The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The university's current athletic director is Chad Weiberg, who replaced the retiring Mike Holder on July 1, 2021. Oklahoma State has won 57 national championships, including 55 NCAA team national titles, which ranks sixth in most NCAA team national championships. These national titles have come in wrestling (34), golf (12), cross country (6), basketball (2), and baseball (1), and the Cowboys also claim non-NCAA national titles in football (1) and equestrian (1). In addition, Oklahoma State athletes have won 183 individual national titles.
Oklahoma State fields 18 varsity teams, 9 each for men and women. Notably, following Vanderbilt's reinstatement of women's volleyball for fall 2025, Oklahoma State is the only power conference member without a women's volleyball team.
Athletics history and tradition
Prior to 1957, Oklahoma State University was known as Oklahoma A&M. As was common with most land-grant schools, its teams were known for many years as the Aggies, though they were sometimes also called the Tigers."The first bedlam game" by Jeremy Bennett, okie comics magazine, issue #4, p. 4, 2018 However, in 1923, A&M was looking for a new mascot to replace its pet tiger (the inspiration behind the school colors of orange and black). A group of students saw famed cowboy Frank Eaton leading the Armistice Day parade. He was approached to see if he would be interested in being the model for the new mascot, and he agreed. The caricature adopted his nickname "Pistol Pete".
Only a few decades removed from the cattle drive era, the cowboy was still an important figure in the Southwest. The new mascot had become so popular that by 1924, Charles Saulsberry, sports editor of The Oklahoma Times, began calling A&M's teams the "Cowboys". "Aggies" and "Cowboys" were used interchangeably until A&M was elevated to university status in 1957. In 1958, the "Pistol Pete" caricature was formally adopted as Oklahoma State's mascot, though it had been used unofficially for over three decades before then.
The Waving Song The "Waving Song" is one of the fight songs for Oklahoma State. At Oklahoma State football games, the song is played by the Cowboy Marching Band during the pregame traditions, following touchdowns, and after victories against the Cowboys' opponents. For other athletic events, the Waving Song is played after Oklahoma State victories as the start of the fight song trilogy. While the song is played, fans wave their right arms in the air; the effect is similar to wheat waving in the wind.*. However, Cowboy faithful are quick to point out that the University of Kansas waves wheat, not Oklahoma State.(See below for origins of the waving song.)The Waving Song ; at OKState.com
The song's melody is that of "The Streets of New York", a song from the Victor Herbert operetta, The Red Mill. The lyrics used by Oklahoma State were written by H.G. Seldomridge, a professor at what was then Oklahoma A&M who heard the tune on a visit to New York City. It was first sung in 1908 at a follies show at Stillwater's Grand Opera House. Ever since, it has been a tradition to play the song at Oklahoma State athletic events.Intercollegiate Athletics; Dellinger, Doris; The OSU Centennial – Histories Series; p. 38. The only real change over the years has been to replace "OAMC" with "Oklahoma State".
Conference history Oklahoma A&M was a founding member of the Southwest Conference. In 1925, they moved to the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Three years later, the conference split with the six largest schools forming the Big Six and Oklahoma A&M remaining with three smaller schools to form the Missouri Valley Conference. In 1956, Oklahoma A&M went independent in anticipation of an invitation to join the Big Seven (an enlarged Big Six). In June 1957, the recently renamed Oklahoma State officially joined the Big Seven, which was renamed the Big Eight. However, Oklahoma State did not compete as part of the conference until the 1958–59 season for basketball and the 1960 season for football. Because both the MVC and the Big Eight claimed to be the direct successor of the MVIAA, some consider Oklahoma State's move to the Big Eight as rejoining the conference. Independent, 1901–1914 Southwest Conference, 1914–1924 Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, 1924–1927 Missouri Valley Conference, 1927–1956 Independent, 1956–1957 Big Eight Conference, 1957–1995, officially joined 1957, all sports did not compete in conference play until 1960–61 Big 12 Conference, 1996–present
Varsity teams Baseball Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Equestrian Football Golf Golf Soccer Tennis Softball Track and field† Tennis Wrestling Track and field†
Basketball
Men's basketball
Oklahoma State first took the basketball court in 1908. Under head coach Henry Iba, the team won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 1945 and 1946. Oklahoma A&M center Bob Kurland was named the NCAA Tournament MVP during their two national championship seasons and became the first player to win the honor two times. In total, the Cowboys have appeared in the NCAA tournament 29 times, including a total of six Final Four appearances. They have won a total of 23 conference championships, with three of those coming in the Big 12.
Under Eddie Sutton, the team made two Final Four appearances in 1995 and again in 2004. In 2005, Oklahoma State officials announced the OSU basketball court would be named after Sutton, which it is today. The team is now coached by Steve Lutz, who was hired to the head coach position after Mike Boynton Jr was fired following the 2023-24 season.
Women's basketball
Oklahoma State first fielded a women's team during the 1972–1973 season. The Cowgirls have been to 17 NCAA tournaments, and have made 3 Sweet 16s. In 2012, Oklahoma State defeated James Madison 75–68 to win the 2012 NIT championship. They have won 3 conference championships, with tournament championships in 1990 and 1991, and a regular season conference championship in 1991. They play their games at Gallagher-Iba Arena and are coached by 3rd year head coach, Jacie Hoyt.
Baseball
Oklahoma State won their only national championship in 1959, but have finished runner-up on five other occasions. Overall, the Cowboys have reached the NCAA baseball tournament 49 times and made 20 College World Series appearances, including seven straight trips to Omaha from 1981 to 1987. Oklahoma State has also won 26 conference tournament titles to go along with 25 regular season conference titles, including 16 consecutive conference championships (1981-1996) under head coach Gary Ward in the Big 8 Conference. During that time, Pete Incaviglia was named Baseball America's Player of the Century, and Robin Ventura was inducted in the inaugural class into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Cowboys' current head baseball coach is Josh Holliday.
Cross Country
Men's Cross Country
Oklahoma State men's cross country won NCAA national championships in 1954, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2023 and 2025. In addition to the 6 NCAA championships, OSU cross country has won 18 conference titles, including 9 straight Big 12 titles from 2008–16, with their most recent title coming in 2025. 13 individual conference champion runners have come from Oklahoma State, including Brian Musau in 2023 and 2024. The OSU cross country program has also produced 68 All-American runners. The Cowboys run at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course, and are led by 12-time Big 12 Men's Coach of the Year, Dave Smith.
Women's Cross Country
The Oklahoma State women's cross country program has been a powerhouse in recent years, winning Big 12 conference titles in 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2022 to go along with their 1986 Big 8 conference title. There have been 7 Cowgirls who have been crowned individual Big 12 champion, with Taylor Roe becoming the first Big 12 individual conference champion from OSU when she won in 2023, breaking a 34 year drought. At the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Oklahoma State claimed a 3rd place finish, only 33 points behind the winners, the best finish ever for the women's cross country team. 24 Cowgirls have won the All-American award, and 2 Olympians have hailed from OSU. The Cowgirls run at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course, and are led by 5-time Big 12 Women's Coach of the Year, Dave Smith.
Equestrian
Oklahoma State women's equestrian competes in the Big 12 conference, alongside Baylor, Fresno State, and TCU. The Cowgirl equestrian team has had major success in recent years, winning 12 conference titles (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026). They have also had NCEA title success, winning 5 NCEA Western national titles in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2013. However, they were unable to win the overall national title until 2022, when they defeated Texas A&M 11–9 to claim their first NCEA Dual Discipline national title. Oklahoma State equestrian competes at the Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center, and are led by 5-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, Larry Sanchez.
Football
The 1945 Oklahoma A&M team was retroactively awarded the AFCA national championship and The Coaches' Trophy in October 2016 by the American Football Coaches Association. The Aggies finished with a 9–0 record, completing the season with a 33–13 win over St. Mary's College in the Sugar Bowl. The Cowboys have won 11 conference championships, along with victories in 3 Fiesta Bowls, 1 Sugar Bowl, and 1 Cotton Bowl. The Oklahoma State football program has participated in 34 bowl games overall, amassing a 22–12 record, with their most recent bowl appearance being a 31-23 victory over Texas A&M in the 2023 Texas Bowl.
Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy in 1988. Other individual honors by Oklahoma State football players include 2 NFL Hall of Fame members, 65 All-Americans, 170 NFL Draft picks, and 21 first round NFL Draft picks to the Cowboys' name.
The current head coach is Doug Meacham, who was named interim head coach after Mike Gundy was fired following the Cowboys' home loss to Tulsa in the team's third game of the 2025 season. Gundy ended his OK State career with an overall record of 170–90 and a 12–6 record in bowl appearances. During Gundy's coaching career, the Cowboys enjoyed ten 9+ win seasons. Gundy coached the team to a record 12-win season in 2011, culminating with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Stanford, and ten years later led Oklahoma State to another 12-win season and Fiesta Bowl victory, this time over Notre Dame. His accolades consist of the 2011 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year, 2011 Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year, and the 2011 American Football Monthly National Coach of the Year. He also has won Big 12 Coach of the Year three times (2010, 2021, 2023).
Oklahoma State plays football on Lewis Field, in Boone Pickens Stadium, and the Cowboys all-time record is 638–572–48.
Golf Men's Golf
The Oklahoma State men's golf program is one of the most illustrious in the country, having won 12 NCAA national championships in 1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006, 2018 and 2025. In addition, ten Oklahoma State golfers have won individual national championships, (Earl Moeller in 1953, Grier Jones in 1968, David Edwards in 1978, Scott Verplank in 1986, Brian Watts in 1987, E. J. Pfister in 1988, Charles Howell III in 2000, Jonathan Moore in 2006, Matthew Wolff in 2019 and Preston Stout in 2026).