On September 23, the Oklahoma State Cowboys finally decided to drop the curtain on Mike Gundy’s 21-year run in Stillwater. It wasn’t the ending anyone wanted. Gundy had been the face of the program since the mid-2000s. The decision came after a brutal two-year stretch where the Cowboys went 3-9 in 2024 and a 1-3 start in 2025 capped by a 69-3 thrashing from Oregon and an embarrassing first loss at home to Tulsa since 1951.

For a coach who once had the Cowboys chasing the playoff and winning double-digit games often, the decline was sudden. The university paid the $15 million buyout, calling it one of the toughest decisions it’s ever made. The writing had been on the wall for weeks. Despite his recent losses, it didn’t take long for former players to rally around their coach.

One of the most heartfelt messages came from ex-running back Jeremy Smith, now a running backs coach. Smith played under Gundy from 2009 to 2013 and was a key part of the 2011 team that took home the BIG 12 crown. He posted on social media, “From the kid you didn’t let quit! Sincerely, Thank you! 🙏🏾” The message showed how Gundy pushed his players to stay accountable and kept them working hard to achieve their football dreams.

Smith, who racked up 34 touchdowns in his career, represented a generation of Cowboys who thrived in Gundy’s system, and his respect highlighted the personal side of Gundy’s tenure. Smith’s connection runs through the golden era of Oklahoma State football. That 2011 squad, led by Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, Joseph Randle, and yes, Jeremy Smith, was arguably the best in school history.

They went 12-1, secured the program’s first-ever Big 12 Championship, and capped it off with a Fiesta Bowl win over Stanford.  Smith’s 646 yards and nine touchdowns that year added a bruising balance to Randle’s finesse, showing how deep Gundy’s roster was. While the 2011 Bedlam blowout over Oklahoma (44-10) cemented the Cowboys’ place in the national conversation, it also showed that Gundy had built a team capable of hanging with anybody. That’s the legacy former players like Smith remember, even as the program struggles in the present.

Mike Gundy isn’t retiring

This isn’t the last time you’d be seeing Mike Gundy screaming on the sidelines. Hours after the news broke, college football insider Brett McMurphy shared a telling exchange on X. He asked Cale Gundy, Mike’s younger brother and longtime Sooners coach, whether the veteran coach will continue coaching football. Cale’s response was blunt: “Hell yes & I’m going with him.” That tweet confirmed two things. Mike still has that Mullet-era fire, and he won’t be looking for his next job alone. Cale himself plans to rejoin the grind after being out of coaching since 2022, and the brothers want their next chapter together.

It’s not often you see two Gundy brothers on the same sideline. Their football roots run deep, but they’ve always been on opposite ends of the Bedlam rivalry. Mike was a record-setting quarterback at Oklahoma State in the late ’80s, while Cale was a four-year starter with the Sooners in the early ’90s and later spent more than 20 years on their staff. For decades, their careers mirrored each other as rivals, but this time feels different.

Now, for the first time, the idea of them working together is on the table. Mike brings 156 wins and 17 straight bowl appearances before things fell apart. Cale was part of all of Oklahoma’s 14 Big 12 titles and its 2000 national championship. He spent 16 years as the running backs coach, followed by seven more coaching inside receivers. This brings years of offensive wisdom. Put them together, and you’ve got a polarizing package deal that can catch the attention of plenty of programs.