OKLAHOMA STATE VISITS TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL

The Oklahoma State football team made a stop at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital on Tuesday morning as part of their AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic week activities.

“The opportunity to come here and be around the children and support a hospital that’s going above and beyond for young kids is a great opportunity for us and I think it’s a great opportunity for them,” head coach Mike Gundy said.

“Everybody, each day, needs to be thankful for what we have and to know there are other people out there, especially young children that may not be as fortunate. 

For us to be able to some way make their day better is really a great opportunity.” 

Each child was presented with a Dr Pepper/Snapple gift bag that contained a t-shirt provided by Dr Pepper, the AT&T Cotton Bowl and a poster.

The event kicked off with a welcome from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children President J.C. Montgomery Jr. and a few remarks from T. Boone Pickens and Cotton Bowl Board of Directors member Kristi Sherrill Hoyl.

Cowboy senior linebacker Andre Sexton remarked on what it means to make a visit to the hospital.

“It’s always great and puts what we do in perspective, and makes everything that we do that we think is hard really seem not that hard,” Sexton said.

“It humbles you. The chance to give back to these little kids and bring them a little joy in their life is the best thing we can do.”

Michael Piehler, a TSRHC patient and 13 year-old Plano resident and Pickens presented a piece of artwork Piehler created to Coach Gundy and the Cowboy team.

After the speakers concluded the Cowboy players interacted with the children, signing autographs, passing out Oklahoma State Cowboy t-shirts and visiting with the patients.

Senior offensive lineman Noah Franklin had his hair trimmed by teammate Andrew Mitchell which Franklin donated to “Locks of Love”, which provides hairpieces to children suffering from medical hair loss.

“With what these kids struggle with this was a good opportunity to do it around some of these kids in a place that is as special as this where the organization takes care of them so well,” Franklin said. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is one of the nation’s leading pediatric centers for the treatment of orthopedic conditions, certain neurological disorders and learning disorders and has been an annual stop by the AT&T Cotton Bowl teams for more than a decade.