After 20 seasons, Oklahoma State University has parted ways with head football coach Mike Gundy, ending the tenure of the most successful coach in the program’s history. The university is now searching for a new head coach for the first time in two decades.
The decision on Tuesday followed a sharp decline in performance, marked by a disappointing 2024 season and a collapse in 2025. The Cowboys failed to win a Big 12 game last year and followed that with several significant setbacks this season.
The team’s struggles were highlighted by a 69-3 blowout loss at Oregon—the most lopsided of the Gundy era—and a historic home defeat to Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane’s first victory in Stillwater in 74 years. That loss reportedly sealed Gundy’s fate.
Gundy, a former OSU quarterback from 1986–89, was hired as head coach in 2005. After a 4-7 debut, he led the Cowboys to 18 consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances, including Fiesta Bowl victories in 2011 and 2021. He departs with a career record of 170-90, the most wins in school history. Under his revised contract, he is owed a $15 million buyout.
While Gundy built Oklahoma State into a perennial Big 12 contender, the end of his tenure was also marked by controversy. In 2020, he drew national criticism for wearing a shirt from a far-right news network. In 2024, he faced backlash for downplaying a star player’s DUI arrest and for publicly calling critical fans “weak.”
He will also be remembered for his fiery personality, most famously his 2007 “I’m a man, I’m 40!” press conference, as well as other viral moments.
Gundy’s impact on the program is undeniable. He coached 42 NFL Draft picks, six of whom were first-round selections, and led the Cowboys to a memorable victory over rival Oklahoma in the final scheduled Bedlam game in 2023. His 2011 team finished 12-1, won the Big 12 championship, and narrowly missed playing for the BCS national title.
As Oklahoma State begins its search for a successor, potential candidates include Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and former Cowboys quarterback Zac Robinson. The next coach will inherit the challenge of following a program legend while aiming to return the team to national relevance.
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