Day 18: OSU Tragedy (11/18)

There are so many things that I want to remember about this day, so I thought I would use my blog as a reminder. The pictures above were found and seen on various websites. 

For those of you that may not know November 18, 2011 will probably go down in OSU history as a day of loss. We lost so much today.

• Kurt Budke- OSU Women's Head Basketball coach died in a plane crash on recruiting trip. The plane went down over AR sometime Thursday evening. It wasn't confirmed until Friday, November 18, 2011.
• Miranda Serna- Assistant coach traveling with Budke was also killed in the plane crash.
• The pilot and his wife, the Odermiers, were also killed. They were OSU Alumni. 
• The OkState football team was heading to the BSC National Championship game with a record of 10-0. We were ranked #2 in the BSC standings. The team was played Iowa State {an unranked Big 12 team} and was beat in double overtime 37-31. In losing this game we lost:
• The BSC National Championship game
• Brandon Weeden lost the Heisman Trophy

How can you be so upset with a 10-1 team, who by all means still has the opportunity to win the Big 12 Championship {something OSU has never done} and head to a BSC Bowl game {still a huge achievement}?

I don't want to lose anymore, I want to remember. Here are things I want to remember:

Orange is that day that you moved into the dorms as a freshman w/ lines for the elevator. It’s meeting those friends that would stick with you for life. It’s remembering those dorm buildings, even though they may not be there anymore. It’s wearing orange the Friday before the first game & every Friday after that. It’s KURT BUDKE, MIRANDA SERNA, Barry Sanders, John Smith, Garth Brooks, Mike Gundy, Eddie Sutton… it’s you and me. Orange is putting your arm around the shoulder of the stranger next to you to sing the Alma Mater. It’s making the switch to saying “Power” instead of “Orange.” It’s remembering Lewis Field & admiring Boone Pickens Stadium. It’s knowing that it’s left hand up to make an “S.” Orange is when it’s good for a Cowboy First Down and Ten. Orange is Pistols Firing – Touchdown Oklahoma State. It’s “...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A Oklahoma STATE” no matter where you are when the state song is played. It’s the big smile on your face when you walk past the orange fountain. It’s going back to the place you worked in college & remembering it as the best job you ever had even though it paid the least. It’s a cabinet full of Joe’s cups. Orange is knowing that it’s time to go home when you hear “New York, New York” or “Shoulda Been a Cowboy.” Orange is the one you tried to let down easy & the one you’ll never forget. Orange is wanting to get out of Stillwater for four years & spending the rest of your life wanting to go back.

Proud and Immortal,
Bright shines your name.
Oklahoma State,
We herald your fame.
Ever you’ll find us,
Loyal and true.
To our Alma Mater
O – S – U!!!!

This is the link to an article that I found touching {it made me cry} the day after the loss of the Iowa state game. 

OklahomaStateScout.com: November 18, 2011, is a day Oklahoma State will never forget. It was a day where OSU fans, players and coaches awoke to the news of tragedy and went to bed with the bitter taste of defeat.

A statues that I am proud of on Facebook the morning after. {I know that there is a typo but I couldn't delete it!}

I love this blog http://www.pistolsfiringblog.com. I read it daily and enjoy it, however thought the day I found this to be my favorite couple of lines.

I will always be 

PROUD

IMMORTAL

LOYAL &

TRUE!