Bacon Now, Beef Later: Kenny Gajewski Discusses His Ideal Retirement and Kids’ Show Pigs

STILLWATER — Each person’s imagination of retirement is different, and some visualizations are more interesting than others.

For Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski, retirement looks like riding in a truck and talking to cattle.

“They don’t talk back,” Gajewski said. “They just seem to be such peaceful animals. I’ve always had a love for cattle.”

OSU wrestling coach John Smith recently shared anecdotes of breaking ice to prevent his cattle from drowning, and Mike Gundy’s list of hunting and animal-related stories is endless. So when I asked Gajewski what sort of farming background he had to contribute, I was surprised to hear he didn’t have any cattle, rattlesnakes or turtles of his own.

Although he doesn’t have any of the aforementioned animals, his kids have a pair of show pigs named Sizzle and Pepper. One is a Berkshire, and the other is a Duroc. I had no idea what either of those look like. But after a quick Google search, I found they look like normal pigs, except one is a brownish-red and the other is dark gray/black.

Gajewski was having coffee with a group of friends one morning when the idea was brought up. His kids are too young for Future Farmers of America, so he got them involved in 4-H, which is, from my understanding, Future Farmers of America for younger people. So, Future Future Farmers of America, or something like that.

“I can’t believe this, but at times I’m out there spraying baby oil and brushing pigs,” Gajewski said. “It’s like the craziest thing I’ve been involved in in my entire life.”

The concept of show pigs is foreign to me. Instead of explaining how they’re judged, here’s a diagram from thejudgingconnection.com.

Here’s to hoping Sizzle and Pepper are more heavy-boned and deep-ribbed than the rest of ‘em.