Justin Blackmon, Rickie Fowler headline Oklahoma State Hall of Honor inductees

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to honor some of their former legends in a variety of sports on Friday night in their Hall of Honor ceremony. The big headliners of the ceremony are without a doubt, former Cowboys football superstar Justin Blackmon and former Oklahoma State golfer Rickie Fowler. The Cowboys will also honor Yolando Odenyo, Coach Ann Pitts, David “Buddy” Arndt, and Shelby Wilson.

Justin Blackmon and Rickie Fowler set to be inducted into Oklahoma State Hall of Honor

Justin Blackmon–Blackmon was without a doubt, one of the greatest players ever to suit up for Oklahoma State and one of the best receivers in college football history. He nearly helped to propel his quarterback, Brandon Weeden, to the Heisman Trophy in 2011. Blackmon became just the second receiver in college football history to win the Biletnikoff Award twice (2010 and 2011). The other was Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree. Blackmon also was named a unanimous All-American in back-to-back seasons (2010 and 2011).

In 2010, he hauled in 111 catches for 1,782 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. In 2011, he hauled in 122 catches for 1,522 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. He also holds the record for most consecutive games with 100 yards or more receiving and the most games gaining 200 receiving yards or more. Blackmon helped guide the Cowboys to the Fiesta Bowl in 2012, where he caught eight passes for 186 receiving yards and three touchdowns, earning Fiesta Bowl MVP honors.

Blackmon was the clear-cut top receiver prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars decided to select him with the No. 5 overall selection in the first round–making him the highest drafted player from Oklahoma State since Barry Sanders in 1989.

His pro career was very brief for a number of reasons (legal issues and substance abuse), but he still flashed the remarkable potential fans saw during his days with Oklahoma State. In one game against the Houston Texans, he hauled in seven catches for 236 receiving yards. The 236 receiving yards were the third most for an NFL rookie and the second most ever in a game in Jaguars’ franchise history. In 18 games, Blackmon hauled in 93 catches for 1,280 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Rickie Fowler–A man with undeniable talent, Rickie Fowler is one of the most gifted golfers to ever come through the ranks of the Oklahoma State golf program and that’s certainly saying something. He became the first freshman in program history to win the Ben Hogan Award–given to the best college golfer in the nation. He also won the Phil Mickelson Award as the nation’s top freshman. He also won first team All-American honors from multiple publications his freshman year with the Cowboys. At the 2008 NCAA Championships, he finished with a 6-over total of 294, placing fourth.

In his pro career on the PGA Tour, Fowler has had an unbelievably impressive career, but many still expect he can achieve more. He’s finished 3rd or better in all of the majors, never an easy accomplishment. Fowler’s career has been very up-and-down, but golf can be a fickle game and a players’ form can disappear from time to time for strange, mysterious reasons. In the fall of 2022, Fowler’s rank in the official world golf rankings fell all the way to 185th–his lowest ranking since 2010.

He ultimately found his form in 2023, winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic (shooting 24-under) in a playoff over Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa.

Fowler has 13 Top 10 finishes in the majors in his prolific career and many still wonder when he will finally win one. He certainly came close in the 2023 U.S. Open, where he fired a historic 62 in the first round, tying for the lowest round ever in a major. He ended up finishing in fifth place in this year’s U.S. Open and landed a spot on the 2023 Ryder Cup team.

If you want to find the link to stream the OSU Hall of Honor ceremony on Friday night, you can find that link here.