‘Feel Like I Kinda Lost a Hero’: Jacie Hoyt, Other OSU Coaches Discuss Shrum’s Resignation

STILLWATER — Jacie Hoyt, David Taylor and Steve Lutz are the three newest head coaches at Oklahoma State, all being hired during Kayse Shrum’s tenure as the university’s president.

Shrum’s presidency came to an end this week. The Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents on Wednesday announced that it had accepted Shrum’s resignation letter. All being in season, Hoyt, Taylor and Lutz have met with reporters since Shrum’s departure from the university. All expressed gratitude in Shrum’s role in bringing them to Stillwater. Hoyt, the Cowgirls’ third-year basketball coach, had to collect herself before discussing someone she called “a hero.”

“For Jacie Hoyt (the person), she meant a lot — she does mean a lot,” Hoyt said Thursday. “She’s been an incredible friend to me. She’s been an incredible mentor. She’s someone that I look up to as a female leader. She’s everything that I hope I can be. I mean, she’s got wisdom, she’s got class, she’s got integrity, she’s just a leader. She has been with me through the highest of highs in my time here and the lowest of lows. I’m forever grateful to her for that and just her friendship, her mentorship. Feel like I kinda lost a hero in that sense. Professionally, she has meant a lot to our program. We’re women’s basketball players, right? She’s been heavily involved in our recruiting. She’s been heavily involved in just the support of our team. We lost a good one in that sense. It’s gonna be hard to replace just what she did for us specifically as women’s basketball players, and to our program, she meant a lot. …

“That’s going to be hard for us to replace. She was very impactful for our program. I have full confidence that we’re gonna get the right person in, and I don’t mean that to take away from anyone in the future, but she just meant a lot to me personally and me professionally.”

Shrum took over as OSU’s president leading into the 2021-22 school year. That march, OSU hired Hoyt. She led the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament in her first year and has OSU in the Top 25 in Year 3. More recently, OSU has added Taylor and Lutz. Neither worked more than a calendar year under Shrum’s leadership.

Little is known publicly exactly why Shrum resigned. NonDoc on Wednesday released a report about a review into OSU’s Innovation Foundation. The Tulsa World reported Wednesday night that former Innovation Foundation CEO Elizabeth Pollard, who also resigned, denied any irregularities.

“Obviously, I’m the basketball coach, so I’m not privy to a lot of things, but she was the one who put faith in me and hired me and she’s no longer here,” Lutz said. “It’s an interesting situation, but this university has always managed to excel, and I’m positive that we’ll continue to maintain that and move forward with whatever they feel is best for our university.”

Shrum was a regular at OSU sporting events — both home and away — in her time as president. She had an athletic background, playing softball at Connors State College.

“I think she’s done a great job with the university, and she was super supportive of, obviously, when I came down here,” Taylor said. “My interactions with her have been great. I think she’s leaving us in a great spot, and I wish her luck as she moves on. Excited about the future of our program and the university.”