Oklahoma State fires football coach
Mike Gundy after 20-plus years
[September 24, 2025]
By CLIFF BRUNT
The Mike Gundy era is over.
Gundy, one of college football’s most colorful coaches over the last
two decades, was fired by Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
The 58-year-old Gundy had a career record of 170-90 at his alma
mater, where he was a star quarterback in the late 1980s. He posted
winning records every season from 2006 to 2023, but had losing
records in his final two years. He entered the season ranked third
among active coaches in victories at their current school, trailing
only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Clemson's Dabo Swinney.
In all, Gundy spent well over 30 years at Oklahoma State as a
player, assistant coach and head coach. As a player, he was the
undersized gunslinger who balanced the Cowboys' offense when it
featured star running backs Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders. He
ended his career as the Big 8's all-time leading passer, then had
several assistant coaching roles at the school before reviving the
program as head coach.
“Cowboy Football reached an unprecedented level of success and
national prominence under Coach Gundy’s leadership,” Oklahoma State
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.”
Gundy arrived as head coach in 2005, and the Oklahoma City native's
charm and sense of humor appealed to fans and recruits and helped
the Cowboys compete with and often surpass better-funded schools. As
late billionaire T. Boone Pickens poured millions into the program,
Gundy turned Oklahoma State into an unlikely powerhouse that often
affected the national championship race. The Cowboys won the Big 12
in 2011 and played in the Big 12 title game in 2021 and 2023. He led
the Cowboys to five New Year’s Six bowl appearances and eight 10-win
seasons.
He was capable of capturing the nation’s interest at any time,
whether it be with a quip or one-liner, or with his ability to break
down complex issues. In his final two seasons, he emerged as a
refreshingly open and honest voice about the changes in the sport.
During camp before the 2024 season, he'd had enough of talking about
money.
“I told the players there’s no negotiating now,” he said. “Portal’s
over. All negotiation’s history. Now we’re playing football. Just
coaching and playing football.
“The business side of what we do now is, we have to have those
conversations with them,” he said. “Tell your agent to quit calling
us and asking for more money. It’s non-negotiable now. Start again
in December.”
His personality wasn’t enough as college football changed. The
transfer portal and NIL made it more difficult for a coach who made
his name mining diamonds in the rough. He lost 11 of his final 12
games with the program.
On Monday, Gundy said he wanted to stay.
“Ever since I was hired, I’ve put my heart and soul into this, and
I’ll continue to do that until I don’t want to do it anymore, or
until someone else says we don’t want you to do it,” he said.
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For all his positives, Gundy came with quirks. He
is known as much for his “I’m a man, I’m 40” rant that he made
defending a player — a diatribe that remains a part of pop culture
through a Consumer Cellular commercial — as for his success.
In 2020, he apologized for calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus, ”
and again months later after he wore a T-shirt featuring the
far-right One America News Network that created a disagreement with
running back Chuba Hubbard.
All those things were forgiven as the team won. But the Cowboys lost
their last nine games last season, the final defeat a 52-0 blowout
at Colorado.
This season, Oklahoma State struggled out of the gate against FCS
program Tennessee-Martin, winning 27-7 but raising eyebrows with its
struggles after quarterback Hauss Hejny went down with a broken foot
in the first quarter.
The next week, the Cowboys lost at Oregon 69-3. Ducks coach Dan
Lanning said Gundy got his team fired up by talking about how much
money Oregon had at its disposal.
After a bye week, the Cowboys lost at home to Tulsa last Friday for
the first time since 1951. The fans booed him during the loss, with
some chanting “Fire Mike Gundy.”
“If you want to be angry at Coach Gundy, then you can do whatever
you want that makes you feel better, but don’t do it to the team,"
Gundy said on Monday. "I think that’s what’s best for Oklahoma State
football, Oklahoma State’s athletic department and Oklahoma State in
general.”
Doug Meacham, one of several coaches Gundy brought in after last
season, has been promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head
coach. His first game in that new role will be Saturday when
Oklahoma State hosts Baylor.
Meacham, 60, will be in charge for the first time. He played
offensive line for Oklahoma State from 1983 to 1987 and was an
assistant at the school from 2005 to 2012.
He had two stints on TCU’s coaching staff. During the first, he was
a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach
in 2014. During the second, he was an assistant for the squad that
played for the national title after the 2022 season. He has been a
college offensive coordinator at TCU, Kansas, Houston, Samford,
Henderson State, Jacksonville State and Georgia Military.
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