Oklahoma State University Athletics
Good to be Home: Jim Click and his Teammates Return to Stillwater for Bedlam
November 09, 2023 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – After almost 60 years away from Oklahoma State University, several members of the 1963-66 football team returned to Stillwater last weekend to watch the final Bedlam football game.
The reunion was organized by Jim Click. The former OSU center assembled 40-50 of his former teammates to come together to the city they called home all those years ago.
It seems their presence paid off, as the Cowboys secured a gritty 27-24 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. With its win, OSU has won two of the last four matchups against the Sooners, something Click and his teammates accomplished when they were playing.
In 1963, Click's freshman season, first-year head coach Phil Cutchin and his Cowboys went 1-8 on the year, including a 34-10 loss to the Sooners and their only win came against Tulsa. The next year saw slight improvement, with OSU going 4-6. Again, the Cowboys lost to the Sooners, this time by a score of 21-16.
That changed in 1965, the year Click was named a tri-captain. The Cowboys won two straight Bedlam games, with both games coming within one point of each other. The Cowboys 17-16 win in 1965 was the first since 1945 and snapped a 19-game win streak by the Sooners. 1966's 15-14 win against the Sooners was only the third instance of the Cowboys winning consecutive Bedlam games at that point in time, the previous time being 1944-1945.
Click concluded his college career on a high note, as the 1966 Bedlam matchup was his final game. While he and his teammates never saw a winning season, they got to taste what it was like to come out on top of a Bedlam matchup.
After graduating from OSU as a Scholastic All-American, Click began working with his uncle selling cars in Los Angeles. Click quickly moved up the ranks and became one of the country's youngest automotive dealers when he purchased his own Ford dealership in 1971 at the age of 27.
His success became so vast, he opened 15 car dealerships, both in California and Arizona. He settled in Arizona, where he's been an outgoing philanthropist in the Tucson area and became a supporter of The University of Arizona.
He's among the most generous boosters in collegiate athletics for his support of Arizona, along with fellow OSU alumnus Boone Pickens. In the 2010 Alamo Bowl, Click's two teams met for the first time since 1942. The Cowboys beat the Wildcats 36-10 and capped one of the best seasons in program history.
Click's generosity spread to other athletic endeavors besides football. Arizona hosts a yearly track meet in the outdoor season called the Jim Click Shootout, which OSU regularly competes in. With Click as the namesake, OSU athletes have had impressive performances at the invitational. There are 12 performances by OSU athletes that rank in the top 10 in the program's outdoor record book, including multi-athlete Bailey Golden's program best Heptathlon performance in last year's meet.
Click's most recent trip to Stillwater proved to be a special one. One where he knew what team he was going to root for. What's better – that team didn't let him or his teammates down.
The Cowboys look to continue their on-field success this weekend against UCF, a team they've never faced before.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.
