Walt Garrison grew up in Lewisville, Texas. In high school, while working for the American Nut Company, Walt made a strong impression on the company owner, who helped arrange a scholarship opportunity for him to come to Oklahoma State University. Having received only one scholarship offer, Walt ran with it and enrolled at OSU to major in pre-veterinary medicine and play football. Coming to the university as a linebacker, he played that position for one year, then was moved to fullback where he stayed for the next three years. During his time at OSU, Walt’s parents never missed a single game, home or away. His junior year, 1964, he led the Big Eight in rushing and was named to the All Academic team. In 1965, his senior year, he was named to the All Big Eight team, played in the College All Star game, and helped the Cowboys defeat the Sooners for the first time in twenty years in the last game of his OSU career. In this oral history interview excerpt from the O-STATE Stories collection, Garrison talks about his recruiting experience, first impressions of campus, playing on the freshman team, and his coaches at the time. For more, visit the
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at the OSU Library.
