Outgoing Big 12 referee Mike Defee’s tales from the front:
On OSU coach Mike Gundy: “Mike was great. Mike’s competitive. He’s intelligent, honest. He’d get upset, but he’d listen to you. There was a game against A&M, one of his players, a defensive end kept coming in (hitting the quarterback). I kept warning him. Wasn’t enough for a foul. He wouldn’t listen. I went over. ‘Listen, Mike, I need you to talk to 99 (made up number). I’ve talked to him and talked to him.’ He pulled that kid out, and I mean that series 99 comes up to me, patted me on the back, ‘Hey, ref, I apologize.