Mike Gundy with Boone Pickens in Dallas on Saturday. Pickens turns 90 on May 22.

Mike Gundy is like all head football coaches in the month of May. He is busy, but unlike assistant coaches, head coaches cannot go out on the road per NCAA rules and evaluate recruits. Gundy did hit the road as recently he was with all other Big 12 head coaches in Scottsdale, Arizona for the Big 12 Coaches Meetings. He was in Kansas City on personal business late this week and on Saturday flew down to Dallas for a pretty important gathering. Oklahoma State's major donor, the man that provided the seed money and then added much of the growth as well to Oklahoma State's football stadium and facilities is celebrating his 90th birthday. Boone Pickens turns 90 on Tuesday (May 22), but there was a birthday party for the man that greatly helped change the way the outside athletic world looked at Oklahoma State and helped change the fortunes of Oklahoma State teams, especially the football program.

Gundy took time to salute Pickens on Twitter, letting Oklahoma State fans know he visited with the top donor. The soon to be 9o-year old was also active on social media on Friday, tweeting: "Every birthday week has to start with family. #Boone90 and the best is yet to come."

It has been no secret that in the past there have been times that Mike Gundy and Boone Pickens have not been bosom buddies, but more recently they have been good, actually really good. The two spoke at the Cowboys recent Pro Day this spring, have talked more on the phone, and Gundy and the Cowboys have a special birthday wish for Pickens that he either saw on Saturday or will see on Tuesday.

Our sources told us that Gundy made the effort to get to that birthday gathering in Dallas and was then heading back to catch some of his son's baseball games over the weekend.

It has been a group effort with Oklahoma State football and Pickens has provided the capital and financial necessary to get the program on a upward track. His name is on the stadium. Gundy and his coaches have done the recruiting and the development of players and on the field strategy. The players have done the heaviest work with their willingness to buy into the coaching and the Cowboy Culture that has had an impact on the success and continuity in the program.

Since 2010, Oklahoma State has six seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011) and a share of the Big 12 South title (2010). The Cowboys reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. All three entities mentioned above lay claim to this success and more.

Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in nine of the last 10 seasons and has posted 10-win seasons six of the last eight years. Only once has OSU finished lower than third in the Big 12 since 2009. The Cowboys have averaged 9.8 wins per year since 2010 and rank 10th nationally with 78 wins this decade.

Those two men shaking hands in the picture @CoachGundy on Twitter can look at each other and know that was done through a lot of sweat equity that each poured into Oklahoma State football. That is kind of a birthday present the pair have delivered to Oklahoma State fans.

Boone is slowing down some as he did not make it to as many Oklahoma State games last season, but it is through his generosity that the orange color of his blazer is shining so much brighter on the college football landscape than it has during most of his 90-years.