It’s been an interesting last few days for fans of Oklahoma State football. For the second time in as many seasons, OSU fans have dealt with rumors that head coach Mike Gundy was interviewing with other programs. Just a year after signing a contract extension at OSU, news broke on Monday that Gundy was a candidate for head coaching vacancies at both Tennessee and Arkansas.
It even got so crazy that at one point yesterday two different reporters for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote that Gundy was the new coach at Arkansas and that Gundy was out of the running within minutes of each other. Bret Bielema of Wisconsin was eventually announced as the new coach of the Razorbacks, but Tennessee still needed a coach. Reports surfaced today that Tennessee had officially made an offer to Gundy and Cowboy fans were left holding their breath for a few hours until it was announced that Gundy had turned down the job and would remain in Stillwater.
Even with Gundy remaining at OSU, the unsettling part of all of this is the fact that Gundy was even considering leaving what he has repeatedly called his “New York Yankees job” and his “last stop.” Things began to make more sense when word came out that the relationship between Gundy and Athletic Director Mike Holder is “fractured.” Through it all, one thing has become clear: something needs to change. When egos come into play (as they often do in business), it’s hard for people to compromise, but if Gundy and Holder both want what’s best for their alma mater, they’ll get together, smooth things over and keep Oklahoma State headed to the top of collegiate athletics.
MICHAEL ADAM RAY 