Bingo, movie nights and Mike Gundy! How Oklahoma State’s radio

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterOct 4, 2024, 07:45 AM ET Close Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He signed up with ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.STILLWATER, Okla.

— In the 60 years considering that Lou Watkins finished from Oklahoma State, she has held various roles around the university, seen almost all 250 games Mike Gundy has coached, and, at one time or another, held the fate of his expert future in her hands.Only just recently, however, has Watkins had the ability to ask Gundy what was actually on her mind:”What was he thinking benching the quarterback on Saturday? “Watkins, an 82-year-old citizen of Legacy Village of Stillwater, remained in the stands to see Cowboys quarterback

Alan Bowman toss 2 interceptions and total simply 48.1 %of his passes in Oklahoma State’s 22-19 loss to Utah on Sept. 21. 2 days later, it was all everybody was speaking about inside the halls of Tradition Town, a fancy senior living neighborhood situated 4 miles from Boone Pickens Stadium.That’s because Gundy’s weekly check out was approaching.” I have actually seen him on television. I have actually been to all the games,”stated Sharon Brown, an 84-year-old homeowner who made her degree from Oklahoma State in 1962 and has concerns about the Cowboys’inactive running game. “However for him to come to our house? It’s surreal.”Sparked by a one-off holiday radio unique in December, Legacy Town is the new home of Gundy’s coach’s program this fall, drawing almost 100 homeowners to the facility’s fourth-floor ballroom every Monday, every one hanging on every word from the coach. In the community of retirees– some with connections to Oklahoma State dating back 70 years– they feel as close as ever to their school.” It’s one of the very best things we’ve ever done,” Gundy told ESPN. Homeowners of Legacy Town pack a ballroom to speak with Gundy and an OSU player. Amy Lombard for ESPN THE HOTTEST COMMODITY on fall Monday nights at Tradition Town is a seat with an excellent view of the ballroom stage. This week, Joyce Wuetig, 86, is the very first homeowner in the space simply after 5 p.m., nearly a full hour before the broadcast starts. By 5:30, the space is brimming.”I’m hard of hearing, so I always attempt to stay up close,” states Wuetig, who welcomes her son-in-law to participate in the radio show every week. “I like to hear Coach Gundy speak– I like his voice.”Legacy Town sits on 55 acres of land with a view of a golf course and offers independent living, helped living and memory care services. The neighborhood opened in March 2020. Gary and Nancy Franklin, a set of retired accounting professionals from Stillwater, relocated that month, 3 days after their 50th wedding anniversary.”There’s constantly been an OSU spirit here,” Nancy says.”But the program being here has actually upped it a few notches.”Gundy arrives at 6 p.m. on the dot, 90 minutes after the community’s supper buffet. The homeowners cheer and pump black and orange pompoms into the air as he walks in. About 50 showed up for the very first live broadcast in Week 1; another 70 or two can be found in Week 2, prompting the Legacy Town staff to change the ballroom design and start restricting participants from

the outdoors public entirely to guests with welcomes from residents.On this Monday, about 100 chairs face the phase, and few are empty. Each of Gundy’s very first four check outs to Legacy Town followed an Oklahoma State win. Now, on the heels of the Cowboys ‘very first loss of 2024, the 57-year-old coach prepares to get grilled as a manufacturer passes around a microphone for residents to ask questions during the first industrial break.

“Certainly after that game you have actually got some thoughts, “Gundy says. “Y’ all can’t be that good now. “The questions are pointed however friendly. The citizens here invest their Saturdays watching the Cowboys in the theater room. It’s a plugged-in crowd. During the week, they maintain through the pages of the Stillwater News Press and other regional newspapers.Minutes in, one male gets up to ask a question

on lots of residents’minds.” What’s up with this scenario where Ollie Gordon ca

n’t leave the pocket and run?” he asks.”Well, it’s going to be difficult on him, “Gundy responds before duplicating an unfulfilling answer about defenses packing package versus the Cowboys.”It’s extremely disappointing that there’s actually not a lot we can do about it.

” Tradition Village approximates some 75 %of its citizens are associated with Oklahoma State. Amy Lombard for ESPN Later on, a resident asks about the thought process when Gundy benched his starting quarterback at halftime versus Utah, then tossed Bowman back into the game in the 4th quarter. Another would like to know about Gundy shouting at a referee and is curious about what stimulated the mad moment.”I’m usually really great about that,” Gundy responds.”Authorities resemble instructors and law enforcement officers– they’re people you can’t control. So you want to be genuine nice to them …” Gundy has actually joked that Tradition Town is among the few places he can stroll into confidently without any enemies. Center officials estimate a minimum of 75% of the residents hold some sort of connection to Oklahoma State.On his very first go to, Gundy was stunned by how many faces he acknowledged.”I think it’s hard for me to

realize it, however I’m sort of at that age where I understand so many people that would be here, “he states. Althea Wright was a cheerleader back when Oklahoma State was called Oklahoma A&M. Amy Lombard for ESPN WES AND LOU Watkins moved into Legacy Village the exact same week the center opened in March 2020, 64 years after Wes initially enrolled at Oklahoma State in 1956. Wes served as student body president, then released a lengthy political career that included 20 years in the U.S. Congress. The Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development sits straight throughout from

Boone Pickens Stadium, and Wes and Lou still remain heavily involved at the university, routinely participating in football games and other events on school.” I have actually remained in more homecoming parades than anybody else,”says Wes, who is 85. As Gundy discusses a Cowboys offense that went to pieces versus Utah, Wes is positioned in the front row wearing a visor similar to one Gundy might have worn in his first years in charge at Oklahoma State. Throughout a business break, he gets the mic and makes a pitch, just in case Gundy is aiming to replace his offensive organizer.”You see this hat I’ve got on?”he quips.”I’m for hire. “A couple of rows behind him is

Althea Wright. She got here in Stillwater in 1953, back when the school was

called Oklahoma A&M, and later wed a basketball player named Mel Wright, who notoriously sank a last-second jumper over Wilt Chamberlain to beat Kansas in February 1957. While Mel played basketball and baseball, Althea was a cheerleader.”We used a lot more clothing than [cheerleaders] use now, “states Althea, who is 89.

“And we didn’t need to do any of those sports tricks you see

them do now. I can’t even envision. “Jack Nasworthy, 84, hangs on every one of Gundy’s words. His father, Elmer, battled in Stillwater from 1933 to 1936, and Nasworthy followed the very same path as a member of Oklahoma State’s nationwide champ wrestling teams in 1959 and 1961. He experimented with for the U.S. Olympic team ahead of the 1960 Summertimes Games.

Jack Nasworthy, a former Oklahoma State wrestler, is also a season-ticket holder. Amy Lombard for ESPN Dave Hunziker, the radio voice of the Cowboys, has in-laws in Legacy Village. Throughout the ballroom are the mother of Oklahoma State football strength coach Rob Glass and Lou Watkins, who learned how to handle the noise around Gundy in the rough minutes of his period during part of her 23 years on the university’s board of regents. “We type of had to figure out what storms to weather [ with Gundy], “she says.Within a community so deeply linked to Oklahoma State, there are a handful of Oklahoma fans. Slowly, they’re starting to surface for Gundy’s weekly check outs, too.”We’re all buddies, and a few of them played football for the Sooners,”Lou Watkins states.”When we’re watching Chaos in the theater, we’re not constantly as kind as we must be.

“AMONG COLLEGE football’s most particular and long-held traditions, the coach’s call-in radio program started as a weekly chance for a coach to connect directly to his fan base, and frequently vice versa. However while coaches are more insulated than ever, and as programs have a multitude of

methods to get their message out to the world, the call-in show has ended up being outdated.Michigan, for instance, is among the most recent programs to move its weekly radio show from a public setting to a studio inside its group facility. And less coaches are fielding weekly questions from fans in 2024. This fall, Clemson significantly joined the list of schools where the head coach is no longer taking calls from fans throughout his radio program (see: Tyler from Spartanburg). Yet in Stillwater, in a room of 70-and 80-year-olds, Gundy’s weekly radio session has actually never felt more alive.The concept to bring Gundy’s show to Legacy Village came late last year. Hunziker had always wanted to host an Oklahoma State Christmas special and thought the retirement community might be an ideal location for a festive event, bringing coaches and athletes to Tradition Town to join the locals. The holiday show drew

rave evaluations. The experience left Kristi Lester, Legacy Town’s sales and marketing director, wanting to do it

more often.Lester’s timing turned out to be good. Gundy’s radio show had actually called several locations home in recent years– regional Chick-fil-As and Slim Chickens restaurants among them– however most recently a Rib Crib near Boone Pickens Stadium.The contract with Rib Crib ended at the end of the 2023 season, and Lester and the management

at Tradition Town were excited about adding Gundy’s program to their resident programs. But they didn’t anticipate the effect it would make this fall.” It used to just be game-day

Saturdays that would get people excited,”Lester states.”And now you see it throughout the week. There’s a true spirit. It’s given them something brand-new and significant to eagerly anticipate. I’m starting to question if they have anything else to speak about.

“The show is contracted to remain at Legacy Village for the next 2 seasons beyond 2024. There’s likewise a new wrinkle in the program. Each week this fall, an Oklahoma State football player signs up with for the last 20 minutes of the broadcast.For the residents, the athlete looks peel back another layer on the group they enjoy on Saturdays. The postshow media event are popular, also. Althea Wright just recently ended up being a great-grandmother, and she scrolls previous images of her newborn great-grandchild to discover the picture she took with Gordon, the Cowboys ‘star running back, a couple of weeks ago.For a former professional athlete such as Nasworthy, the gos to are likewise a window into the next generation of Cowboys, who will represent his university long after he’s gone.”As you age, you appreciate a lot of that things,”Nasworthy says.”Since they’re individuals turning up

. That’s people that are going to be here another 50 years. That suggests a lot to us. To see good individuals, individuals that want to do helpful for the university. Loyalty matters.” The radio show has actually featured Cowboys players visiting also. Amy Lombard for ESPN STAR OKLAHOMA STATE linebacker Nick Martin was among the first players to appear for the closing segments of the radio program. When Bowman, Oklahoma State’s 25-year-old, seventh-year quarterback visited,

he informed the crowd he was glad to finally be in a space where he felt young.The athletes come to Tradition Village straight after the Cowboys’Monday evening practice and get name, image and likeness payments for their appearances. After the Utah game, the guest was seasoned pass receiver Brennan Presley.”

You see that they’re more than a football player,” says Nancy Franklin, 79. “You

see that they have goals and a life. They’re no longer one-dimensional. “Similar to Gundy, the homeowners ask questions throughout the industrial breaks while Presley is onstage. They need to know about his string of athletic brother or sisters who all went through local high school power Bixby. They inquire about the crunching shot he required to his ribs in the loss to Utah.Later, Presley got a concern about his dating life and a past relationship with the child of offending planner Kasey Dunn.”What’s your relationship like with the offending organizer?”the homeowner wonders. “How about his daughter?” “We’re off-air, best?”Presley replies, a nervous smile spreading across his face.” Today’s program is given you by Frigidaire,” Hunziker cuts in. OSU receiver Brennan Presley took pictures with residents at Legacy Town. Amy Lombard for ESPN The crowd laughs and Presley’s very first visit to Tradition Town continues efficiently. Afterward, he takes photos with every resident who wants one– and there are many.” In some cases you can undervalue what it means

to other people,”he states.”I know what it seemed like when I was a kid seeing my favorite college football player in person. It was

truly cool to go out here. I got to satisfy people that I would have never otherwise satisfied.

“As Presley leaves Legacy Village, another coach’s show remains in the books. It’s a lively community of retirees, and the neighborhood’s shows consists of yoga, bingo and film nights, but Gundy’s sees have been something more.”This is by far the best setting we have actually done this from,” Gundy says.”I love it.” For one hour each Monday, the OSU world comes to Legacy Town. And after the radio program covers and Gundy leaves, the energy inside the neighborhood remains, permeating the rest of the week, fueling the locals ‘game-day”table-gates” and lingering all the method through to the next Monday evening, when Gundy returns and the fourth-floor ballroom is packed once again. “When Mike Gundy is here, we seem like we belong to the discussion,” Brown says.”

We just want to be close with the important things we enjoy the most. For a number of us, that’s Oklahoma State.”