The 1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Future OSU head coach

Mike Gundy Michael Ray Gundy (born August 12, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Oklahoma State University. Gundy played college football at Oklahoma State, where he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989. ...

was the starting QB for the Cowboys, while senior WR

Hart Lee Dykes Hart Lee Dykes Jr. (born September 2, 1966) is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots. He was awarded the Dial Award as the nati ...

and junior RB

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...

were both named first team All-American. Sanders won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

as the nation's most outstanding player for the season. Sanders was also the Offensive MVP of the

1988 Holiday Bowl The 1988 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1988, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the 12th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the 15th ranked Wyoming ...

, and Junior LB Sim Drain III was the Defensive MVP.

Schedule

The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 9–2 record. In 1988, in what has been called the greatest season in college football history, Marron wrote, ''The only serious question when composing this list was "Who's No. 2?'' running back

led the nation by averaging 7.6 yards per carry and over 200 yards per game, including rushing for over 300 yards in four games. He set college football season records with 2,628 yards rushing, 3,249 total yards, 234 points, 39 touchdowns, of which 37 were rushing (also a record), five consecutive 200 yard games, scored at least two touchdowns in 11 consecutive games, and nine times he scored at least three touchdowns. Sanders also ran for 222 yards and scored five touchdowns in his three quarters of action in the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has b ...

, a game that was not included with his season statistics.

Roster

Rankings

Game summaries

Miami (OH)

Texas A&M

Tulsa

at Colorado

at Nebraska

Missouri

at Kansas State

Oklahoma

Kansas

at Iowa State

vs. Texas Tech

vs. Wyoming

1989 NFL Draft

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.

Awards and honors

*Barry Sanders, Heisman Trophy,

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...

Sporting News College Football Player of the Year The ''Sporting News'' College Football Player of the Year award is given to the player of the year in college football as adjudged by ''Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Hold ...

, Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Unanimous First-team All-American *Hart Lee Dykes, Consensus First-team All-American

References

{{Oklahoma State Cowboys football navbox

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Oklahoma State Cowboys football seasons Holiday Bowl champion seasons

Oklahoma State Cowboys football The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are ...