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A season that included Oklahoma State's first Big 12 championship and first BCS bowl appearance paid off in other ways, too.
The third-ranked Cowboys placed seven first-team players on The Associated Press All-Big 12 team released Thursday. The list includes four players from the nation's second-highest scoring offense - receiver Justin Blackmon, running back Joseph Randle and linemen Levy Adcock and Grant Garner.
Defensive end Jamie Blatnick, cornerback Brodrick Brown and punter Quinn Sharp were also selected.
It was the biggest haul ever for the Cowboys, surpassing their six from last season. Before amassing those 13 all-conference selections, Oklahoma State had only 15 first-teamers in the previous dozen years and just 19 since the creation of the Big 12 prior to the 1996 season.
It was also the most selections for one team since Missouri had eight in 2007. Kansas State set the record with nine first-teamers in 1998, and Oklahoma matched that in 2003 and 2004.
Blackmon, Adcock and Sharp were all repeat selections. Blackmon, an All-American and Big 12 offensive player of the year last season, led the league with 113 catches and 15 touchdowns while his 1,336 yards were second only to Baylor all-Big 12 selection Kendall Wright (1,572 yards). Blackmon, a junior, finished his regular season by going through senior day festivities, a sign he intends to enter the NFL draft.
Adcock and Garner helped protect Big 12 passing leader Brandon Weeden and create holes for Randle, who averaged 90.6 yards rushing and scored 16 touchdowns in conference play.
The Cowboys (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) secured their first conference title since sharing the 1976 Big Eight championship when they beat Oklahoma 44-10 on Saturday, earning a bid in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 4 Stanford.
Missouri had four selections with running back Henry Josey, tight end Michael Egnew, defensive lineman Dominique Hamilton and cornerback E.J. Gaines. Josey was the Big 12's leading rusher with 116.8 yards per game before he was injured and missed the last two games of the season.
There were three first-teamers each from Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State each had two. Kansas didn't have any for the second straight year, and Texas Tech also had none.
Egnew and Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming were the only other repeat selections on the first team. Blackmon and Oklahoma defensive end Frank Alexander, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, were the only unanimous selections.
Versatile lineman Gabe Ikard, who moved from guard to center after Ben Habern was injured, was Oklahoma's other first-team selection.
Heisman Trophy finalist Robert Griffin III of Baylor, honored a day earlier as the league's offensive player of the year, was chosen as the first-team quarterback while Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein broke the mold by being picked as the league's top all-purpose player - an honor usually reserved for a return specialist.
Klein was nowhere near the top of the passing charts in the pass-happy Big 12 but led the Wildcats' unique offense by scoring 26 rushing TDs - second in the nation to only Heisman finalist Montee Ball of Wisconsin. K-State's other selection was linebacker Arthur Brown, the team's top tackler and the league's defensive newcomer of the year.
All three selections from Texas were defenders - defensive end Alex Okafor, linebacker Emmanuel Acho and cornerback Carrington Byndom.
Texas A&M's trio was offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, pass rushing linebacker Sean Porter and kicker Randy Bullock.
Iowa State's honorees were offensive tackle Kelechi Osemele and linebacker Jake Knott.
