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Coach Holder,
I have been an Oklahoma State fan since INSERT YEAR when INSERT MEMORY OR EVENT. (I/My Parents/Grandparents) even graduated from Oklahoma State. The university matters to me and has played a significant role in who I am. While (On campus/growing up) I learned about dedication, loyalty hard work, discipline and resilience( FEEL FREE TO INSERT OTHERs).
Sadly, the strong values that have led me to (SUCCESS IN BUSINESS/MARRIAGE/KID REARING) have also compelled me to write about the state of our mens basketball program. A season that started with so much promise has rotted from the inside out due to a lack of leadership from Travis Ford. College represent(S)ed a wonderful time for (ME/MY PARENTS) It (WAS/IS) (MY/MY PARENTS/MY GRANDPARENTS) final preparation for adulthood. College coaches have a responsibility to use their sports as a tool to produce productive and proud members of society just as you did for more than thirty years.
I have not seen it from Travis Ford. Wins happen, and losses do too, but how the game is played matters deeply to (ALUMS/FANS) who hear about it around the (WATER COOLER/BREAK ROOM/OTHER OPTION) When players are arrested for urinating out a car window, and only kicked off because it’s their third strike, we hear about it. When half the recruits in a six year period transfer we notice it. When a first round draft pick destroys a chair and is not punished until he shoves a fan, we remember it.
With the classic arena, and recent multi-million dollar locker room upgrades, the record should be better, but that’s not what Cowboys and Cowgirls pride themselves on. Six years is enough to prove the ship has a lacking captain. The futures of these young men, and the reputation of the university are affected by this. I know you’re a man of business, and I am thankful for it, but I trust you will make the right decision for a program we all take such pride in.
Orange Power,
(YOUR NAME HERE)
Mike Holder can be reached at mike.holder@okstate.edu
