STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -When Thurman Thomas chose the Bedlam rivalry game as his chance to be honored on Oklahoma State’s campus for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, he had no idea what he was getting into.
Not only was the annual game between the Cowboys and rival Oklahoma the biggest game in the state, but also one of the premier games in the country this season – with the third-ranked Sooners trying to make their case for a shot at the Big 12 and possibly national titles.
Oklahoma State did its part to make it more interesting, rising to its second-highest ranking ever for the annual rivalry game at No. 11.
ronment that you’re going to have to be in.
“With them doing it, I’ll be back every year if they continue to win like they’ve been winning, whether they’re honoring me or honoring somebody else.”
Thomas is Oklahoma State’s career rushing leader after amassing 4,595 yards in his four seasons with the Cowboys. He went on to lead the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls, being named the NFL MVP in 1991.
He said he chatted with Kendall Hunter, the nation’s fifth-leading rusher, before the game and felt practically unnoticed as he went through the team’s pregame walk to the stadium alongside quarterback Zac Robinson, hearing “There’s Zac” all along the way. He joked that one man said, “Hey, Thurman, how are you doing?” but he had a cane.
Thomas didn’t play for Oklahoma State that long ago. He was a freshman on the 1984 team that attained the highest ranking in school history at No. 3 before a 24-14 Bedlam loss to the second-ranked Sooners. In addition to Gundy, he also played alongside Barry Sanders and receiver Hart Lee Dykes in the most storied years in school history.
ahoma State University.
“It’s definitely a big honor for me, but I want people to realize that it’s not just me. It’s the other guys that I played with, too.”
Thomas said he keeps busy with two radio shows and two television shows and he also has started a line of training facilities in the Buffalo area aimed at helping kids with sports and their education, but he has a new reason to keep track of his Cowboys: He’s a voter in the Harris Poll.
“I’ve been able to keep up with them a lot this year, more than I have been,” Thomas said.
Thomas said Oklahoma State caught his eye with its upset of then-No. 3 Missouri earlier this year. When he arrived in Stillwater for the first time in four years, he couldn’t believe the changes to the place where he used to play, courtesy of more than $200 million in donations from Pickens, the billionaire alumnus.
“It’s like a different stadium. It’s not like the stadium that I played in before,” Thomas said. “It’s like they tore down old Lewis Field and just put up this new one here.”
The school plans to complete the renovations next year, opening new coaches offices and training rooms in the bowled-in west end zone in the spring.
“Things have changed and things will change,” Thomas said. “I think from here on out they will continue to change, and they will continue to get better for this university.”
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