Mike Gundy’s time in Stillwater came to an abrupt and unfortunate end.
Mike Gundy’s time at Oklahoma State is over, and his son’s reaction is incredibly classy.
Gundy’s insane run with the Cowboys came to an abrupt and unceremonious end when he was fired Tuesday.
The man who made his entire legacy as a player and coach with the Cowboys was shown the exit door after going 1-11 in his last 12 games with the team.
His last two games coached against P4 opponents – Oregon this year and Colorado to end 2024 – resulted in being outscored 121-3. It was clear things were trending in the wrong direction, but watching a legend fall is never fun for anyone involved.
Mike Gundy was fired by Oklahoma State after taking over as head coach prior to the 2005 season starting. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Mike Gundy’s son releases lengthy statement on firing.
Mike’s son Gavin took a moment late Tuesday night to honor his dad’s legacy in Stillwater, and his statement is a must-read for fans of the Cowboys and college football fans in general.
Gavin wrote the following on Instagram:
“It’s been a long couple hours since the news that my dad, Mike Gundy, is no longer the head coach at Oklahoma State. Even saying that out loud still doesn’t feel real. For my entire life, he’s been the face of Cowboy football — the constant presence on the sideline, the voice in the locker room, and the man who turned OSU into a program that always mattered.
Before he ever wore the headset, he was already Cowboy football. From 1986–1989, he started four straight years at QB, winning 28 games and leaving as the Big Eight’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He threw to Hart Lee Dykes, handed off to Barry Sanders, and ran an offense people are still talking about decades later. He wasn’t just part of OSU history — he made it.
As a coach, his résumé is unmatched. 170 wins — the most in school history. 12 bowl victories. A Big 12 South title in 2010 and the program’s first and only Big 12 Championship in 2011. 18 consecutive bowl appearances from 2006–2023. Eight 10-win seasons, two 12-win seasons, 10 ranked finishes, and 5 Top-15 finishes. For 17 straight years, Oklahoma State appeared in the AP Top 25. That kind of consistency doesn’t “just happen.” He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year three times, won both the Eddie Robinson and Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year awards in 2011, and in 2021 was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Not bad for a program that people once claimed “couldn’t sustain greatness.”
But the legacy goes far beyond numbers. I saw the sacrifice up close — the holidays missed, the family moments that had to wait, the pressure he carried year after year, all because he loved OSU enough to give it everything he had. I saw thousands of players leave his program as better men because he demanded toughness, loyalty, and accountability from them. That impact will outlast the records.
As his son, I couldn’t be prouder. Dad, thank you for showing me what resilience, loyalty, and commitment really mean. Thank you for being the standard I’ll always chase.
Oklahoma State may hire another coach, but there will never be another Mike Gundy.
— the eldest boy”
You can see the awesome full post below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
All great parties eventually come to end, and few coaches get to go out on their own terms. The fact Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy is proof that nobody is safe.
That man didn’t just dominate as a player with the Cowboys. He took a program that was pretty much an afterthought, and proceeded to win 170 games, multiple major bowl victories, a Big 12 outright title and won the Big 12 South as he cemented OSU as a legitimate program that could compete at the highest level.
Unfortunately, it just eventually spiraled down to a point where the administration needed a reset. Yet, you can tell from his son’s heartfelt comments that Mike Gundy’s contributions to the community of Stillwater go far past just the football field.
He took young men and molded them into adults using football as the vessel to do it. He also had no tolerance for woke snowflakes and liberalism, which will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody.
Godspeed, Gundy. Godspeed. College football will never forget him. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
