WEATHERFORD, Okla. – President of ASAP Energy, Inc., and longtime Southwestern Oklahoma State University supporter Rick Koch has been selected to receive the Cecil Perkins Service Award for 2015.
The award, which is presented by the SWOSU Athletic Department, will be awarded later this month at the department's annual All-Sports Banquet on Wednesday, April 22 in the University Ballroom.
"I'm shocked, to be honest with you, and pleased to be honored with the Cecil Perkins Service Award," Koch said after learning of the award. "Cecil was a friend of mine, Coach (Todd) Thurman is a friend of mine and Southwestern has always been a friend to me and my family. I know a lot of people who have done a lot of things for this university and I don't know why they would pick someone like me, but it's definitely an honor because of how much SWOSU means to myself, this community and the entire region."
A native of Weatherford, Koch briefly attended SWOSU after graduating from Weatherford High School before opening his first gasoline station in 1979 while still a teenager. Since that time, the Koch family name and ASAP Energy, Inc., have become staples of the Weatherford community and around western Oklahoma.
Having been in Weatherford his entire life, Koch fondly recalls some of the great sporting teams fielded by the Bulldogs, including the championship teams of Lady Bulldog basketball and SWOSU rodeo along with the 1996 football team, which won their lone National Championship on their home field at Milam Stadium.
It wasn't until Koch was approached by a group of local businessmen, including Perkins, however, that he began to fully grasp the importance of being involved with the local university.
"Cecil was the type of guy who always had an open ear to talk to and he showed his appreciation for people who did things for his university," Koch said. "There was a great group of veterans – including Gary Winters, Joe Phillips and Doc Mitchell – who showed me how to be involved. I realized real quick that when you get more acquainted with the people involved, they appreciate the assistance and realize that they need your help. It just continues because the more that you help, the more you'll see that you're needed."
It was the consistent support of Koch for the better part of 20 years that entrusted SWOSU Athletic Director
Todd Thurman to approach him about an idea that could shape the future of SWOSU Athletics. With an eye on a new multi-purpose facility that would benefit both the university and surrounding area, SWOSU first had to raise the funds for AstroTurf at Milam Stadium, giving the Bulldog football team a place to practice year round. With the practice fields previously used by the team now unnecessary, they would provide an ideal location for the new Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
Realizing the benefit the turf could provide, Koch stepped up to the plate financially as the primary donor for the project at Milam Stadium, which now bears the name of Fast Lane Field for his franchise. As is the nature of the community, several other SWOSU supporters also pitched in to help the project reach its completion in March of 2010.
"There's no way to measure the true impact that SWOSU has on Weatherford," Koch said when asked about the project. "When the turf idea was looked at, we realized that we both needed each other's help because there was so much potential to do more special events and games by adding turf. The progress of our facilities on campus has contributed to the sustained growth of this university, which in turn helps our community."
With the university's transition to the Great American Conference along with several facility upgrades, many of which included Koch's donations, he is convinced that the best is yet to come for SWOSU Athletics.
"One of the best memories is still happening," Koch said. "For my wife Sheila and I, we enjoy attending SWOSU games together to see the new coaches that come to town and the kids they bring into this community. This is a great place to get an education and we've been the beneficiary of several well-educated graduates of Southwestern and I think the best is yet to come because we're still building. For that reason, I would like to see more people get involved and understand the potential SWOSU offers to our community and surrounding region."
This is the third year that the Cecil Perkins Service Award has been presented. The award is named for Perkins, the former SWOSU Athletic Director who passed away in September 2013. Perkins helped pioneer the direction of the Bulldogs' athletic programs for more than a quarter century, elevating the SWOSU Athletic Department to the NCAA Division II level. His philosophy of putting the student-athlete first in any decision has led to hundreds of individual success stories that continue to positively impact the new generation of students, coaches and teams at SWOSU and beyond.
Cecil Perkins Service Award Recipients2015: Rick Koch
2014: Max & Judy Pyron
2013: Joe Phillips
