The Gundy Era is Over and I Don’t Know How to Feel

I’ve been staring at this blank page for twenty minutes trying to figure out how to start this. I’ve deleted four different opening paragraphs. Nothing feels right.

Mike Gundy was my coach. Not literally, obviously. But in the way that when you grow up loving a team, the coach becomes YOUR coach. I was fifteen when he took over. I’m thirty-four now. Almost two decades of Gundy. Almost two decades of the mullet and the press conferences and the “I’m a man, I’m 40” and all of it.

And now he’s gone. Fired three games into the season after we started 1-2 with losses that weren’t even competitive.

I should be processing this better. I’m not.

Here’s the thing about Gundy that people outside of Stillwater don’t understand. He didn’t just win games. He changed what Oklahoma State football MEANT. Before him, we were a joke. A doormat. The little brother program in a state that only cared about OU. Nobody recruited to Stillwater. Nobody expected us to compete.

Gundy changed that. The 2011 team should’ve played for a national championship. We were THIS close. And even though we didn’t get there, something shifted. Oklahoma State became a real program. A destination. A place where kids wanted to play.

That matters. That matters more than any individual season.

But… and I hate that there’s a but… but the last few years were bad. The offense got stale. The recruiting slipped. The energy felt off. I could see it happening and I didn’t want to admit it because admitting it meant admitting that maybe the Gundy era needed to end.

The 1-2 start this year was ugly. Arkansas beat us by 25. Utah beat us by 18. The team looked lost. No identity. No fight. And when you lose the fight, you’ve lost everything.

So the administration made the call. And I understand why. I do.

I just wish it didn’t hurt this much.

Jake has been surprisingly decent about this, by the way. He’s made a few jokes — because he’s Jake and he can’t help himself — but he’s also backed off when he can tell I’m actually upset. That’s the thing about having a brother who roots for a rival. They know when to push and when to let up. Usually.

Jake’s note: For what it’s worth, I’m genuinely sorry. Gundy was a legend. The way it ended sucked. I’ll go back to making fun of you next week but this week I’m just… here. If you need to talk or whatever. Don’t make it weird.

Eric Morris is the new guy. I like the hire. Air Raid roots, good track record at Washington State, seems like a high-energy culture builder. But it’s going to take time. Probably two or three years before we’re competitive again.

Two or three years of watching Jake’s team win championships while mine rebuilds from scratch.

That’s going to be fun.

— Mike

P.S. — If you’re an Oklahoma State fan and you’re feeling some type of way right now, just know you’re not alone. This is hard. It’s okay for it to be hard. We’ll get through it.