Hidden treasure on sports scene

Everyone’s celebrating our fair state this week.

Here’s another reason to be proud of Oklahoma.

Watch my video commentary or read here:

One of the best kept secret in all of Oklahoma sports is hiding in plain sight. Right there on S.E. 29th Street, it sprawls for nearly a half mile. It has at least half a dozen buildings, probably more, and many are as big as an indoor practice football field.

Yet, even the staunchest sports fans in our fair state know little about Midwest Trophy.

Also known now as MTM Recognition, the company is an Oklahoma sports treasure. It started small three-plus decades ago. It’s big accounts then were bowling leagues and little leagues. You can still get a trophy there for your Thursday night league, but MTM now produces some of the best-known awards in all sports, too.

The NCAA championship trophies? MTM does those.

The Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl? MTM does those, too.

There’s also the World Series MVP, the awards for the Big 12 and several other conferences as well as the trophies for more than a dozen NASCAR races.

Heck, turn over any sports award in your house. Your son’s baseball trophy. Your daughter’s high school plaque. I’d almost bet the sticker on the bottom says it’s from MTM.

The business is a dream world of awards. Just the other day, they were doing glass etching on a bowl for a Big 12 trophy in one room and the metal checkered flag trophies for 2006 Nextel Cup winner Jimmie Johnson’s crew in another.