Oklahoma State University Athletics
Ricky Stewart to Receive 2023 Gallagher Award
February 13, 2023 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – A two-time national champion and a four-time All-American for Oklahoma State, Ricky Stewart will be the 2023 recipient of the Gallagher Award, the program announced Monday.
The award, given annually to an OSU alumnus who has exemplified the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions, will be presented during the Cowboys' final home dual against Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 16.
"It means the world to me because Ed Gallagher was somebody that I didn't get to meet, but I met mostly all the other coaches," Stewart said. "You grow up with the legends and hearing who Ed Gallagher was, the memory of him and being a part of that touches me deep in my soul. It's a part of Oklahoma State and Cowboy Wrestling and it ties us all together. I don't know how to put it into words how much it means to me. He's somebody that has always been with me even though I didn't know him personally because I knew about him. To be honored as the Gallagher Award winner, I can't put into words how special that is and what it really means. I'm so grateful that I have that opportunity and I'm thankful the people have remembered and bestowed that honor on me."
A three-time state champion and all-state football player at Duncan High School, Stewart chose to wrestle for the Cowboys under head coach Tommy Chesbro. After redshirting in 1978, he stepped into the lineup at 158 pounds and became one of the most successful wrestlers in Oklahoma State history.
His accolades include being one of OSU's 14 four-time All-Americans, which included back-to-back individual titles in 1980 and 1981. In the 1981 championship match, Stewart pinned former teammate turned Sooner, Dave Schultz, with a fireman's carry to claim his second NCAA title. Stewart completed his collegiate career with a 118-7 record and his 43 career falls and 75 bonus-point wins can be found in the top-10 of Oklahoma State's career records.
"There were a lot of things that I could attribute to my time at Oklahoma State," Stewart said. "Wrestling taught me to be diligent, to maintain discipline. I was kind of headstrong but I was team captain for three of the four years I was there so I guess it paid off. I learned what my limitations were and how to adjust and learn to be successful with them."
Following the 1982 season, Stewart moved into a full-time coaching role at Oklahoma State for two seasons. He also spent time at Clemson, Notre Dame and Oregon, while also returning to Oklahoma for a year to serve as the Duncan High School Athletic Director.
In December 2020, Stewart was faced with a challenge much larger than any wrestling match he competed in. He was burned on 74 percent of his body from his jawline down in a home explosion at his residence in Texarkana.
"When I was going through that I ended up dying three times before making it across the goal line," Stewart said. "After I got past that portion of it, I was in an induced coma for eight months and my daughters had to tell me a lot of the stuff that went on… It just took a lot of healing mentally as well as physically. I lost a leg in it and all my fingers. They didn't expect me to live past three months, but they didn't really expect me to live overnight. My daughters really had a lot to deal with and I'm really thankful for them because they had to fight the fight while I couldn't. It's still pretty emotional for all of us but we're getting through it."
His daughter, Rikki Jade, doesn't believe her father would have made it through without his wrestling background.
"It's just another fight," Stewart said. "There was no doubt that wrestling was a major part of it. You learn not to give up and when you have to press it, then you learn how to do that. When I was in the hospital I did things with my physical therapist that he couldn't believe. I would work past what they wanted me to and sometimes it would open up my wounds, but I just kept going."
Ricky's fortitude during his recovery process was an inspiration to everyone around him at Parkland Hospital and exemplary of his character. On his departure date from Parkland, everyone on two floors of the hospital, estimated to be over 100 people, lined up to give him a standing ovation.
He was transferred to Oklahoma City where he now lives with his daughter. He has been out of the hospital for 11 months after being released in March of 2022.
"I have a hand prosthesis and a prosthesis for my leg, so I'm still trying to get used to that. I don't have balance that I need to be able to stand up on it yet. I can stand up but I can't walk, so I'm working on that. The hand prosthesis is interesting because it gives me a little bit more help on the intricacies of moving my hands again. I just have a bunch of little things that, it's like I'm starting over."
It's been well documented that Oklahoma State wrestling is a family, but it was never more evident to Ricky than with the support he has received over the past couple of years.
"The thoughts from the fans of Oklahoma State, the well-wishers, I had a ton of them. It was amazing how many people reached out enough to make my daughters think 'What the hell are you doing? There are so many people reaching out.' I had probably one thousand people who reached out through phone calls and emails, some I still have to get back with. It was nice to know that my wrestling family was supportive the whole time and those things help so much. I can't express to people enough how much it meant. It helped give me the strength to carry on."
Stewart will be in attendance on Thursday night to accept the award before the Cowboys' take on Oklahoma to close out the home schedule of the 2022-23 season. The presentation of the Gallagher Award will take place before the dual, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
"Ricky Stewart is the perfect recipient for this year's Gallagher Award," head coach John Smith said. "Growing up he was one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. He went on to coach at four major Division 1 programs across the country and returned to Oklahoma as an athletic director at Duncan High School. The challenges he has faced over the last two years exemplify what a resilient warrior he is and why he is deserving of the Gallgaher Award."
Gallagher Award Recipients
1986 – Rex Peery
1987 – Frank Lewis
1988 – Myron Roderick
1989 – Tommy Chesbro
1990 – Joe McDaniel
1991 – John W. Divine
1996 - Ray Murphy
1997 - John Smith
1998 - Grady Peninger
1999 - Kenny Monday
2000 - Pat Smith
2001 - Kendall Cross
2002 - Mike Sheets
2003 - Doug Blubaugh
2004 - Grover Rains
2005 - Bobby Douglas
2006 - Charles Hetrick
2007 - Fred Davis
2008 - Lee Roy Smith
2009 - Bobby Stites
2010 - Bill Harlow
2011 - Eddie Griffin
2013 - Jim Shields
2014 - Mike Jones
2015 - Jay Arneson
2016 - Hardell Moore
2017 - Stanley Henson
2018 – Nick Williams
2019 – Tadaaki Hatta
2020 – Jim Rogers
2021 - Ned Blass
2022 - J Robinson
2023 - Ricky Stewart
The award, given annually to an OSU alumnus who has exemplified the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions, will be presented during the Cowboys' final home dual against Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 16.
"It means the world to me because Ed Gallagher was somebody that I didn't get to meet, but I met mostly all the other coaches," Stewart said. "You grow up with the legends and hearing who Ed Gallagher was, the memory of him and being a part of that touches me deep in my soul. It's a part of Oklahoma State and Cowboy Wrestling and it ties us all together. I don't know how to put it into words how much it means to me. He's somebody that has always been with me even though I didn't know him personally because I knew about him. To be honored as the Gallagher Award winner, I can't put into words how special that is and what it really means. I'm so grateful that I have that opportunity and I'm thankful the people have remembered and bestowed that honor on me."
A three-time state champion and all-state football player at Duncan High School, Stewart chose to wrestle for the Cowboys under head coach Tommy Chesbro. After redshirting in 1978, he stepped into the lineup at 158 pounds and became one of the most successful wrestlers in Oklahoma State history.
His accolades include being one of OSU's 14 four-time All-Americans, which included back-to-back individual titles in 1980 and 1981. In the 1981 championship match, Stewart pinned former teammate turned Sooner, Dave Schultz, with a fireman's carry to claim his second NCAA title. Stewart completed his collegiate career with a 118-7 record and his 43 career falls and 75 bonus-point wins can be found in the top-10 of Oklahoma State's career records.
"There were a lot of things that I could attribute to my time at Oklahoma State," Stewart said. "Wrestling taught me to be diligent, to maintain discipline. I was kind of headstrong but I was team captain for three of the four years I was there so I guess it paid off. I learned what my limitations were and how to adjust and learn to be successful with them."
Following the 1982 season, Stewart moved into a full-time coaching role at Oklahoma State for two seasons. He also spent time at Clemson, Notre Dame and Oregon, while also returning to Oklahoma for a year to serve as the Duncan High School Athletic Director.
In December 2020, Stewart was faced with a challenge much larger than any wrestling match he competed in. He was burned on 74 percent of his body from his jawline down in a home explosion at his residence in Texarkana.
"When I was going through that I ended up dying three times before making it across the goal line," Stewart said. "After I got past that portion of it, I was in an induced coma for eight months and my daughters had to tell me a lot of the stuff that went on… It just took a lot of healing mentally as well as physically. I lost a leg in it and all my fingers. They didn't expect me to live past three months, but they didn't really expect me to live overnight. My daughters really had a lot to deal with and I'm really thankful for them because they had to fight the fight while I couldn't. It's still pretty emotional for all of us but we're getting through it."
His daughter, Rikki Jade, doesn't believe her father would have made it through without his wrestling background.
"It's just another fight," Stewart said. "There was no doubt that wrestling was a major part of it. You learn not to give up and when you have to press it, then you learn how to do that. When I was in the hospital I did things with my physical therapist that he couldn't believe. I would work past what they wanted me to and sometimes it would open up my wounds, but I just kept going."
Ricky's fortitude during his recovery process was an inspiration to everyone around him at Parkland Hospital and exemplary of his character. On his departure date from Parkland, everyone on two floors of the hospital, estimated to be over 100 people, lined up to give him a standing ovation.
He was transferred to Oklahoma City where he now lives with his daughter. He has been out of the hospital for 11 months after being released in March of 2022.
"I have a hand prosthesis and a prosthesis for my leg, so I'm still trying to get used to that. I don't have balance that I need to be able to stand up on it yet. I can stand up but I can't walk, so I'm working on that. The hand prosthesis is interesting because it gives me a little bit more help on the intricacies of moving my hands again. I just have a bunch of little things that, it's like I'm starting over."
It's been well documented that Oklahoma State wrestling is a family, but it was never more evident to Ricky than with the support he has received over the past couple of years.
"The thoughts from the fans of Oklahoma State, the well-wishers, I had a ton of them. It was amazing how many people reached out enough to make my daughters think 'What the hell are you doing? There are so many people reaching out.' I had probably one thousand people who reached out through phone calls and emails, some I still have to get back with. It was nice to know that my wrestling family was supportive the whole time and those things help so much. I can't express to people enough how much it meant. It helped give me the strength to carry on."
Stewart will be in attendance on Thursday night to accept the award before the Cowboys' take on Oklahoma to close out the home schedule of the 2022-23 season. The presentation of the Gallagher Award will take place before the dual, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
"Ricky Stewart is the perfect recipient for this year's Gallagher Award," head coach John Smith said. "Growing up he was one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. He went on to coach at four major Division 1 programs across the country and returned to Oklahoma as an athletic director at Duncan High School. The challenges he has faced over the last two years exemplify what a resilient warrior he is and why he is deserving of the Gallgaher Award."
Gallagher Award Recipients
1986 – Rex Peery
1987 – Frank Lewis
1988 – Myron Roderick
1989 – Tommy Chesbro
1990 – Joe McDaniel
1991 – John W. Divine
1996 - Ray Murphy
1997 - John Smith
1998 - Grady Peninger
1999 - Kenny Monday
2000 - Pat Smith
2001 - Kendall Cross
2002 - Mike Sheets
2003 - Doug Blubaugh
2004 - Grover Rains
2005 - Bobby Douglas
2006 - Charles Hetrick
2007 - Fred Davis
2008 - Lee Roy Smith
2009 - Bobby Stites
2010 - Bill Harlow
2011 - Eddie Griffin
2013 - Jim Shields
2014 - Mike Jones
2015 - Jay Arneson
2016 - Hardell Moore
2017 - Stanley Henson
2018 – Nick Williams
2019 – Tadaaki Hatta
2020 – Jim Rogers
2021 - Ned Blass
2022 - J Robinson
2023 - Ricky Stewart
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