NORMAN — Patty Gasso isn't one to bask in the spotlight. She's often 'stoic' she says, one who wants others to have the glory.

So when it came to selecting the pose for her statue, she wanted it to be simple.

"I think, if there's an iconic pose from me, it's sticking my hand out and watching someone slap it after the hit a monster national championship-winning home run or whatever it is," Gasso said. "So I just wanted it to be very simple and very me but also representing our entire program."

It looks like the mission was accomplished. The Sooners unveiled the new statue of the highly-decorated softball coach on Friday at Love's Field, with Gasso displaying a pose that she's done a hundred times before with her players.

Gasso, who was hired as the program's head coach in 1995, has spent the last 29 seasons with the Sooners. Boasting 1,676 career wins, Gasso is the winningest active coach in NCAA history in both total wins and winning percentage (.802), and she is third all-time in both categories.

As a Sooner, Gasso has a coaching record of 1,515-353-2 and closed her time in the Big 12 as the winningest coach in the conference and more than double the overall wins of any OU coach. Most notably, she's won eight national championships as the program's head coach, with six of those coming since 2016.

Just four months following the Sooners' eighth title — and fourth-consecutive championship — Gasso was enshrined with a statue outside the program's new stadium.

"I don't want you to go, 'Oh, there's Patty Gasso.' I wanted to represent Marita Hynes, I wanted to represent Jocelyn Alo, Keilani Ricketts," Gasso said. "Anybody who's ever been here, I hope they feel that is kind of more of a representation of us instead of me."

The ceremony was attended by both fans and current former and Sooner players, with speakers including former players Lynnsie Elam and Kelsey Arnold, OU president Joe Castiglione and OU athletic director Joseph Harroz.

"You mean so much to me," said Arnold, who won championships with the team as a short stop in 2016 and 2017. "You've helped mold me into the woman that I am today. You taught me to be a wife, a mother, a friend... You surrounded yourself with the best of the best, to your husband, to your coaching staff you surround yourself with. I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I appreciate everything that you've done for us."

Gasso has touted Elam, who won three titles with the Sooners as one of the program's most iconic players, as one of the cornerstones of the program. Elam spoke about Gasso's impact on her life, both on and off the field.

"From the time I started being recruited, I knew that you were special," Elam said. "And during my career at OU, it only became more evident. You obviously have the best mind in the country for softball, but more importantly you have the best approach at molding strong young women for this society. And after graduating, this became more apparent to me."

Castiglione announced the university would build a statue of Gasso during the championship parade in 2023. The statue was originally scheduled to be unveiled in April, but was postponed due to weather.

The Sooners managed to win another championship since that announcement and postponement. And for Castiglione, it was hard not to think about how much the program has grown since he arrived in 1998.

"I think about how Patty has changed the game," Castiglione said. "She started with trying to develop peoples' passion (at Reaves Park), and then the stadium, and then how we grew into a championship mindset in the development of great teams. One after the other, she adjusted, to now she is the era. She is the era. Oklahoma softball is the gold standard.

"This (statue) is going to be bronze when you see it, but it might as well be gold because she has set the standard for the entire sport."

Surrounded by her players, family and fans, Gasso was overwhelmed as the Sooners unveiled her statue outside of the stadium she helped build. That's what she'll remember.

"I think what I would remember is seeing, first of all, my family in the front, my grandkids," Gasso said. "I look to my left, I see a bunch of alums, some who just left this past year and some I've never coached. I look to my right and I see all the baby girls who are ready to take over the program. Just really excited about it.

"I look out and I see fans way over by Imhoff standing out there watching from afar. Probably remember cheering on the football team as they drove by in the busses. The dignitaries, Joe Harroz and Joe Castiglione, who really help catapult our sport. Besides me, they've really helped our sport grow by their commitment to our program. There's so many things, but it was so joyful."

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