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ESPN Staff Writer- Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Mike Gundy, the second-longest-tenured FBS head coach, has been fired by Oklahoma State, effective immediately, it was announced Tuesday.
"Cowboy Football reached an unprecedented level of success and national prominence under Coach Gundy's leadership," athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a statement. "I believe I speak for OSU fans everywhere when I say that we are grateful for all he did to raise the standard and show us all what is possible for Oklahoma State football."
Gundy, 58, was in his 21st season leading the Cowboys. His exit comes four days after Oklahoma State fell to 1-2 in a 19-12 loss to Tulsa last Friday and less than 24 hours after Gundy on Monday coached practice and publicly stated his "100 percent" intention to remain with the program beyond the 2025 season.
"I'm under contract, here, for I think 3½ years," Gundy said Monday. "When I was hired here to take this job, ever since that day, I've put my heart and soul into this and I will continue to do that until at some point, if I say I don't want to do it or if somebody else says we don't want you to do it."
Gundy was set to make $6.75 million in 2025. Per his contract, he will be owed $15 million by the university upon his departure.
"This is a decision about what's best for our football program, our student-athletes and Oklahoma State University and it reflects our unwavering commitment to championship-level football and competing for national success," university president Jim Hess said in a statement.
"Coach Gundy dedicated decades of his life to OSU, achieving significant success and positively impacting hundreds of young men who wore the OSU uniform. His contributions to our university, both as a player and coach, deserve our profound respect and will not be forgotten. We are grateful for his service and wish him and his family the very best."
Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham has been named interim head coach, a source told ESPN.
From 2005 to '25, Gundy oversaw a rapid transformation of the Oklahoma State football program, compiling a record of 170-90 and brandishing a reputation as one of the sport's most fiery and outspoken figures.
After an 18-19 start to his coaching career, Gundy and the Cowboys won at least nine games in five of their next six seasons, headlined by a 2011 Big 12 title campaign that saw Oklahoma State finish No. 3 in the AP Top 25 with its Fiesta Bowl win over Stanford.
All told, Gundy led the Cowboys to eight 10-win seasons across his two-plus decades in charge of the program, which had recorded only three double-digit win campaigns in the 104 seasons before Gundy took over in 2005.
Oklahoma State finished with a losing record only twice in Gundy's 20 full seasons, with the Cowboys reaching the Big 12 championship game as recently as 2023.
The Cowboys, however, have dropped 11 of their past 12 games dating to the start of the 2024 season, with 11 consecutive defeats against FBS opponents -- the longest such streak among Power 4 programs nationally.
"College football has changed drastically in the last few years, and the investment needed to compete at the highest level has never been more important," Weiberg said in a statement. "As we search for the next head coach of Cowboy Football, we are looking for someone who can lead our program in this new era.
"... Moving forward, it is critical for our fans, alumni and donors to align behind Cowboy Football. This is a pivotal moment, the stakes have never been higher and we need everyone on board."
The move to fire Gundy triggers a 30-day window for players to leave the program via the transfer portal, beginning Wednesday.
Hours after news of Gundy's departure, in-state running back pledge Kaydin Jones pulled his commitment from Oklahoma State on Tuesday afternoon, a source told ESPN. Jones, a four-star rusher from Jenks, Oklahoma, is the first member to leave the Cowboys' 2026 class upon Gundy's exit.
Once a beacon for high-flying offensive football, Gundy, who was the starting quarterback for Oklahoma State from 1986 to '89, leaves with the Cowboys ranked 81st in total offense and 74th in scoring this season.
Gundy agreed to a restructured contract to remain the program's coach late last year following a 3-9 finish to the 2024 season.
Oklahoma State added more than 60 new players to its roster before the 2025 season. After a Week 1 win over UT-Martin, the Cowboys suffered a 69-3 drubbing on the road at Oregon before falling to in-state rival Tulsa, of the Group of 5, in Week 4.
The Cowboys gave up 11 plays of 15-plus yards, made just three trips to the red zone and were outgained 424-403 in the loss to Tulsa -- the program's first home loss to the Golden Hurricane since 1951.
The Cowboys' average of 14 points per game this season is the program's lowest through three games since 1991.
Oklahoma State opens Big 12 play against Baylor on Saturday.
Even in leaner years, Gundy's persona often kept him and the program relevant on the national stage.
He remains infamous for the "I'm a man, I'm 40" rant in 2007 that he made in defense of quarterback Bobby Reid, which Gundy himself recently spoofed in a Consumer Cellular commercial.
Gundy seldom shied from outspoken opinions and verbal spats with reporters, particularly in the back half of his tenure. In 2020, he apologized after he referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus" and months later held off a player revolt when he was pictured wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the far-right One America News Network. Gundy eventually filmed an apology video with Chuba Hubbard after the Cowboys running back called the incident "insensitive" and "unacceptable."