Oklahoma State AD Explains Mike Gundy Firing Decision, Will Honor $15M Contract Buyout

Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg discussed the decision to fire longtime head coach Mike Gundy on Tuesday.

"I'm not worried about this week's (game) or the next two weeks," Weiberg said, per On3.com's Brett McMurphy. "I'm worried about next year, two years from now, five years from now"

He also confirmed that the school plans to honor Gundy's $15 million contract buyout.

Weiberg revealed that he didn't regret passing on parting ways with Gundy at the end of the 2024 season, though.

"My expectation was that we would be winning football games this season ... I don't look back on that and think we should have made that decision," Weiberg explained, according to Eric Bailey of Tulsa World. "I feel very comfortable with the decision we made."

The decision was eventually made after a 19-12 loss to Tulsa dropped the Cowboys to 1-2 to open the season.

"This was not something that I thought we would be doing on this Tuesday," Weiberg told reporters. "I expected to beat the University of Tulsa and the results to be different."

Gundy was in the midst of his 21st season as head coach of the program. He also played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1986-89.

Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham will now take over as Oklahoma State's interim head coach, per ESPN's Eli Lederman and Pete Thamel.

Gundy ended his head coaching tenure with the Cowboys by culminating a record of 170-90 to go along with a 12-6 mark in 18 bowl games. He helped lead them to eight 10-win seasons, capturing a Big 12 championship during their 2011 campaign.

While Oklahoma State secured a 10-4 finish to go along with a bowl game victory in 2023, the team struggled the following year. The Cowboys started off by winning their first three contests during the 2024 season, but ended the year on a nine-game losing streak.

Gundy's squad opened this season with a 20-point win over non-major Tennessee-Martin before suffering a lopsided 69-3 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Oregon the following week.

Oklahoma State is averaging a mere 14.0 points and 172.3 passing yards per game in 2025, with both marks representing the lowest among all Big 12 schools.

The Cowboys will look to get back on track under Meacham against Baylor on Saturday.