Major renovation coming to Boone Pickens Stadium

The Oklahoma State Board of Regents approved a $40 million renovation project at Boone Pickens Stadium, according to Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World. The school also authorized a $1 million project to install new turf as both the stadium and practice facility.

The widespread renovation at Boone Pickens Stadium aim to improve the gameday experience for Oklahoma State fans by improving the quality and quantity of seats. More leg room and more comfortable seats are part of the renovation in larger portions of the stadium, according to the athletic department. In addition, more aisles in the 200 and 300 levels along with improved visual appearances promise to add to the new look.

After the announcement that Oklahoma State planned to invest that much into the football facilities, head coach Mike Gundy provided a statement on what it means for the program and its future abilities.

“You’d like to be ahead of them,” Gundy said, via the Stillwater News Press. “And can somebody build something new somewhere else and be better than you? Sure. You can build a new facility here and in two years, somebody else will build one that’s better than yours anyway. So I think there’s a happy medium in staying involved in the race but also not getting so far out of your league that you’re just running the money out of your athletic department like crazy.”

The school has not released a timetable for the renovations, but says that they will not interfere with the 2022 football season. The field renovations will take place during the summer.

Oklahoma State invests in Mike Gundy

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are giving head coach Mike Gundy a reward for the 2021 season. On the heels of leading the Cowboys to an appearance in the Big 12 championship game and his second Big 12 coach of the year award, the school has elected to give their coach a bump in pay.

According to Matt Fortuna, Gundy will receive an extra one million annually for the remainder of his contract.

“Oklahoma State announces that Mike Gundy is receiving a raise of $1M annually, along with a retention bonus of $1M annually across each of the next five years. Gundy will make $7.5M in 2022,” wrote Fortuna via Twitter.

The Cowboys just experienced one of their best seasons in recent memory. They finished the season with an 11-1 record. Gundy also led the Cowboys to wins over rivals in the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, and Baylor Bears. Unfortunately, they would fall to the Bears in a rematch during the Big 12 championship game, after coming inches away from scoring a game-winning touchdown. However, they finished off the season on a high note with a win over Notre Dame in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.