The Oklahoma State Cowboys have fallen on hard times over the past few seasons, finishing with just a 3-9 record in 2024, followed by a concerning 1-2 start to the 2025 season. And this was enough for the program to surprise everyone on Tuesday, as the team decided to part ways with former player and longtime head coach Mike Gundy.
After starting at quarterback for Oklahoma State from 1986 to 1989, Gundy returned to coach his alma mater in 2005, experiencing some great success over the course of his 21-year tenure with the program.
However, after two straight losses, including an embarrassing 69-3 loss to Oregon in Week 2 and a 19-12 loss in Week 4, the program has decided to shake things up.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Gundy has been relieved of his duties just three games into his 21st season in Stillwater.
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Given just how long Gundy has been associated with the Oklahoma State program, it’s hard to even think about the future of Oklahoma State without Gundy.
Throughout his time at Oklahoma State, Gundy was never quite able to get Oklahoma State to a National Championship. But he did famously win the Big 12 Championship in 2011, going on to win the Fiesta Bowl over the Andrew Luck-led Stanford Cardinal.
Gundy was able to make Oklahoma State a mainstay in the rankings throughout much of his tenure, finishing his coaching run at Oklahoma State with an overall record of 170-90, reaching a bowl game in 18 of his 21 seasons at the program.
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Clearly, the trajectory of where the program appeared to be going in the past few seasons was simply too much for Oklahoma State brass to ignore.
So it will certainly be interesting to see how Oklahoma State transitions in life after Mike Gundy, and whether Gundy pursues another high-profile coaching job next season.
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