The SOSU men's and women's basketball teams will represent Choctaw culture by wearing alternate jerseys with the words "kucha okpulo" displayed on the front of the jersey. This phrase means Savage Storm in the Choctaw language.
"It is so exciting that my alma mater is honoring our heritage and culture and our people by the design on their jerseys. It makes me so proud to have attended SOSU and for the great education I received there," said Chief Batton.
According to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Keith Baxter, the inception of the jerseys came from the Women's basketball program.
"Coach Grover and his staff came up with the idea, and then we expanded it to the men's program, but full credit goes to Coach Grover and his staff," said Baxter.
Darin Grover has been the Head Basketball coach at SOSU for 18 years. According to Grover, Choctaw language and culture have been a part of the women's basketball program for almost the entire time he has been at the university.
The words "niyimmi" and "tahali" are proudly displayed above the lockers in the women's locker room. These words are the team's motto, "believe" and "finish," in the Choctaw language.
Grover said the students are very familiar with the words and their meanings because they use the Choctaw words every day in practice. Grover said they also printed the Choctaw words on their practice shirts and other items used by the team. He commented that many people ask the team about the phrase because they have never heard the Choctaw language before.
The partnership between SOSU and CNO has existed for many years and has only grown. "The partnership has existed as long as I've been here, and it started at a grassroots level but has grown tremendously. I remember when they (CNO) allowed us to use their busses as early as 2002 or 2003," said Keith Baxter.
Baxter said that the ripples of this partnership reach far beyond athletics and profoundly affect the lives of students and the surrounding area.
"The big picture is that, yeah, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Choctaw Casinos are our title sponsors, but that's kind of superficial. To me, it gets a lot deeper than that. The opportunity that our students have within the nation and the potential that it brings to change lives to change careers, to change their family's future. That's beyond signage; that's beyond jerseys. I mean, it affects lives, and it affects them on a daily basis," Grover said.
When speaking about the partnership, Chief Gary Batton said, "Their (SOSU) partnership with Choctaw Nation, to me, is extremely important so that we can still advance our tribal members and the people who reside in our communities."
Baxter said that he hopes these alternate jerseys and partnerships with CNO not only grow student-athlete opportunities at the school but also raise a more profound awareness around the Choctaw Culture and the people represented.
"If you are a visitor from out of town, you might see the casino resort and think that's all the Choctaw Nation offers. This has allowed us to showcase the culture, education, and other opportunities for the surrounding community," said Grover.
The newly unveiled basketball jerseys represent a much more significant connection to the Choctaw Nation and a partnership cultivated over many years to provide opportunities to SOSU students, potential students, and future generations of Choctaw tribal members and associates. Seth Dutton is the Associate Athletic Director/ External Operations with SOSU.
Dutton said that being an alumnus of SOSU and seeing this partnership, and the opportunity it provides the student-athletes, makes him very proud of his alma mater.
"When you look at our partnership, this is a partnership and not simply a transactional deal. As an alum, I love being able to brag about some of the things that we can do because of this relationship we have. It's awesome that we are able to do stuff like the jerseys. It really highlights our student-athletes and enhances their experience here," Dutton said.
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