No. 8 seed Syracuse (22-8, 10-6 Atlantic Coast) opens up its NCAA Tournament on Saturday against No. 9 seed Oklahoma State (20-10, 11-7 Big 12). The game tips off at 3:30 p.m. in Starkville, Mississippi.

Before the game gets underway, here are 10 fun facts about Oklahoma State University.

1. Everyone’s best friend

Oklahoma State has the most expansive pet therapy program in the nation. With 22 pet therapy teams, Pete’s Pet Posse is a group that helps stressed-out students relax and spend time with dogs around campus. Established in 2013, the group hosts multiple weekly events, including “MuttDay Monday” and “Waggin’ Wednesday.” Petting dogs and owning dogs has been proven to decrease blood pressure and increase life expectancy.

2. Garth Brooks

There is only one artist in music history to achieve diamond status on seven different albums, and he’s an OSU alum. Garth Brooks earned a track scholarship to the Oklahoma State to throw javelin. He graduated with an advertising degree in 1984.

3. “This town ain’t big enough for the two of us”

In 2014, OSU sent a cease and desist letter to New Mexico State University, claiming that NMSU stole the mascot idea of the Cowboys. In an attempt to protect the patented Pistol Pete trademark, OSU sent the letter because it believed that New Mexico State’s “Classic Aggie” was a copy of Pistol Pete. 

4. Bedlam

Oklahoma State’s biggest rival across all sports is Oklahoma, with the inter-school battles known as the Bedlam Series. No one actually knows why the term Bedlam was used to describe the rivalry, but we do know that the rivalry name started not on the gridiron but on the wrestling mats. The dictionary describes bedlam as “a scene of uproar and confusion.”

5. Embracing history

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics in 2011, no school has more Native Americans graduate in educational categories than Oklahoma State. 9.2 percent of OSU’s campus is Native American, unsurprising considering that there are more Native Americans in Oklahoma than any U.S. state besides California.

6. Not exactly Monday Night Raw

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Stillwater, home of the OSU campus. The interactive museum opened in 1976 after a vote in 1972 awarded the Hall of Fame to Stillwater instead of Waterloo, Iowa. 

7. Okrahoma

The state of Oklahoma designated an official state meal in 1988, and it sounds more like three meals. It consists of fried okra, cornbread, barbecue pork, squash, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn and strawberries.

8. No false alarms

Oklahoma State is home to the International Fire Service Training Association, which publishes more on fire safety than anyone in North America. It produces e-books, manuals, videos and online courses to help with fire prevention.

9. Thinking forward

Oklahoma State is one of six universities that is a “sun grant college,” meaning it receives government money to research and develop environmentally-friendly biofuel alternatives. With America looking to become less dependent on fossil fuels going forward, OSU is leading the research into other methods.  

10. Healthy and happy, they think

OSU has claimed to be “the healthiest college” in the United States. It says that being the first school to have a stand-alone wellness center, the first to have a comprehensive pet therapy program and the second to go tobacco-free makes it better than the rest. However, a USA Today ranking in 2013 placed it 18th.

Published on March 17, 2018 at 3:04 am

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo