Big 12 Head Football Coaches Ranked: No. 1-5

Oct 11, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy watches against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma State won the game 27-20. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

No. 5: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

The career of Mike Gundy should give Texas Tech fans hope because his tenure as the head coach of his alma mater Oklahoma State resembles Kliff Kingsbury’s first two years in Lubbock.

Gundy was a successful quarterback who led the Cowboys to two 10-win seasons (though unlike Kingsbury, Gundy was aided by two eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs: Thurman Thomas, and Barry Sanders). Gundy held several school passing records following his playing career in Stillwater, and immediately began coaching the next season (1990) as the OSU wide receivers’ coach.

When Les Miles left the Cowboys for greener pastures at LSU, Gundy was promoted from offensive coordinator and associate head coach to head coach. His tenure as the man in charge did not get off to the greatest of starts though. After his first two seasons, Gundy was 11-13 (Kingsbury is 12-13 after two seasons).

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Just as Mike Leach and the Red Raiders were beginning to build momentum, so too was Gundy. After taking the Cowboys to their third consecutive bowl game in 2007, Gundy took the Cowboys into Lubbock, Texas for a late season battle between top-10 teams. Tech dominated that game but the programs have gone in different directions since.

The Cowboys have maintained its profile as a yearly contender in the Big 12. But in 2010, only a loss to OU in the season’s final game kept the Cowboys out of the Big 12 title game. In 2011, after winning the Big 12 title, the Cowboys beat Stanford 41-38 in the Fiesta Bowl. Only a late-season loss at Iowa State kept the Cowboys out of the BCS National Title Game.

The Achilles heel for Gundy has been the Oklahoma Sooners. As a player, he was 0-4 against OSU’s in-state big brother, and as a coach he is 2-8. Many of the recent losses were mild upsets in which it appeared that the Cowboys seemed to be the better team.

Gundy has developed a bit of a controversial reputation with outbursts towards the media, such as the one seen in the video below following the 2007 game against Texas Tech:

He has also had public feuds with Oklahoma State administrators and the school’s top booster, billionaire T. Boone Pickens. And in 2013, allegations of academic improprieties, money being paid to players, sexual misconduct between female recruiters and high school recruits, plus drug use by players were published in articles by Sports Illustrated.

Though the 2013 allegations have brought about no sanctions as of yet, such controversies have recently taken attention off of Gundy’s sterling 84 – 44 record as head coach. He has developed a culture of winning and consistency not seen in Stillwater since the 1980s.

Texas Tech fans hope to see Kingsbury find similar success in Lubbock, at least on the field. However, I doubt Kingsbury will ever angrily proclaim, “I’m a man! I’m 40!” in front of the media.