STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 13
As one of the most recognizable and beloved voices of OSU Athletics, Larry Reece has built an impressive career, and quite a following, over the past three decades.
An OSU grad himself, Larry was named Outstanding Graduate of the School of Journalism and Broadcasting in 1993.
After working within the University for several years, Reece accepted his current position in fundraising for OSU Athletics in 2004 and served on the“ Next Level” Stadium Campaign Team. During this transformative time, more than $ 400 million has been raised for facility improvements for Boone Pickens Stadium and the Athletics Village. Reece also oversees the athletic scholarship endowment campaign.
Reece became the first student to call OSU Games in 1990 and has since served as the public announcer for all OSU Football and Cowboy / Cowgirl Basketball games. Whether you know his face or not, you most certainly know his voice. One could say that Larry Reece ' s booming voice is synonymous with Cowboy sports, so that fact that he almost lost it is an amazing story of resilience and a true testament to the power of the Cowboy Family.
Just ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Larry receiving the official word that he was cancer-free, we sat down for a candid conversation about his cancer journey and some of his favorite OSU sports moments. I remember this all unfolding in real time ten years ago and I ' ve always been impressed with Larry ' s candor with his fans and the media in such a public way.
I have family members, friends and clients who have had cancer. Some survived and some did not. While Larry and I both agreed that early detection is key, he also acknowledged that men will put off doctor visits for as long as they can. In 2025, an estimated 2,041,910 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 618,120 people will die from the disease, with men having a higher mortality rate.
After discovering a lumpy nodule in his neck, Larry made an appointment with his doctor for what he thought was a normal cold. After discussing the lump, his doctor recommended a biopsy just to be safe. Multiple doctor visits( shout-out to Dr. Crawley), tests and scans later, Larry was diagnosed with his worst nightmare – squamous
After discovering a lumpy nodule in his neck, Larry made an appointment with his doctor for what he thought was a normal cold.
cell carcinoma that had developed into throat cancer. Instead of quietly battling this diagnosis and treatment alone, he made the decision to go public.
Larry ' s first call was to T. Boone Pickens so he could share the news. The timing couldn ' t have been more perfect as Pickens had just made a multi-million dollar donation to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the nation ' s top hospital for cancer care. Pickens made some calls and everything was set up for Larry to travel to Houston for radiation and chemotherapy.
Larry then posted his cancer diagnosis on Twitter and his other social media pages. One of the first people to respond was longtime OSU mail carrier Tim Bays. He tweeted back with a hashtag that simply said“ I Ride With The Voice.” This one statement would go on to be the mantra throughout the next year of Larry ' s treatments and recovery. It was even printed on T-shirts.
With the recent news that Deion Sanders had bladder cancer which led to the removal of his bladder, hopefully the stigma of talking about health and medical issues, especially for men, is coming to an end. Fortunately for Larry, his cancer has a high cure rate when found early. The cause of his cancer? HPV. The cause of my cervical cancer that resulted in my hysterectomy at 32? HPV. The president of MD Anderson actually told Larry that there are roughly 250,000 cancer cases of HPV every year and catching it early has an 85 % cure rate.
Almost everyone will get human papillomavirus( HPV) within their lifetime. While many types of HPV( there
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 13