THEY ’ RE LIVING IN THEIR COZY COLLEGE TOWN BECAUSE OF A CHANCE THEY EACH TOOK IN THE 1970S , ARRIVING FROM SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA , KANSAS AND COLORADO TO PLAY THE SPORT THEY LOVED .
late June , the former Cowboys met to share memories and catch up on where their teammates are . They reflected on the 1974 Fiesta Bowl victory , the 1976 season that ended with Big 8 co-champion honors and a Tangerine Bowl win , and other highlights , offering firsthand perspectives that even the keepsakes housed in Heritage Hall can ’ t provide .
What defined those mid-1970s teams ? Gofourth recalled a speech he once heard from Walt Garrison , a Cowboy of OSU and Dallas fame .
“ He made a statement that at least one time in your life , you ’ re going to get a break ,” Gofourth said . “ Whether or not you recognize that it ’ s a break and take advantage of it , and how you take advantage of it is ( key ).
“ They always say luck is when preparation meets opportunity .”
Perhaps , according to that definition , luck is sprinkled throughout the story of OSU football in the mid- 1970s , years of victory sandwiched between seasons of losing records .
But these Cowboys ’ journeys weren ’ t predicated on one sudden stroke of good fortune . It was the merging of their breakout moments , their constant drive to build on success and maintain their spots in the starting lineup , that allowed something special to happen .
Miller , whose Hall of Fame induction is set for Dec . 6 , was at the center of it all .
Speedy serendipity
Terry Miller recounted the powerful memory as if it had happened mere hours ago . Partway through , he choked up and briefly paused . “ Give me a minute .” Then he carried on , painting a picture of a gifted kid who played football , as he put it , by “ accident .” Miller was in eighth grade when a serendipitous encounter at Memorial Park in his home city of Colorado Springs changed his life .
It started with a bicycle ride . Miller was pedaling through the park with a friend , Robert James , when they spotted a local football team practicing . They stopped to rest and watch . Miller did not play organized football – yet .
Someone punted the ball , and as it headed out of bounds , Miller hopped up . He leapt and secured it , unknowingly grabbing hold of his future with one spontaneous catch . Miller promptly tossed the ball back to the players so they could continue practicing , but he had already caught the coach ’ s attention .
“ The coach said , ‘ You can catch better than anybody we got . They can ’ t even catch it standing up ,’” Miller said , laughing . “ He said , ‘ Would you like to be on our team ?’
“ I said , ‘ Well , you ’ ll have to check with my mom . You gotta check with somebody other than me .’”
It ’ s inaccurate to describe that moment with the cliché phrase “ a star was born .” The star existed – before he played football , Miller ’ s speed was his claim to fame in the community – but someone had to discover where this exceptional talent could take him .
“ When I was in seventh grade , I could outrun anybody in high school ,” Miller said . “ I mean , you talk about getting a break .”
Although he impressed the football coach with his receiving abilities , his remarkable speed allowed him to thrive as a running back .
While Miller emerged as a high school standout , a college football team about 600 miles southeast of him was improving . After back-to-back losing seasons , things were starting to look more hopeful at Oklahoma State . The Cowboys went 7-4 in 1972 , and the next season , Jim Stanley led OSU to a 5-4-2 record in his first year as coach .
Could Miller ’ s explosive rushing ability be the ingredient that turned a decent team into something great ? Don Boyce was ready to find out . Boyce , an assistant coach on Stanley ’ s staff , “ literally lived in Colorado Springs ” throughout the recruiting process , Miller said . Boyce committed to his mission of persuading Miller to choose OSU , but the promising running back had to like Stillwater , an unfamiliar town he hadn ’ t previously needed to locate on a map .
The land flattened , and the mountains disappeared as he left his hometown . When Miller arrived in Stillwater , a baffling sight greeted him : cannulated cattle , bearing holes in their sides for veterinary research , a telltale sign of an agricultural school . “ I ’ m like , ‘ What is that ?’” Miller recalled . Despite his unfamiliar surroundings , Miller quickly understood what life would be like at OSU . He said he visited campus on a non-recruiting schedule that wouldn ’ t conflict with his high school basketball season , so no overthe-top fanfare surrounded him . This was an ordinary day on a college campus , with students shuffling between classes and their dorms .
Soon , Miller found himself in the middle of that scene , and many of those students learned to know his name . Throughout his career , he amassed 4,574 rushing yards for 49 touchdowns , averaging more than 100 yards per game .
The team gained recognition , too . The Miller-led Cow-
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