A Lifetime of Work/Love For My Cowboys - Time Out #323

Next Thursday is such a special family day for Our Country.

Thanksgiving is a unique American holiday, a traditional get-together, highlighting our young nation, our family members, and delicious food.

From our family to yours, best wishes for a memorable day, dear readers in Our Town and far beyond.

Well, besides Thanksgiving, what else is important about next week? Hummm, oh, yes, I remember.....Bedlam football

The mighty OU Sooners of Norman town visit our local Boone Pickens Stadium, for 60 timed minutes of intense football against our Cowboys ,

So, in preparation for next week's game, let's see what it takes to be a true OSU fan, as described by a local follower since 1953; i.e., ME!

I have told anyone that listens for many decades, in my humble opinion, O-State fans have to work 24/7/365 to be a certified, hard-core, Cowboy fans. Because we are located in a geographically-determined rural location, specifically in north central Oklahoma, we don't have the glitz, glamor, and big city vibes. Instead, we are a little-known, 35,000-foot flyover (as in airliner) state. This is an easier way of saying, Oklahoma is a state most Americans can't even tell you where we are located in the vast USA? Sadly, yes, but we know our secret place is an absolute jewel to call home!

But, I digress, so let's return to focusing on being a true OSU fan.

Due to our remote location and lack of familiarity, we have rarely attracted the 5-star student-athlete to choose OSU. Instead, we ultimately sign the 3 and 4-star players to athletic scholarships, and these folks make up the majority our competitive sports teams. Thus, they/we have to try harder; never losing our concentration and determination to win!!

So, what has this meant over the almost 70 years I have been following my beloved Cowboys?

Simple explanation. We have struggled to consistently win against big-name (and, of course, big money $$$ backers) athletic programs. It is absolutely true during the last 2 decades, however, OSU athletic teams have been occasionally shining stars in several sports, probably directly linked to our incredible new facilities, aka, Boone Pickens Stadium (football), beautifully enlarged Gallagher-Iba Arena (basketball), O'Brate Stadium (baseball), Greenwood Tennis Center, Neal Patterson Stadium (women's soccer), and the huge Sherman Smith indoor athletic training facility. Certainly, iconic benefactor and billionaire alum, T. Boone Pickens, began the massive money giving to O-State, and the million dollar-plus contributor list, because of Boone, continues to grow and grow. With our outstanding facilities, over time, we attract more outstanding college athletes. Therefore, the future success for our sports teams certainly appears bright and promising.

As I alluded to earlier, you (and me) have to work hard all the time to be true Cowboy fans. My father, Col. C.H. Breedlove, helped instill that important trait in me from my elementary school years onward, growing up in Our Town. He took me to many various Cowboy athletic contests, both locally and out-of-town. He always said it was easy to cheer for a perpetual winner in any sport, but to maintain the spirit and cheering for underdogs really takes lots of mental effort and perseverance. I sincerely hope we have continued that long tradition of supporting/cheering for the Cowboys in our youngest, Robbie. Like me, Robbie, is an OSU undergraduate alum who also grew up in Our Town.

Yes, fans, let's always keep that glass half (or more!) full attitude, regarding OSU athletics, and for that matter, life in general. Try to always turn lemons into lemonade, and enjoy the sheer sweetness of the drink. As always, Go Cowboys.