Oklahoma State University Athletics
Pro Accolades
ESPN recently ranked Oklahoma State as one of the best college football programs in the country, in regards to its talent pipeline to the NFL. OSU was ranked 15th and joined Nebraska as one of only two Big 12 Conference programs to make the elite list.
In the current decade, two Cowboy running backs, Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Both players were named as the league's Most Valuable Player during their careers.
Sanders and Thomas, who were teammates at OSU, rank among the all-time leading rushers in NFL history.
OSU alumni Kevin Williams and Jamal Williams are two of the NFL's most dominating defensive tackles. Both are four-time Pro Bowlers. Kevin Williams is fourth in Vikings history with 42.5 sacks by a defensive tackle. Jamal Williams has long been considered the most physically imposing defensive tackle in the NFL at 6-foot-3, 350 pounds.
A pair of Cowboys, offensive lineman Jon Kolb, along with Thurman Thomas, played in four Super Bowls.
Former Cowboy Leslie O'Neal was a six-time Pro Bowler during his career with the San Diego Chargers.
Antonio Smith was a starter on the Arizona Cardinals' first Super Bowl team in January 2009. He became the third-straight Cowboy to play in a Super Bowl, following R.W. McQuarters (Giants) and Charlie Johnson (Colts).Johnson returned to football's biggest stage in 2010 when he and fellow Cowboy alum Jacob Lacey played for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, the most-watched program of any kind in American television history. Oklahoma State has now had a presence in the last four Super Bowls.
Former Oklahoma State head coach Jimmy Johnson led the Dallas Cowboys to a pair of Super Bowl titles.
