'Ollie is for the people': How Ollie Gordon II became the face of Oklahoma State
HOUSTON — After an Oklahoma State football game a couple months ago, star running back Ollie Gordon II poked his head into a media scrum where teammate Nick Martin was being interviewed.
Gordon jokingly asked Martin a couple of questions before Martin came back with one of his own.
“How do you feel about the nickname ‘OSU?’” Martin asked. “Ollie State University.”
It was impossible to know how prophetic an idea that was when Martin spoke it into existence on Oct. 28, after Gordon had just rushed for 282 yards to help the Cowboys defeat Cincinnati.
But as 20th-ranked OSU heads into the Texas Bowl, where it will take on Texas A&M at 8 p.m. Wednesday at NRG Stadium, the accuracy of Martin’s statement is quite clear.
Gordon, while still just 19 years old, has become the face of Oklahoma State University.
More: Ollie Gordon, LD Brown explain what makes Oklahoma State's John Wozniak 'a player's coach'
'Welcome to Olliewood'
For evidence, look no further than his recent video announcing his plan to stay with the Cowboys for the 2024 season.
Countless similar announcements are made by athletes across the country to tell of decisions made about future intentions. Most are a basic graphic with a few paragraphs explaining the choice. Some are selfie videos. Others are simply screenshots of what the athlete has written in an app on their phone.
Gordon’s was a professionally produced video with himself, OSU mascot Pistol Pete and university President Kayse Shrum.
“Dr. Shrum, I’m home,” Gordon told the president as he rested his feet on her desk. “Welcome to Olliewood.”
OSU is Gordon’s world right now, and not just because he’s a great football player.
He has a magnetic personality and he loves the spotlight, but with enough humility to make him endearing.
Gordon leads the nation with 1,614 rushing yards, he was a unanimous first-team All-American and he won the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back. He has accomplished things that have only been attained at OSU by legendary Cowboy Barry Sanders.
If Gordon wanted to act like a superstar, and be treated as such, he could have done it.
More: How Alan Bowman embraced Oklahoma State football by wearing vintage Cowboys jerseys
Ollie Gordon and NIL
Yet a few days before the Big 12 Championship Game, he was one of three players who came out to visit with students camping outside Boone Pickens Stadium to get tickets.
Over the past two months, Gordon has been spotted at multiple OSU men’s and women’s basketball games, including one in Oklahoma City that prompted coach Mike Boynton to make a statement on Gordon’s value to the university.
“I see him at every event,” Boynton said. “He needs to be on camera. We need to make sure we take care of that guy. So anybody out there who supports Oklahoma State athletics, he is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 in my mind.
“I’m just proud of the way he represents the program, the way he represents Stillwater and the university. Obviously, he loves the school.”
And the school loves Gordon. Though the details haven’t been made public, and probably never will, the key to keeping Gordon at OSU for next season was a concerted effort through the school’s name, image and likeness collective, Pokes with a Purpose, to create a financial package that would convince Gordon to ignore other suitors from deep-pocketed programs.
Through Pokes with a Purpose, the NIL discussions were prompt and serious, but they were strengthened by the fact that Gordon, as well as his mother, has a strong passion for OSU.
More: Why Ollie Gordon II is excited about future of Oklahoma State football's offensive line
Ollie Gordon 'is for the people'
That’s why you continue to see Gordon’s face blasted onto the video board as he sings along to “Baby Shark” at a women’s basketball game, or why you see him posing for photos with fans at a men’s game.
He doesn’t show up looking for attention. He’s there to support his fellow athletes. He just happens to be so popular that the attention finds him.
“I’m here for it. Ollie is for the people,” he said with the wide smile that has become synonymous with his persona. “I go to a basketball game and a couple people ask me for a picture or something, I feel like it’s been cool.
“If you go back and look at our season, our stadium’s always packed out, even when it’s raining, cold, they’re still gonna be there. So I feel like we should show support to (other teams) like they showed support to us.”
Gordon was popular among OSU fans as a recruit in the 2022 signing class, and excitement grew around him as he showed flashes of his abilities last season. But he rushed for 109 yards in the first three games this year before he exploded to become the nation’s top running back.
So the national attention hit like a hurricane. Yet Gordon stood strong.
The key going forward, as coach Mike Gundy has been explaining since early October, is maintaining the humility and drive that got Gordon to this point.
“Ollie’s Ollie,” Gundy said. “Ollie’s the same as he always is. Ollie’s challenge will be to stay humble and practice hard, all the things that are difficult to do when you’re his age and getting all the notoriety that he is. But he’s done well.
“One thing Ollie has done is he’s played hard in games and competed. As long as he’ll do that, he’ll be fine.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
More: How big brothers, street football formed Oklahoma State star Nick Martin's gritty persona
Texas Bowl
No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
KICKOFF: 8 p.m. Wednesday at NRG Stadium in Houston (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Ollie Gordon II became the face of Oklahoma State football, campus
