Oklahoma State fans loudly called for longtime head coach Mike Gundy’s firing after a 19-12 home loss to Tulsa, the program’s first home defeat to its in-state rival in 74 years.

STILLWATER, Okla. — For nearly two decades, Mike Gundy has been the face of Oklahoma State football, guiding the Cowboys to a level of stability and recognition unmatched in program history.

But on Friday night inside Boone Pickens Stadium, the sound echoing around Stillwater was not celebration of his past accomplishments — it was a chorus of boos and chants calling for his ouster.

Oklahoma State’s 19-12 home loss to in-state rival Tulsa was more than just another frustrating defeat. It marked the program’s first home loss to Tulsa in 74 years, an ignominious record that underscored the freefall Gundy’s Cowboys find themselves in.

Fans didn’t just grumble; they shouted “Fire Gundy” in unison, a pointed and public demand for change that was broadcast across ESPN to a national audience.

For Gundy, 58, who once famously declared “I’m a man! I’m 40!” in a 2007 press conference tirade that made him a household name beyond the world of college football, the chants represented a jarring reversal of fortune.

Once lauded for building Oklahoma State into a consistent Big 12 contender, he is now presiding over one of the worst stretches in school history.

Friday’s defeat dropped the Cowboys to 1-2 on the season.

Combined with nine consecutive losses to end last year, the program has now dropped 11 straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, the longest losing streak in school history and currently the longest in the nation.

Last season’s 3-9 finish was already the low point of Gundy’s first 20 years at the helm, but the early weeks of 2025 suggest the decline may be accelerating.

The frustration was evident long before the final whistle. Oklahoma State trailed 16-3 at halftime, and boos rained down as the team headed for the locker room.

By the time the Cowboys were stopped on a late drive and Tulsa sealed the win, the chants of “Fire Gundy” swelled to their loudest, filling the stadium in a way that left no ambiguity about the fans’ mood.

As the final seconds ticked off, Gundy raised his arms in the familiar OSU gesture spelling out the school letters, but the response from the stands was sharp and unforgiving.

“I don’t make those decisions,” Gundy said when asked about the chants and his future. “My decision is to do exactly what I mentioned earlier and get these guys and keep on moving forward and go on down the road, and that’s what you do.”

He also praised the fans’ support, even as they turned on him: “They were awesome tonight, they really were. The stadium was full and they were fired up and they were awesome.”

His words were defiant, but his situation is increasingly precarious. Across the country, the 2025 season has already claimed two coaching casualties: UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry were dismissed in the opening weeks.

Gundy’s current trajectory makes him a leading candidate to be the third, should Oklahoma State’s administration decide a reset is necessary.

The broader context makes the situation even more glaring. The Cowboys were once a model of consistency under Gundy.

His tenure includes a 2011 Big 12 championship, a Fiesta Bowl victory over Stanford, and 17 straight bowl appearances before last year’s collapse. With 166 career wins, he is Oklahoma State’s all-time leader in victories.

His offensive innovation and knack for producing NFL-caliber talent once made Stillwater a destination for recruits overlooked by college football’s blue bloods.

But recent seasons have exposed cracks. After the Cowboys reached the Big 12 Championship Game in 2021, they slipped to 7-6 in 2022 and then fell completely apart in 2023.

Last year’s 3-9 finish included blowout losses and a defense that ranked among the worst in the conference. This season’s start has been equally painful, highlighted by a 69-3 thrashing at Oregon on September 6.

Losing to Tulsa, a program from the American Athletic Conference with far fewer resources, was perhaps the starkest symbol of the downturn. The Golden Hurricane, led by second-year head coach Tre Lamb, hadn’t beaten Oklahoma State in Stillwater since 1951.

Yet on Friday night, Tulsa looked sharper, more disciplined, and more motivated than the home team. Players celebrated wildly after each defensive stop, and their coach was embraced by his team on the field as if they had won a championship.

The loss also raises questions about Oklahoma State’s immediate future. The Cowboys open Big 12 play next week against Baylor, and with the conference’s recent realignment strengthening the competition, Oklahoma State cannot afford to fall further behind.

Alumni and boosters who once backed Gundy are reportedly growing restless, and athletic director Chad Weiberg faces mounting pressure to evaluate the direction of the program.

Supporters of Gundy argue that he has earned the right to coach his way out of the slump, citing his two decades of service, loyalty to the program, and the difficulty of maintaining consistency in an era of rapid change with the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL) reshaping college football.

Critics counter that his message has grown stale, his recruiting has lagged, and the on-field product has deteriorated beyond repair.

Whatever the case, Friday night felt like a tipping point. Fans rarely turn so loudly and publicly against a coach who has given them so many years of success.

The chants of “Fire Gundy” weren’t just a vocal minority — they represented a broader sense that the program is stuck and may need fresh leadership to return to relevance.

Gundy, ever stubborn, gave no hint that he intends to walk away. He has three years left on his contract, which includes a significant buyout that would complicate any decision to remove him midseason.

Yet college football is a results-driven business, and the results have become impossible to ignore.

As the Cowboys trudged off the field under the Stillwater lights, the symbolism was hard to miss: a proud program at a low point not seen in generations, and a once-beloved coach staring down the possibility that his tenure is nearing its end.

For now, the question looming over Oklahoma State is whether Mike Gundy’s long run will be allowed to continue, or whether the chants that shook Boone Pickens Stadium on Friday night were the beginning of the end of an era.