New Area Honors other Pokes in the Pros

Oklahoma State has a fairly successful record with players in the NFL, but head coach Mike Gundy wanted to honor the Cowboys that have made it in other professional football leagues.

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State is looking for another able bodied and ultra-talented digital graphics designer as Peyton Aufill became the fourth in the Cowboys football office to be hired away by an SEC school. It's nice when your graphics are recognized to be so good that schools in the SEC come calling. Aufill was profiled on Pokes Report and is a talented triple threat that can also write and shoot still and video photography. We have a similar talent at Pokes Report in young Marshall Levenson. Before Aufill left, he provided the graphics for a new display on the football offices level of the West End Zone. You might have seen a mention of it on Twitter. 

Head coach Mike Gundy wanted to honor the Oklahoma State players that have gone on to good or even great careers in other professional football leagues. Mainly it is Canada, and while Oklahoma State currently has the Cornish Trophy winner in running back Chuba Hubbard as the best Canadian in NCAA football, they have had some stellar player in the CFL.

Shane Richards selected number one in the 2019 CFL Draft.

Robert Allen - Pokes Report publisher

Most recently in 2019, Oklahoma State offensive tackle Shane Richards, a native of Kingston, Jamaica but raised in Canada, was the top pick in the CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. That is a big deal. 

Also, in the CFL, former Oklahoma State two-time All-Big 12 wide receiver Adarius Bowman is a sure fire future inductee into the CFL Hall of Fame. Bowman played 11 seasons in Canada, the bulk of it, seven seasons, at Edmonton with the Eskimos. He helped Edmonton to a Grey Cup championship in 2015. He finished his CFL career with 652 receptions, 9,491-yards, 774-yards after the catch, and 49 touchdowns. 

Bowman is a sure fire CFL Hall of Fame inductee in the future.

Robert Allen - Pokes Report publisher

Bowman had three seasons where he finished with over 1,000-yards receiving and six seasons where he caught 50 passes or more. He was over 100 twice. His best season was the 2016 season in Edmonton where he caught 120 passes for 1,761-yards, and nine touchdowns. 

Rodney Harding was an All-Big Eight defensive end for one of Oklahoma State's best defensive teams in 1984. He played alongside recently selected College Football Hall of Fame inductee and Cowboys defensive tackle Leslie O'Neal. 

Here they are the best of Indoor, XFL, AFL, and professional football in Canada. Rodney Harding is in the lower right corner. 

Robert Allen - Pokes Report publisher

Harding played 12 seasons in the CFL and was a five-time All-CFL player, twice overall, twice in the east, and once in the west. In 2015 Harding was inducted in the CFL Hall of Fame. He spent 10 of his 12 seasons in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and was part of a Grey Cup championship in 1991. He still leads Toronto in career sacks with 92 and he owns the CFL game record for most sacks with five. 

Big offensive tackle Levy Adcock started out in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys and spent time with the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. He played his most professional football in Canada for three seasons, two at Saskatchewan and his final season with the British Columbia Lions. 

There are others in Canada like defensive end Khreem Smith and most recently Derrick Moncrief at Saskatchewan. Moncrief was a transfer from Mississppi Gulf Coast to Auburn and then to Oklahoma State.

The new wall also honors wide receiver Brandon Sheperd, who has been one of the top receivers in the Indoor Football League. In 2019 he was ninth in the IFL in receptions and fourth in receiving yards with 51 receptions for 864-yards with 17 touchdowns playing for the Sioux Fall Storm. This past December the four-year letterman at Oklahoma State that had 77 career receptions signed a free agent contract to play for the Toronto Argonauts. 

Taylor Cornelius playing for Tampa Bay in the defunct XFL.

Robert Allen - Pokes Report publisher

Even though they had there one and only season cut short, the display also pays homage to former Cowboys quarterback Taylor Cornelius and defensive end Jarrell Owens, who both played in the recently junked XFL. Cornelius started for Tampa Bay several games and Owens played for the New York Guardian.