Pistol Pete coming to Lawton to visit OSU fans next Sunday

Nearly every college student will take history during their time at an institution of higher education with different time periods being offered such as US History before 1865, US History after 1865, and History of Pistol Pete.

While the later course is not available to all students at Oklahoma State, for those who want to become one of the two young men who serve as the school’s mascot, knowledge of Frank Eaton is of utmost importance.

Caden Schaufele grew up being a fan of the OSU Cowboys and when he enrolled and headed off to Stillwater, he thought it would be fun to serve as Pistol Pete. He first had to compete against 11 other candidates and once he earned one of the two positions, he had to not only make many appearances around campus and across Oklahoma, but he had to work hard to keep his grades high as he completes degrees in Agribusiness and pre-Law.

“The selection committee is made up of students who served as Pistol Pete and while they have fun during the process, it is serious business to them to make sure they get the best guys for the job. And much of the process involves knowing the history of Frank Eaton,” Schaufele said. “Once you go through the selection process and start serving as Pistol Pete, you stay very busy.

“All during the summer and then during the school year we are doing appearances. When you are wearing the head in the summer it can get really hot inside there. Even when it’s 80 or 90 outside, it can be really tough wearing the head. This year I had the game at Arizona State and it was 111 degrees that day and you have to keep hydrated just like the players.”

Next Sunday Schaufele will be making an appearance in Lawton at the Lawton Farmers’ Market to meet with OSU fans and alumni beginning at 3 p.m. Fans will be able to get photos with Pete and get his autograph. There will also be numerous items available for a silent auction to raise funds to support the Pistol Pete program to aid with travel and other costs associated with making sure the mascot is at as many events and functions as possible.

The event is being coordinated by two local OSU alumni, Justin Phelps and Phil Ferrell. On June 28, 2024, Schaufele will marry Abby Phelps, a Lawton native and former Eisenhower tennis standout and honor student.

“We actually met through mutual friends,” Schaufele said. “I learned not to play tennis against her so we play pickleball quite a bit.”

Many of the past Pistol Pete mascots are former athletes and considering the weight of the head and the hot conditions during the early-season games, conditioning is important.

“I played football and baseball at Hobart and got plenty of lifting and conditioning during that part of my high school career,” he said. “Now I try to go to the Colvin Center and work out twice a week or so to stay in shape.”

One interesting part of the 2023-24 Pistol Pete team is that both of the mascots come from Kiowa County. Schaufele calls Hobart home while Bryce Coon played sports at Mt. View-Gotebo before heading to Oklahoma State.

“It is kinda funny that both of us come from Kiowa County and have played sports against each other,” Schaufele said. “On football game days we are both running about and making appearances. We go to the alumni center and then take part in “The Walk” and during the game we switch out each quarter. We also rotate the road games to give us both a chance to see the other campuses.”

While Schaufele will be in Lawton next Sunday, this weekend he’s going to be in Cordell to take part in a couple of events honoring a 80-year-old veteran and a 9-year-old boy.

To Schaufele, those appearances make the time serving as Pistol Pete special.

“I think the best thing about being Pistol Pete is getting to meet so many fans of Pete and OSU,” he said. “There are so many great people who are OSU alumni and getting to meet them and hear their stories make this job enjoyable.”