Cowgirl Culture: The Beginnings

Coming off an unprecedented year and with the annual Cowgirl Tennis Pro-Am approaching, we look back at the history of the Oklahoma State women's tennis program and honor those who laid the foundation for the Cowgirl culture.

OSU's all-time record is 752-354. The program boasts 15 All-Americans and 16 conference championships. Thanks to the hard work of many players and coaches before us and new facilities, OSU has become a premier destination in the highest level of college tennis.

Every great story starts somewhere and ours begins with the program's first head coach, Betty Edgley. Edgley was a pioneer for OSU tennis leading the Cowgirls from 1975-1979.

The Tonkawa native attended Wayland Baptist University on a basketball scholarship, where she played for four years and earned her bachelor's degree in 1963. Edgley attained All-America status in her final two seasons and was selected to the U.S. basketball team that traveled to Russia in 1961 and the Pan American team that went to Brazil in 1963.

Edgley taught and coached in public schools in Oklahoma and New York from 1963-69. Before coming to Oklahoma State, Edgley earned her master's degree. In 1975 Edgley accepted a health and wellness assistantship at OSU in the Colvin Center. Edgley accepted the position as the first women's tennis coach, all while taking and teaching classes.

"I was excited he offered it to me," Edgley said. "I was very excited about doing it, but I didn't know what it all entailed. I was a little apprehensive as well. I've always been a perfectionist. I wanted to help the girls have the best opportunity to come to OSU, enjoy themselves, and be competitive. I didn't realize that we did pretty well until I looked back on it, considering we didn't have scholarships. It was girls just coming in because they wanted to play tennis."

Edgley started the program in 1975 and was a key contributor in laying the foundation of what OSU tennis has become today. Edgley's final season was 1978-79. As the Cowgirls' leader, Betty Edgley boasted a 39-15-1 all-time record and led two-time Big Eight singles and one-time doubles champions, Lisa Barry and Debbie Cunningham.

"Betty made it fun for all of us," Lisa (Barry) Berg said. "She was one of the most well-respected people. She didn't try to be some guru; she was just so supportive and made it fun for all of us. She was a mom, friend, caretaker, or anytime you were lonely, this, or that, she was always there for us. If there was something she didn't know the answer to, she would find out. She's so supportive."

Women's college tennis has come a long way since the pioneers of OSU tennis. Scholarships and recruiting didn't exist during their time.

"Due to Title IX, nine coaches were hired," Edgley said. "We had a budget. I, to this day, don't know our budget; I would turn in matches we had set up out of town and it was covered. We didn't even have uniforms until 1977. So when we traveled, we would get gas expenses and would get in the vans and go play somewhere and then drive back."

Although times were different, Coach Edgley was still able to bring talent to Stillwater.

"When I graduated high school in 1975, I was ranked No. 1 in the state of Oklahoma," Debbie (Cunningham) Miggins said. "Although tennis scholarships for girls were uncommon at the time, I was offered scholarships at two universities but not OSU. After meeting Betty Edgley, I decided that OSU was the right school for me. She was enthusiastic about the tennis program at OSU, soft-spoken, and truly interested in making me and my teammates better athletes. She was a great mentor and made me a better player. She was always on the sidelines cheering for us to win and we loved her for that. She was our greatest fan and provided the advice we needed when facing a tough opponent. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor and coach."

Coach Edgley and former players are excited to see how the sport has grown, especially at OSU and voice support for the current state of Cowgirl tennis.

"I think Chris has done an excellent job with the team and the facilities are awesome and a great recruiting tool," Edgley said. "We didn't have any indoors. We would drive to The Greens in OKC and practice. We would wait until after school, load up in the van and get back
way late after practicing a couple of hours."

Looking back on her time as the leader of Cowgirl tennis, Edgley says she is most proud of her players.

"They were great girls and we had a lot of fun," Edgley said. "We had a great bond between myself and them. They were just really good girls."

Edgley still stays in contact with her players to this day.

"She's the type of person you won't talk to for 20 years and you can pick up the phone tomorrow and pick up where you left off," Berg said.

Coach Betty Edgley and members of the Cowgirls teams of the 1970s are being honored at tonight's Pickleball Pro-Am at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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