Mike Gundy gets new contract at Oklahoma State despite recent controversy
Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy agreed to a new perpetual five-year contract that will keep him at his alma mater indefinitely, the school announced Friday.
Further terms of the deal will be released at a later date, the announcement read.
“I am appreciative to Athletic Director [Chad] Weiberg for his commitment and confidence in our football program, as well as our entire athletic department,” Gundy said in the announcement. “… Stillwater is home, and I love this community and Oklahoma State. Coaching my beloved alma mater is a great honor for me.”
The contract extension comes a year after a high-profile incident that resulted in Gundy’s contract being shortened and his salary reduced. Gundy sparked controversy in June 2020 when a photo surfaced on social media showing the coach wearing a T-shirt with a One America News (OAN) logo on it. OAN is a far-right television network that promotes conspiracy theories and called the Black Lives Matter movement “a farce” and a “criminal front group.”
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In response, star running back Chuba Hubbard, now a member of the Carolina Panthers, threatened to boycott campus events until changes were made. Gundy and Hubbard subsequently released a joint video in which they reconciled, and Gundy issued another apology the following day, claiming he learned about OAN’s views after listening to his players.
The Oklahoma State athletic department launched an internal review into the program shortly thereafter, and Gundy agreed to a $1 million pay cut and a reduction in his rollover contract from five years to four.
Then-athletic director Mike Holder said at the time that he had never heard of OAN but was glad Oklahoma State players chose to speak up and voice their frustrations with their coach. Holder concluded that Gundy needed to spend more time investing in personal relationships with his players, but also that Gundy was “humble, remorseful and committed to change.”
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Now, just over a year later, Gundy was given a new contract.
“This reinforces Oklahoma State‘s commitment to competing for championships in football and to winning the right way,” Weiberg said in Friday’s announcement. “Coach Gundy has great coaches on his staff, talented people in the program and remarkable young men on the team. While we have experienced great success the past 17 seasons, I look forward to the future and believe the best is yet to come for Cowboy Football under coach Gundy’s leadership.”
Gundy, who played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1986 to 1989, has been the Oklahoma State head coach since 2005. He has compiled a record of 143-67 and has guided the Cowboys to a winning season every year in the past decade, making them one of only seven teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to accomplish that feat.
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 8 in the country after a 6-0 start to its season that included a 32-24 win over Texas in Austin last weekend. The Cowboys visit Iowa State on Saturday afternoon.
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