Cowboys Make Another Sports Illustrated Cover

By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- Stillwater is buzzing with excitement as pictures of the next issue of Sports Illustrated began popping up on the Internet.

The guys of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity instantly hopped on their computers to get a first look when they heard the news. They call themselves diehard fans and spend a lot of their time playing football.

"We're orange through and through, but it has not been easy being OSU fans in Oklahoma. It seems like we're always saying next year, next year will be our year. Two SI covers in a month proves this is finally it. I'm pumped. We're all excited," said Dillon Sparks, a Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity member.

Now the pride of Dez Bryant making his second touchdown has been frozen for the world to see in the first national Sports Illustrated cover for the Cowboys. The article is topped off with some jabs to the Sooners.

"I just like how it talks about OU in there," said OSU senior Clifton Sadler as he laughed. "Got to get that loss in there. Make sure everyone knows who the top team is in Oklahoma."

Other fans were excited that the cover gives OSU credit over OU, titled: 'Cowboy Up, Oklahoma State Struts as The Rival Sooners Swoon.'

In August the Cowboys were featured on the cover of a regional Sports Illustrated, making September's national cover all the more exciting for both fans and players.

Dez Bryan said he's honored to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated but his focus is on Saturday's game against Houston.

"It's great that our team is getting this kind of recognition. It really is an honor for us to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice this season, but we can't get wrapped up in it," Bryant said. "We have a tough game coming up this week against Houston and that's our focus."

Cowboys Head Coach Mike Gundy said he was also honored by the magazine's recognition.

"We're appreciative of the recognition that another Sports Illustrated cover brings to our program," Gundy said. "It is a great team honor. We've worked very hard to get to this point, but we have a lot of work still in front of us."

Until the latest two issues, OSU had never been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

The magazine hits newsstands Wednesday.

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