Oklahoma State University fired longtime head coach Mike Gundy on Tuesday, four days after his team fell to 1-2, with a 19-12 loss to Tulsa. Gundy, after coaching the Cowboys for 21 seasons, was the second-longest tenured head coach in FBS football.
“Cowboy Football reached an unprecedented level of success and national prominence under Coach Gundy’s leadership,” athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a statement. “I believe I speak for OSU fans everywhere when I say that we are grateful for all he did to raise the standard and show us all what is possible for Oklahoma State football.”
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What led to Mike Gundy’s dismissal?
Friday’s loss was Oklahoma’s first in Stillwater to the Golden Hurricane since 1951. The Cowboys have dropped 11 of their past 12 games dating to the start of the 2024 season, with 11 consecutive defeats against FBS opponents, the longest such streak among Power 4 programs nationally.
In 2024, Oklahoma State missed a bowl game for the first time since 2005, Gundy’s first year as head coach.
After practice on Monday, the 58-year-old Gundy was asked if he planned to remain in Stillwater beyond the 2025 season.
“One hundred percent.” Gundy said. “I’m under contract here, for I think 3 1/2 years. When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I’ve put my heart and soul into this, and I will continue to do that until, at some point, if I say I don’t want to do it or if somebody else says we don’t want you to do it.”
What happened earlier this season?
The Cowboys’ winless 0-9 record in the Big 12 increased the pressure heading into this season.
Speculation surrounding Gundy’s job began in earnest after a 69-3 drubbing at Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 6. The loss came just days after the coach expressed frustration about the investments the Ducks have made with the help of Nike CEO Phil Knight.
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Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy led the Cowboys to a bowl game in 18 of his 20 seasons at Oklahoma State and compiled a record of 170-90 overall.
Gundy remarked, “They paid a lot of money for their team.” He walked those comments back after the loss.
“When I made that comment, I was complimenting Oregon for what they had done,” Gundy said. “Second thing, which I said later in the week, is, we’ve made commitments also, but we have to be better and fundamentally sound and execute. Sometimes you’re going to play people that have the ability to run away from you. We gotta look at that and see where we’re at.”
How will Gundy be remembered at OSU?
Oklahoma State finished with a losing record only twice in Gundy’s 20 full seasons, with the Cowboys reaching the Big 12 championship game as recently as 2023. He posted eight seasons with 10 wins or more, compiling a record of 170-90 overall. Oklahoma State President Dr. Jim Hess spoke to Gundy’s longevity in a statement on Tuesday.
“This is a decision about what’s best for our football program, our student-athletes, and Oklahoma State University, and it reflects our unwavering commitment to championship-level football and competing for national success,” Hess said. “Coach Gundy dedicated decades of his life to OSU, achieving significant success and positively impacting hundreds of young men who wore the OSU uniform.”
Gundy, who played quarterback for Oklahoma State from 1986 to 1989, was one of college football’s more fiery and outspoken coaches. Sporting his famous mullet-style hairdo for much of his tenure, he remains famous for his 2007 “I’m a man, I’m 40!” viral tirade directed at the local media. The rant came in defense of his then-quarterback, Bobby Reid. Gundy himself recently parodied the rant in a Consumer Cellular commercial.
At the end of the 2024 season, Gundy and Oklahoma State agreed on a restructured contract that runs through 2028 and pays him $6.75 million in 2025. With his firing in the first year of that restructured deal, Oklahoma State owes Gundy $15 million.
