OSU Coach Eric Morris wants to kill Shirtless Section 231. After going viral last season during tough losses, “No-Shirty-One” faces retirement as the Cowboys aim for wins — but will fans obey?
Should Section No-Shirty-One Be Kept Alive?
STILLWATER, Okla. —
Oklahoma State football head coach Eric Morris made it clear after the 2026 spring game: he wants to retire the infamous shirtless tradition in Boone Pickens Stadium’s Section 231 once and for all.
“I do kind of want to get rid of the no-shirt thing, spinning, at some point,” Morris said. “It ran its course in my opinion. There’s some people up there doing it, but we’re going to be winning too many damn games and not be something that somebody can be on TV and make fun of us for something like that. That is in my opinion something that I would like to push out at some point.”
The coach even admitted the sight of “a bunch of grown men with their shirts off” distracted him during the spring scrimmage. His message was straightforward…the Pokes are moving forward, and so should the fan section once known as “Section 2 No-Shirty 1.”
The tradition was born out of desperation last season during one of the roughest stretches in recent program history.
On Oct. 11, 2025, in a 39-17 home loss to Houston, lifelong Cowboy fan Trent Eaton was dared by his sister Callista Bradford for a $10 bet. With much of the stadium emptying out, Eaton walked to a nearly deserted Section 231, ripped off his orange Pokes shirt, and began waving it wildly overhead. What started as one guy twirling his shirt like a helicopter quickly snowballed. Friends joined, then strangers, until sections 230, 231, and 232 were packed with shirtless fans spinning jerseys and creating a shirtless party in the middle of a blowout defeat.
Fans turned a bad situation into something memorable, adding their own brand of chaotic energy to home games throughout a difficult 2025 campaign. The “Journey of Section 231” went viral nationwide. ESPN named the shirtless fans their “Fans of the Week.”
Videos spread across social media, inspiring copycats at Wisconsin, UCLA, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and even Oregon, where the Ducks mascot joined the fun. The phenomenon became a symbol of Cowboy loyalty, making the best out of tough Saturdays when wins were hard to come by.
The creativity didn’t stop at bare chests. Last season also featured banana-costumed fans (nicknamed Pete’s Peelers) forming conga lines that snaked through the stands.
Now the question lingers…will students and fans still try to revive Shirtless Section 231 or dream up new shenanigans like the banana conga line when the 2026 season kicks off?
Oklahoma State’s first home game is Sept. 12 against Oregon, the first time the Ducks visit Boone Pickens. The Cowboys figure to be improved under Morris after a challenging 2025, but the Ducks are a top-tier program coming off a College Football Playoff run. Few would be surprised if Oregon pulls away handily.
If the scoreboard tilts heavily in the Ducks favor early, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see a few brave souls in Section 231 ditch their shirts again, at least for the duration of that game.
Fan reaction to Morris’ comments has been split. Some supporters agree with the head coach, saying the tradition had its moment but it’s time to move on now that the program is rebuilding with higher expectations. Others argue Section 231 was simply fans making the best out of a bad situation and that the wild energy it brought actually boosted home crowd atmosphere when the team needed it most. Plenty still believe the shirtless section adds the appeal that makes Cowboy games stand out.
Whatever happens, the upcoming season will test whether the “no-shirty-one” spirit lives on or gets permanently retired as wins pile up. Morris clearly wants the focus on football and fully clothed celebrations.
What do you think, Poke fans?
Should “Section No-Shirty-One” be kept alive as a fun tradition, or is it time to put it to bed and retire it for good?
Do you share the same sentiments as Coach Morris, or will the shirtless crew make a comeback the next time the Cowboys find themselves in a tough spot?