YES, SEVENTH BIG TIME EXPECTATIONS FOR THE POKES YOU KNOW, MIKE GUNDY IS CERTAINLY LIVED A FULL LIFE HERE ON THE CAMPUS AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. YOU GO BACK TO THE 1980S WHEN HE WAS THE QUARTERBACK. TALK ABOUT CHOICES. ONE OF HIS CHOICES TO HAND IT OFF TO BARRY SANDERS, THE HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER IN 1988, ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE ALL TIME LEADING RUSHER HERE WITH THE COWBOYS. THURMAN THOMAS AND NFL HALL OF FAMER. BY THE WAY, THURMAN THOMAS. AND THEN FOR THE LAST 19 YEARS, MIKE GUNDY HAS BEEN THE HEAD COACH OF THE COWBOYS GOING ON YEAR NUMBER 20. SO IT’S ME AND MIKE GUNDY. PART TWO OF OUR CONVERSATION. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS. IT’S GONE GONE BY FAST. I CAN STILL REMEMBER BOB BARRY JUNIOR AT YEAR TEN SAYING CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? YEAR TEN. WE’RE BOTH STILL HERE. AND I THOUGHT YOU KNOW, HE WOULD BE GOING, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? WE’RE DOING THIS AND IT’S YEAR 20 AND I DON’T KNOW WHY THAT CAME TO ME, BUT I GUESS MAYBE BECAUSE TEN AND 20, BUT IT’S BEEN A GREAT RUN. IT’S BEEN A LONG ONE. IT’S TOUGH TO REMEMBER NOW, BUT OKLAHOMA STATE FOOTBALL DIDN’T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE. MIKE GUNDY BECAME THE HEAD COACH. COWBOY FOOTBALL DIDN’T LOOK LIKE THIS. OSU HADN’T HAD A TEN WIN SEASON IN ALMOST TWO DECADES. IN FACT, THE COWBOYS HAD A ZERO WIN, TEN LOSS SEASON SINCE THE LAST TIME THEY WON TEN GAMES. THIS IS MY NEW YORK YANKEES JOB AT TIMES IN OUR PROFESSION, PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO EVER LET ADMINISTRATION KNOW YOU’RE AT YOUR LAST STOP. WELL, I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT BECAUSE I’M SO FIRED UP TO BE HERE AT OKLAHOMA STATE. BUT SINCE JANUARY 3RD, 2005, MIKE GUNDY HAS HELPED TRANSFORM OKLAHOMA STATE INTO ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY. SO THE THING THAT I’M MOST PROUD OF IS OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS THAT WE’VE BUILT A BRAND. NOW THAT I BELIEVE PEOPLE RECOGNIZE FROM COAST TO COAST, I UNDERSTAND NOTRE DAME. I UNDERSTAND THEIR TRADITION. I UNDERSTAND THE HELMET AND THE LOGO. BUT WE GOT A LOGO TOO. DURING GUNDY’S TENURE, THE COWBOYS HAVE WON 166 GAMES, WHICH IS MORE THAN HIS FOUR PREDECESSORS COMBINED, AND HE DESERVES THAT. THE HEAD COACH, WHO BECAME INFAMOUS IN 2007, COME AFTER ME. I’M A MAN. I’M 40, HAS BEEN THE BIG 12 COACH OF THE YEAR, THREE TIMES. OOPS. TODD WAS JUST TALKING AND HE’S TAKEN THE POKES TO FIVE NEW YEAR’S SIX BOWL GAMES AND WON THE FIESTA BOWL TWICE. WHAT DO YOU THINK, MIKE GUNDY IN 2005 WHEN HE TOOK THE JOB AT OSU AS THE HEAD COACH, WOULD SAY ABOUT THE LAST 20 YEARS, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE HIM THAT IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. YEAH, THAT WE WOULD BE ON A STAGE WHERE WE’VE HAD A NUMBER OF TEAMS THAT IN MY OPINION, COULD BEAT ANYBODY ON ANY GIVEN DAY. AND THEN WE’VE HAD QUITE A FEW YEARS WHERE WE WERE LEGITIMATE. TOP TEN IN THE COUNTRY. WE COULD PLAY WITH ANY OF THE TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY IN TOP TEN. NOW WE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO TOE TO TOE WITH THE TOP TWO, BUT WE COULD MAYBE THREE THROUGH TEN. AND THEN IN THE YEARS WHERE MAYBE WE WERE REBUILDING A LITTLE BIT, WE WERE STILL PRETTY GOOD AND WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT I SAID FROM DAY ONE IS THAT I WANTED THE FANS TO BE ABLE TO COME TO THE GAME AND KNOW THAT WE HAD A CHANCE TO WIN, NO MATTER WHO WE PLAYED, THAT I THINK THAT I CAN COMFORTABLY SAY WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED LOOSE BALL, PICKED UP THE COWBOYS, CAN HAVE A TOUCHDOWN, THE COWBOYS HAVE 11 WINS AGAINST THE TOP TEN UNDER GUNDY’S WATCH AND 40 WINS AGAINST THE TOP 25. THE DAGGER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ONLY DABO SWINNEY AT CLEMSON ACTIVELY HAS MOORE. AND GUNDY HAS BEEN A PART OF WHAT MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST TRANSFORMATION AT OKLAHOMA STATE. THE REMAKING OF LEWIS FIELD INTO BOONE PICKENS STADIUM, WHICH WAS REDEDICATED IN 2009. IT WAS A WRECK. I MEAN, IT WAS RUSTED. THE FACILITIES AROUND IT WERE NOT GOOD UNDERNEATH. IT WAS DIRT, GRAVEL. IT JUST WASN’T GOOD. I WAS IN THE OFFICE THAT DAY AND I STOOD AND LOOKED AT IT. IT’S BEAUTIFUL. SO THAT MAKES ME PROUD. AND YOU GUYS ARE HARD TO BEAT AT BOONE PICKENS STADIUM. YOU KNOW, YOU’VE SAID FOR A LONG TIME YOU WANTED IT TO BE LIKE AN SEC ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT? AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE. VERY PROUD. YOU KNOW, WE’RE SOLD OUT. WE SOLD OUT LAST YEAR. WE’RE SOLD OUT NOW. AND I WANTED IT TO BE THAT WAY BECAUSE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, IF YOU WATCH AN SEC GAME ON TV, IT LOOKS LIKE A TRADITIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME. PAGEANTRY, POMPOMS, COWBELLS THAT I’M OLD SCHOOL. TO ME, THAT’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL. NOW WE HAVE THE PADDLES AND THE CHANTS AND STUFF THAT WE DO. WE DIDN’T HAVE THAT AND SO THAT’S A HUGE DEAL FOR ME PERSONALLY, THAT GAME DAY, THERE IS A BIG DEAL GETTING TO THE OUTSIDE, AND IT’S TURNED INTO A LOT OF WINS AT BOONE PICKENS STADIUM. CURRENTLY, THE COWBOYS HAVE WON 19 OF THE LAST 21 AND MIKE GUNDY HAS THE FIFTH MOST WINS OF ANY ACTIVE HEAD COACH IN THE COUNTRY. AND STILL, YOU DON’T HEAR A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE COWBOYS ON THE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE. DO YOU THINK YOU’RE UNDERRATED? I THINK THAT WE GET UNDERRATED EVERY YEAR. WE DON’T DO A LOT TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK, WOW, SO I SAW A STATISTIC THE OTHER DAY. SOMEBODY SENT ME ON MY PHONE. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS THE LAST TEN OR THE LAST 15 YEARS. WE HAD THE BEST RECORD IN THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE IN ONE SCORE GAMES. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I THINK PEOPLE DON’T REALLY THINK I JUST THINK, GOSH, THEY JUST WON ANOTHER GAME. I MEAN, WE DIDN’T DOMINATE SOMEBODY. I THINK THAT PLAYS A FACTOR. AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE’VE WE’VE TURNED THE TIDE A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE WIN A NUMBER OF YEARS AND BEAT SOME TEAMS THAT WERE CONSIDERED TO BE WAY BETTER THAN US OVER THE LAST TEN, 15 YEARS. BUT PEOPLE DON’T SAY, OKAY, YOU’RE BETTER THAN THEM NOW. THEY STILL ARE GOING TO SAY THESE OTHER TEAMS ARE BETTER. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS WE GET TO PLAY THE GAMES AND I THINK OUR PLAYERS LIKE THAT. I THINK THEY LIKE THAT. OKAY. WE’RE NOT THAT GOOD. OKAY. CHAMPIONS OF THE BIG 12 FOR THE FIRST TIME AND BEDLAM ABOUT TO BECOME MAYHEM GUNDY’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT CAME IN 2011, WHEN THE COWBOYS HAD THEIR BEST SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY, FINISHING 12 AND ONE WITH THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP. WHAT ABOUT YOU AS A COACH? YOU KNOW ALL THE NATIONAL RANKINGS AND COACHES. YOU THINK YOU’RE UNDERRATED FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS? YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW THE ONE THING I ASKED SOMEBODY, ONE TIME, I A COUPLE COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I SAID, DO YOU THINK IT’S MORE IMPRESSIVE TO WIN 11 GAMES AT ALABAMA OR WIN NINE GAMES AT OKLAHOMA STATE? GROWING UP, MOST OF MY LIFE, WINNING NINE GAMES AT OKLAHOMA STATE WAS PRETTY TOUGH. SO I ANSWERED THE QUESTION THAT WAY. I’VE GOT ALL THE CREDIT, ALL THE RESPECT IN THE WORLD FOR THOSE COACHES, BUT IF YOU HAD TO TAKE ONE OF THOSE JOBS AND YOU HAD TO WIN THAT MANY GAMES AT THAT SCHOOL, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU TAKE TO SAY? I CAN PROBABLY DO THAT BEFORE I CAN DO THAT. I MEAN, PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY’S WON AT ALABAMA AND YEAH, AND SABAN IS A HECK OF A COACH. NO, NO QUESTION. BECAUSE HE’S CONSISTENTLY DONE IT FOR A LONG TIME. HE STAYED UP HERE. IT’S HARD TO DO THAT. BUT IS IT MORE DIFFICULT TO WIN 11. THERE OR IS IT MORE DIFFICULT TO WIN NINE AT OKLAHOMA STATE? WELL, YOU’VE WON NINE MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE, RIGHT? BY A LOT. AND SO AND TEN AND AND AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU THINK MAYBE YOU ARE A LITTLE UNDERRATED. SO WE WE’VE HAD FUN WITH IT THOUGH. IT’S BEEN GOOD. GO. THE COWBOYS OPENED THE SEASON AGAINST THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN FCS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, WHO ARE THE DEFENDIN