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Like most venues across the college football spectrum, Oklahoma State Univeristy’s
Boone Pickens Stadium was built an eon ago, expanded and added onto over the
years to bring it to its current glory.
Looking at this stadium, however, and you can immediately see that the bulk of the
renovations happened just recently. In fact a total makeover took place in phases over
the course of the 2000’s, and what you see today is a pretty, opulent and intimate
stadium that is spacious and pleasing to the eye.
The campus and small college town of Stillwater blend seamlessly, and much of the
adjoining area consists of tightly wound residential streets and suburban style
commercial strip plazas and retail. That doesn’t stop folks from tailgating here, not to
mention that plenty of souvernir stands and food station offering the local barbecue are
situated on street corners and around the stadium.
The stadium has been remade into a “retro” style with brick and masonry façade,
wrought iron gates and old fashioned design accents. Team colors black and orange
round out the signage and paint accents.
Inside, the canyon wide concourses and many concession stands add to the fan
comfort. Escalators take fans to the upper deck and to the skydeck and club levels.
The seating bowl is 60,000 strong, has a real intimate “nesting” feel, thanks to a ring
of suites and indoor and outdoor club seats which circle on three sides of the stadium.
In the east end zone stands the equally opulent Gallagher-Iba Arena, a striking
structure in and of itself.
The one thing lacking here is that the stadium is a bit generic and “soulless”. There
was nothing in the way of murals, statues, exhibits, championship banners or anything
else to herald the history of the program or great moments at Oklahoma State.
Granted, there is some stuff at the arena next door, but scant little attention has been
given to outfitting what is essentially a great stadium with a portrayal of the team’s past.
We ended up seeing a heck of a game… After a snooze of a first half where the
underdog Colorado Buffaloes held the lead, the Cowboys put in their third string
quarterback, Brandon Weeden, and he put a spark into the team. The offense got into
high gear, then the Buffaloes retook the lead thanks to a 97 yard kickoff return, but in
the end it was the Cowboys who got the last laugh, taking a 31-28 lead late and
hanging on for the win. The home town fans, waving their arms, chanting and clapping
in unison walked into the night with a win.
Boone Pickens Stadium was built an eon ago, expanded and added onto over the
years to bring it to its current glory.
Looking at this stadium, however, and you can immediately see that the bulk of the
renovations happened just recently. In fact a total makeover took place in phases over
the course of the 2000’s, and what you see today is a pretty, opulent and intimate
stadium that is spacious and pleasing to the eye.
The campus and small college town of Stillwater blend seamlessly, and much of the
adjoining area consists of tightly wound residential streets and suburban style
commercial strip plazas and retail. That doesn’t stop folks from tailgating here, not to
mention that plenty of souvernir stands and food station offering the local barbecue are
situated on street corners and around the stadium.
The stadium has been remade into a “retro” style with brick and masonry façade,
wrought iron gates and old fashioned design accents. Team colors black and orange
round out the signage and paint accents.
Inside, the canyon wide concourses and many concession stands add to the fan
comfort. Escalators take fans to the upper deck and to the skydeck and club levels.
The seating bowl is 60,000 strong, has a real intimate “nesting” feel, thanks to a ring
of suites and indoor and outdoor club seats which circle on three sides of the stadium.
In the east end zone stands the equally opulent Gallagher-Iba Arena, a striking
structure in and of itself.
The one thing lacking here is that the stadium is a bit generic and “soulless”. There
was nothing in the way of murals, statues, exhibits, championship banners or anything
else to herald the history of the program or great moments at Oklahoma State.
Granted, there is some stuff at the arena next door, but scant little attention has been
given to outfitting what is essentially a great stadium with a portrayal of the team’s past.
We ended up seeing a heck of a game… After a snooze of a first half where the
underdog Colorado Buffaloes held the lead, the Cowboys put in their third string
quarterback, Brandon Weeden, and he put a spark into the team. The offense got into
high gear, then the Buffaloes retook the lead thanks to a 97 yard kickoff return, but in
the end it was the Cowboys who got the last laugh, taking a 31-28 lead late and
hanging on for the win. The home town fans, waving their arms, chanting and clapping
in unison walked into the night with a win.
BOONE
PICKENS
STADIUM
Stillwater,
Oklahoma
November
19, 2009
Colorado
Buffaloes
at
Oklahoma
State
Cowboys
PICKENS
STADIUM
Stillwater,
Oklahoma
November
19, 2009
Colorado
Buffaloes
at
Oklahoma
State
Cowboys
| Stillwater, Oklahoma |
Boone Pickens Stadium
