Firing Gundy now gives Weiberg ample time to find OSU football's next coach

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On Monday, Mike Gundy stood behind a podium and previewed Oklahoma State football’s upcoming game. Business as usual.

But almost 24 hours later, seismic changes were made in Stillwater.

On Tuesday, athletic director Chad Weiberg and the university announced it fired Gundy, the winningest coach in program history, an OSU icon who quarterbacked the Cowboys and later led them to unprecedented success.

Gundy, 58, was in his 21st season coaching OSU, trailing only Kirk Ferentz, the longtime Iowa coach. Gundy's exit comes after the Cowboys started the season 1-2 and are in the midst of an 11-game losing streak against FBS opponents.

Gundy spent more than half his life involved with OSU. Between his playing days, his time as an assistant coach and the head coach, he accumulated 35 years working for Cowboy football.

As OSU’s coach, he put up a 170-90 record and took the Cowboys to a bowl game in 18 straight seasons, a program record. He also guided OSU to eight 10-win seasons — another school record.

Gundy was set to make $6.75 million in 2025. He will be owed $15 million by the university upon his departure.

“We all have high expectations for football at OSU because of Mike Gundy,” Weiberg said Tuesday at a news conference. “Unfortunately, results of the last year have not met the standard.

“... When it appeared that (our expectations were) not going to be met, I felt like, for the good of the program, it was time to make this decision so that we could start the process of getting the program where we wanted to be.”

It came directly from Weiberg: OSU, rather than letting Gundy try to turn the season around, decided to move forward now with ample time to find its next Cowboy football coach — one to orchestrate a new era and put out a new product at Boone Pickens Stadium next season.

Gundy’s job was in jeopardy after the 2024 season, according to multiple reports, when the longtime coach entered a “standoff” with the university over his contract after the Cowboys went 3-9 and were winless in Big 12 play. Gundy then accepted a restructured deal to remain coach.

Then, speculation about Gundy’s future ramped up again after OSU suffered a 66-point loss to Oregon Sept. 6. And after the Cowboys were beaten by Tulsa at home on Friday, an end to the Gundy era felt inevitable.

Gundy’s Cowboys were also 16-21 since midseason 2022 and had lost 12 of their last 17 games since going to the Big 12 title game against Texas in 2023.

Given his success with OSU, though, some wondered if Gundy would be allowed to finish the season before a change was made. Weiberg said Tuesday that wasn’t on the table — another sign the school was set on moving forward.

“I felt like in this case, we needed to do it now so that we can position the program to move forward in the future,” Weiberg said.

Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham, 60, has been named interim coach and will lead the Cowboys in their remaining nine games.

Now, Weiberg and OSU will launch a national search for the school’s next coach.

Weiberg said “virtually everyone” OSU will consider is coaching in some capacity currently. He also said the timing of the job opening gives the Cowboys the ability to close in on a candidate “as soon as they are finished” coaching this season.

“The ingredients (to win) are here, and I feel very, very confident about that,” Weiberg said. “I know that I will be able to talk about that with many candidates. This is a place that you can win football games at.”