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Linebackers coach Glenn Spencer will be away from No. 7 Oklahoma State indefinitely as he copes with the death of his wife.
Coach Mike Gundy said Sunday he told Spencer to spend as long as he needed mourning with his two teenage sons, and he doesn't expect him to be involved in Oklahoma State's preparations for Saturday's game at No. 8 Texas A&M.
Spencer left the team Saturday night during a three-hour rain delay that pushed the start of its game at Tulsa past midnight. Gundy said his wife, Angela, died in the first quarter of the game.
''We have a very close team and coaches and players that care about each other,'' Gundy said Sunday. ''We were concerned when Glenn left there during the delay.
''She was having a tough time and then when she passed away, it was difficult. There's no question about it. His family's here and they're doing as good as could be expected at this point. We move forward and everybody's thoughts and prayers are with their family.''
Gundy said Spencer had been frequently spending evenings in Oklahoma City with his wife, Angela, then returning to Stillwater in time for 8 a.m. staff meetings three to four times a week.
''It's one of the most impressive things I've ever seen,'' Gundy said. ''She's had a really difficult the last two years, and obviously was fortunate to go through a heart transplant and then have some really good months. And then things (did) not work out after that.''
Gundy said he felt he had grown personally while seeing Spencer endure such difficult times and said ''there's no way I could ever be that strong a person.''
''I just think that there's a certain time that family and what he is going to have to go through for the next week or so with his family and his boys,'' Gundy said.
''We have other coaches on defense and our players understand that there's adversity and things that we deal with in life and we find ways to overcome them. But he needs to be with them and he's free to stay and do whatever he wants to do. There's not a harder worker and a guy that wants to be here more. So, whenever he's ready to be a part of our team he'll be back.''
