OSU AD says Gundy exit handled ‘right,’ cites long-term view

STILLWATER, Okla. — Hours after Oklahoma State announced the firing of longtime football coach Mike Gundy amid a 1-2 start, athletic director Chad Weiberg emphasized the decision was made with the “best interest of moving the program forward in the long term.”

Gundy, the second-longest-tenured FBS head coach, was in his 21st season leading the Cowboys, trailing only Kirk Ferentz, Iowa’s coach since 1999. His exit, announced late Tuesday morning, comes four days after the Cowboys lost 19-12 to Tulsa last Friday.

“I expected the results of this season to be different than they’ve been so far,” Weiberg told reporters Tuesday. “That goes back to the expectation level that Coach Gundy has set for this program.

“We have higher expectations than that, so when it doesn’t appear that that was not going to be met, it felt like for the good of the program it was time to make this decision so that we could start the process of getting the program where we want it to be.”

Weiberg confirmed that he informed Gundy of his firing in a meeting Tuesday morning. Acknowledging Gundy’s long history in Stillwater, Weiberg spoke to the importance of ensuring his exit was handled “right,” and said that contributed to the timing of the decision.

Gundy, 58, was not offered the opportunity to remain in his role through the end of the season, according to Weiberg, who explained that Gundy is set to receive the full sum of the $15 million buyout outlined in his contract, which was set to run through the 2028 season.

First-year Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Doug Meacham will serve as the Cowboys’ interim head coach, beginning with this Saturday’s home game against Baylor. Longtime strength and conditioning coach Rob Glass is expected to oversee administrative…