Gundy Gets Game Ball in Front of Team for Win No. 150
STILLWATER – Thursday night in the locker room Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy had asked trainer Scott Parker for anything he needed to add and then strength coach Rob Glass and he was about to lead the team in the fight song when a voice in the back said, “Coach, I’ve got something.”
It was Oklahoma State athletics director Chad Weiberg and he did have something. It was a game ball featuring pictures from three of the Cowboys iconic victories under Gundy’s leadership. It honored Gundy for his 150th win as the Oklahoma State head coach. That is almost triple the number of wins of any of the other 22 head coaches at the school. Pat Jones, Gundy’s head coach when he was quarterback, was 62-60-3. Jim Lookabaugh in the 40’s went 58-41-6. Gundy is now 150-69. Gundy has more none non-conference wins (59) than all of the coaches at the school other than Jones. He has more bowl wins (11) than nine of the coaches in the school’s history.
Basically, Gundy has done what many thought was impossible at Oklahoma State. He has built it into a power that can contend with any school, is better than most schools, and nationally renowned. Gundy has become famous and iconic as an Oklahoma State coach.
“Coach Gundy is so important to who we are,” Weiberg told me last week. “His contributions to the school and what he has built our football program into has made our recent past and present so successful and it ensures that our future will be bright. He has made Oklahoma State football one of the most respected in the nation.”
Gundy has always downplayed accomplishments for him individually and deflected them to the group.
"Like I told the team, it takes a lot of really quality people and good young men for a guy to stay in once place long enough to win 150 games. I'm just lucky enough to be along for the ride. That's pretty cool."
In a private moment later before we did the postgame interview on radio. I congratulated him and the head coach smiled, ‘You know this has been special, Gundy said. “This has had ups and downs along the way, but it has been a lot of fun.”