I found this online...and it rang true.
Why we wear ORANGE!!!
YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS, BUT IT IS ALWAYS GOOD!!!!
I started thinking about orange and what it means. Is orange a particularly
pretty color? No. Yet we all find it beautiful. Is it a popular color?
Fashion right now has a lot of orange in it, but normally, it isn't. Is
it a powerful color? It is eye catching, but not really considered powerful.
So why in the world do I and other faithful love it so much?
The color is a symbol. It is all we remember of our Oklahoma State.
To us it not only symbolizes eons of national championships, but also
3-7 seasons. It is Theta Pond, it is Greek Row, it is the "Union". It
is Barry Sanders, Eddie Sutton, Mike Gundy, Pat Jones, Big Country,
Henry Iba and Rashaun Woods. It is meeting your friends at Joes, the
Hideaway, THE WEED or the "DOG". It is illegal dorm parties. It is
Pistol Pete. It is the Waving Song or the Alma Mater. It's IFC. It's
Bedlam 01' in Norman and broken roses. It's Garth and Cross
Canadian and Boland. It is "The Walk", it is tailgating. It is that girl
you always wanted to ask out but never did. It's the guy you always
wish would have. Its date parties and pre-parties. It's the "swan".
House decks and hot chocolate and pomping and signs that say
"Do not watch Arc!"
It is late night Pizza Shuttle runs. It is no air conditioning in the
dorm or getting tickets from parking nazis. It's puking on the bus to a
date party. It's the Sirloin Stockade steer floating in Theta Pond. It
is signing up for a 4 hour class at 7:30 in the morning as a freshman.
It is DUI's and MIP's and learning to never do that again. It is
Bedlam. Its KA, FIJI, DELT, SNAKE, ALPHA CHI, THETA, PI PHI, AGR.
It is heart breaks and leaving friends. It is showing our recruits how
much we appreciate them, it is feeling disappointed when some choose
to go elsewhere, or the elation of them deciding to come to OSU and join
our family. It is Thursday nights. Its planes, Colorado, snow and
memories that burn in all hearts that wear the Orange and Black.
It's Stout, Classroom, Ag Hall and Kerr-Drummond and the awkward
"morning after." It's an orange fountain; its finals week. It's the campus
bells and Preacher Bob. Its meeting a kid that's parents knew your
parents while they were here. It's meeting you husband or wife,
groomsmen and bridesmaids.
We can't talk about our feelings for our school without going into
stories that would make people's eyes glaze over and bring a tear to
some. It's hard to explain to people that the reason we wear orange
isn't because of sports or 7 National Football Championships. It isn't
because of any one thing or even 100 things. Orange is pride in all
things OSU. Be they good things or bad things, they are all part of why
I love OSU. When I see people wearing OSU hats or shirts, most of the
time no words have to be spoken. Just a nod or a smile and we both know
that orange is something special. A lifetime of friends, fond memories,
hurts and joy that we all have and will keep for an eternity~ One day
our kids will hear and then they will see and then theirs will hear
about the times as they are and were~ All the while the chimes will
sing the fight song, hearts will flutter and folks will feel a great sense
of belonging. Fan's children will sit on parent's shoulders with
arms waving to Bullet racing out of the West end zone and the
commentator's voice saying, "With 9:08 remaining in the first half;
Here Comes Bullet!" When you pass a car with Pete peering out of an
Orange Star, you know that they know that you know; Its letting go,
holding on, and forever remembering why we were/are at the best college
in America.
Rewind; remember cool autumn air walking to class and passing friends,
ex's, lovers, and the rush you feel every time you go back; A lump in a
throat, a bitter-sweet graduation in a cap and gown; A desire to stay
forever.
Although we are gone, we are still there-
