In 1966, Mike Holder joined the Oklahoma State University family and became a member of the Cowboy Golf team. In 2021, Mike Holder steps down from the Director of Athletics position he has held since 2005. In over five decades in Stillwater, Holder has shaped himself, a golf program and now an entire athletic department with an undeniable standard of excellence.
Student-Athlete
Mike Holder played golf at Oklahoma State University under the legendary Labron Harris.
In 1970, Holder was the Big Eight medalist and led the Cowboys to the conference team title. He was a third-team All-American as a junior and a senior and an honorable mention All-American as a sophomore.
Head Coach
Mike Holder established a new standard of dominance for what was already one of the nation's top golf programs. Holder's teams won eight NCAA team championships, crowned five individual national champions and dominated the Big Eight and Big 12 with 25 conference team titles in his 32 years as Cowboy Golf's head coach.
Athletic Director
Mike Holder's tenure as Athletic Director resulted in the most transformative era in the history of OSU Athletics.
Holder leaves a legacy of dazzling new facilities, unprecedented fundraising success and a tireless commitment to excellence for all Cowboy and Cowgirl athletic programs.
Coaching Legacy
1973-2005
During his tenure as a coach, Holder's successes included not only his team's results on the course, but his players' performances in the classroom and beyond. His vision and fundraising abilities resulted in the creation of Karsten Creek, a magnificent golf course in Stillwater, selected as the Best New Public Course in 1994 by Golf Digest magazine. In 2000, Holder's team claimed the national championship, marking the eighth time his squad carried home the NCAA trophy. And while high national finishes are the norm at Oklahoma State, the accomplishments of his teams never stopped at the 18th hole.
Holder took over his OSU coaching post on July 1, 1973, and during his tenure, his teams set student-athlete standards that were unequaled. While he coached 112 All-America selections, including 38 first-team choices, and has numerous former players competing on the PGA Tour, overseas and on mini-tours, Holder saw to it that his players also excelled in the classroom. During his tenure, OSU produced three Ben Hogan Award winners, which is based on academic and athletic excellence nationwide. Kevin Wentworth earned the honor in 1990, Trip Kuehne claimed the prestigious award in 1995 and Hunter Mahan was named the 2003 recipient.
Holder had 21 academic All-America selections from the inception of that honor in 1984 until he vacated the head coaching position for the AD's chair, as well as countless academic all-Big Eight and all-Big 12 selections.
Holder is one of five coaches in NCAA history, regardless of sport, to win a national championship in four different decades. Three times Holder coached the Cowboys to the national team title the same year an OSU individual also claimed medalist honors (1978, 1987 and 2000).
National Player of the Year Awards
| Year | Student-Athlete | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Lindy Miller | Fred Haskins Award |
| 1981 | Bob Tway | Fred Haskins Award |
| 1982 | Willy Wood | Fred Haskins Award |
| 1986 | Scott Verplank | Fred Haskins Award |
| 1994 | Alan Bratton | Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year |
| 2000 | Charles Howell | Fred Haskins Award Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year |
| 2003 | Hunter Mahan | Fred Haskins Award Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Ben Hogan Award |
NCAA Team Championships
Individual NCAA Champions
National Coach of the Year Awards
National Player of the Year Awards
All-Americans
Conference Team Titles
Athletic Director
2005-2020
Revolutionary Facilities
When Mike Holder took over as athletic director on September 16, 2005, he set out an audacious facilities master plan that has produced the most impressive collection of facilities in America.
Karsten Creek Golf Club
The facilities renaissance was actually set into motion during Holder’s coaching days when he was the driving force, from conception to reality, in the building of Karsten Creek.
The home of Cowboy and Cowgirl golf is widely recognized among the very best public courses in the nation and hosted the NCAA Championships in 2003, 2011 and 2018, along with several men’s and women’s NCAA regionals.
Boone Pickens Stadium
Year Rededicated 2009Capacity 55,509
Mike Holder’s first major facilities move as athletic director came with a total overhaul of Boone Pickens Stadium that was completed in 2009. With Holder serving as athletic director, both the north and the west sides of the stadium were brought to their current form and the stadium is now recognized as one of the finest facilities in college football.
Gallagher-Iba Arena
Year Renovated 2011A decade after the completion of the "Raise the Roof" campaign to expand historic Gallagher-Iba Arena, OSU's basketball programs saw another major project to renovate the locker rooms and player support facilities. New team theaters, hydrotherapy pools, player lounges and other amenities will benefit both programs for years to come.
Sherman E. Smith Training Center
Year Opened 2013Cost $19 million
Opened in 2013, the 94,000-square foot Sherman Smith Center is the primary practice home for Cowboy football, but serves nearly every OSU team. The indoor clearance of the facility is 65 feet above the playing surface. There are three indoor filming platforms and more platforms on the outside of the building for practices on the grass fields.
Track and Field Complex
Year Opened 2013Cost $9 million
Opened on Aug. 17, 2013, the state-of-the-art facility features a nine-lane 400-meter track with a steeplechase turnout; infield and adjacent areas for field events, including shot put, discus, hammer throw, pole vault, high jump and long jump. The amenities at the new Oklahoma State track facility are among the best in the country.
Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center
The Greenwood Tennis Center was recognized by the USTA as the nation’s top facility in 2016 and was selected to host the 2020 and 2024 NCAA Championships.
The center includes 12 lighted outdoor tennis courts in two sets of six courts. The courts are set up to allow fan viewing of each match being played in both the indoor and outdoor venues.
Cowgirl Stadium
Year Renovated 2018Cowgirl Stadium, the home of Oklahoma State Softball, underwent significant renovations to its locker room and player support facilities in 2018. In more recent years, new outfield seating areas have been added to accommodate more fans as the program's popularity continues to soar to new heights under head coach Kenny Gajewski.
Neal Patterson Stadium
Year Dedicated 2018Cost $20 million
Officially dedicated on Aug. 19, 2018, Neal Patterson Stadium is a showcase for Cowgirl Soccer and one of the top soccer facilities in the collegiate ranks. Team facilities include locker rooms, meeting areas, kitchen facilities, sports medicine areas and equipment rooms. The stadium can accommodate 2,500 fans in permanent seats.
Cross Country Course
Year Renovated 2019OSU unveiled a new, state-of-the-art cross country course in 2019. The home course of the Pokes is unlike any other in the nation, making it the standard for collegiate cross country competition. The course has recently hosted NCAA regional competitions in 2019, as well as welcoming the nation's best to Stillwater at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Equestrian Facilities
Year Renovated 2021Oklahoma State's Equestrian facilities have been overhauled in recent years. The Pedigo-Hull Equestrian Center is the new home of Cowgirl Equestrian, with the new Atherton Family Arena, a 130’ x 275’ covered arena, hosting competitions in addition to Totusek Arena. The new facilities also include 12 new shelters for horses and a new hay barn.
O'Brate Stadium
Opened in 2021, O’Brate Stadium may very well be the best college baseball-only facility in the country. It features 3,500 permanent seats, 11 suites and 400 premium seats in dedicated club and suite areas. It has state-of-the-art accommodations for the team as well.
Situated along the left-field line, the clubhouse and team room areas provide plush accommodations for the Cowboys, starting with a 7,400-square-foot locker room and player lounge space that has top-of-the-line lockers for each player. In that same area are a nutrition center that includes a sports performance pantry and fueling station and can accommodate the Cowboys’ game day nutrition needs, a tiered-seated classroom that seats 50 and a fully modernized grand entrance that leads to the new operations center.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the new ballpark's dedication on May 20, 2021.
Unrivaled Fundraising
Any discussion about fundraising at Oklahoma State must start with Holder’s close friend, Boone Pickens, who gave more than $600 million to his alma mater. Holder’s vision for athletic facilities inspired Pickens to give $165 million toward the project in 2006, marking the largest donation in the history of college athletics.
At Holder’s urging, OSU Athletics has placed an emphasis on scholarship endowments. The “Leave A Legacy” endowment drive has seen Oklahoma State climb from dead last in the Big 12 to the top with gifts and commitments of approximately $61 million. As recently as 2009, OSU’s endowment stood at just $2.1 million.
Perhaps Holder’s adept fundraising stems from his “fund-giving”. He and his wife, Robbie, illustrated their commitment to Oklahoma State when they donated $500,000 for the first fully endowed scholarship for Cowboy football. The scholarship is named for former OSU player, the late Vernon Grant. The Holders’ lifetime giving to OSU surpasses $2.5 million, including $1 million for an entrepreneurship super chair at OSU in the Spears School of Business.
“Robbie and I made the gift to the college of business because of (OSU donors) Malone and Amy Mitchell,” Holder said at the announcement. “Having two degrees in business was the icing on the cake. I would like to see the new program nationally recognized and make a difference in the lives of young people.”
Malone and Amy Mitchell had made a $57.2 million gift to OSU, split evenly between athletics and academics, on the day the Holders announced their $1 million gift.
Success in Competition
Oklahoma State has won six NCAA team titles under Holder’s watch and after the 2020-21 academic year, 11 different OSU programs have combined to win 60 conference titles with Holder in the athletic director’s chair. Locally, OSU has won the all-sports Bedlam Series over in-state rival Oklahoma in seven of the past eight years.
60 Conference Championships
| Sport | Year | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball (3) | 2014 2017 2019 |
Regular Season Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament |
| Men's Cross Country (10) | 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2020 |
Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet Conference Meet |
| Women's Cross Country (2) | 2015 2019 |
Conference Meet Conference Meet |
| Equestrian (7) | 2009 2012 2013 2014 2016 2018 2021 |
Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament |
| Football (1) | 2011 | Regular Season |
| Men's Golf (7) | 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2019 2021 |
Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament |
| Women's Golf (5) | 2008 2009 2013 2016 2021 |
Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament |
| Soccer (6) | 2008 2009 2010 2011 2017 2019 |
Regular Season Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Regular Season Regular Season Regular Season |
| Women's Tennis (3) | 2016 2016 2017 |
Regular Season Postseason Tournament Regular Season |
| Men's Indoor Track & Field (2) | 2014 2016 |
Conference Meet Conference Meet |
| Wrestling (14) | 2006 2010 2011 2012 2013 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 |
Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Regular Season Regular Season Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament Postseason Tournament |
National Championships
- 2006 NCAA Wrestling National Champions
- 2006 NCAA Men's Golf National Champions
- 2006 Varsity Equestrian Western National Champions
- 2009 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Champions
- 2010 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Champions
- 2012 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Champions
- 2013 NCEA Equestrian Western National Champions
- 2018 NCAA Men's Golf National Champions
Additional Superlatives
- 2007 Men's Tennis Sweet 16
- 2008 Women's Basketball Sweet 16
- 2008 Men's Tennis Sweet 16
- 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl
- 2010 Men's Golf National Runner-Up
- 2010 Soccer Elite Eight
- 2011 Softball Women's College World Series
- 2011 Men's Cross Country National Runner-Up
- 2011 Soccer Elite Eight
- 2012 Football Fiesta Bowl Champions
- 2012 Women's Basketball WNIT Champions
- 2013 Wrestling National Runner-Up
- 2014 Football AT&T Cotton Bowl
- 2014 Women's Basketball Sweet 16
- 2014 Men's Golf National Runner-Up
- 2015 Women's Tennis Sweet 16
- 2016 Football Allstate Sugar Bowl
- 2016 Wrestling National Runner-Up
- 2016 Men's Tennis Sweet 16
- 2016 Baseball College World Series
- 2019 Women's Tennis Sweet 16
- 2019 Softball Women's College World Series
- 2020 Soccer Sweet 16
- 2021 Women's Golf National Runner-Up
- 2021 Softball Women's College World Series