Mike Gundy
Encyclopedia
Mike Gundy is an American football
coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
. Gundy played college football
Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys
quarterback
from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005. In 2007 he received national media attention for his heated criticism of a newspaper article on one of his players.
High School, Gundy played quarterback, and was voted Oklahoma Player of the Year in 1986. Gundy was heavily recruited by the Oklahoma
Sooners but in the end signed with the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. He became the starting quarterback midway through his freshman year. Gundy would become the all-time leading passer in Oklahoma State and Big 8 Conference history. Over the course of four years, Gundy threw 49 touchdowns and 7,997 yards, including 2,106 yards in 1987 and 2,163 in 1988. He led the Cowboys to bowl wins in the 1987 Sun Bowl
and 1988 Holiday Bowl
aided by two Hall of Fame
running backs, Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders
. He also led OSU to two 10-win seasons.
Mike Gundy held the record for most consecutive passes attempted without an interception at the start of a career by a freshman in Division 1 history with 138, until Baylor freshman Robert Griffin broke it in 2008. Coincidentally, Baylor was playing against Gundy's Oklahoma State team when Griffin surpassed the mark. After the game, Gundy was able to personally congratulate Griffin on the accomplishment.
staff as an assistant coach. He was wide receiver coach in 1990, quarterback coach from 1991–1993 and offensive coordinator
from 1994–1995.
Gundy was quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator for Baylor during the 1996 season. He was on staff with Larry Fedora
at Baylor and would rekindle that relationship when he became head coach at Oklahoma State, bringing Fedora on as his offensive coordinator. After the season, he moved again, this time to Maryland
where he was wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator from 1997–2000 for the Terps
.
resigned and a search produced Les Miles
and Mike Gundy as the finalists. Miles was hired as head coach and Gundy was brought aboard as offensive coordinator. The team would go on to three straight bowl games in Miles's last three years as head coach and when Miles left in 2004 to take the LSU
job, Gundy was named immediately as Miles successor and the 22nd head coach at Oklahoma State.
His first season saw the expulsion of eleven players from the team and the Cowboys struggled to a 4–7 record winning only one Big 12 conference game.
In his second season, the Cowboy offense began to click and the Cowboys would finish 7–6 including a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide
in the Independence Bowl
.
In 2007, the Cowboys again posted a 6–6 regular season record and a bowl win over the Indiana
Hoosiers
in the Insight Bowl
. After their second straight bowl appearance, Gundy was rewarded with a contract extension through the 2013 season.
, Gundy was so disgusted with an inaccurate news article that he refused to discuss the game or to answer any questions about the game. Instead, he commented for 3 minutes and 20 seconds about the newspaper article. The article was critical of one of Gundy's players, and Gundy launched into what ESPN called a "tirade" against the journalist who wrote the story. Video clips of the coach's impassioned speech were watched more than 2,000,000 times from video streaming sites such as YouTube
, where it became one of the ten most-viewed clips of the day. Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman
wrote the original article discussing Bobby Reid, the former starting quarterback, and reasons why he might have been demoted to second-string. The OSU coaching staff publicly supported Reid earlier in the year, but later demoted him with no public explanation to the media. The article was titled "Reid is still the most talented signal-caller, but attitude is reason for change." However, the bolded headline read: "QB Change: All About Attitude". Carlson said that Reid was still the most talented quarterback on the team but that he got "nicked in some games and sat it out instead of gutting it out." Gundy professed his feelings about the article, in essence calling the writer and the editor "garbage", because they were picking on an amateur athlete.
In this post-game press conference, Gundy called three-fourths of Carlson's column "fiction." He noted two statements in the article that were false: 1) That the coaches said Bobby Reid was scared and 2) they made the decision because of a threatened transfer by Donovan Woods. Gundy bluntly stated, "That ain't true" and "That's not true" respectively. During his weekly news conference the following Monday, Carlson asked the coach to point out what he thought were the factual errors in the article and Gundy replied, "I don't have to," preferring to leave the matter behind him and unwilling to talk to the individual who had written the article he was disgusted with. Carlson replied that she can't report her errors to the paper unless she knows what they are. Gundy said, "I'd rather just let it go." Gundy was asked two more times by reporters from other papers, and again declined to elaborate. He said that his only regrets concerning his post-game statements were that he wished he had written down what he wanted to say, because he had more to say. At the post-game press conference, Gundy tried to relate to Carlson by saying in essence that he hoped that Carlson becomes a parent, in order to understand how difficult it is to console a young person whose feelings have been badly hurt by pointed criticism of some perceived shortcoming, even when then youngster had tried their best. Gundy called the 21-year old Reid a "good kid" who does everything right and is undeserving of such criticism. He also made the now famous quote, "...Come after me! I'm a man! I'm forty!" during the rant, which has often been the subject of humor. Reid's mother says that the story was malicious and untrue. She pointed to one thing in the article that she said was untrue; she said she did not feed her son chicken from a box meal after the team's loss to Troy University
.
In a column the following Tuesday, Carlson wrote that she also would like to let it go, had Gundy not questioned her credibility. She wrote, "I will not stand on the sidelines and allow someone to attack my credibility." She challenged Gundy to point out even one statement from the article that was not factually correct. The Oklahoman sports editor, Mike Sherman, also stood by the story. Mike Griffith, president of the Football Writers Association of America
, called Gundy's behavior "completely inappropriate." CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd went further saying, "Mike Gundy needs to be reprimanded, definitely suspended, probably fined and maybe fired." OSU athletic director Mike Holder
stood behind Gundy, saying that "nothing is more important to us than our student-athletes." College football coaches were divided in their opinions. Stanford
coach Jim Harbaugh
said, "I feel like the coach at Oklahoma State summed it up very well. I’m in agreement with him." However, Oregon State
coach Mike Riley
said that dealing with both criticism and praise is just part of a player’s learning experience. Riley said, "They’re young men, but I think college is all about growth and development. The scrutiny part of it is part of our life, and they have to be educated about that."
The article generated discussion about what constitutes fair criticism for players that welcome the adulation of the press when things are going well for them. In Gundy's criticism of Carlson, he said that she would have never written the piece if she were a parent like himself. There are some concerns that the remarks constituted a form of sexism
and about whether Gundy would have launched a similar attack on a male sportswriter. The Association for Women in Sports Media
said that Gundy handled the situation in an "unprofessional manner." Football fans were divided on the issue. Most thought that Carlson's story was unfair and that Gundy did the right thing in sticking up for his player, but that he probably should have shown more restraint. Others thought that Carlson had a right to run the story and that Gundy overreacted. Polls and message boards have shown an overwhelming majority of fans support Coach Gundy, while reporters have been solidly behind Carlson.
, Gundy led the Oklahoma State Cowboys
to their best season in 20 years. They were ranked in the top 15 for most of the season. The season ended with an appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they lost to Oregon. Gundy was rewarded with a new seven-year contract worth $15.7 million. The contract, which extends through the 2015 season, went into effect on January 1, 2009.
game, the Cowboys were 9-2 and poised to secure their first-ever BCS bowl bid and notch only the fourth 10-win season in school history. However, the Cowboys were beaten by Oklahoma 27-0, and went on to lose the Cotton Bowl
to Ole Miss.
With a 48-14 victory over Kansas on November 20, Oklahoma State won 10 regular-season games for the first time ever. It was also only the fourth 10-win season in the school's 111-year football history.
A loss to Oklahoma in the final regular season game kept the Cowboys out of the Big 12 Championship Game. They did, however, rout Arizona in the Alamo Bowl
for their school-record 11th win.
, the Cowboys rose to second in the AP Poll and Bowl Championship Series
(BCS) rankings, the highest national rankings in school history. On November 18th, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State in double overtime 37-31, all but dashing their national title hopes.
, was a starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma in the 1990s and is currently the running back coach for the University of Oklahoma
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater is a land-grant, sun-grant, coeducational public research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act...
. Gundy played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005. In 2007 he received national media attention for his heated criticism of a newspaper article on one of his players.
Playing career
At Midwest CityMidwest City, Oklahoma
Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,371, making it the eighth largest city in the state....
High School, Gundy played quarterback, and was voted Oklahoma Player of the Year in 1986. Gundy was heavily recruited by the Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Sooners but in the end signed with the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. He became the starting quarterback midway through his freshman year. Gundy would become the all-time leading passer in Oklahoma State and Big 8 Conference history. Over the course of four years, Gundy threw 49 touchdowns and 7,997 yards, including 2,106 yards in 1987 and 2,163 in 1988. He led the Cowboys to bowl wins in the 1987 Sun Bowl
1987 Sun Bowl
The 1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl featured the and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.In the spring of 1987, West Virginia was the scene of an historic battle for the starting quarterback position...
and 1988 Holiday Bowl
1988 Holiday Bowl
The 1988 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1988 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the 12th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the 15th ranked Wyoming Cowboys....
aided by two Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
running backs, Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
. He also led OSU to two 10-win seasons.
Mike Gundy held the record for most consecutive passes attempted without an interception at the start of a career by a freshman in Division 1 history with 138, until Baylor freshman Robert Griffin broke it in 2008. Coincidentally, Baylor was playing against Gundy's Oklahoma State team when Griffin surpassed the mark. After the game, Gundy was able to personally congratulate Griffin on the accomplishment.
Early positions
When Gundy graduated, he joined Pat JonesPat Jones
-External links:...
staff as an assistant coach. He was wide receiver coach in 1990, quarterback coach from 1991–1993 and offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
from 1994–1995.
Gundy was quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator for Baylor during the 1996 season. He was on staff with Larry Fedora
Larry Fedora
-References:...
at Baylor and would rekindle that relationship when he became head coach at Oklahoma State, bringing Fedora on as his offensive coordinator. After the season, he moved again, this time to Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
where he was wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator from 1997–2000 for the Terps
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Oklahoma State
In 2001, the Oklahoma State University head football coach job became vacant when Bob SimmonsBob Simmons (football coach)
-External links:* *...
resigned and a search produced Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
and Mike Gundy as the finalists. Miles was hired as head coach and Gundy was brought aboard as offensive coordinator. The team would go on to three straight bowl games in Miles's last three years as head coach and when Miles left in 2004 to take the LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
job, Gundy was named immediately as Miles successor and the 22nd head coach at Oklahoma State.
His first season saw the expulsion of eleven players from the team and the Cowboys struggled to a 4–7 record winning only one Big 12 conference game.
In his second season, the Cowboy offense began to click and the Cowboys would finish 7–6 including a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide
2006 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2006 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season trying to improve from a 10–2 record in the 2005 season. The Tide was led by head coach Mike Shula entering his fourth year at Alabama. Despite a strong 5–2 start, they...
in the Independence Bowl
2006 Independence Bowl
The 2006 PetroSun Independence Bowl, part of the 2006–07 NCAA football bowl season, took place on December 28, 2006 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys,...
.
In 2007, the Cowboys again posted a 6–6 regular season record and a bowl win over the Indiana
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
in the Insight Bowl
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
. After their second straight bowl appearance, Gundy was rewarded with a contract extension through the 2013 season.
2007 media controversy
On September 22, 2007, Gundy made comments that became the subject of a nationwide media controversy. Following his team's victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by Mike Leach...
, Gundy was so disgusted with an inaccurate news article that he refused to discuss the game or to answer any questions about the game. Instead, he commented for 3 minutes and 20 seconds about the newspaper article. The article was critical of one of Gundy's players, and Gundy launched into what ESPN called a "tirade" against the journalist who wrote the story. Video clips of the coach's impassioned speech were watched more than 2,000,000 times from video streaming sites such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, where it became one of the ten most-viewed clips of the day. Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma and is the only daily newspaper that covers the entire Oklahoma City area.-Ownership:...
wrote the original article discussing Bobby Reid, the former starting quarterback, and reasons why he might have been demoted to second-string. The OSU coaching staff publicly supported Reid earlier in the year, but later demoted him with no public explanation to the media. The article was titled "Reid is still the most talented signal-caller, but attitude is reason for change." However, the bolded headline read: "QB Change: All About Attitude". Carlson said that Reid was still the most talented quarterback on the team but that he got "nicked in some games and sat it out instead of gutting it out." Gundy professed his feelings about the article, in essence calling the writer and the editor "garbage", because they were picking on an amateur athlete.
In this post-game press conference, Gundy called three-fourths of Carlson's column "fiction." He noted two statements in the article that were false: 1) That the coaches said Bobby Reid was scared and 2) they made the decision because of a threatened transfer by Donovan Woods. Gundy bluntly stated, "That ain't true" and "That's not true" respectively. During his weekly news conference the following Monday, Carlson asked the coach to point out what he thought were the factual errors in the article and Gundy replied, "I don't have to," preferring to leave the matter behind him and unwilling to talk to the individual who had written the article he was disgusted with. Carlson replied that she can't report her errors to the paper unless she knows what they are. Gundy said, "I'd rather just let it go." Gundy was asked two more times by reporters from other papers, and again declined to elaborate. He said that his only regrets concerning his post-game statements were that he wished he had written down what he wanted to say, because he had more to say. At the post-game press conference, Gundy tried to relate to Carlson by saying in essence that he hoped that Carlson becomes a parent, in order to understand how difficult it is to console a young person whose feelings have been badly hurt by pointed criticism of some perceived shortcoming, even when then youngster had tried their best. Gundy called the 21-year old Reid a "good kid" who does everything right and is undeserving of such criticism. He also made the now famous quote, "...Come after me! I'm a man! I'm forty!" during the rant, which has often been the subject of humor. Reid's mother says that the story was malicious and untrue. She pointed to one thing in the article that she said was untrue; she said she did not feed her son chicken from a box meal after the team's loss to Troy University
Troy Trojans football
The Troy Trojans football program represents Troy University, Alabama, in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, of which it has been a member since 2001...
.
In a column the following Tuesday, Carlson wrote that she also would like to let it go, had Gundy not questioned her credibility. She wrote, "I will not stand on the sidelines and allow someone to attack my credibility." She challenged Gundy to point out even one statement from the article that was not factually correct. The Oklahoman sports editor, Mike Sherman, also stood by the story. Mike Griffith, president of the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, called Gundy's behavior "completely inappropriate." CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd went further saying, "Mike Gundy needs to be reprimanded, definitely suspended, probably fined and maybe fired." OSU athletic director Mike Holder
Mike Holder
Mike Holder is the current athletic director for Oklahoma State University, succeeding Harry Birdwell on September 16, 2005. His previous position was head coach of the men's golf program, where he served for 32 years....
stood behind Gundy, saying that "nothing is more important to us than our student-athletes." College football coaches were divided in their opinions. Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
coach Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
said, "I feel like the coach at Oklahoma State summed it up very well. I’m in agreement with him." However, Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
coach Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
said that dealing with both criticism and praise is just part of a player’s learning experience. Riley said, "They’re young men, but I think college is all about growth and development. The scrutiny part of it is part of our life, and they have to be educated about that."
The article generated discussion about what constitutes fair criticism for players that welcome the adulation of the press when things are going well for them. In Gundy's criticism of Carlson, he said that she would have never written the piece if she were a parent like himself. There are some concerns that the remarks constituted a form of sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and about whether Gundy would have launched a similar attack on a male sportswriter. The Association for Women in Sports Media
Association for Women in Sports Media
Association for Women in Sports Media is a volunteer-managed, 501 nonprofit founded in 1987 as a support network and advocacy group for women who work in sports writing, editing, broadcast and production, and public and media relations...
said that Gundy handled the situation in an "unprofessional manner." Football fans were divided on the issue. Most thought that Carlson's story was unfair and that Gundy did the right thing in sticking up for his player, but that he probably should have shown more restraint. Others thought that Carlson had a right to run the story and that Gundy overreacted. Polls and message boards have shown an overwhelming majority of fans support Coach Gundy, while reporters have been solidly behind Carlson.
2008 season
In 20082008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
, Gundy led the Oklahoma State Cowboys
2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represents Oklahoma State University for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009.-Schedule:Source:-Washington State:-Houston:...
to their best season in 20 years. They were ranked in the top 15 for most of the season. The season ended with an appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they lost to Oregon. Gundy was rewarded with a new seven-year contract worth $15.7 million. The contract, which extends through the 2015 season, went into effect on January 1, 2009.
2009 season
Gundy led the 2009 Cowboys to another solid season. Going into the 2009 BedlamBedlam Series
The Bedlam Series refers to the athletics rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, of the Big 12 Conference...
game, the Cowboys were 9-2 and poised to secure their first-ever BCS bowl bid and notch only the fourth 10-win season in school history. However, the Cowboys were beaten by Oklahoma 27-0, and went on to lose the Cotton Bowl
2010 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys, representing Oklahoma State University, from the Big 12 Conference and the Ole Miss Rebels, representing the University of Mississippi, from the Southeastern Conference that took...
to Ole Miss.
2010 season
The 2010 Cowboys rolled through the regular season, finishing with a share of the last Big 12 South title (the Big 12 dropped the divisional format after the 2010 season). Along the way, they set numerous records for points scored, as well as total and individual yardage.With a 48-14 victory over Kansas on November 20, Oklahoma State won 10 regular-season games for the first time ever. It was also only the fourth 10-win season in the school's 111-year football history.
A loss to Oklahoma in the final regular season game kept the Cowboys out of the Big 12 Championship Game. They did, however, rout Arizona in the Alamo Bowl
2010 Alamo Bowl (December)
The 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl game was the 18th edition of the annual college football bowl game known previously as the Alamo Bowl. It was played on December 29, 2010 between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. ESPN television broadcasted the game with Valero as the title sponsor...
for their school-record 11th win.
2011 season
The Cowboys entered 2011 with their highest expectations since the 1980s. They opened the season ninth in both major polls. Gundy's Cowboys didn't disappoint, starting the season 10-0, the best start in school history. Gundy has had a hand in four of Oklahoma State's six 10-win seasons (two as quarterback, two as head coach). With a 52-45 win over Kansas State2011 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2011 Kansas State Wildcats football team represents Kansas State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, in Manhattan, Kansas as they have done since 1968. It is the 116th season in school history...
, the Cowboys rose to second in the AP Poll and Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) rankings, the highest national rankings in school history. On November 18th, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State in double overtime 37-31, all but dashing their national title hopes.
Personal
Gundy and his wife, Kristen, have three children, Gavin, Gunnar and Gage. His brother, Cale GundyCale Gundy
Joseph Cale Gundy is a former American football quarterback that played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1990–1993. He is now the running backs coach for the Sooners. His brother Mike is the head football coach at Oklahoma State University.He lives in Norman, Oklahoma with his wife Kristy and his...
, was a starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma in the 1990s and is currently the running back coach for the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.