WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Oklahoma State Regent Jimmy Harrel, a longtime resident of western Oklahoma and supporter of Southwestern Oklahoma State University athletics, has been named the 2016 recipient of the Cecil Perkins Service Award.
The award, which is presented by the SWOSU Athletic Department, will be awarded later this month at the department's annual All-Sports Banquet, held on Wednesday, April 20th in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
"I'm very thankful Coach
Todd Thurman and the SWOSU Athletic Department selected me for this award," Harrel said. "There are a lot of people qualified for this award and I wonder if I was really as qualified as someone else, but I'm appreciative of this honor, which is named for a great man in Cecil Perkins."
A native of western Oklahoma, having grown up in Leedey, Harrel has served as a State Regent since 1999 following stints Wildlife Commission, Agriculture Commission and Oklahoma State University Regents. Additionally, he is the CEO and chairman of the board of directors of the Bank of Western Oklahoma, which has multiple locations, including a branch in Weatherford.
Harrel has been involved in banking since the 1980's, which coincides with the timeframe for when he began getting involved with the athletic programs at Southwestern. He lists some of his favorite memories as following the women's basketball teams during the John Loftin era, which produced five national championships for the Lady Bulldogs from 1982-90 and routinely packed out Rankin Williams Fieldhouse for each game.
"At that time, the winning tradition established by Coach Loftin is what drew me to Southwestern," Harrel said. "The program got to the level that they were competing for championships just about every year and I got involved, truthfully, because I like winners. A winner draws people to it. Rankin Williams Fieldhouse was filled every night that they played and you had to come pretty early to get a good seat. It was fun to watch them compete."
SWOSU and their rich tradition did continue to draw people west to Weatherford, a town that Harrel refers to as a 'hub' in western Oklahoma. He cites the university as a leader for improving the area, providing an excellent education and job opportunities for people in the area. Harrel has also helped with other projects that have boosted the economy such as bringing new highways that have led to adding new businesses such as Bar S Distribution to the area.
The Bank of Western Oklahoma is a visible name at SWOSU athletic facilities, with a logo on scoreboards at ASAP Energy Field, the Athletic Complex and the Pioneer Cellular Event Center – a facility of which Harrel was a leading proponent. While he enjoyed watching games in Rankin Williams Fieldhouse, Harrel realized it was time for renovations and he was one of the first people to become active in planning to renovate the facility or make plans to build a new one.
Along with the help of the City of Weatherford, Southwestern Oklahoma State University and the driving force of Athletic Director
Todd Thurman, ground broke on the project in December 2011 and the 'Crown Jewel of Western Oklahoma' officially opened its doors for business in January 2014. It's a project that Harrel is proud to associate with, knowing it will benefit all parties involved for a long time.
"There's a difference for the community and it will be a good recruiting tool, not just for athletics, but to get students from western Oklahoma to come to school here," Harrel said. "It's good for academics and a great drawing card for Weatherford, Southwestern and western Oklahoma for many, many years to come."
As a former educator himself, earning his bachelor's degree in animal science and vocational agriculture education from Oklahoma State University, Harrel embraces the benefits that education and athletics can have on each other. He also spent time as a coach at Taloga public schools, where he was high school principal and agriculture instructor in addition to a basketball coach.
While continued improvement has taken place with the athletic programs since becoming an NCAA Division II institution almost 20 years ago, Harrel continues to have a vision for the future of the department. One of the primary factors that will help in advancement is fundraising, which has made huge strides with the SWOSU Athletic Dinner Auction, now in its tenth year of existence.
"The Auction has been a good project for Southwestern and I'm looking forward to the next several years as we continue to improve and use our facilities in ways that will help our community," Harrel said. "I also think we have to continue to improve and move our athletic programs forward. Athletics have a lot to do with enrollment, community support and involvement. If more people grow up with games and events going on at Southwestern, they will be more interested in becoming a student."
This is the fourth 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 Recipients2016: Jimmy Harrel
2015: Rick Koch
2014: Max & Judy Pyron
2013: Joe Phillips
