The Wiz of Odds

T. Boone's Faith in Gundy Is Being Tested

Rich people have problems, too.

Oklahoma State megabooster T. Boone Pickens hasn't recovered from watching his Cowboys get bludgeoned by Mississippi in the Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl, a fiasco that saw Oklahoma State turn the ball over seven times. Midway through the fourth quarter, Pickens was spotted packing his belongings and heading for the door at Cowboys Stadium.

Pickens has invested $250 million in the program and has yet to see a fair rate of return. The Cowboys haven't had a 10-win season since 1988 and — worse yet —  coach Mike Gundy is 0-10 against Texas and Oklahoma, losing to the Longhorns, 41-14, and Sooners, 27-0, in 2009.

The man is frustrated.

"That day I gave the money I said I knew we're not going to win every game," Pickens told Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World. "I'm tired of leaving the stadium with my head down. And I darn sure had my head down after the game in Norman and after the Cotton Bowl. I'm 82, so I'm not on the 20-year [rebuilding] plan.

"Gundy has assembled a good staff, our program is stronger and our recruiting is better. But the Big 12 South is a tough place to hang out."

Game Day for T. Boone Pickens

Time to check on Oklahoma State moneyman T. Boone Pickens, who enjoys game day just like the rest of us, especially now that he built a runway on his 45,000-acre West Texas ranch for easier use of his Gulfstream 550.

He used to have to take a helicopter from the ranch to the airport at nearby Pampa, Texas, to board the jet, but thankfully those days are over.

The flight takes 40 minutes and T. Boone is met at the Stillwater airport by athletic director Mike Holder, who doubles as chauffeur for Pickens and his wife, Madeleine. The first stop is the student union, and Pickens is mobbed when he steps out of the vehicle. Countless autographs, pictures, handshakes and thank yous later, he makes his way to the stadium that bears his name.

Once he reaches his midfield suite perched above the 50-yard line, a stream of fans stop to say hello. There is university president Burns Hargis and fellow donor Greg Casillas. Before halftime, Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and James Harden pay a visit.

More guests at halftime, including Oklahoma governor Brad Henry. Then up walks Garth Brooks, who introduces his wife to T. Boone.

Later, Pickens meets a man from his hometown of Holdenville, Okla., and the man and his friends are welcomed into the suite.

T. Boone Ready for Big Return on His Inventment

Oklahoma State moneyman T. Boone Pickens toured the $184 million west end zone addition to the stadium that bears his name this week. Pickens has his own locker, complete with a No. 1 jersey and helmet.

The new addition includes everything from plush offices, locker rooms, dining hall and meeting rooms, to a state-of-the art weight room and medical center.

Pickens, 81, is expecting grand results for his grand donations, predicting Oklahoma State will be undefeated entering the regular season finale at Oklahoma.

"I don't talk about competing anymore," Pickens said. "I talk about winning."

Will Pickens' Athletic Village Ever Be Built?

In 2005, Oklahoma State announced plans to build a $316 million athletic village just north of campus. There was one problem. The land needed for the project contained 331 properties, many of which were homes constructed after World War II, long before Oklahoma State ever dreamed of something called an athletic village.

Many of homeowners united to fight the university and its planned development, but backed by billionaire T. Boone Pickens, it was clear the homeowners were fighting a losing battle. Nonetheless, brothers Kevin and Joel McCloskey, who owned a 3,000-square foot property that included a 631-square-foot rental house and a garage, fought to the end. But Oklahoma State used eminent domain — the legal concept under which private property can be taken for public use — to eventually secure the McCloskey property.

Never mind that the university — backed by Pickens' bankroll — ticked off half of Stillwater for its grand plan. T. Boone and Company could not be stopped and the demolition of homes began in earnest in 2007.

Today, the proposed village is 100 acres of mostly nothing, and there are questions whether the project will ever become reality.

Rich People Have Problems, Too

Wiz favorite T. Boone Pickens hasn't been heard from since December, when his Oklahoma State Cowboys fell hard to fellow billionaire Phil Knight's Oregon Ducks in the Holiday Bowl, but like any good Cowboy, he has dusted himself off and is ready for the start of a new season.

Pickens, 81, has been taking a lot of hits lately with the collapse of oil prices. He tumbled from 131st on the Forbes list of wealthiest humans in 2008 to a tie for 334th in 2009. But he's confident that his prized investment, Oklahoma State football, is close to paying huge dividends.

Last week, he summoned Cowboy coaches and donors to his Texas ranch for a brainstorming session.

"We talked about how we were going to be better and how we're going to win," Pickens said. "Some great ideas came out of there. Some of our donors were there. It was a good meeting."

The Booster Bowl in San Diego

One has to wonder if Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens might have a little side bet on Tuesday night's Holiday Bowl between Oregon and Oklahoma State in San Diego.

Knight, 70, and Pickens, 80, have combined to give more than half-a-billion dollars to their universities, most of it going to the football programs. Knight's gifts have helped make the Ducks a perennial contender, with the team averaging more than eight wins a year with only one losing season in the last 15.

Pickens recently forked over another $63 million to Oklahoma State to ensure the stadium expansion project would be completed at his alma mater. He previously gave $165 million to fund athletics at Oklahoma State.

So which one of these cats has more cash? It's not even close.