TULSA, Okla. — It's time for America’s Greatest Homecoming, where seas of fans flock to Boone Pickens Stadium and fountains run orange, but what truly makes Oklahoma State University Loyal and True are the people who keep the tradition alive year after year.
The OSU Spirit Riders are responsible for one of the most iconic mascots in the University's history and the Oklahoma roots that make "Bullet" so special.
You know the phrase, “Here comes Bullet!”
A majestic black horse races onto the field. He’s a symbol of victory. His black mane whips in the wind, and his muscles bind as hooves meet turf.
A stadium roars as Bullet takes the field, celebrating all that Oklahoma State University stands for. He carries not only the pride for a beloved University but on his back is a rider representing more than 20 years of what it means to be a Cowboy.
The legacy of Bullet can be found on a quiet ranch on the outskirts of Tulsa. His home. A visit will reveal Bullet taking a quick trot around the arena and Keaton Cunningham leads the way.
"All I knew growing up as a kid, I didn't really understand what Bullet was, who Bullet was,” Keaton said. “I just knew that in the Fall on Saturdays we loaded this horse up, into this cool trailer, and we drove to Stillwater, and I stood on the football field, and I watched somebody do the coolest job that I thought that there ever was."
Keaton and her sisters, Falyn and Landry, have watched Bullet take the field their entire lives. In fact, they've been a big part of what makes the OSU Spirit Rider program a huge success.
“He was just always with us, everywhere, that was our job,” Keaton said.
Her sister Falyn said the same.
“This has just been my every fall,” she said. “This is what we do every Fall is go to football games on Saturdays."
From waking up before the sun to prep Bullet for games to the daily care giving him the best quality of life, these girls embody what it means to be an OSU Cowboy.
Their mom and dad, Jennifer Roberts and Ty Cunningham, are to thank.
Jennifer is not only a mother of three, but she and the girls’ father are both former Spirit Riders. Jennifer took the reins in the year 2000.
“I enjoyed every second of it,” she said. “And then in 2005, the athletic department called and asked if we would take over the program."
Bullet has been running with the family ever since, finding his home on their Ranch in Green Country.
“It’s become this family effort, and my kids have grown up on the football field,” Jennifer said. “They know our Fall revolves around Oklahoma State football."
The magic of Bullet on game days is something felt by each of Jennifer’s kids.
"It's just really cool to wake up and see him and I’m like, not a lot of people get to do this and it's really special to know that he is right there, and he can help me,” Landry, the youngest sister said. “He's like my big brother."
Their love for the program ignites a desire in each of their hearts to follow in Mom's footsteps.
Bullet's first run on the field this football season became a full circle moment with Keaton holding the reins.
“He knew how special it was,” she said. “He always knows how special it is, but he knew it meant a little extra to the person on top of him this year."
It’s a spot earned through hard work. Keaton’s mom said that although she runs the program, her daughter tried out just like every aspiring Spirit Rider—no special treatment. It was her skill that stood out.
“She’s got a lot of gifts and talents, and the fact that she chose to use these gifts and talents in this way, I was really proud, to be able to continue that legacy,” Jennifer said of her daughter.
This family legacy has carried a university installment for over two decades, bringing alive the spirit of the OSU Cowboy.
That spirit will continue as younger generations of family stand at the ready, yearning to be a Spirit Rider, too.
“I would want to do that,” middle sister, Falyn, said. “That is something I would just, I think about it in my dreams."
When the day is through, Spirit Rider or not, this family's bond with Bullet can never be broken. The heart of what he stands for lives on the ranch near Tulsa, in each of the women who care for him.
Orange runs in their veins, and Bullet is a fixture not just of Oklahoma State but of this family of cowgirls.
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