Coaches Talk Shrum Resignation with Disappointment and Jacie Hoyt Broke Down

STILLWATER – The question was asked of Cowgirls basketball coach Jacie Hoyt. This is a happy coach that in the past two months has given birth to a healthy baby daughter and coached her basketball team to a contending position in the highly-regarded Big 12 women’s race. The Cowgirls are 18-4 and 8-3 in the conference set to host Big 12 leader Kansas State on Saturday. Hoyt had talked abouthow this had been a great week to be off with the team dealing with a flu outbreak. Other players like star Satilee Heard had been able to get needed rest. Then Hoyt was asked about the news of the week on the OSU campus, the surprising and sudden resignation of school President Dr. Kayse Shrum.

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Hoyt was very emotional about Dr. Shrum leaving.

"For Jacie Hoyt, she meant a lot," Hoyt said slowly after being overcome with emotion and speaking through tears. "She does mean a lot. She has been an incredible friend to me. She has been an incredible mentor. She is someone that I look up to as a female leader, she's everything that I hope I can be. She has wisdom, she has class, she's got integrity, and she is just a leader. She has been with me the highest of highs in my times here, and the lowest of lows. I am forever grateful to her for that and for her mentorship. I feel like I kind of lost a hero in that sense."

Dr. Shrum had taken Hoyt shopping for orange heels and Hoyt had made sure Shrum had her share of stylich orange Nikes to wear to cheer on the Cowgirls. 

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Hoyt talking to Shrum (back to the camera) and her husband Darren (left).

"Professionally, she has meant a lot to our program," Hoyt continued. I mean we're women's basketball players, right? She has been heavily involved in our recruiting. She has been heavily involved in the support of our team. We lost a good one in that sense. It is going to be hard to replace just what she did for us as women’s basketball players and to our program she meant a lot. I think from what she has done, I think what she has done for the University that speaks for itself, but she was a huge figurehead and she can call kids across the country and they know who she is just from her social media presence. The kids around campus , not many presidents have that presence. She did, and that will be hard for us to replace. I know we will get the right person here. Not to take away from anyone in the future but she just meant a lot to me personally and professionally and our players have been pretty upset.”

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Dr. Shrum and Mike Gundy were good teammates in their roles at Oklahoma State.

Remember, Shrum is the OSU President that took on the University of Oklahoma when they announced they were leaving the Big 12. She had the nerve and fortitude to call them out. Head football coach Mike Gundy told me he always had her back and knew and proved that she always had his back too. Gundy had an opportunity to talk to Dr. Shrum on Tuesday, the day before it was announced.

Other coaches have weighed in as well. Today men’s basketball head coach Steve Lutz showed his shock and diappointment.

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AD Chad Weiberg, Lutz, and Dr. Shrum when Lutz hire was announced.

“Obviously, I’m the basketball coach and I’m not privy to a lot of things,” Lutz started. “She is the one that put faith in me and hired me. She is no longer here, so it is an intersting situation. This University has always managed to excell and I believe we will continue to maintain that and move forward with whatever they feel is best for our University.”

Wrestling head coach David Taylor, in his first-year, knew Dr. Shrum and her husband Darren as avid fans of the wrestling program. 

“I think she has done a great job with the University and she was super supportive when I came down here,” Taylor said. “My interaction with her has been great. I think she leaves us in a great spot and I wish here a lot of luck as she moves on and I’m super excited about the future of our program.” 

A little bit of a division in the wealth of emotions shown by Hoyt and the disappointment expressed by Gundy, coaches that have been here for a considerable time and in the case of Gundy, a long time, and the first-year coaches in Lutz and Taylor.