STILLWATER – I first learned at Oklahoma State football practice on Wednesday afternoon and then confirmed it later. Former Oklahoma State All-Big Eight fullback/running back, former Dallas Cowboys fullback, rodeo Cowboy, and one of a kind legend and representative of Cowboys everywhere Walt Garrison passed away between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning in a memory loss care facility near Weatherford, Texas. No other details were available at this time. Garrison was born on June 23, 1944 making his 79-years-old.
Garrison was a way underrated, even by himself football player, a dedicated rodeo Cowboy, a spokesperson over the year for many successful companies. He could tell stories, whittle wood with the best, and was representative of the American Cowboy culture. In the past couple of years Garrison had been battling memory loss and Alzheimer's. That made it so tough because Garrison’s personality and charm were a true gift for us all.
I first met Garrison through my aunt, Billie Jean Ward, who had known Garrison when he was a student at Oklahoma State studying Animal Science. My aunt and uncle would come to Dallas and Garrison would get us tickets, even have us to the Cowboys hotel for pregame meal on game days, but only in the exhibition season. Garrison was my true football hero and I wore his number 32 right up to high school.
Garrison grew up in the Denton and Lewsiville, Texas area and attended Lewisville High School where he was part of the Fighting Farmers. He went to Oklahoma State and he jokes it was a rugged recruiting battle between Oklahoma State and New Mexico. Garrison started out at Oklahoma State as a linebacker, but by his sophomore season he was a back-up fullback that gained 387-yards. The next season he led the Big Eight with 730-yards and five touchdowns and was All-Conference along with Gayle Sayers of Kansas. His senior season he rushed for 924-yards and five touchdowns and was second in the Big Eight.
The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 1966 and he took a Pontiac Bonneville convertable and a horse trailer as his signing bonus. The convertable purchased from my uncle at Simpson Pontiac in Stillwater.
Garrison went on to play in two Super Bowls at Dallas and won Super Bowl VI. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1972 and was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th Anniverasry Team. He played for Dallas from 1966-1974. His career NFL statistics include 119 games played, 72 games started, 5,680-yards rushing and a combined 39 touchdowns. He is enshrined in both the Oklahoma and Texas Sports Hall of Fames. He is also in the Oklahoma State University Athletics Hall of Honor.
He was forever sought after as a public speaker and often spoke to Oklahoma State alumni groups. He was often asked to do his homespun poem “People are Funny Critters.” He became close to the program again during the Mike Gundy tenure and for abpout a decade was a regular visitor to Oklahoma State home games and Cowboys games at TCU near his home.
Garrison is survived by family members including his son, Marty Garrison, so many former teammates, and friends everywhere because few people met Walt Garrison without regarding him as a friend.
