Pistol Pete ( mascot ) Pistol Pete is the athletics mascot of Oklahoma State University , New Mexico State University and the University of Wyoming . The Pistol Pete mascot costume features traditional cowboy attire and a headpiece resembling Frank Eaton . Pistol Pete has been the mascot for the Oklahoma State Cowboys since 1923 and the mascot for the New Mexico State Aggies since the 1950s . History . From the 1890s on , Oklahoma A & M sports teams had been referred to as the Agriculturists or Aggies , the Farmers , and officially but unpopularly , the Tigers . By 1924 Charles Saulsberry , sports editor of the Oklahoma City Times , and other writers who regularly covered college events had begun to refer to Stillwater ' s teams as the A & M Cowboys . The Athletic Council authorized Athletic Director Edward C . Gallagher to have 2 , 000 balloons printed , " Oklahoma Aggies - Ride ' Em Cowboy " for sale at football games in 1926 . Around 1923 , when Oklahoma A & M College was searching for a new mascot to replace their tiger ( which had been copied from Princeton and accounts for the orange and black school colors ) , a group of students saw Frank Eaton leading the Armistice Day Parade . He was approached to see if he would be interested in being the model for the new mascot , and he agreed . A likeness was drawn and began to be used on sweatshirts , stickers , etc . and a tradition was born . That caricature was the basis for what is used today as the official Oklahoma State University mascot . For thirty - five years , the crusty old cowboy was a living symbol of OSU , representing the colorful past of the area . As such , he would attend OSU athletic events , building dedications , etc . , and sign autographs , pose for photographs and reminisce about the American Old West with anyone who would listen . In more recent years , the University of Wyoming and New Mexico State University began using variations of OSU ' s artwork as logos for their schools . To this day , his likeness is a visible reminder of the Old West to literally millions of people yearly as a symbol of colleges whose mascots pay homage to the cowboy . However , it was not until 1958 that " Pistol Pete " was adopted as the school ' s mascot . The familiar caricature of " Pistol Pete " was officially sanctioned in 1984 by Oklahoma State University as a licensed symbol . Each year , an average of 15 Oklahoma State students audition to portray Pistol Pete . A panel of former " Petes " conduct the tryouts and select two replacements based largely on an interview . Candidates are also asked to exhibit themselves as they would during in - game scenarios . The two students chosen share around 650 appearances per year , which includes all OSU Cowboy and Cowgirl athletic events , though Pistol Pete has also assumed a significant role as an ambassador and symbol for Oklahoma State University at large . As such , Pistol Pete is often asked to make appearances in parades , community festivals , corporate functions , weddings and birthday parties . President Thep Phongparnich of Thailand ' s Maejo University received Oklahoma State ' s Distinguished International Alumni Award on November 12 , 2005 , following which his university also adopted Pistol Pete as a mascot .