Mike Gundy Mike Gundy ( born August 12 , 1967 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University – Stillwater . Gundy played college football at Oklahoma State , where he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989 . Gundy became Oklahoma State ' s coach on January 3 , 2005 . In 2007 he received national media attention for his heated criticism of a newspaper article on one of his players . Biography . Playing career . At Midwest City High School , Gundy played quarterback , and was voted Oklahoma Player of the Year in 1986 . Gundy was heavily recruited by the Oklahoma Sooners but in the end signed with the Oklahoma State University Cowboys . He became the starting quarterback midway through his freshman year . Gundy would become the all - time leading passer in Oklahoma State and Big 8 Conference history . In four seasons Gundy threw 49 touchdowns and 7 , 997 yards , including 2 , 106 yards in 1987 and 2 , 163 in 1988 . He led the Cowboys to bowl wins in the 1987 Sun Bowl and 1988 Holiday Bowl aided by two Hall of Fame running backs , Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders . He also led OSU to two 10 - win seasons . Mike Gundy held the record for most consecutive passes attempted without an interception at the start of a career by a freshman in Division 1 history with 138 , until Baylor freshman Robert Griffin III broke it in 2008 . Coincidentally , Baylor was playing against Gundy ' s Oklahoma State team when Griffin surpassed the mark . After the game , Gundy was able to personally congratulate Griffin on the accomplishment . Coaching career . Early positions . When Gundy graduated , he joined Pat Jones ' s staff as an assistant coach . He was wide receiver coach in 1990 , quarterback coach from 1991 – 1993 and offensive coordinator from 1994 – 1995 . Gundy was quarterbacks coach / passing game coordinator for Baylor during the 1996 season . He was on staff with Larry Fedora at Baylor and would rekindle that relationship when he became head coach at Oklahoma State , bringing Fedora on as his offensive coordinator . After the season , he moved again , this time to Maryland where he was wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator from 1997 – 2000 for the Terps . Oklahoma State . In 2001 , the Oklahoma State University head football coach job became vacant when Bob Simmons resigned and a search produced Les Miles and Mike Gundy as the finalists . Miles was hired as head coach and Gundy was brought aboard as offensive coordinator . The team would go on to three straight bowl games in Miles ' s last three years as head coach and when Miles left in 2004 to take the LSU job , Gundy was named immediately as Miles successor and the 22nd head coach at Oklahoma State . His first season saw the expulsion of eleven players from the team and the Cowboys struggled to a 4 – 7 record winning only one Big 12 conference game . In his second season , the Cowboy offense began to click and the Cowboys would finish 7 – 6 including a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Independence Bowl . In 2007 , the Cowboys again posted a 6 – 6 regular season record and a bowl win over the Indiana Hoosiers in the Insight Bowl . After their second straight bowl appearance , Gundy was rewarded with a contract extension through the 2013 season . 2007 media controversy . On September 22 , 2007 , Gundy made comments that became the subject of a nationwide media controversy and generated a viral video . Following his team ' s victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders , Gundy criticized an article that was critical of one of his players including the now famous line " Come after me ! I ' m a man ! I ' m forty ! " Jenni Carlson of " The Oklahoman " wrote the original article discussing Bobby Reid , the former starting quarterback , and reasons why he might have been demoted to second - string . The OSU coaching staff publicly supported Reid earlier in the year , but later demoted him with no public explanation to the media . The Oklahoman sports editor , Mike Sherman , also stood by the story . Mike Griffith , president of the Football Writers Association of America , called Gundy ' s behavior " completely inappropriate . " CBS Sportsline ' s Dennis Dodd went further saying , " Mike Gundy needs to be reprimanded , definitely suspended , probably fined and maybe fired . " OSU athletic director Mike Holder stood behind Gundy , saying that " nothing is more important to us than our student - athletes . " 2008 season . In 2008 , Gundy led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to their best season in 20 years . They were ranked in the top 15 for most of the season . The season ended with an appearance in the Holiday Bowl , where they lost to Oregon . Gundy was rewarded with a new seven - year contract worth $ 15 . 7 million . The contract , which extends through the 2015 season , went into effect on January 1 , 2009 . 2009 season . Gundy led the 2009 Cowboys to another solid season . Going into the annual Bedlam game against rival Oklahoma , the Cowboys were 9 – 2 and poised to secure their first - ever BCS bowl bid and notch only the fourth 10 - win season in school history . However , the Cowboys were beaten by Oklahoma 27 – 0 , and went on to lose the Cotton Bowl to Ole Miss . 2010 season . The 2010 Cowboys rolled through the regular season , finishing with a share of the last Big 12 South title ( the Big 12 dropped the divisional format after the 2010 season ) . Along the way , they set numerous records for points scored , as well as total and individual yardage . With a 48 – 14 victory over Kansas on November 20 , Oklahoma State won 10 regular - season games for the first time ever . It was also only the fourth 10 - win season in the school ' s 111 - year football history . A loss to Oklahoma in the final regular season game kept the Cowboys out of the Big 12 Championship Game . They did , however , rout Arizona in the Alamo Bowl for their school - record 11th win . 2011 season . The Cowboys entered 2011 with their highest expectations since the 1980s . They opened the season ninth in both major polls . Gundy ' s Cowboys didn ' t disappoint , starting the season 10 – 0 , the best start in school history . Gundy has had a hand in four of Oklahoma State ' s five 10 - win seasons ( two as quarterback , two as head coach ) . With a 52 – 45 win over Kansas State , the Cowboys rose to second in the AP Poll and Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) rankings , the highest national rankings in school history . On November 18 , Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State in double overtime 37 – 31 , all but dashing their national title hopes , but remained in the BCS hunt with a series of upsets in the following weeks , along with a convincing 44 – 10 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on December 3 , snapping an eight - game losing streak in the Bedlam rivalry . It was also Gundy ' s first win over Oklahoma as a player or a coach at Oklahoma State ; he ' d gone 0 – 4 while the Cowboys ' quarterback . On December 4 , it was announced that Oklahoma State had earned a spot in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl , being barely eclipsed out of the BCS National Championship game by second - place Alabama by the smallest margin between # 2 and # 3 in BCS history . Many AP voters hinted that if the Cowboys were to beat Stanford as they did the Sooners , and Alabama upset SEC West rival LSU in the BCS Championship Game , the Cowboys could earn a split title with an AP Poll # 1 ranking ( this is opposed to the USA Today & Harris Coaches polls which are contractually bound to vote the winner of the BCS title game # 1 ) . The # 3 Cowboys beat the # 4 Stanford Cardinal 41 – 38 in the Fiesta Bowl , marking Oklahoma State ' s first BCS bowl win , and first outright Big 12 Conference title in the same season , though it was not enough to convince voters to give OSU a split title . Personal . Gundy and his wife , Kristen , have three children , Gavin , Gunnar and Gage . His brother , Cale Gundy , was a starting quarterback at Oklahoma in the 1990s and is currently OU ' s running backs coach . Coaching tree . Many current NCAA Head Coaches and Assistants trace their career back to Gundy ' s coaching tree . Included among those are North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora , West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen and University of Illinois head coach Tim Beckman . Fedora and Holgorsen served as offensive coordinators under Gundy , while Beckman was his defensive coordinator . Gundy , in turn , can trace his career back to the coaching tree of College Football Hall of Fame members Johnny Majors and Woody Hayes through Miles .