They may not have come for Mike Gundy when he was 40, but 18 years later, it seems like the longtime Oklahoma State coach may be on his way out.
Fans chanted “Fire Gundy” after a 19-12 home loss to Tulsa that dropped the Cowboys to 1-2 after losing nine straight games to close out last season.
Friday’s loss marked Oklahoma State’s first home loss to Tulsa in 74 years.
“Those aren’t decisions that I make,” Gundy said when asked about his message to fans who want him fired, possibly as soon as Saturday. “My decision is to do exactly what I mentioned earlier and get these guys and keep on moving forward and go on down the road, and that’s what you do.”
The college football landscape has already seen two coaches fired in UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry, and Gundy has opened the door for him to become No. 3.
Last year’s 3-9 campaign marked the worst in the first 20 years of Gundy’s tenure, and the 2025 outlook did not seem bright after a 69-3 road beatdown against Oregon on Sept. 6.
Beating Tulsa, a smaller-conference in-state school, at home is something a reeling power conference team needs to do, but now there are only questions about whether Gundy will last the season.
Fans booed Gundy’s squad while they exited the field at halftime, trailing 16-3.
The home fans especially became loud with four minutes left in the game and Tulsa leading by the final score, per USA Today, with the “Fire Gundy” chants being captured by the ESPN broadcast.
They continued to boo while he left the field as he raised his arms in the form of the school’s letters.
Gundy praised the fans after the game, even if they felt the opposite way.
“They were awesome tonight, they really were,” Gundy said. “The stadium was full and they were fired up and they were awesome.”
Gundy, 58, owns the program record for most wins as a head coach and has done tremendous work at the Stillwater, Okla., school, but it seems the program is headed in the wrong direction.
Friday marked an 11th straight loss to a FBS foe, which is the longest in school history and longest in the nation, per CBS.
Oklahoma State opens Big 12 play next Saturday against Baylor, and time will tell whether that’s the continuation of the Gundy era or the beginning of a new regime.
