STILLWATER – Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy is one of six inductees who make up the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2021, announced Wednesday by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
“As a native Oklahoman, I am humbled and honored to be included in this year’s class for the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame,” Gundy said.
Gundy, who has been OSU’s head coach since 2005, has spent nearly all of his life and career in the state of Oklahoma.
He had a heavily-decorated prep career while playing quarterback at Midwest City High School, leading the Bombers to the 1985 state title while earning Oklahoma Player of the Year honors. It was the Bombers' first state championship since 1960.
Following his high school career, Gundy arrived on the Oklahoma State campus in 1986. He was a four-year starter at OSU from 1986-89 and led the Cowboys to a pair of bowl wins – the 1987 Sun Bowl over West Virginia and the 1988 Holiday Bowl over Wyoming. During those two seasons, OSU accumulated a 20-4 record.
Gundy ended his playing career as the Big Eight Conference’s all-time leader in passing and total offense. More than 30 years after his playing career, his name is still featured throughout the OSU record books. Most of his personal marks stood until Gundy assumed head coaching duties. He began his college career by throwing 138 passes before tossing his first career interception. That streak remained an NCAA record until 2008.
After graduation, Gundy immediately joined the Oklahoma State football staff at the age of 23. He coached the receivers in 1990, the quarterbacks from 1991-1993 and in 1994, served as offensive coordinator during the final year for Gundy’s college coach, Pat Jones. Gundy coached in Stillwater under each of the three previous Cowboy head coaches (Jones, Bob Simmons and Les Miles).
He spent one season at Baylor (1996) as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator before heading to the ACC, where he coached at Maryland from 1997-2000. He returned to Stillwater in 2001 as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, and he also coached OSU quarterbacks.
In 2005, Gundy became the third OSU graduate to assume the head coaching duties in Stillwater and since then he has presided over the era of greatest sustained success in the history of the program.
When he took over as head coach in 2005, the OSU football program had an all-time record of 473-492-47 (49.1 pct.). With Gundy at the helm, OSU is 137-67-0 (67.2 pct.). Oklahoma State had 16 bowl appearances in its 104-year history prior to Gundy, but with him as head coach, the Cowboys have had 15 consecutive bowl appearances and winning records in each of those seasons, both of which are school-record streaks.
Gundy has posted six 10-win seasons in his tenure as OSU’s head coach, including the 2011 season that included a Big 12 championship and Fiesta Bowl championship, as well as three other New Year’s Six bowl appearances.
In the past 10 years, Gundy has had led the Cowboys to top-three finishes in the conference standings eight times.
He is one just three active coaches with more than 30 wins over teams ranked by the AP, joined by Alabama’s Nick Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Oklahoma State players have earned 24 All-America honors during the Gundy era, also winning six major national awards and 20 conference player of the year awards. Off the field, Mike Gundy’s program has produced 354 graduates and most recently set a Big 12 record with 28 first-team selections to the All-Big 12 Academic team.
He is joined in the Class of 2021 by Roy Clymer, Stacey Dales, Dan Hays, Robert Kalsu and Gene Stephenson. The Class of 2021 Inductees will be introduced at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame's first Quarterly Leadership Luncheon, with a date to be determined. The will also be recognized at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame's Induction Ceremony, scheduled for August 2.
