andyokstate
12-23-2007, 08:44 AM
http://newsok.com/article/3183862/1198422580
Bowl travel: A family affair
OSU fans making the trip to Arizona won't have a familiar sight at the tailgate party
By Mike Baldwin
Staff Writer
CORDELL — Oklahoma State fans accustomed to stopping by the Sturgeon tail-gate party will have to find a different pre-game meal at the Insight Bowl. The smoker isn't making the road trip.
The Sturgeon family wouldn't miss an OSU bowl game. David and sons will be in Tempe, Ariz. But the plan is to fly instead of drive to Tempe, Ariz.
David Sturgeon, 57, has been a veterinarian the past 31 years in Cordell. He and his three sons, Shane, Scott and Steven, are regulars at OSU home games and selected road games like Georgia. And, of course, bowl games.
"All of us are dyed-in-the-wool OSU,” David said. "It's a family deal. It's always been that way. When Scott started the tail-gating six or seven years ago it went to a new level. We've met parents of some of the players.”
The Sturgeon family grew. And we're not talking about the first grandchild expected in March, the due date for Scott's wife, Amber. Scott is the one who began smoking meat earlier this decade.
They fed an estimated 300 people at the Houston Bowl, around 400 at the Cotton Bowl and 200 last year at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. Scott has a tip jar on a table.
"Bowl games can be lucrative,” David said. "Some people see the OSU flag and want to be part of the group. They might put $50 or $100 in the jar. At home games, he's lucky to break even because the college kids usually don't put any money in and drink all the beer.”
Father and all three sons are OSU graduates. All three daughter in laws also are OSU grads. Sometimes the wives make the trip. Sometimes they stay home.
David owned OSU season tickets for 11 years (1976-86) but gave them up to raise his family. "We didn't go home to see mom and dad on weekends,” said Scott, 29, a vet in Cordell like his father. "They'd come to Stillwater on game day, football and basketball, to see us. Bowl games are like our family vacation. We even took the dogs to the Houston Bowl.”
The Sturgeon family owns eight basketball season tickets. They try to attend as many baseball games and wrestling matches as possible. The youngest son, Steven, 26, is a banker in Yukon. One year he was Pistol Pete, OSU's renowned mascot.
"We all thought that was really cool,” Shane said. "We didn't know it, but he always dreamed of being Pistol Pete. He got to be on the field and got to know a few players. We would meet him at road games. That was a lot of fun.”
Over the years David and his sons have attended some big wins and frustrating losses. Games provide memories for the entire family. It's a bonding experience.
The Sturgeons have another common bond — the cattle business. David and sons Shane and Scott run 4,000 head of cattle and own and rent 2,500 acres of wheat and grass pasture. Shane, 32, is a cattle buyer.
"We showed a lot of livestock in FFA growing up as kids,” Shane said. "We all had a calf and traveled together. It was a family deal. We've done the same thing with OSU athletics. That's our family time.”
Bowl travel: A family affair
OSU fans making the trip to Arizona won't have a familiar sight at the tailgate party
By Mike Baldwin
Staff Writer
CORDELL — Oklahoma State fans accustomed to stopping by the Sturgeon tail-gate party will have to find a different pre-game meal at the Insight Bowl. The smoker isn't making the road trip.
The Sturgeon family wouldn't miss an OSU bowl game. David and sons will be in Tempe, Ariz. But the plan is to fly instead of drive to Tempe, Ariz.
David Sturgeon, 57, has been a veterinarian the past 31 years in Cordell. He and his three sons, Shane, Scott and Steven, are regulars at OSU home games and selected road games like Georgia. And, of course, bowl games.
"All of us are dyed-in-the-wool OSU,” David said. "It's a family deal. It's always been that way. When Scott started the tail-gating six or seven years ago it went to a new level. We've met parents of some of the players.”
The Sturgeon family grew. And we're not talking about the first grandchild expected in March, the due date for Scott's wife, Amber. Scott is the one who began smoking meat earlier this decade.
They fed an estimated 300 people at the Houston Bowl, around 400 at the Cotton Bowl and 200 last year at the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. Scott has a tip jar on a table.
"Bowl games can be lucrative,” David said. "Some people see the OSU flag and want to be part of the group. They might put $50 or $100 in the jar. At home games, he's lucky to break even because the college kids usually don't put any money in and drink all the beer.”
Father and all three sons are OSU graduates. All three daughter in laws also are OSU grads. Sometimes the wives make the trip. Sometimes they stay home.
David owned OSU season tickets for 11 years (1976-86) but gave them up to raise his family. "We didn't go home to see mom and dad on weekends,” said Scott, 29, a vet in Cordell like his father. "They'd come to Stillwater on game day, football and basketball, to see us. Bowl games are like our family vacation. We even took the dogs to the Houston Bowl.”
The Sturgeon family owns eight basketball season tickets. They try to attend as many baseball games and wrestling matches as possible. The youngest son, Steven, 26, is a banker in Yukon. One year he was Pistol Pete, OSU's renowned mascot.
"We all thought that was really cool,” Shane said. "We didn't know it, but he always dreamed of being Pistol Pete. He got to be on the field and got to know a few players. We would meet him at road games. That was a lot of fun.”
Over the years David and his sons have attended some big wins and frustrating losses. Games provide memories for the entire family. It's a bonding experience.
The Sturgeons have another common bond — the cattle business. David and sons Shane and Scott run 4,000 head of cattle and own and rent 2,500 acres of wheat and grass pasture. Shane, 32, is a cattle buyer.
"We showed a lot of livestock in FFA growing up as kids,” Shane said. "We all had a calf and traveled together. It was a family deal. We've done the same thing with OSU athletics. That's our family time.”