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Cowboys Share Time with Children on Christmas Eve

Oklahoma State football players enjoy time with children from DePelcin Children's Center

HOUSTON, Texas -- Every bowl game has activities and the majority are fun rewards for a successful season and the hard work that went into it. Then there are always events at the bowl site that are more centered on player's, coaches, team members giving to the community that is hosting them. The Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl has lots of fun events, but the one involving player's giving to the Houston community may be the most fun. The entire Oklahoma State team was at Children's Museum of Houston with some 80 youngsters raning from two-years-old to elementary school age, all foster children for a scavenger hunt and just to have fun with all the hands on activities at the museum.

"I had a phenominal time," Cowboys defensive end Tyler Lacy said. "The little scavenger hunt I really didn't do. I just let the kids have fun with the displays and I interacted with them and had a lot of fun."

You see, for those kids, who may have had a rough go of it, having a college football player that is fun loving like Lacy pay total attention to you and share the moment on a day like Christmas Eve is really special, memoriable. The foster parents and folks that volunteer with the DePelchin Children's Center, the official charity of the Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl all had smiles on their faces. This was good, from quarterbacks Spencer Sanders and Dru Brown building paper rocket ships with kids to recever Landon Wolf building Leggo cars with his new friend to the cowboy backs discovering how strong and powerful the flow of water can be. By the way a good lesson in Houston. 

It was fun going from room-to-room in the museum and seeing the smiles on big offensive linemen or a big defensive end like Tyler Lacy and being shared with a four-year-old boy or a six-year-old little girl that is just craving the attention of a special friend. 

After the museum scaventer hunt, the players autographed mini helmets for the kids and took countless pictures. The children also got t-shirts and Texas Bowl bandanas. There will be 80 youngsters that may have never heard of Mike Gundy or Chuba Hubbard before this morning that are big fans of the Pokes now. Attention is a great gift that we often forget how important it is.

"This was an opportunity for the players to come face-to-face with the kids from the DePelcin Children's Center, our charity," Texas Bowl executive director David Fletcher said. "You see the smiles on these faces and I don't know who has bigger ones, the players or the kids and their families. It is really good while they are hear for them to connect with what is really important in our community and we appreciate Coach Gundy and his players coming down here to make it a reality."

This won't be the last time for this group either and the children will be there to cheer for their new friends at NRG Stadium on Friday at 5:45 p.m.  

"You know for the children of the DePelchin Children's Center this is very special and for them and their parents to have a chance to attend a real college football game is very special," said President and CEO of the DePelchin Children's Center Jenifer Jarriel.  

Heck yeah, they need to be there. That may be the best cheering section the Cowboys will have. Call them unconditional cheers and for good reason.