All pokes

OSU Football Practice Fields Named in Honor of Winchester Family

The Cowboys are renaming their practice fields.
Taylor Skieens|
Sep 19, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys Bullet rides across the field against the UTSA Roadrunners during the second half at Boone Pickens Stadium. OSU won 69-14. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys Bullet rides across the field against the UTSA Roadrunners during the second half at Boone Pickens Stadium. OSU won 69-14. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-Imagn Images | Rob Ferguson-Imagn Images

In this story:

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State University has officially named its football practice field the Jerry Winchester Family Fields, honoring a Cowboy legend whose impact extends far beyond the gridiron. Announced on Monday, the decision celebrates a family whose generosity has fueled the university’s pursuit of excellence. The fields, located east of the Sherman E. Smith Indoor Training Center, will be dedicated on Aug. 22, marking a new chapter for Cowboy football.

Jerry Winchester was a three-year letterman for the Pokes and a 1983 OSU graduate. He has been a strong supporter of his alma mater and has stood strong. An Academic All-Big Eight honoree, Winchester built a successful career in the energy sector while maintaining his strong love to Stillwater.

With his wife, Rae, and daughters, Cowgirl Basketball alumna Abbie and 2016 OSU graduate Leigh Winchester Peterson, the Winchester family has donated over $5 million to the university. Their contributions span the Ferguson College of Agriculture, the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology, and now OSU Athletics, with their latest gift securing the naming rights for the practice fields.

The Jerry Winchester Family Fields will be comprised of three outdoor fields. The outdoor facilities are a cornerstone of OSU’s training infrastructure, complementing the $19 million Sherman E. Smith Training Center, which opened in 2013. The Jerry Winchester Family Fields feature one artificial and two natural grass surfaces.

These fields are the first place the Cowboys, new and old alike, sharpen their skills in pursuit of a winning season following a tough 2024 campaign. The naming aligns with OSU’s $325 million facilities vision plan, unveiled earlier this year, to create an elite athletics village. The future athletic village will only magnify the Pokes as one of the premier athletic universities in the Big 12.

Winchester is a 2025 OSU Alumni Hall of Fame inductee and OSU Foundation Board of Governors member. He has long championed the university’s mission and its pursuit of excellence on and off the football field.

The dedication ceremony is set to draw distinguished alumni and fans alike. It is only a stepping stone in highlighting OSU’s efforts to revitalize its football program. As the Cowboys gear up for their season opener, the newly named fields stand as a symbol of the enduring connection between OSU and its diehard supporters. The Winchester family’s legacy is now right where it belongs. The Winchester name will forever be woven into the fabric of Cowboy football.

Published
Taylor Skieens
TAYLOR SKIEENS

Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.

Home/Football