S2 E2 - When Leadership Becomes Service w/ Senator Adam Pugh

In this episode of Leadership Unscripted, Dr. Greg Steely is joined by Adam Pugh, Oklahoma State Senator and Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Senator Pugh’s leadership journey spans military service in the United States Air Force, the private sector, and public office, giving him a grounded perspective on responsibility and service.

The conversation centers on what it means to lead when decisions carry real consequences for students, teachers, and families. Senator Pugh reflects on education policy as stewardship, how conviction and collaboration must work together, and why keeping students at the center matters even inside complex political systems.

At a time when public trust and long-term thinking are essential, this episode offers a clear look at leadership rooted in service, discipline, and accountability.

Leadership Unscripted is brought to you by Growing Leaders a program of the Maxwell Leadership Foundation. Learn more about Growing Leaders at Growingleaders.com and Maxwell Leadership Foundation by Visiting Maxwellleadership.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Today on Leadership Unscripted, I'm joined by Oklahoma State Senator Adam Pugh. Senator Pugh has served our state through multiple chapters of leadership, including military service, the United States Air Force, the private sector, and now he is the chairman of the Oklahoma Senate Education Committee. In his role at the Capitol, where he just was, just told me he just came from the Capitol, he helped shape education policy that impacts so many students, teachers, and families across the state. His leadership journey begins together with service, discipline, and a deep commitment for preparing the next generation for success. Well, that's awesome. We were just talking, the senator and I, before we get into the first question, we were just talking about John Maxwell, who's our founder, you know, and and the senator was talking, which we hear this all the time. My first book ever was Developing the Leader Within You, which is what everybody says. And now we've made a full circle moment, which was a cool moment for us and your mom, by the way, who brought you.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Can't wait to tell my mom she's gonna be so excited. I've I've uh I'm I've got a proud mama, um, as uh as most moms and dads are. Um, and that was the first leadership book she bought me. Um, and it and it stuck out to me. And I was just a high school student at the time in the in the early 90s, and and um really um it's so fun to think was it now three decades later, uh say, Mom, remember you bought me that book? Well, guess who I talked to? How fun is this?

SPEAKER_01 1:53

You could say, I I didn't talk to John Maxwell, but I talked to a guy who has sat next to John Maxwell before. And so now I feel like I have sat next to John Maxwell. That's right. That's right. Listen, that means your mom will have to listen to the podcast because we've mentioned her. So we know that your mom's listening. I know my mom's listening. We got two and you and I. So we got four. I doubt our wives will listen because they hear us talk all the time. So we know we have at least four people, so that's great. Hey, um, let's get started. First thing I want to ask you, man, you know, in your bio, it was real short. It's much longer your your level of service and what you've done, not only in the country, but in the state of Oklahoma and really everywhere that you've been. You've led in the military, which we thank you, you know, so much. Eight years, I think you were in the Air Force, I believe is what I read. And um, and I mean, if you it go find Senator Pugh's bio and read what he did when he was in the Air Force. There were a lot of words in there that were way beyond my educational stature of what you did, but served so well for us uh as a country there. You've served in the private sector and now in the state government. What's a leadership principle that's remained constant across every one of those chapters of your career?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

A great question. I'm gonna cheat here. I hope you don't mind. I'm gonna I'm gonna offer you two. Good. Uh, but I'm gonna I'm gonna start with what I think the most important one is, and that's the focus on people. Yeah. Um as a young kid, uh I was very fortunate to have a wonderful mentor. Um I grew up without a dad, uh, Dr. Seely. And so uh raised by my mom, single parent, home, my sister and I, um, I was very fortunate. God always put really, really good people in my life. Um, and and one such um um just the the focus on people. Uh and he said to me, uh, you lead people and you manage things. Wow. Um, and so the idea of putting people and the relationships you build with them at the heart of leadership, uh I think really matters because it's hard to consider yourself a leader if you don't have a heart to serve people. I mean, that is what this is about. And for me, and every every opportunity I've had to lead, it's people have been at the center of it. I'm leading, I'm leading those people in some capacity. And sometimes, to be fair, it's not because I had a formal title. And I think that's really important when it comes to leadership. You don't have to have a formal title, elected official or president of a company or whatever it might be, uh, an officer in the military, captain of a sports team, uh, to be a leader. There are a lot of opportunities to be to be leaders. Um, and if you're focused on serving people, you will find those opportunities regardless of if you've been given the formal position uh or not. The other thing, which is actually a Maxwell principle, um, it's and it's the line I use the most uh from all the books I read, this one I use all the time, Dr. Cecilian. It's you teach people how to treat you, and you do that by how you treat them. And so when you keep people at the center of the leadership principle because you just want to serve them and you love people, uh, and then you are teaching them how to treat you because of the way you're treating them. And and it's kind of that golden rule principle, put maybe in in even a more pragmatic, um, modern way of thinking. Um, and that's I'm gonna be honest with you, that's hard in politics because not everybody, not everyone maybe adheres to that principle, sadly. Um, and so um we see a lot of a lot of times the way people try to lead or influence on social media or in the digital communications era, um, and it's not the way uh I was raised. It's not the way I think God has called me uh to talk to others and talk about others and engage the world as a person of faith. Uh, but I try uh to keep those two principles at the center of every opportunity I have to lead, and I think it's it's helped me be successful.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

I love what you said um about servant leadership. So I want to I want to ask you a question. And we don't have the solution for this, but I'd I'd love for the audience to hear your feedback. Most I I would argue most men and women who enter into the government work, whether it's you know, to run for office or appointed to office, I have to believe at the at the very beginning it's to serve people, right? They've either seen a wrong that they want a right, or they've seen people that have have uh been oppressed or not treated well, or they want something to be better. Usually, right? They're not trying to make things worse. Where what do you think happens? And this is probably a general leadership question, and you've again you've seen this throughout a lot of different views and venues of leadership. Where does that change begin to happen with someone when they go from servant leadership is the number one thing to you mentioned it, to chasing positional leadership as the number one thing?

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Um boy, that's a complicated answer to unpack. There's a couple things. I think when you're put into a position of authority formally um with a title or promotion or whatever it might be, elected position in my case here today, as the senator from Edmund. Uh if you don't know who you are before you got there, it's really easy to lose your way as people start, I think, to um really use you and use your position to do things for themselves, uh, manipulate you, uh, flatter you, you know, that's something that happens in leadership all the time. Uh, you start to read your own press clippings, and and so you start to believe, oh, I am smart or I am the most handsome person in this organization, or whatever it might be. And if you don't, you're not grounded uh in the reality of I'm just a person who's answering a call and an opportunity, uh, and uh and and God can use anybody. He may have called me, you know, given me this unique opportunity, but he can use anyone, and that's all I am. I'm just someone who answered a call, right? You know, uh the verse from Isaiah, you know, who here I am, Lord, send me. Um, and so I just I just said I can do that, right? Uh, but if you don't, if you're not grounded in that before you enter politics or get promoted, um, it's really the uh really easy to lose your way. I think the other thing which people I hope stress when they talk about leadership, uh, and you know this, Dr. Seely, leadership is hard. It is really hard. Holy moly. Um, I joke all the time, I never thought I'd be less popular than I was in high school, and then I got elected. So it is human nature when things get hard. Um, you just say, you know what, this isn't worth it. I'm just gonna raise my family or run my business. I'm subjecting myself to criticism, kind of the man in the arena, you know, mentality. Um, and I can just sit in my office for 12 years, you know, we're term-limited in the state of Oklahoma and our elected uh legislative positions. I can sit in my office for 12 years, not accomplish much, not try hard, not put myself out there and be bold and ideas and policy aims, uh, and probably receive minimal criticism, but really not get anything done. Kind of waste my time. Um, and I'm just that just that's just not for me. Uh, I have a finite amount of amount of time to uh make an impact. And um God's given me some some tool sets, and then really I just said, yes, yes, God, I can do that uh when the opportunity is presented. Um and that does subject yourself um to criticism and ridicule and you know, um lots of public stumbles and and lots of criticisms when the strong man stumbles, right? And so uh when that gets hard, um, leaders can't just say, that's it, throw my hands in the air and say, I've had enough, I'm done with this. Um that's just not my personality. I was raised by a very strong woman uh who had to overcome a lot, and she did it with humility and grace, and that always uh stuck with me uh as my original hero, my mom. And so uh a woman who never had a formal leadership position, ever, uh, but was the leader of our family, and uh, and I uh I carry on her story and her impact in me because I want to I want to honor someone that I I saw as a leader, even when maybe the world wouldn't have recognized that. So good, man.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

And what I what I love of what you're saying is like as an elected official, you could have you could run your term out and and do nothing. But what you've done is the complete opposite. In fact, and and I want the audience to hear, this is kind of a uh combined questions here, I want to I want them to hear your heart about education because not not only did you not put your hands uh uh your hands up and say, I'm out, you actually decided to dive into what could be one of the most divisive things in our country today, which is which is the future of educating the next generation. How do you how do you as a leader, where did that come from, right? A and B, as a legislator, how do you balance kind of these big policy decisions, because that's up to you, right? That that's real, with the everyday experiences of teachers and students in Oklahoma that they have to go to, which sometimes they don't care about the policy, right? They're dealing with whatever's in the classroom. So talk about your heart for education. You're you're diving in all in, I mean, really hard in in lots of areas, and talk about that how how as a legislator you're trying to help manage the relationship there with students and teachers.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Yeah, when I first got elected in 2016, um we had a$900 million budget shortfall on uh on an$8 million um$8 billion budget. Uh my second year in the legislature, we had a$1.3 billion budget shortfall on about an$8 billion budget, maybe even a little less, seven point something. Um and so when I first when I got elected, I told the the leader of the Senate, the Senate pro tem, uh, I'll do anything but education. Uh, because uh as as you mentioned, it it people are passionate about it. Um and they come from different perspectives, whether it be partisan perspectives, personal experiences, um, very strong feelings. And and I I I love that because it's the most personal thing we do. Um, raise our kids, educate them, send them to school every day. It's the most common experience Oklahomans and Americans have is uh educating our kids and raising our families. Um and so people have very strong feelings, and I didn't feel at the time equipped, uh, frankly, um, to be able to tackle those issues. Um, fast forward after my first term, which is four years, uh I went to the pro tem in the Senate and I said, I've got to be the chair of education because nobody is leading this discussion. Uh, we've become really good at, regardless of party, at telling everyone what we're against, not telling people what they're what we're for. And so leaders have to set visions and build agendas and then uh build coalitions um to get stuff done. That's what that's leadership is. You can things can happen by sheer force of will from time to time. Um, but I don't think that's lasting legacy uh for how to lead organizations. And so um I asked the Pro Tem to be the education chair, and I said, uh, if you let me own it, own this policy area, I will I will become the expert for the Senate, which is what I want you to expect from me. Become the expert of the Senate in education policy. I will build relationships and travel around the state. I will listen and learn and ask lots of questions and dive in. I'll make hard decisions. I won't embarrass you. You know, you put a lot of trust in me to be the chair of education. I won't embarrass you, uh, but I want to lead. I want to lead this and tell people where we're gonna go uh as a as a committee and as a state uh in education, in a state that frankly I think we'd like to see our education rankings be elevated and our kids' academic success um progress beyond what it currently is. Um so how did that happen? Uh it started because uh it started with just starting to at the core people, uh teachers who are in the classroom every single day, school leaders who are running school districts or school sites as principals or superintendents locally, parents like myself, three small kids in the school system who have all these experiences and feelings about what we want from education, and the community and businesses who reap the benefits of an educated population because they need workforce, uh, they need innovators, they need problem solvers, and they need people to step into their businesses and lead them and then hopefully start their own and be you know productive, successful Americans. And so uh I just started having meetings with people and collaborating. And it was really funny because I think when I first became chair of Dr. Seeley, a lot of people were on edge. I wasn't, I didn't come from an education background, though I believe in the value and power of education as the you know the tide that lists all boats. Um, because I didn't come from an education background, I think there was a little bit of skepticism. In fact, I even had some school leaders say to me, you know, when we first got started, we were leery of you leading the committee. And you don't always tell us what we want to hear, and we really like that. And I was also the first one to start convening these large meetings and just asking lots of questions and standing there kind of on the firing line and say, have at it, tell us where we can be better, tell us that we can get better. Uh and that built a lot of trust because again, I put people at the center of it, starting with parents and teachers and school leaders. And I just wanted to learn and listen. And I think um, if you're authentic in that and you're genuine, people see that. And it doesn't mean we have to walk away, and we haven't walked away from every meeting agreeing on policy or bills that I was authoring or voting yes or no on. But I think we walked away with mutual respect and more importantly for me, like a true love, like a true brotherly love of you know, me being called in Christ to just love this person, regardless of what yard sign they had in their yard or what their you know voter registration was or what we disagreed on. Uh, and so at the heart of that, um, kind of that Christ-centered how you see the world and how Christ has called us to see the world. Um, if I I I've tried to remain steadfast in that. And I think it's really helped me around the state um with those relationships, and and then people trust me and they can they can tell me what's going on and I'll listen to them and I'll work hard with them uh to do good things in service to Oklahoma.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

That's so good. I love how you said that you know, you you you're again back to your uh the main tenant of your leadership, which is servant leadership, right? But in order to serve people, you kind of have to go where people are, and you have to be where they are and think where they are, right? Like you but you can't do that sitting in a in a chair in your office at the Capitol, right? You can't you can't do that, you know, having hopa, hopa, hope of that things get better, but not doing anything about it. So I love the fact that you've jumped in. I love the fact that you don't have the education background, right? I mean, that's sometimes having that outside view is what benefits um an area, and I love that. What are you what are you really excited about in terms of the next generation in education in Oklahoma right now? Like what are you what what can you share about man, the future is really, really looking good for us here?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Yeah, a few things. Um we're we're working really hard to align um what the education system produces with what do we need. Um and and taught and so I come from an aerospace, you know, aerospace is my industry. I own an aerospace company. I flew um in the Air Force, and it's really the only industry I've known for almost 30 years now. Um, and it's our fastest growing industry. So it has been so fun for me to see the aerospace industry, like large companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, you know, and and their executive leadership come to folks in my position and say, we need all of your engineers now. We're gonna help you produce engineers because you don't just show up in college and say, Oh, I think I'll be an engineer. I've never taken an algebra class. Um, and so it's been so fun to work with companies I know and respect and have flown their products and worked with their leadership to say, hey, we're gonna get into high schools and middle schools and get kids excited about flying. My my youngest is eight. And he, I've dad moment, he loves airplanes, and I feel like, man, I have achieved something because I've got Charlie to love airplanes and flying. And so now I'm gonna make the connection. Charlie, you want you love rockets or you love airplanes, you want to build a unmanned passenger plane that can travel at the speed of sound from you know New York to Paris in, you know, maybe an hour and a half. Um, you gotta be you're gonna have to be good at calculus, Charlie. That's right. So let's connect, you know, let's connect the skill sets we're learning and and and and have uh the schools be asking the business community, be asking uh, you know, the engaged citizens, what do you want out of out of this? We're I wish, Dr. Seely, if we were all in ancient Athens and we could sit around the community pool and just talk about the great philosophers for the altruism of education, great. That's not the the society and the fast-moving economy we live in. And so kids need skill sets when they are matriculating through high school or career tech and vote system or when they get to college. They need tangible skill sets so that they can be all that God's called them to be. That's all I care about. I want every kid to have the chance to be everything God's called them to be. And I know uniquely that some of them want to be plumbers and some of them want to be engineers, some of them want to be entrepreneurs, some of them want to raise their right hand as an 18-year-old and join the Oklahoma National Guard. And I want them to be physically and mentally prepared for boot camp and what that challenge is going to look like. Um, and so it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. And we're trying really hard to be unique and be respective of local control while also saying the state has a vested interest, the country has a vested interest. It's a national security issue for us. We have a lot of adversary and peer nations um that you know want to hurt us economically, militarily, diplomatically, etc. And we need a generation that is prepared in an all-voluntary military environment to go um fight those wars and defend our interests at home and abroad. And I'm passionate about that. And and the school system is a big part of how we're going to achieve that and keep America prosperous and safe.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

I love what you're saying about what one of y'all's, you know, one of your focuses, especially in the state's focus, is let's make sure it's not one size fits all, right? Let's let's make sure we're creating an environment in the classroom through education that kids are prepared. But that's what I loved about what you said. Let's let's get them prepared for whatever that next step is to make the decision easier and to make the journey easier for them. Education shouldn't be making it harder, it should be making it easier, not just in knowledge and skill, but development and character as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Yeah. Yeah, it's um, you know, it it's it's so important that you know I was so blessed to have great coaches and great teachers and great mentors um that outside of just my academics were also pouring into me. A youth pastor who to this day, uh, I still call, uh, who's running a church now out in California. Um, but I still call uh just to tell him, man, thank you. Like I hope you hear this a thousand times over, but if you only hear from me, so be it. But thank you. Thank you for investing in me and pouring into me and mentoring me and loving on me. And the impact you made is generational, right? Um, especially for me coming from a family uh of poverty, and um it's uh changed my family tree, having people like that and the educational opportunities afforded me. Um, and so that's that's so important um to have. Have that, and there's a lot of good programs I've been involved in. Um, um, you know, like being a young life leader or being a you know, big brothers, big sisters uh volunteer when I was in the military. We have a great program called WizKids where we go into inner city schools through my church and we teach kids how to read at an early age who don't have it at home or coming from you know tough, tough backgrounds, or probably not getting everything they need uh and their needs met and their family. And so um just programs like that. Um again, chances to lead by serving, uh, which is which is uh I think um awesome. And in the end, what's great about that is it fills me up. Yeah, that's right. Right. I mean, that's the great thing, right? I'm I get I get blessed um well by by spending my time investing in things like that. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

All right, last question, then we're gonna do some rabbit cigars. Yeah, you're not prepared for it. Okay. Um uh but listen, you're a politician, you're prepared all the time, right? You're always ready. That's right. So, last question. What's what's the one thing uh you finish your run in legislator and and um and whatever the next journey is for you? I know you've got some things you're working on there too. You you finish. What's the one thing you want a student to walk away with from the things that you helped lead in overall? What do you want them to for that to stick?

SPEAKER_00 23:20

Yeah, I there are gonna be, I hope, um, Dr. Seeley, that there's a lot of faces I've never had the pleasure to meet, though I hope I do, but I've probably never had the pleasure to meet them. May not ever know I put my name on a bill or I impacted them in some way. Um, but I hope when a kid um walk looks back, uh so I even want to go for very future-facing, someone in a position like me can look back and say, Um, you know, I had a great teacher, and they won't know, well, it's because we spent a lot of effort recruiting great men and women into the classroom. Or I went to a small school, but I had a unique engineering opportunity or an internship, an apprenticeship that changed my life. I thought I was going to be working on my family's ranch the rest of my life because I was good at fixing John Deere's, but I'm building airplanes now because I had a mechanical skill set. And they won't ever know that you know Senator Adam Pugh helped provide that opportunity um by making flexible graduation requirements. Um, in the end, what I really hope, um, however, is apart from any bill, because frankly, when I'm not in the legislature anymore, my my successors can change anything I did just by changing the words on the page to do something different. And I remember that. Um, I'll never be more important than I am inside the four walls of my own home.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

And so what I hope when when I get to interact with people, I hope what they see first and foremost for me is someone who loves their family, who's a great dad and a great husband first and foremost, because what would it gain me to have all this other impact everywhere else at the Capitol or in business and have lost my family and and lost what would really matter to me uh most uh in that process. And so I hope when I interact with people, they see that. They see they see someone who loves their family and loves serving the Lord and loves investing in his community, um, and that uh they remember that that man, that guy was just a genuine dude. Um, you know, we've got a saying in my company, um, my business partner, we call him Jad One and I'm Jad Two. We're the founders of the company. He's just the dude number one, and I'm just the dude number two. And he's a retired Marine who flew Marine One helicopters and has a lot of crazy combat, but we're Jad one and two, um, just dudes. And so we're just people that again answered the call. And I hope people see that sincerity and genuineness and um and and and they're they're they're touched, maybe inspired by man, look at this guy. He you know, he could have been a statistic. In fact, I should have been. I should have been a statistic, really. Uh he should have been a statistic. Um, but but um he his he wanted more, and um God gave him the ability to have you know have have more um and presented him with opportunities, and then he just took advantage of it. Yeah, right? That's all it came down to can't steer a parked car.

unknown 26:14

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

I just took advantage of it. All right, rapid fire.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Three three three questions. All right. All right, first question. You get 30 minutes with any leader in the history of time, dead or alive. Okay, oh man. Who would you want 30 minutes with and why?

SPEAKER_00 26:31

Oh, geez. Well, my uh my political hero, um, and I've got three, the kind of Mount Rushmore for me, it's Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. However, it'd be Teddy Roosevelt. I am fascinated by his story. Uh, a guy who grew up, uh obviously came from a family of means, but had a lot of uh physical challenges. You know, his dad used to tell him, son, you're gonna be weak, so you better make your brain strong. Uh the guy ends up sailing around the world as a war hero, you know, explores most of the the modern world, um, you know, founds the national parks, discovers species of animals, and just was a big doer and a big dreamer, uh, and really did everything. Chief of police, mayor, governor, president, war hero, sailed around. I mean, all these cool things. And that's that's kind of me. I uh my wife knows I like to be busy, I like to do a lot of things, and I'd love to just sit out with it. But we'd probably be riding horses or something in Montana. Uh, but I'd love to have 30 minutes with Teddy Roosevelt.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

I'm with you, man. He's probably one of my top three as well. Uh, I tell my wife all the time, she completely disagrees with me. I'm like, I could have grown up in the cowboy era, I could have been a cowboy. She's like, there's no possible way to be in that time. But um, I could see myself on a horse with Teddy Roosevelt hitting the trail, man, and going out and getting some stuff done. Like I'd grow the mustache, I'd have the whole thing. I'd even wear the glasses, I'd even wear the round, like I'd do it all. That's a great one. All right. Second question. Um I love Teddy. I'm glad you said that. Yeah. Um second question. So you don't have any free time, but if you're not in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, you're not, you've got three beautiful kids, you're not being a great dad. What does, you know, what does what does Adam like to do when he's got Adam time?

SPEAKER_00 28:19

Two things, and they go together even though they seem by diametrically opposed. I love food, I love to eat, and I love I love kind of all things fitness, working out, playing sports, playing games, and I like it as I you know approach 50 years old because I love to eat. So I have to do the better like it. Um, but I I teach a boot camp class, so I'm a boot camp instructor. So every morning at 0530, uh up at Adam teaching a boot camp class. And I always tell people when they're new to my class, uh, my goal is to make you not want to come back. Yeah. I'm gonna make it so hard you're not gonna want to come back, but you're gonna want to come back because you're like, damn, that was hard. And I need to be there again. It's making a difference. Yes. So I I love working out. Um, you know, obviously chair of education, but I served on health and human services for 10 years, very concerned about health care outcomes in in the state of Oklahoma, but nationwide as well, because we spend more money than any country in the world. Our health outcare outcomes, our health care outcomes continue to decline. And it's because it's diet and exercise, Dr. Steeley. Uh we we've got to figure out how to be a healthy nation. Uh, and I'm passionate about that. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

All right, I'm gonna get the last one. This is gonna put you in a tough spot, man. Oh, I think I know how you're gonna answer where you're at, but okay. Um let's let's remove ourselves from reality because this this may never happen. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

National championship football game. University of Pittsburgh versus the Sooners.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Senator Pugh from Oklahoma, a graduate of both schools, is going to be on which sideline?

SPEAKER_00 29:53

I really hope my Sooner friends uh understand where this is coming from. You I've got three degrees that you know from Pitt undergrad, a master's from Troy State University in Alabama, and then my MBA from OU. You never really stop loving your undergraduate alma mater. That's right. Um, you just don't. And so uh I could be political that uh, you know, uh and certainly be sensitive to that. Uh, but um it's I I love my alma mater uh and University of Pittsburgh. And here's the thing, OU's had so much success and certain things. Can you give me one? The last one was 1977, uh, you know, when when Tony Dorasset was uh prowling the backfields in Pittsburgh. So come on, can I just get one?

SPEAKER_01 30:40

I mean, yeah, I mean the guys had arguably one of the schools had arguably one of the best running backs of all time come from there. Arguably the best quarterback of all time from there, right? One of the best defensive ends in Hugh Green ever to play football. So can the guy can they not get at least get one? All I'm asking. The Supers don't need you. They don't need Senator Hughes.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

I'm kind of sick of going eight and five every year and hoping next year the better.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

I think it's my serving the great state. I think you're serving the great state of Oklahoma by being a servant leadership and saying, I'm going with the underdog here. I'm going in with Pittsburgh. Okay. I think I think you guys can understand that. So I love that. I love that. I know I knew that was going to be tough for you, but but when you're gave you the non-political answer.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

You did.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Like I said, you've got to be genuine and authentic. You have to. That's what they that's what they want. And when you're as loved as much as you are in the state of Oklahoma, you can say anything you want to and then be fine. So that's great, man. Hey, listen, we're out of time, man. This has been incredible. So fun. This has been a lot of fun. And um, I really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule. I know you've got a lot going on, and and uh I'm I'm really always very aware of times like this where you could even be with your family when you've got a little few minutes. I appreciate you taking the time with us because it it it's helping people, Senator, when you when you're sharing your heart of leadership, it's helping not only people in Oklahoma and leaders in Oklahoma, but leaders around the country. And so you're you're making you'll make a difference in lives you'll never know. And I appreciate you doing that, and it means a lot to us. So thank you so much, so much for being with us. Um and uh and blessings to you, man, and and your future. And I know you've got an exciting thing coming up in 2026 in the in the race, and we're we're sure to go on to the finish line.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

Well, thank you. So fun to be on your show, Dr. Seely. I'm honored and thanks for pouring into young people and investing in leadership because um it really can. I'm I'm I'm I'm an example of it. Um it it can change a whole family tree, which is awesome. So thank you. Thank you, sir. Yes, sir.