Oklahoma State donor and oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens died Wednesday at the age of 91. According to OSU spokesman Jay Rosser, Pickens had been dealing with multiple strokes and head injuries after falling in 2017.
In his annual letter to the Cowboys fan base, which is published on Pickens’ website, the 1951 graduate of the university wrote this last month, “Five years ago, as grand marshal of OSU’s homecoming, I knocked out pushups on the ROTC’s pushup board. Now walking 50 yards to my suite is a challenge. And when I do it, I feel just as triumphant.”
The Cowboys football stadium is named after Pickens for his significant donation to help build the structure. All gifts combined, Pickens wrote in his annual letter (dated Aug. 29, 2019) that the university told him that his donations totaled $652 million. He explained that his approach toward giving was that he hoped to see the impact of his gifts while still living and wrote that his fingers were crossed for football head coach Mike Gundy to lead the football program to the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoffs.
