around for about 15 years now, and in some years, the recipients may be a little stronger than others, but I would say that from what I know of John, he ranks up there as one of the best. I don't know if he's going to be in media relations forever, but it's a great place to be. It serves such an important role and you always want good people like John in those positions," Karen Hancock said.
As part of his current role, Langham handles all facets of the media operation for the Cowgirl softball program, such as coordinating player and coach interviews, producing digital and social media content, keeping stats and records and much more.
"John brings value to our program every single day. He has been 100 percent bought in from day one and we're fortunate to have him with us," OSU softball coach Kenny Gajewski said. "He's mature, organized, soft-spoken and I love working with him. He works hard and he makes everyone around him feel comfortable."
Karen Hancock said that part of what made Will Hancock a standout in media relations was that beyond being naturally gifted, smart and having a remarkable work ethic, he was also very kind and courteous with the people around him.
"We want the recipient of this scholarship to be like Will in that sense and we want them to know that you can be good at your job and be kind while doing it and that can lead to great things."
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