The Oklahoma State football program has a very rich history, and there have been a lot of greats that have made their way through the program over the years. The Cowboys first got their start over 120 years ago back in 1901. Since then, numerous legends have made their way through the program to help lead Oklahoma State to 11 conference championships and one claimed national title. In the 123 years of Oklahoma State football, the Cowboys have 20 consensus All-Americans and one Heisman trophy winner. There have been a lot of great Oklahoma State players over the years, but here are 10 of them that stand above the rest.
10. Mason Rudolph
Coming in at #10 we have Mason Rudolph. It's hard to ignore what Rudolph was able to do when he was the quarterback for the Cowboys, and when you look at Oklahoma State football passing records, it's clear that he is one of the best QBs that the program has ever seen. He leads the program in career passing yards, passing yards in one season and passing yards in one game. He also leads the program in career passing touchdowns. You can't really ignore those stats. Mason Rudolph was a great QB for the Cowboys, and he earned the #10 spot.
9. Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant had a terrific NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, but before that, he played for the Cowboys in college. Bryant was a star at Oklahoma State as well. Bryant had 87 receptions in a single season which is the sixth most in program history. He also has the ninth most receiving yards in program history and the sixth most in a single season. Lastly, he has the fourth most receiving yards in a single game. Bryant made a name for himself while playing football for Oklahoma State.
8. James Washington
James Washington comes in at #8, and he is another outstanding WR that made his way through the Oklahoma State football program. Washington knew how to get open and he got the ball into his hands. He has the third most receptions in program history as he hauled in 226 of them throughout his Cowboys career. He also leads the program with the most career receiving yards. When you catch the ball as much he did, you're going to get a lot of yards. He also has the third most receiving yards in a single season and the second most in one game.
7. Gary Lewis
The first defensive player that we have on the list is Gary Lewis, and he comes into the rankings at #7. Lewis is behind only Lesley O'Neal for the record for most sacks in a single season as he racked up 14. He does hold the Oklahoma State football record for most sacks in a single game as he finished with four back in 1982 against Colorado. He was an absolute beast.
6. Rashaun Woods
A lot of great WRs came through this Oklahoma State football program, and Rashaun Woods is another one, coming in at #6 on the rankings. Woods holds the program record for most receiving yards in a career as he had 42. He has the fourth most in a single season with 17, and he also has the most in one game as he somehow racked up seven scores against SMU in 2003. Woods has the second most receiving yards in a single season and the second most in a career.
ClutchPoints' Jonathan Alfano ranked the top-five Oklahoma State football players last year, and here is what he got.
5. Terry Miller
Some of the most dominant rushers to ever play football have donned the Oklahoma State uniform. The first of three on this list, and the first chronologically, is Terry Miller. Miller might not be as well-known as the other two running backs later on the list, but he was a dominant rusher in his own right.
In his college career, Miller rushed 871 times for 4,754 yards and 49 touchdowns. He finished fourth in Heisman voting in 1976 and second in 1977, racking up more than 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns in both seasons. A 2022 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Miller is second in school history in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
4. Leslie O'Neal
Leslie O'Neal, a 2020 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, is the greatest defender in Oklahoma State football history. His specialty was getting after the quarterback, as he is the Cowboys' all-time sack leader with 34. His 16 sacks in 1984 are also a school record in a single season.
O'Neal was an All-American in both 1984 and unanimously in 1985 , and the Cowboys' defense dominated. Across both seasons, Oklahoma State allowed 20 or more points just three times. For anchoring an incredible defense and being incredibly dominant on his own, O'Neal has more than earned his spot as Oklahoma State's all-time best defender.
3. Justin Blackmon
Over the last decade and change, Oklahoma State has had a knack for producing elite receivers. Dez Bryant found the most success at the professional level, but Justin Blackmon was actually the most successful in college. Blackmon was a unanimous All-American in both 2010 and 2011, and boy did he earn it.
Blackmon played sparingly in 2009 but dominated in 2010 with 1,782 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns, both single-season school records. He followed that up with 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2011, leading Oklahoma State football to a top-three finish. He won the Biletnikoff Award both years, becoming only the second player to win it twice after Michael Crabtree.
Blackmon is second in school history in receptions and receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards. Although, if he played a full four seasons, he would have shattered all three records. Although he could not escape controversy in his brief time in the NFL, no one can deny how dominant Blackmon was at Oklahoma State.
2. Thurman Thomas
At nearly any other school, Thurman Thomas would be the greatest rusher and maybe even the greatest player of all time. However, his own college teammate just so happens to be arguably the greatest college football player ever. That said, Thomas was still an absolutely incredible player in his own right.
Thomas is Oklahoma State's all-time leading rusher with 4,847 career rushing yards. He also rushed for 43 touchdowns, which also places very highly in the school's record books. In both 1985 and 1987, Thomas rushed for at least 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns, earning All-American honors in both.
Thomas then went on to have a stellar NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, even becoming the league's MVP in 1991. He was then inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and is one of only two Oklahoma State players in Canton (no points for guessing the other). Simply put, Thomas was one of the best running backs to ever play football.
1. Barry Sanders
Wow, who could have possibly seen this placement coming? Barry Sanders is not just the greatest player in Oklahoma State football history, but probably the greatest college football player ever. In his first two seasons, Sanders largely played in Thomas' shadow, although he was an All-American returner in 1987. In 1988, though, Sanders put together the greatest season college football has ever seen.
Sanders' 1988 stats are simply unbelievable: 344 carries for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns. His yardage and touchdown marks are still NCAA single-season records, and he averaged over 230 yards per game. Needless to say, he won the Heisman in a landslide that year.
Sanders then had an amazing NFL career with the Detroit Lions, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons. Although he retired early, many still consider Sanders to be the best running back to ever play. No matter where he went, Sanders just went out on the field and dominated.