Oklahoma State Fires Mike Gundy After 1-2 Start in 21st Season
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Oklahoma State is firing Mike Gundy.
On Tuesday, OSU insider Robert Allen reported that the Cowboys are relieving Gundy of his coaching duties effective immediately, per Pokes Report’s Zachary Lancaster. Gundy was in his 21st season at OSU and is the winningest coach in program history.
Gundy’s firing comes in the aftermath of OSU’s first loss to Tulsa since the 1998 season, sending the team to 1-2 this season ahead of conference play. Last season, OSU failed to win a conference game in the worst season of Gundy’s tenure.
On Monday at his weekly press conference, Gundy addressed his status on the hot seat but didn’t seem too concerned about his status as the team’s head coach. Instead, he even acknowledged that he was interested in coaching OSU beyond this season, despite the rough start.
While there was some turmoil toward the end of his tenure, there is no doubt that Gundy is the best coach in OSU history. In over 20 seasons at OSU, Gundy finished with a 170-90 record, leading the Cowboys to 18 straight winning seasons and bowl games from 2006-23.
The Cowboys’ 2011 season was the best in program history, with OSU going 12-1 and narrowly missing out on a chance to compete for the national title. Perhaps Gundy’s legacy would have been even greater in Stillwater had his team gotten that opportunity, but that year still contains the lone Big 12 title in his tenure.
Although there were rumors about his potential firing in the 2024 offseason, the team and Gundy opted to restructure his contract and bring in an entirely new coaching staff. Gundy was one of the only remaining coaches from the 2024 season entering this year, and it appeared there was a new energy surrounding the team.
However, things quickly changed after an uninspiring 27-7 win against FCS team UT Martin to open the season and a 69-3 loss at Oregon that was nearly the largest margin of defeat in program history. The expectation in Stillwater had been for OSU to compete for conference titles every season in the new-look Big 12, but Gundy won’t have a chance to win a single conference game in this new era.
The Cowboys are set to face Baylor in the Big 12 opener on Saturday, but they won’t have Gundy on the sidelines. For the first time since 2004, someone else will be OSU’s head coach.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.