TULSA, Okla. –
For the first time in two decades, the Cowboys are searching for a new head coach. OSU officials decided to move on from Gundy on Tuesday, ending the tenure of the program’s winningest coach.
The decision follows a disappointing 2024 season and a full-blown collapse in 2025. OSU failed to win a Big 12 game last year and dropped nine straight to end that season. The Cowboys opened 2025 with more setbacks despite a season-opening win over UT Martin.
That victory became even more questionable after UT Martin was routed by Missouri State and Southern Illinois later in the year. From there, things spiraled. OSU’s trip to top 10 Oregon ended in a 69-3 defeat — the most lopsided loss of the Gundy era — featuring two Ducks touchdowns in the first three plays and back-to-back pick-sixes in the third quarter.
After a bye week, the Cowboys lost at home to Tulsa for the first time since 1951, trailing 19-3 before a late rally came up short. It was TU’s first win over OSU since 1998, and the first in Stillwater in 74 years. That defeat effectively sealed Gundy’s fate.
“When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I’ve put my heart and soul into this,” Gundy said during his Monday press conference. “I will continue to do that until at some point if I say I don’t want to do it or somebody else says we don’t want you to do it.”
Gundy, a former OSU quarterback from 1986–89 who played alongside Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders, was hired as head coach in 2005. After going 4-7 in his debut season, he rattled off 18 straight winning seasons and bowl appearances, including Fiesta Bowl wins in 2011 and 2021.
He departs with a career record of 170-90, the most wins in program history. Under his revised contract, he is owed $15 million, as he was dismissed without cause before December 31, 2027.
While Gundy built OSU into a perennial Big 12 contender, the back end of his tenure was also marked by controversies. In 2020, he drew national backlash when a photo surfaced of him wearing a shirt from the far-right One America News Network. In 2024, he faced criticism for downplaying star running back Ollie Gordon’s DUI arrest, saying, “I’ve probably done that a thousand times in my life.” Later that season, he called negative fans “weak” and claimed they “can’t pay their own bills.”
Gundy will always be remembered for his fiery “I’m a man, I’m 40!” press conference in 2007, defending quarterback Bobby Reid. Gundy had the tendency to be sporadic and put on a show for the cameras. Before the season in 2022, he went viral for doing one-armed pushups during an August press conference. Or when he ripped off his shirt alongside quarterback Mason Rudolph in front of the crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena for a homecoming pep rally. Many also remember his Justin Bieber ringtone, which interrupted a 2011 press conference with the hit song “Baby.”
Despite the down moments, Gundy’s impact on Oklahoma State football is undeniable. He coached 42 NFL Draft picks, including Dez Bryant, Russell Okung, Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace. Six were drafted in the first round.
(NFL jerseys of former Oklahoma St. players line the walls of Mike Gundy’s home office.)
Gundy also coached the Cowboys to a win in the final scheduled Bedlam game in 2023 over Brent Venables and the Sooners, improving his record against the in-state rival to 4-15. “It’s good for the Oklahoma State people to finish Bedlam with a win. Period,” Gundy said after that game.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy exits the field with arms raised after winning the final scheduled Bedlam game, 27-24. (Nov. 4, 2023)
In 2011, his team went 12-1, defeated the Sooners and won the Big 12 title, and narrowly missed the BCS national championship game. If not for a mid-week loss at Iowa State in late November, the Cowboys would have played in the championship.
Gundy even coached his son, Gunnar, who saw action at quarterback in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Emporia State. Gundy concludes his tenure with two appearances in the Big 12 Championship game (2021, 2023), five New Year’s Six bowl games since 2009 (2010 Cotton, 2012 Fiesta, 2014 Cotton, 2016 Sugar, 2022 Fiesta), 40 career wins versus AP Top 25 opponents, and he’s third among actice coaches with wins at his current school, per okstate.com. In 2011, he was honored as the national coach of the year by the Football Writers Association of America.
Gundy leaves behind a lasting legacy, but OSU now faces a critical decision. Potential replacements include Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and former Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson. Whoever takes over inherits the challenge of following a program legend — and the expectation of returning OSU to national relevance.
